Thursday, 19 May 2011

149. All Tomorrow’s Parties – The Velvet Underground (1967)


‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ is on the Velvet Undergrounds first album, which is called ‘The Velvet Underground’ and has a picture (by Andy Warhol) of a
Banana on the cover! Brian Eno allegedly said about this album that ‘When it was released only a small number of people bought it, but every one who did went out and formed a band!’.

The first time I heard this album I loved it immediately but had it not been for Japan doing a cover of this song I may never have stumbled across it. I had heard Japan’s version, which was on their ‘Quiet Life’ album and loved it, but when I heard the original version, which I first came across when it was featured in a documentary about Andy Warhol’s films on ‘The South Bank Show’, I was intrigued and rushed out to buy the ‘Velvet Underground’ album.
Needless to say I decided to form a band the same day.

I don’t know if it’s the wonderfully detached style of Nico’s vocal, or the repetitive and discordant nature of the music but this has a truly weird and at the same time truly inspiring sound.

Now listen to the song…

No comments:

Post a Comment