Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series)

I'm a VU fan, but not a VU freak. As such, I liked this book a lot. Plenty of background on the making of the album, analysis of the songs, etc. I've read another review complaining that all the info in this book can be found in the "Peel Slowly And See" box set booklet. If that's true, than I can see this book being a disappointment. But I don't own that boxset, so I really can't compare.Personal complaint-I like this book, but would rather have read a 33 1/3 book on "White Light/White Heat." I think that album is miles better than this one, which suffers from being over-exposed. I realize the importance of the album, but I'd rather hear more about the story of WLWH. Having been to the 33 1/3 site and seeing what their criteria is for recommending a book, and having read several books in this series, I sort of understand why this album was chosen (as it is their most influential album-not to mention this was an early entry in the series.) But is there a rule that each band only gets one album in the series? Even if only for financial considerations? Because there are several bands with other albums worthy of this sort of analysis. Examples: there are many great Beatles albums, but the only one with a book is "Let It Be." The only Stones album is "Exile." Sonic Youth-"Daydream Nation." Led Zeppelin-"4". Black Sabbath-"Master Of Reality" The Smiths-"Meat Is Murder." Don't these bands have other albums also worthy of consideration for this series? And unless I'm overlooking something, why isn't there a book on any of the 3 great studio LPs (pre-reunion) by The Stooges?

This 33 & a third text spells out the conflicts and tensions inherent in the VU's original coming together--Lou Reed hated Nico (as a singer, we don't know what he thought of her sexually)--Andy's attempts to form the VU in his image vs. Reed and Cale's vision--The fact, which is hard to get across these fifty-plus years later to young folks, that the VU was disliked, especially in NY, and was not popular with the music world, not for some time after they disbanded and became a pervasive influence on rock and roll in the nineties and on--This unstable concoction produced a fragile beauty in some songs and a rough-trade junkie assault in others--I would argue that White Light White Heat is probably more influential as an LP on future music than was the VU & Nico--Such an exquisitely self-undermining work, reflected its moment, never to be repeated, even though we think we remember our history--Harvard reminds us how things were.

Great read about band and album with plenty of detail

My favorite 33 1/3 book. What I really like is the discussion of living a life that makes a good story vs merely just telling good stories. Lou Reed obviously did both as did the other VU members. So, the author is a musician has both lived a life that is pretty interesting and can write. He inserts personal local color w/o making the book about him.Re VU in particular he has done readers a service in actually verifying quotes and providing citations rather than repeating other people's stories w/o verifying them.The descriptions of the scene and music are fascinating. You can roughly read the sections on the songs in about the time it takes to listen to them.

When i got the book i let it sink in for a while,just looking at the cover.I thought the point in the making of the first songs really carried a great sense of workmanship.How dedicated Lou Reed was in beliveing,expressing his songs to a greater audience.There were also incidents useable for anyone who sees music and life as a funny sort of buisness'.In an overview of the context,if your interrested in an good read that can inspire you further and beyond,this can set a mark on your wonderous beginnings.

Complete detailed research into the Velvet Undergrounds groundbreaking album.

Informative, but a little lacking in insight.

One of the best books I have read in this series. Mr. Harvard has done a great job distilling this iconic and influential album.

How to do true justice to an LP that was not a commercial success on release in March 1967 after a delay of almost a year from its recording, yet features regularly in most "all time" Important/Influential Rock LPs listings? Plus as Sid Griffin stated in his liner notes to a 1997 re-release in comparing this VU LP with the similarly ignored first Flying Burrito Bros. LP, it seems many of the copies that were since sold made the listener go out and form a band inspired by what they'd heard, given how many musicians cite the LP as an influence.The author (a musician and producer in Boston, a favourite venue for the VU at the time in the USA) given his age was not around when the LP first came out and has instead "tracked back" based on seeing the pervasive influence it had on may later rock acts who he admired. In doing so, he has benefitted from being "guided" by Jonathan Richman (a longstanding and close VU fan plus influenced musician) in not being fooled by the many false statements and conflicting claims that exist by many of the participants.What this book does beautifully is with great scrupulousness, nail the facts down and reassess what all the different participants contributed (or maybe didn't in some cases!) to the final end result. Compared with all the many prior books on the VU I have read (and there are indeed many for a group that during its existence had very limited commercial success or critical appreciation) this is easily the most honest and thorough on the subject I have read to date.Key achievements under this approach are to provide appropriate credit to the un-mentioned "other" NY production team of Norman Dolph and John Licata who laid down the original tracks (and in so doing helped a very ill prepared group who had little recording experience but were challenging in their approach many exisiting concepts of how records should be made) which in turn helps explain exactly what Tom Wilson and his production team brought to the initial tapes and few replacement recordings needed to produce the final LP issued.The other key contributors are also placed in context - while Warhol as is well known provided the distinctive cover artwork but never "produced the LP" (despite what the initial cover notes stated), he did with Paul Morrissey clearly provide the support and encouragement which gave the group the freedom they needed to get what they wanted recorded, though their rock group managerial skills may have been lacking in then promoting the group's best interests. Most importantly the other group members (Cale, Morrison, Tucker and Nico) musical contributions are re-evaluated largely at the cost of Reed's subsequent rewriting of history though his own personal contribution as lyricist remains large under this evaluation.For my money the best all round and "new" critical evaluation essay to date in this series of excellent titles .

Joe Harvard versucht sich hier in einer Annäherung an eine der wichtigsten Platten in der (altenativen) Rockgeschichte. Auf 152 kleinformatigen Seiten beschreibt er in verständlichen Englisch und auf der Grundlage von vielen Informationsquellen, wie Interviews, die Entstehungsgeschichte des Albums und die Bedeutung des Zeitgeschehens damals. Die Angaben etwa zu den Kosten und der Länge der 3 Aufnahmesessions schwanken auch bei den beteiligten Musikern und den Zeitzeugen, wie dem Produzenten Norman Dolph und dem "Oberfan" Jonathan Richman. Auch der Rolling Stone Autor David Fricke, der viele linernotes zu den Tonträgern, etwa zu den neuen Deluxe Boxen der VU Klassiker geschreiben hat, wird hier öfter als Quelle zitiert. Die Einleitung (Introduction) unfasst 20 Seiten- Part one "The Setting" geht dann bis Seite bis Seite 92 und beschreibt die Entstehungsgeschichte, anhand von kleinen Kapiteln wie den "The Ludlow Demos", die Lou Reed und John Cale als Rohfassungen aufnahmen. ( im Boxset : "Peel Slowly And See" als Cd1 erhältlich).Part Two : The Songs-widmet sich jedem Song der Platte im einzelnen bis Seite 136. Das Abschlußkapitel "Aftermath" beschreibt nocheinmal die Bedeutung des Albums und die Begleitumstände, wie die notwendige Änderung des Covers wegen einer Klage von Eric Emerson, einem "Factory Superstar", der ohne Einwilligung auf dem backcover abgebildet war. Informatives Buch bei dem für mich der Funke nicht so ganz übergesprungen ist, d.h. andere Bücher aus der Reihe ( z.B. "Low" und "Another Green World") gefallen mir besser.Aber dies ist wie immer eine persönliche Auslegung und reine Geschmacksache.