Lou

Wow, Lou Reed is dead.  One of the greats.

He's the godfather of punk, but who cares for influence when the original work is so great?  He had a lengthy solo career, well worth looking into, but it was as the leader of the Velvet Underground that he did his best work.  He sang lead most of the time, played guitar, and, above all, was their main songwriter.

The Velvets had a special sound, mixing basic rock and roll with the experimental.  The lyrics were also a mixture of the raw and the sophisticated.  They sang about drugs, sex and rock and roll in ways no one had ever attempted.  No doubt it was one of the reasons they didn't get much airplay.

In fact, the band was not that popular in its day (starting another trend--a recognized great rock bands without big hits).  It had a following, but the few albums they released barely cracked the charts.  Yet the Velvets were the type of band that influenced everyone who listened.  And the music kept selling, years later when many of the hit bands of their time were mostly forgotten.

I don't have the capacity to put up videos right now, but I suggest you go to YouTube and make it a Lou Reed day.  Or week.