Rob Jovanovic needs to be applauded for his extensive research and tight prose
in The Velvet Underground Peeled, a nearly 300-page bio of
New York’s best rock and roll export — The Velvet Underground.
Ah yes, the Velvets — darlings of Andy Warhol. who managed and brought
them to prominence in the mid 60s. Loved by punks, yet vilified when they were
creating amazingly innovative, dark albums, this infamous quarreling quartet
of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Moe Tucker have had plenty of
ink written about them. This book might just be the last word on their story.
Adding to the authenticity, there are the words from the players themselves.
Reed, who is by far the most popular ex-Velvet, offers some great stuff. We
also get Morrison’s views, Tucker’s down-to-earth observations,
and Cale’s often brutal honesty about the band and his relationship with
Reed.
There are also some meticulous details on the band’s material —
from the songs that made it to the albums to those that did not and became famous
bootlegs later. There’s information on who played on what, when it was
recorded, and what the songs actually mean.
And the history of the band doesn’t begin and end with the original quartet.
Jovanovic is careful to include just as much good stuff on the Doug Yule years,
as well as a where-are-they-now of just about anyone who swirled around in the
Velvet’s orbit, including managers, fans, even musicians who might have
stopped by for a tour or two.
The Velvet Underground Peeled is not a book about Lou Reed
with a smattering of the other band members thrown in (a most common petard
in other books about the band). Rather, this book is about the band that happened
to include a very famous member. Indeed, Jovanovic, who has also authored books
on such seminal acts as Nirvana and Big Star, has put together a great read
about a very misunderstood, iconic band. Bravo!
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
