Going for the Jugular: On the Recording of the Velvet Underground & Nico

An excerpt from Richie Unterberger’s comprehensive history of the Velvet Underground, examining the recording circumstances of their landmark 1967 debut album. The piece details how Andy Warhol, facing financial pressures from managing the band’s early performances at the Dom in New York, enlisted Columbia Records executive Norman Dolph to produce a demo tape that could be shopped to labels. Through interviews and accounts from key participants, Unterberger reconstructs the logistics of the recording sessions, the modest budget (between $1,500-$3,000), and Warhol’s distinctive approach to creative delegation. The narrative illuminates the intersection of avant-garde art, pop culture, and music industry mechanics that shaped one of rock’s most influential recordings and its transgressive aesthetic.

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