This Day in Music
Seven releases to discuss, with one in particular, and Elvis performs in Richmond, VA, detailed in this 100th publication of This Day in Music on Substack.
E-lec-tric-al Ba-na-na
1967: The music world is forever changed when an experimental avant-garde rock band from New York known as The Velvet Underground release their debut studio album, “The Velvet Underground & Nico.”
Produced by famous visual artist Andy Warhol and Verve Records mainstay Tom Wilson, the album was recorded mostly during Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour, a multi-media event featuring screenings of Warhol's films, exhibitions of his art, performances by the VU, dances, and other performance art. All participants were members of Warhol's Factory, an arts collective that operated from a loft on East 47th St. in Midtown, before moving to Union Square later in 1967.
The LP featured lead vocals by German singer Nico on “Femme Fatale,” “All Tomorrow's Parties,” and “I'll Be Your Mirror,” with Lou Reed singing lead on all other tracks. The rest of the musicians were founding members John Cale (bg; key), Sterling Morrison (bg; g), and Maureen Tucker (d).
The album was a commercial failure upon its release, mainly attributable to its ban by many record stores, radio stations, and magazines due to its taboo lyrical content of prostitution, drug use, sadomasochism, homosexuality, and transsexuality. Examples include the songs “I'm Waiting for the Man,” detailing the typical experience when buying heroin in Harlem, and “Venus in Furs,” a poetic retelling of the 1870 novella by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, which is a tale of BDSM. The late 19th Century was apparently just too salacious for 1960's America.
The album polarized contemporary critics due to the lyrics and the abrasive sound of some tracks, but retrospective ratings recognize the album for the masterpiece that it is, and it now enjoys universal acclaim. It also became one of the most influential records in Rock and Roll history, credited as the inspiration for numerous sub-genres, including punk, garage, goth, kraut-rock, noise-rock, shoe-gaze, and indie. As Brian Eno remarked in 1992, though the album only sold 30,000 units in its first five years, “...everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.” Indeed!
The initial lack of commercial success strained the relationship between Lou Reed and Andy Warhol, leading Reed to fire Warhol as the band's Manager/Producer, and end their collaboration with Nico. Reed would be somewhat temperamental, causing the VU lineup to change for each of their five studio albums, the final one occurring after Reed's own departure for a solo career.
“The Velvet Underground & Nico” reached No. 43 on the UK Albums chart, but only No. 129 on the Billboard 200. It is certified Platinum in the U.K. and Italy.
The LP remains one of the best albums of the late-1960's and an absolute legend in the Rock and Roll oeuvre.
Release-o-Rama
2001: Swedish progressive-metal band Opeth release their fifth studio album, “Blackwater Park.” It earned 5-Star ratings from both AllMusic and Pete Pardo’s Sea of Tranquility, a prog-focused online magazine and YouTube channel.
1991: “Out of Time,” the highly-praised, chart-topping seventh studio album from Georgia band R.E.M. is released. It’s most famous for the tracks “Losing My Religion,” “Shiny Happy People,” and “Texarkana.”
1980: Billy Joel releases his seventh studio album, “Glass Houses.” It was his first record to include a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, “You May Be Right.” The LP is Joel’s fourth-highest selling of his career.
1990: “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” the blockbuster second studio album by Sinéad O’Connor, is released. The lead single, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” written by Prince, was No. 1 everywhere. Literally. It peaked the charts in 21 countries, and often in more than one category. The LP itself was also No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified 2x Platinum in the U.S.
1982: The Jam releases “The Gift,” their sixth and final studio album. With mixed critical reviews and little chart action, it was not a commercial success, though the single “Town Called Malice” hit No. 1 in the U.K.
1984: The second studio album from 80’s prog-rock icons, Marillion, is released. “Fugazi” peaked at No. 5 in the U.K., though it received little attention in other markets. It is nonetheless a quality pop-prog LP.
The Daily Elvis
1974: Elvis performs at the Coliseum in Richmond, VA, to 11,791 spectators, clad in his famous “American Eagle” jumpsuit.
Pictured: The Velvet Underground & Nico, clockwise from top left: John Cale, Maureen Tucker, Christa Päffgen (Nico), Sterling Morrison, and Lou Reed.
Post Credit Scene
The title E-lec-tric-al Ba-na-na used today is a reference to Donovan’s enunciation of the words in his great song, “Mellow Yellow,” and of course, to the famous Warhol image of a peel-able banana that was the cover of “The Velvet Underground & Nico” album.
