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everything you need to know about Velvet Underground New York experimental rockers who found little fame in the 1960s. Despite this, they went on to become one of the most influential and feted bands of the era. They didn't play Woodstock and definitely didn't wear any flowers in their hair. Listen [in RealAudio] need audio help? Heroin from The Velvet Underground & Nico (5312502) All Tomorrow's Parties from The Velvet Underground & Nico (5312502) Formed:1965 Disbanded:1971 We never really fulfilled our potential. With tracks like "Heroin", "Venus in Furs", "All Tomorrow's Parties" , and "Sister Ray", we defined a completely new way of working. It was without precedent. Drugs and the fact that no one gave a damn about us meant that we gave it up too soon. John Cale talks about the bands apparent underachievement. within bbc.co.uk music Velvet Underground biography Velvet Underground discography Review of Velvet Underground and Nico Profiles A-Z elsewhere on bbc.co.uk h2g2 on the Velvets BCCi Wales on John Cale elsewhere on the web: Velvet Underground Web Page Lou Reed Website Mo Tucker Website The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. VELVET UNDERGROUND IN ONE MINUTE Named after an exploitation paperback about sex in the suburbs Closely connected to pop art don Andy Warhol, they were the house band at his Plastic Exploding Inevitable Club Featured, on drums, rock's #1 reductionist drummer, Moe Tucker (Listen, no cymbals!) Before hooking up with Lou and the gang, John Cale studied music with avant garde composers John Cage and La Monte Young Nico, whose icy vocals can be heard on the bands first album, had a bit part in Fellini's classic 1962 film La Dolce Vita Vaclav Havel, dissident playwright and the first president of the Czech Republic, was a big fan of the band (Hence The Velvet Revolution?) In 1993 the classic line-up reunited for a barn-storming European tour related by time: Andy Warhol Homepage related by genre: Classic Rock and Pop news, reviews and biographies Rock and Alt news, reviews and biographies The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. Velvet Underground GOOD RECORDINGS A GOOD READ The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967, Polydor) Seminal x 100. White Light/White Heat (1967, Columbia) Dark and druggy. The Velvet Underground (1969, Polydor) A bit more cheerful. Live in '69 Vol 1 and 2 (1979, Mercury) Essential. Lou Reed by Victor Bokris (1995, Vintage ) Warts and all portrait of the Velvets' lead singer. What's Welsh For Zen by John Cale (1999, Bloomsbury) Excellent autobiography of the band's arty bass player. More Like This? Try the artists by A-Z page (listed by surname or group name) or find artists grouped by genre of music Artist Search: Search for profiles, biographies and discographies on 15 000 artists across all genres. Enter a name: Album Search Advanced Classical Search How to get about the Music site: Music: for all the latest happenings in the world of music Home | News | Reviews | Concerts/Gigs | TV/Radio More Music: delving a little deeper into the world around music Profiles | Features Search: If you're looking for a particular artist, composer, or group Try the search box to the right, or the Artist Profiles. Music » Artist Profiles All pictures are copyrighted - picture credits

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