Product Description

This is a treasure trove of rediscovered words and ephemera on the band that was synonymous with New York: the Velvet Underground. The Velvet Underground was among the most influential bands of all time. It has often been said that while very few saw the Velvet Underground perform live, everyone who did started a band. Thus their sound can be easily detected in later artists such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, the Talking Heads, REM, Jane's Addiction, Yo La Tengo, Luna, and the Strokes. They are also credited with creating a streetwise, pre-punk sensibility that has become inseparable from the popular image of downtown New York. 'Discovered' by Andy Warhol in 1966, the Velvet Underground, feature Lou Reed and John Cale, became the house band of the avant-garde and composed songs simultaneously abrasive and poignant, standing in stark, striking contrast to the prevailing flower power vibe of the era. With such notorious pedigree, it is only natural that the story of the Velvet Underground has become shrouded in myth and hyperbole. "All Yesterday's Parties" gathers, for the first time, writings and ephemera contemporaneous with the band's actual existence, providing an invaluable snapshot of an era by such writers as Lester Bangs, Robert Greenfield, Patti Smith, and Lou Reed himself. Coupled with a complete discography, never-before-published flyers, original reminiscences of their live performances, and song-by-song commentary, it is an invaluable discovery for anyone interested in the Velvet Underground, their roots, and legacy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #234341 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"They make for fascinating reading, these dispatches from the front line... as a chronicle of the beginning, and continuing relevance of the Velvet Underground, Clinton Heylin marshals a thorough an diligent case for the defence." Record Collector Magazine"

About the Author
Clinton Heylin is the author of Can You Feel the Silence?, Van Morrison: A new Biography; Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades; Bootleg!: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Recording Industry; From the Velvets to the Voidoids, and many other indispensable music books. He lives in Somerset, England.

Customer Reviews

For Velvet freaks only
This book is not a biography of the band. For a good one of them you need look no further than Uptight. This book is a collection of all the bands press cuttings printed between 1966 and 1971. As such, this is a book recommended only for people who love The Velvet Underground, to anyone else this book would serve no purpose.
There is a very brief (25 page) sum-up of the band at the beginning, and from then on it's reviews and articles chronologically. The articles show the level of acceptance and understanding the band received (more than most people would have you believe) and the difficulty they encountered outliving the Warhol association.
The style and ability to hold interest can't be critised, for that would mean critising each individual journalist within the book.