DOUG YULE

The Velvet Underground (left to right: Willie Alexander, Doug Yule, Walter Powers, Maureen Tucker and child)

The Velvet Underground

		The story of the Velvet Underground is a well-documented one from their 1965 inception to the departure of original leader Lou Reed in 1970.Although not commercially successful during their eight-year career, the band included several very significant members over their history and left behind five classic studio albums. Well-known in Boston, LA, Cleveland and their native New York, loved by critics and fellow musicians, but until their European popularity in the early '70's virtually unknown anywhere else. The band's first and best album is "The Velvet Underground and Nico", issued in October of 1967. Featuring the original lineup of Reed on vocals and guitar, avant-garde innovator John Cale on bass, keyboards and viola, guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, plus producer Andy Warhol's beautiful star Nico doing three lead vocals, this is probably the first true "alternative" masterpiece ever laid down. It's influence over everything edgy that's ever come after it has been enormous. 'Heroin' remains the greatest-ever Velvet Underground track, and the rest of the album is very near to that in quality. Sans Nico, the band issued "White Light/White Heat" in June of 1968; a noisy, amphetamine-fueled affair that still manages two classics with 'Lady Godiva's Operation' and 'Sister Ray'; it went nowhere and John Cale was soon out of the band. Cale was replaced by Boston-based Doug Yule of the well-regarded Grass Menagerie. This band was popular in their native Boston and although they sadly didn't record, is important to the Velvets story as three members of this band went on to serve in the Velvet Underground. While Yule did not have Cale's avant-garde sensibilities, Doug did have musical talent and although he would not see any songwriting credits until the final album, contributed more tot he songs on the calmer and more accessible "The Velvet Underground" than is even known.This is probably the band's return to form after the dissonant clutter of WL/WH. But for the last studio album with Reed, August 1970's "Loaded", it's Yule who provides the lead vocals for three of this album's four best songs, and the album is brilliant. Reed left in August of1970, which meant Doug Yule was now the band's leader. Yule switched from bass to guitar and lead vocals, with former Grass Menagerie bandmate Walter Powers coming in on bass. This lineup recorded two Yule songs, tracks that have never been released (although they would be re-recorded on the final VU album), 'Friends' and 'She'll Make You Cry'. The band toured extensively and was met with exactly the same level of US success as ever, but the VU became a big cult attraction in England and Europe during this period. In '71 Morrison left, and his replacement was ex-Lostand Grass Menagerie cult hero Willie Alexander. This lineup also toured extensively, but never recorded. For the final Velvet Underground sessions, held in the UK during the summer of 1972, the VU were only Doug Yule and Ian Paice, on loan from prog-metal's legendary Deep Purple. It was thought that Willie Alexander may have appeared on the lp, but this is not true. There was one female vocalist in the studio, her identity is at present unknown (any info? Please email) But this is by and large Doug Yule; he produced, he arranged, he wrote all of the songs, he plays everything but the drums. This would be a very different Velvet Underground album. Although technically A VU album (thus it's inclusion in the VU discography), "Squeeze" is more correctly Doug Yule's first solo album, albeit one that maintains the VU's spirit and high quality.

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