The Velvet Underground Popularity Myth 2
Part One: 1963 - 1965
Around four years ago I woke early with a nagging thought that seemed to come from nowhere. Surely the Velvet Underground were far more popular in their own time than we’ve been led to believe?
A quick bit of research confirmed it: they were far more popular than the myth suggests. I put together a short Twitter thread, followed by a more user-friendly update for Into Creative. You can read that here:
https://www.intocreative.co.uk/the-velvet-underground-myth-grant-mcphee/
Since then, I’d planned to expand the research after uncovering many more contemporary articles, reviews, and adverts, but never quite found the time. Until now.
At first, I focused on the music press, but it never felt like enough. While researching other projects, I kept encountering supposedly “cult” artists featured in the local press — a discovery that proved more revealing.
It isn’t especially surprising to find obscure artists reviewed in music magazines or the weekly music press. Many of those we now label “cult” were released by major corporations — Elektra, EMI, Columbia, MGM. A Velvet Underground review in Melody Maker shouldn’t really shock anyone.
These publications were niche by design, aimed at a specific audience. Even coverage in larger outlets such as The Guardian or The New York Times doesn’t feel particularly radical when they turn their attention to something slightly left-field.
The local press, however, offers a different insight. Often dismissed as the home of school pantomimes, potholes, and broken shop windows, it’s easy to overlook its importance. That’s why coverage of something like a Stooges LP in one feels worth paying attention to.
This kind of press fascinates me. Coverage tends to fall into two camps: bafflement from a journalist more used to civic minutiae, or enthusiasm from a younger writer, often unhindered by house style, and genuinely excited to champion the music, often feeling like more of a fan than a hardened hack.
Either way, these artists were being introduced to audiences who might otherwise never encounter them. This kind of coverage is also frequently overlooked when assessing a band’s wider impact — a bit like judging success purely by record sales, without considering the concerts.
This isn’t an attempt to rewrite the band’s story. That’s been done successfully many times before. Instead, this acts as a companion to what already exists, using much of the same source material while incorporating contemporary local coverage. There are no modern interviews or retrospective commentary used.
The focus is mainly on local news, alongside period reviews from larger magazines, the music press, and any fanzines I could uncover. I think this offers a kaleidoscopic ‘realtime’ history of the band, giving a slightly different perspective than modern books or magazine articles.
It’s also important to note that I’ve only used ‘band history’ that was contemporaneous, except for certain dates where it feels appropriate. So, for that reason there are certain dates, events historical recollections that are widely known but not included here, such as recording dates etc.
There’s still a vast amount of archive material out there, much of it not yet included, which I hope to add on an ongoing basis.
One final thing: this is huge. I was taken aback by just how much was written about the band between 1964 and 1972. It starts small, but each new post will likely focus on a specific month.
I hope you enjoy.
1963
June 1963
John Cale is discussed in The Observer regarding ‘The New Music Men”
October 1963
The Velvet Underground by Michael Leigh is reviewed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The March 1964 paperback release gained hundreds of reviews, local and wide.
1964
The Velvet Underground Form
1965
February 1965
The Sunday News, on February the 21st ran an article on a ‘wife-swapping boom’ and discuss Michael Leigh’s ‘The Velvet Underground’.
4th June 1965
Michael Leigh is reported dead. At least 6 US newspapers covered Leigh’s death, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reporting it first on the 4th.
August 1965
Immediate Records launch featuring Nico in the UK’s Daily Mirror (this was also noted in Bognor Regis Observer)
29th November 1965
The Courier News report a concert by The Myddle Class at Summit High School, with the Velvet Underground as support. This would be their then manager, Al Aronowitz’s first booking for them. Subsequent accounts (in the King of New York by Will Hermes) confirm they played three songs.
December 1965
However, we are concerned here with contemporary reports and amazingly, the gig was reviewed in Echoes Sentinel in December 1965.
What’s interesting is that while divisive, the review clearly notes that ‘a good percentage of the kids thought it was ‘groovy’’
Amazingly, the band were covered twice in the same paper. Pop writer, Suzie Surfer offered this opinion of the group.
30th December 1965
What’s fascinating is that some of those kids who thought ‘it was groovy’ wrote ‘Suzie Surfer to voice their displeasure of her coverage of the band.
And that was 1965 for the Velvet Underground. 1966 would be an exciting and busy year - for band and local news.