Wikipedia 10K Redux by Reagle from Starling archive. Bugs abound!!!
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American [[rock and roll]] band of the late 1960s. Original members were: * [[Lou Reed]] ([[guitar]]/vocals) * [[John Cale]] ([[bass guitar]], [[viola]], [[keyboard]]) * Sterling Morrison ([[guitar]]) * Maureen "Mo" Tucker (drums/percussion) Although never commercially successful, the Velvet Underground remain one the most influential bands of their time. Whilst the West coast was undergoing the [[Summer of Love]], [[psychedelia]] and [[flower power]] the typically East coast Velvets concerned themselves with darker subject matter: transvestites, [[heroin]] addiction and [[sado-masochism]]. Also setting them apart from their contemporaries was their use of feedback and amplifier noise in a musical context, exemplified by the 17 minute "Sister Ray". At first the band were managed by artist [[Andy Warhol]], at whose instigation they featured German chanteuse [[Nico]] on their debut album, which featured a mixture of obsessive love songs and tails of excess. Nico had been jettisoned by the second album, which included the darkly comic "The Gift", narrated in Cale's deadpan [[Wales|Welsh]] accent. Before the release of their third album Reed fired the classically trained Cale, who was replaced by [[/Doug Yule]]. This, and the theft of the band's equipment, resulted in a more orthodox sound for the record which showcased the songwriting styles that would inform Reed's later solo career. After the equally accessible [[/Loaded]], the band split, with Yule recording one final album. There was a brief reunion of the original lineup in 1993. Sterling Morrison died of [[cancer]] in 1995. Discography: * [[/The Velvet Underground and Nico]] * [[/White Light White Heat]] * [[/The Velvet Underground]] * [[/Loaded]] * [[/Squeeze]] (with none of the original members) Later releases of archive material: * [[/Live 1969]] * [[/Live at Maxs Kansas City]] * [[/VU]] * [[/Another View]]