The Velvet Underground Picture Gallery

The Velvet Underground's lyrics about New York's dark side and brashly uncommercial sound made them one of the most influential bands in rock. Lou Reed (guitar, vocals) was a pop songwriter and performer at Pickwick Records. Avant garde viola player John Cale, who had performed with La Monte Young and John Cage, contributed a viola passage to Reed's single "The Ostrich." Reed and Cale (who also played bass guitar and organ) formed a band called the Primitives with drummer Angus MacLise, and later guitarist Sterling Morrison. MacLise suggested the a name, The Velvet Underground, based on a pulp paperback. He soon left and was replaced by Maureen "Mo" Tucker. Artist Andy Warhol saw one of their 1965 gigs and invited them to join his Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia show. He also convinced them to add singer Nico to the line-up. The band recorded their debut album in the spring of 1966 with Warhol producing but it was not released until almost a year later by Verve Records.

The Velvet Underground & Nico featured cover art by Warhol and a mix of ballads and raw rockers including some Cale's droning viola on some songs. Some highlights include "I'm Waiting For The Man," "Heroin," "All Tomorrow's Parties," "Femme Fatale," and "Sunday Morning." Nico left for a solo career in 1967, but continued to be produced by Cale for many years. The Velvet Underground's second album, White Light/White Heat, featured even rawer performances than their debut. John Cale left after the second album and was replaced by bassist/organist/occasional singer Doug Yule. Their self titled third album went in the opposite direction, featuring mostly soft, gentle songs like "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Candy Says." 1970's Loaded, was their last with Reed, and contained some of their most conventional rock but also best songs, including "Rock and Roll" and "Sweet Jane." Doug Yule took creative control, but Morrison and Tucker also left before the recording of 1973's Squeeze, an album which has no original Velvet Underground members.

Reed and Cale reunited in 1990 for a tribute album about Warhol, Songs For Drella. In 1993 the Velvet Underground reunited without Doug Yule for a European tour and live album. Feuding between Reed and Cale ended the reunion before it came to the US. Sterling Morrison died of cancer in 1995. A few months later, The Velvet Underground reunited at their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction and performed a new song written for Morrison.