The Velvet Underground is the 1960s band that had its beginnings in New York City and is credited with changing the face of the New York music scene and much of the standards of rock and roll in the process.

The Velvet Underground had its beginnings in the city of New York, with the members all from the city and many of their biggest CDs were written while they were performing in the city.

The band is also credited with breaking many of the conventions of rock and roll and encouraged other bands, by example, to do the same thing. It was considered ahead of its time for its unique sound and its influence on later bands in the sixties and seventies and beyond.

The band addressed social issues that were long considered taboo, such as drugs, sex, and the gritty urban scene of New York. The Velvet Underground was also an integral part of the New York music scene, heavily involved with Andy Warhols factory and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable events.

Although the band started out very relaxed, the introduction of Maureen Moe Tucker and her exotic drum playing combined with Andy Warhol becoming their manager, the bands sound changed to the distinctive and unique music that one thinks of today when thinking of the band.

Warhol brought the band in as part of his act and they performed all around the city for several months before going on tours. It is also under Warhol that the band recorded their debut album The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967) which allowed them to show off the bands range of music and launched them into the public eye more fully than they would have been simply touring with Warhols Exploding Plastic Inevitable group.

Their other two famous albums, White Light/White Heat (1968) and The Velvet Underground (1969) were recorded after the band left Warhol. White Light/White Heat was rawer and harsh, while The Velvet Underground had more folksy overtones and gentler music. All three albums are showcases of the bands ability to play any kind of music and make it their own.

The Velvet Underground battled critics, drugs, change ups in management and band members, and the troubles of touring in order to produce their three great albums and change the face of music forever. The band proved that if one is willing to be creative, hard working, and work well outside the box; one can be famous and make the top lists of music fans everywhere.

Although the band had its rocky points, with band members leaving for creative differences, and its dissolution in 1970 when Louis Reed walked off, it managed to reunite twenty years later for a final tour and chance to play with the modern bands, such as U2.

It continues to exist as a New York based partnership to manage the finances and catalogs of the band members, though they no longer perform.

Drew Mers is an advertising consultant to to Empire Rehearsal Studios, which rents music rehearsal studios to bands and musicians in Manhattan (New York City) and Queens.

[tags]music, new york. the velvet underground, band[/tags]