The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground was the first rock band to really go above and beyond what people were used to hearing. They were definitely the artistic type of group, making music for the sake of making music. They weren't too interested in money early on. The original drummer of the band actually ended up leaving the band when they finally did decide to take up their first paying gig and called the rest of the band 'sellouts'. They had a close-knit relationship with the famous artist, Andy Warhol, and played as the house band for his studio, 'The Factory'.

The primary songwriters of the group, John Cale and Lou Reed, had a huge influence on the sound that ended up becoming the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed was an American songwriter and was a pioneer of using lots of feedback and distortion on the electric guitar. Up till the point of The Velvet Underground's arrival into the music scene, nobody had really tried anything like it. John Cale, on the other hand, was a more classically trained musician from the UK. Having begun his musical endeavors on the viola, Cale had a different perspective on making music. When the two came together as a creative force, we were given some of the most unique music that anyone had heard at the time and alternative rock was essentially born.

Andy Warhol had a huge influence on The Velvet Underground in their musical and artistic direction. He noticed them for their unique sound and took them under his wing in order to help promote them and develop their artistic image. Lou Reed never failed to give Warhol credit for his influences in interviews about the band. Warhol became the band's manager in 1965. He was also responsible for the addition of former European model, Nico, collaboration with the band. Although they were against the idea at first, Warhol eventually got them to agree and they began writing songs for Nico to sing on.

'The Velvet Underground & Nico' was an album that was definitely ahead of its time. The album sales are proof enough. Although they barely sold any records while they were still writing with the original band line-up, they are now considered one of the most influential bands of all time. The combination of art and music really put music in a different perspective for the band. It wasn't so much about making money or getting famous. It wasn't about singles and getting radio play. It was about art and telling a story through music. It was beyond what anyone was trying to convey through their music. They weren't afraid to experiment with instruments on this album and it paid off in the long run. In today's industry we can't get enough of experimentation through music. 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' wasn't afraid to let a guitar sound too distorted or purposely feedback. Nobody was doing that at the time.

As a musician, this album felt as if it was released in recent times. It's impressive to me that it was released so long ago and that so many bands have been so clearly influenced by their sound. Even as someone who had not previous heard 'The Velvet Underground & Nico,' the way I make music has clearly been influenced by musicians who have been influenced by it. Their sound has impacted so many musicians in such an extraordinary way that their sound has even been carried on through them. The production of this album is organic and honest in my opinion. It wasn't as clean cut as some of the other records coming out at the time and it adds to the mood of the songs in my opinion. 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' is clearly a milestone in rock music.