Until a few weeks ago, I had figured that The Velvet Underground was just another one of those bands that I as a true fan of music was supposed to like, but had no idea why; like Bruce Springsteen, Fugazi, and formerly Radiohead. And then I started reading “Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung,” a collection of essays written by rock critic Lester Bangs. Teetering on the line between hero-worship and idol-trashing, Bangs wrote incessantly about Lou Reed and his bandmates in The Velvet Underground. And that's when I decided it was time to give it another go. This time, I was less than disappointed.
Now, I’m not sure what it is exactly that I’ve grown to love about The Velvet Underground. It could be that they created a brand of music that no one had seen before. It’s art rock (Andy Warhol became their manager in 1965), it’s psychedelic, and most importantly- it’s noise. Great wonderful noise that sounds so freaking good.
More importantly, these guys were the original indie rockers. They never made it big, but anyone familiar with the New York music scene in the late 60s knew about them. Brian Eno is credited with saying that “despite hardly anyone buying this album on its release, everyone that did buy it seemed to have formed a band.” This is influence at it’s greatest. Plus, it can’t hurt to have Andy Warhol as your manager.
Allright, so Radiohead and The Velvet Underground can be checked off the list. Stay tuned for Fugazi and the Boss.
The Velvet Underground – I’m Waiting for the Man
The Velvet Underground – Venus in Furs
The Velvet Underground – Heroin
The Velvet Underground – She’s My Best Friend
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
1 comments:
haha, I'm like you. I don't really like Velvet Underground, but I do feel like I ought to like them. Other bands/artists that fall into this category are The Fall, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Rolling Stones... sometimes I think you need an epiphany, and sometimes that epiphany just doesn't come.
I don't want to like Radiohead though. I think they are probably the least interesting band there is, and all their anti-celebrity anassuming-ness just makes them seem extra smug.
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