The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground (abbreviated as The Velvets or V.U.) were an American rock and roll band of the late 1960s. Its best-known alumni are Lou Reed and John Cale.

1970 onwards

Although Loaded's spin-off single "Who Loves the Sun" did nothing, the album itself is something of a muted triumph. "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll" became U.S. radio favourites, and the band, featuring Walter Powers III on bass, and Doug Yule promoted to lead vocals and guitar, went on the road once more, playing the East Coast of the U.S. and Europe. By that time, however, Sterling Morrison had obtained a B.A. degree in English, and left the group for an academic career with the University of Texas at Austin. His replacement was singer/keyboard player Willie Alexander. The band played shows in England, Wales, and the Netherlands, some of which are collected on the 2001 box set Final V.U. (Longtime fans began mocking the new lineup as the "Velveteen Underground".)

Related Topics:
Walter Powers III - B.A. - University of Texas - Austin - Willie Alexander - England - Wales - Netherlands - Final V.U.

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In 1972 Atlantic released Live at Max's Kansas City, a live bootleg of one of the Velvet Underground's final performances with Reed, recorded by fan Brigid Polk. Around this time Tucker departed, followed by the newer members, leaving Yule and manager Steven Sesnick alone with the band's name. Sesnick managed to secure a recording contract with Polydor Records in England, and Yule recorded Squeeze under the Velvet Underground name with Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, and some unknown session players. Squeeze was a respectable, if not especially noteworthy effort, but was certainly not up to the standard established on the previous V.U. albums, and is generally not considered a "true" Velvet Underground recording, due to the lack of involvement of the original band members.

Related Topics:
Live at Max's Kansas City - Bootleg - Brigid Polk - Steven Sesnick - Polydor Records - Squeeze - Deep Purple - Ian Paice

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Lou Reed and John Cale, in the meantime, developed solo careers. Sterling Morrison was a professor for some time, teaching Medieval Literature at the University of Texas at Austin, then became a tugboat captain for several years. Maureen Tucker raised a family before returning to small-scale gigging and recording in the 1980s; Morrison was in a touring band before passing away from cancer in 1995. In 1988, erstwhile singer Nico died of a brain hemorrhage while bicycling on the island of Ibiza.

Related Topics:
University of Texas at Austin - Tugboat - 1980s - 1988 - Hemorrhage - Ibiza

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