![]() ![]() The VU inspired real and sonic revolutions. The Czech Republic’s first president, former dissident and playwright Václav Havel, informed Reed during a visit that a bootleg volume of his song lyrics sustained and inspired him. The Velvets and Reed even inspired Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution. Yet, everyone who listened became some of the most important musicians of their time. ![]() The Velvets’ influence far outstripped its paltry record sales. All the while, Reed told people what they didn’t want to hear, in the language of great literature or poetry. Future albums concentrated on other aspects of VU-ness: White Light/White Heat ’s whiplash, noisy fuzz-punk, The Velvet Underground ’s downbeat pop. The Velvet Underground & Nico also contained tender ballads of great beauty- “Sunday Morning,” “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” “Femme Fatale.” All chimed like a gothic cathedral. Read more: 10 glam-rock artists from the 1970s who heralded the coming age of punk All were lashed with the dissonance shriek and roar of Reed and Sterling Morrison ’s guitars, and the classically trained John Cale ’s electric viola, which he scraped when not being the VU’s bass guitarist. Most pulsed to a rumbling rock ‘n’ roll propelled by drummer Maureen “Moe” Tucker ’s standing, minimalist pounding. Drugs ( “Heroin” ), sadomasochism ( “Venus In Furs” ), more drugs ( “I’m Waiting For The Man” ), death ( “The Black Angel’s Death Song” ), alienation ( “European Son” ) and possibly more drugs ( “Run Run Run” )-this is just the subject matter of the first LP alone. His office instead appeared to be in the gutter. Leader Lou Reed was a classic pop songwriter who could have had an office in the Brill Building. Their manager was deeply polarizing pop artist Andy Warhol, who seemingly absorbed them into his entourage of drug users, transsexuals, queers and displaced socialites. They came to assault you and your values, musical or otherwise. Ill-tempered, they were not here to entertain. They were too cool to talk to you, all black leather and shades after dark.
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