The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico

I'm going to level with you. To anyone at all familiar with the Velvet Underground, or with The Velvet Underground and Nico, there is no way that my review is going to be comprehensive enough, or even good enough, to re-articulate to you why this album is one of the greatest rock-n-roll works that mankind will ever produce. I do feel, however, that we lucky and (probably) rabid fans need to, from time to time, re-transmit this information back to those not in the know, so that the importance of this album is not lost in the ever-lengthening history of rock music.The Velvet Underground was formed in New York in 1965, with the original line-up of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Angus MacLise . Reed and Cale formed the supporting column to the group, drawn to each other by their mutual appreciation for the more artistic and experimental possibilities of rock music. The Velvet Underground basically became a vehicle for both Reed and Cale to create music that lined up with their vision. Of course, as most artists keep in mind, it's usually preferable to get paid to create art. Unfortunately, after taking their first paying gig ($75 to play Summit High School in Summit, New Jersey),MacLise quit the band, stating that the band "sold out." VU replaced MacLise with Maureen "Moe" Tucker, whose drumming style instantly became vital to the group's sound (she was known to play the drums as often with mallets as drumsticks, often played an upturned bass drum, and once did a gig using trashcans when her drum kit was stolen).The Velvet Underground gigged throughout 1965-66, catching the attention of Andy Warhol, who eventually stepped in as their manager. Warhol gave VU much-needed exposure (and, of course, money) as they toured around with his Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Playing regularly also helped the band hone and perfect their edgy, harsh sound.When the time came for them to record their first album, Andy Warhol insisted, over the band's (and especially Reed's) objections, to include German model Nico in their recording sessions. Some believe that Warhol and the record label felt that Nico would be much easier to market than Reed as a singer. This tension is evident on the lead track of their album, "Sunday Morning." The song was originally for Nico to sing, but Lou Reed decided to show them that VU was his band to control, and relegated Nico to backing vocals. Reed even sings the song in a style similar (mockingly maybe?) to Nico's rich, husky voice. While it seemed like a terrible move at the time, in hindsight The Velvet Underground and Nico would not have had the same explosive effect without her three tracks: "Femme Fatale," "All Tomorrow's Parties," and "I'll Be Your Mirror." Other than Nico's inclusion, Warhol's main role was shielding the band from the tedium and interference of the record label, allowing the Velvet Underground to play in exactly the same way that they had managed to develop while touring and gigging.Opening track "Sunday Morning" also stands out in the fact that, unlike the rest of the album, it was recorded at the last minute with hopes of it being a marketable single ("Sunday Morning" was recorded almost five months after the rest of the album was completed). It almost sounds like a tender love song, Cale plinging away on the celesta, but, listening to the lyrics, the song almost becomes the romanticized rantings of a paranoid schizophrenic. "Sunday Morning" adeptly demonstrates VU's ability to, lyrically and musically, mix the beautiful and the dark into something that is simultaneously alluring and jarring."I'm Waiting for the Man" follows up, chronicling a man's purchase of 26 dollars of heroin uptown from a drug dealer. VU never shied away from singing overtly about subjects such as drugs and sex in their songs. Their rationale was simply to write about what was really happening around them, and in the New York City of the sixties these types of activities were common and conspicuous occurrences. While future generations have enjoyed the fruits of this approach, this ensured that VU would be marginalized in a 1967 music industry still concerned about decency and morality. (note: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark does a fantastic cover of this song on the CD release of their self-titled debut album)"Femme Fatale" is the first of the three tracks on which Nico sings lead vocals. Her deep, rich voice pays homage to Warhol Superstar Edie Sedgwick. A humorous anecdote tells of Nico's insistence to Reed and and Morrison that "Fatale" should be pronounced like "fay-TAHL," but instead Reed and Morrison would sing it "fay-TAAYL," only to piss Nico off during recording.John Cale's viola stands out more prominently on "Venus in Furs," carried well by Moe Tucker's percussion work. The subject matter was inspired by a book by the same name, and covers sadomasochism, bondage, and submission ("Taste the whip/Now bleed for me)."Run, Run, Run" stretches out like a rap sheet, giving us the ends for "Seasick Sarah" or "Beardless Harry," trapped in the hustle and bustle of the NYC drug counter-culture. Reed's guitar work sounds bluesy at times, with jaunts into pure unconventional expression at others.Andy Warhol stated that "All Tomorrow's Parties" was his favorite VU song. Lou Reed stated that his inspiration came from watching the people that swirled around Warhol. Melancholy drifts up from this song, the melancholy that comes with the ending of any late night gathering. It's that feeling on loneliness at the end of the night, an understanding that you are drifting back from that center of attention to that faceless nobody. Nico's voice conveys well that feeling of reality setting back in, in re-becoming "Sunday's clown."Then comes the crown jewel of The Velvet Underground and Nico: "Heroin." I doubt that any other band, or any other song has tried to show what heroin abuse is like. It doesn't attempt to shamelessly glorify or vilify drug abuse;VU does the most responsible thing and chronicles the experience in the most accurate way they can. Changes in tempo and drum cadence help listeners enter into the world where "I feel just like Jesus son." It took sheer balls to release a song titled after a very dangerous and illegal drug in 1967.VU took the change, and in doing so crafted on of the best songs in rock."There She Goes," while sounding very much a VU track, doesn't seem to jive as well as the rest of the album. There is a nice, pure rock-n-roll feel about it, and the falsetto back-up voices add a somewhat humorous edge to a song about beating up a woman and prostitution."I'll Be Your Mirror" is a great love song, assuring him (or her) that he is as good of a person as he may think, and that "I'll be your mirror/Reflect what you are/In case you don't know." The guitar work in this song is expert, always keeping with the easy-going feel of the song. Another story arises from the recording of this song, further illustrating the band's annoyance with Nico's presence. She insisted in trying to sing the song a particular way, but the band made her sing it over and over and over again. Eventually, she broke down in tears and sang it perfectly.Both "The Black Angel's Death Song" and "European Son" leaned much closer to the pure art that the Velvet Underground originally rallied themselves around. "The Black Angel's Death Song" is all about the viola, which whines and pitches throughout the length of the song, Cale hissing at the end of the verses. "European Son" is even closer to the point. The song has very few words, and includes effects such as the sounds of a metal chair colliding with some plates. Also, after the lyrics of the first minute, the song basically become a huge, 6-minute psychedelic play-land. These last two tracks help in balancing the band: songs this edgy and artsy allowed them to sound as they please.It would be a post unto itself to extol the huge waves of artists and bands that use the Velvet Underground, and especially The Velvet Underground and Nico, as some sort of inspiration or role model. Suffice it to say that no serious fan of rock-n-roll should ever overlook this album. So much of what we listen to today stems from this band taking a chance to produce a work of everlasting art.So far so good.