On the basis that a band's early evolution is usually more interesting than their later career (Zappa is a case in point), Haynes focuses at least half the movie on the formation of the band in the mid 1960s and the making of their classic first album - The Velvet Underground and Nico, produced by Andy Warhol.
The interviews with John Cale are the most revealing, on all manner of things to do with how the band evolved and the contribution of each member. Cale's story is also rivetting in the depiction of a poor Welsh unbringing that led to a most-unlikely development as a conservatory-trained avant garde musician.
Lou said his college band was so bad they had to change their name a lot, because no one would hire them twice. Cale, the musical prodigy from the valleys, pushed Reed to throw off his straight R&B chops and embrace the avant garde. The unconventional drumming of Maureen Tucker and the addition of Nico as chanteuse resulted in a unique and groundbreaking sound; at once jarring and beautiful.
Original footage of the band's first shows and early versions of songs like Heroin and Venus In Furs give real insight into how the band evolved from those rudimentary demos to produce such a startling debut.
Through Andy Warhol’s connections with ‘straight’ society, the VU’s early appearances were at bizarre functions such as the American Society of Clinical Psychiatrists’ annual ball.
Lou admits that although Andy Warhol wasn't a hands-on producer, the band wouldn't have got the freedom to make the music they wanted if he hadn't got behind them.
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| An original UK pressing of The VU and Nico. The banana cover came later |
Lou complained that when they went to play some shows in Los Angeles, the record company added The Mothers to the Velvet's bill, which Lou saw as an attempt to undermine them. "We hated the Mothers." said dancer Mary Woronov: "They were hippies"
This was the only bit where I felt the movie was off-key. I know comments can be used out of context, but there was no ambiguity about this. Zappa had no time for mush-brained hippiedom and took great pleasure in poking fun at it. Watch the 'Zappa' movie to understand more about what made The Mothers as outrageous and anti-hippie as The Velvets.
After 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' was released and was largely ignored by the wider public (Lou claimed to have made more money out of his earlier bands than he ever did out of the VU), the band continued to tour and evolve their sound. By the second album, White Light/White Heat, the pressure of touring and Lou's surly behaviour had already soured the relationship with Cale, who said there was nothing he could do: "If you tried to please him, he hated you more."
Their influence over bands in later years is undeniable, but at the time the Velvet Underground met with a lot of hostility. The
engineer on White Light/White Heat would set up the mixing desk and leave the
room while they were recording, saying "I don't have to listen to this shit".
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| Sterling Morrison, Lou Reed, Nico, Moe Tucker and John Cale |
Cale himself was forced out by Lou after the second album and the band moved more towards mainstream rock on their subsequent albums.
The movie reminds you just what a great album that first one was. A collection of songs so strong and engaging it's surprising they didn't reach a wider audience at the time. With The Velvet Underground and Nico they created a unique sound: a burst of creativity that sounds as vital today as it did back in the 60s.
The Velvet Underground - A Todd Haynes Documentary, is available on Apple TV.
Also on this blog:
There's value in those old RCA David Bowie CDs
Marc Bolan and the Electric Warrior album, 1971
Roxy Music - Ferry and Eno still competing with one another
There's a lot to like in the 'Zappa' movie
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