BY JEREMY HAAS
It’s sobering to think that just a few short weeks ago, one of the most influential songwriters of rock n’ roll history died on us. He left his legacy behind through songs we hear almost daily, without even realizing where they came from. Lou Reed will surely be missed, and in honor of his death, this edition of Classics Revisited will be looking at the legendary debut album by his band, the Velvet Underground.
The Velvet Underground was a small New York based rock band in the 60’s, struggling to find success. That was until Andy Warhol showed up; he became their manager and put German singer/model Nico into the mix. With this, the band started touring with Warhol, providing music for his art shows. This is where their commercial success began to kick in, and finally, in 1967, their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, was released
This album wasn’t met with much success at first, but still, even initially, it was extremely influential to all who heard it. Though only about 30,000 copies were sold in the early years of the band, Brian Eno put it perfectly when he said, “everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.”
Though I continue to hear the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed in many of my favorite artists, I still have to look at The Velvet Underground & Nico as its own entity.
Maybe this is album isn’t so much about exhausting a unique overall sound, but rather doing amazing things within the commonplace. Though Reed’s unique guitar style resonates in its entirety, much of this album is so cool simply because it’s so raw. Tracks like “I’m Waiting For My Man,” are really quite unassuming, yet still, in their own tragically beautiful way, set the scene of a grimy back alley, where a rail-thin Lou Reed waits for his man, with 26 dollars in his hand. You can hear the mediocrity in his voice; Reed was no American Idol, but rather the exact opposite. He was a dirty, troubled, drug-abusing musician who shined in a certain light. This light, in my opinion, is the best possible one to shine in. It’s why I think Reed’s music touched so many, because he was easily relatable. Any average Joe who has tried to make music knows it’s not easy to be a star, but Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, and this album show us that there is in fact beauty in the ordinary.
Another great thing about The Velvet Underground & Nico is that its sound is all encompassing. Opening on a song like “Sunday Morning,” the listener is given a floating sensation, reminiscing about that crisp cold air surrounding the angelic warmth of your comforter and mattress on a lazy Sunday morning. Then, the slightly off-key siren song (sorry Nico) turns to grubby noise immediately after, in the filthy, previously mentioned second track, “I’m Waiting for My Man.” This is an album, which at some points sounds so innocent and lovely, like in “I’ll be Your Mirror,” where Nico sings a modest, cutesy love song, which is paralleled beautifully in “Venus in Furs,” a track all about that kinky, leather-involving stuff drug-addicted Ney York rock n’ rollers are presumably into.
Of course the seven-minute ballads like “Heroin” are always welcome, where Lou Reed’s I-don’t-care-just-give-me-some-drugs attitude is turned into a picturesque and poetic scene of just what it means to be careless and carefree. His voice is the driving force of every sad musician on the verge of an emotional breakdown, teetering on the sharp verge between glamour and smut. Reed’s marginal voice is a saintly choir to the real-life singer; his sloppy guitar work is a flawless classical composition, his passion, his drive, and his utter familiarity are the reasons he’s such a legend. No, Lou Reed wasn’t naturally talented or anything special, but alas, that is reason he was so special.
So if you’re still wondering, yes, The Velvet Underground & Nico is a classic. It was an early indication that sometimes the further from perfect a band was, the more genuine their sound could be. This album proved that there is passion looming behind every mundane corner of your life, every dangerous alleyway, every regrettable decision, and every crack in the struggling songwriter’s voice. Rest in Peace Lou Reed, you will be missed.
