Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground was a combination of music, art and Film.  Lou Reel and John Cale initially started the band. In 1963 John Cale go to United States to take up the Bernstein Scholarship, he also work with avant composer Le Mente Young in New York. In the beginning they try to combine Funky Style with Rock n Roll style for the band, also Sterling Morrison and Lou Reel were both at Syracuse university at that time, in the mid 60's Andy Warhol start managing the band making them combine music, art and film. In 66's the Velvet Underground producer their first album with the new incorporation of a German model Nico. The members of the velvet underground were: Lou Reel, Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Maureen Tucker they first gig were in the Cafe Bizarre

John Cale gifted on piano and violin. He had a reputation as a child prodigy was performing original composition on the BBC when he was just 11 years old, Cale enrolled at london's Goldsmith's college as an Undergraduate classical musical student in 1960. He came to United States to take up the Bernstein Scholarship, he began to work with a Big composer named La Monte Young in his theater of  Eternal Music. John Cale provided for the Velvet Underground he skills with the droning viola the fantastically inventive Bass lines and pulverizing piano assaults, Cale elevated the band from mere noise dilettantes to sonic Futurist.

Lou Reed began attending Syracuse University. He was songwriter, composer and photographer. He was the principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground. Lou wrote about subjects of a personal experience that opens the door for the rock and roll stuff like sex and drugs culture. In 1971 he took the decision to quit the band and start a solo career after a year of his solo career he make a hit the " Walk on the Wild Side "

Andy Warhol start managing and producing the velvet underground, with the intention to combine Music, Art and Film in 66's Andy help the band to Produced their first album. Andy took the decision to incorporate a new member named Nico a German model for the 3 songs of the album.

The velvet underground was different in many aspects to the other bands in the mid 60"s with the incorporation of Andy Warhol they start combining Music with Art. the band also became part of his multimedia roadshow. Their shows included 16mm film projections and color by Andy. Later the band get influenced by the folk music, another reason they change their sound and make it different to the other bands were the Vox amplifiers and the assorted fuzzboxes.

I didn't know about the Velvet Underground before i took this class, is not my type of music but i like the mix and the vocals in the album. I think velvet underground influenced a lot of bands in this time because you can heard a lot of bands playing the same style.