Velvet Underground: A New York Art

Forty years have passed since Verve Records released the Velvet Underground and Nico album. For forty years, one of the most influential rock bands of the twentieth century have inspired and excited those that have heard them, and affected the cultural lives even of those that haven't. The Velvet Underground is an astonishing assembly of objects and artworks that speak for themselves, and the first work of this scale to document the formative years of the band. This definitive collection of artifacts and ephemera celebrates The Velvet Underground entirely in its own right, bringing many fantastic pieces and intimate documents to light without recourse to frame the work in the familiar contexts of scenes and times. Photographs published here for the first time contextualize the group as artist, not as a footnote but as an equal alongside Andy Warhol and the legends of mid-sixties underground film, art, and design. From photographs of the band's first live show in New York to the ultra-rare 1966 acetate, from Warhol's alternates for the banana album cover to ticket stubs from early shows and from forgotten press clippings to flyers, handbills and posters, the materials presented here redraw the boundaries of our knowledge and appreciation for the band. This is a unique book whose narrative comprises artifacts and images rather than the editorializing of music journalists. With a foreword by founding member Lou Reed, a contribution from writer, noted Velvet Underground fan and former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, and comprehensive glossaries and bibliographies, this lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced book allows us finally to see the early years of one of the most powerful bands of all time treated with the respect and attention it deserves.