Punk
and bass texture is dense, and the guitar distortion is very thick, which would align the album more with metal than punk rock. 52 Furthermore, one cannot help but feel that there is a certain flashiness to some of the extensive soloing on the album; the solos flaunt their virtuosity, as demonstrated in the live footage of the band where the lead guitarist, Wayne Kramer is seen performing a solo on his back. 53 This is a quality out of keeping with punk rock, which would suggest, therefore, that the term ‘metal’ or at least ‘hard rock’ is a more apt one for this album. There are two further bands – which are anachronistic to this narrative – that it would be remiss to ignore: the Velvet Underground and the Fugs. The Velvets are cited by many as a major influence on punk rock, with Don Letts’ documentary, the Punk Rock Movie terming them the ‘forefathers of punk’. 54 Lou Reed himself was featured on the first issue (1976) of Punk Magazine, and on several occasions, has even been dubbed the ‘godfather of punk’. 55 It isn’t so much the Velvet’s sound that has had so profound an influence on punk rock, but rather their approach to music. The Velvet’s had attitude; they showed apathy to commercial appeal, performing ‘with their backs toward the audience and shades on a ll night’. Reed once stated: ‘I wear them [sunglasses], so I don’t have to see the audience’ . 56 Furthermore, instead of flared jeans and sandals, they elected for leather. Some of their songs undoubtedly have a rather punky sound – such as I’m Wating for the Man and the Ostrich , performed by the Primitives, an early incarnation of the band featuring Reed, Cale, and Tony Conrad. However, it is the songs’ subject matter that is so influential to punk rock; the Velvets turned the tables on both the optimism of hippies and the gleef ul ignorance of pop, tackling grimier, more taboo subjects ‘that were … no n- existent in popular music’. 57 Heroin is a perfect example – ‘Moe Tucker’s persistent drumming’, alongside ‘the increasing tempo of Reed’s strumming’, and ‘Cale’s seesawing viola … vividly conjure up the desperation implicit in the lyric’, as encapsulated in the opening line: ‘I don’t know just where I’m going ’ . 58 While the inspiration they serve to punk is clear, the Velvets, however, simply did not play punk rock. Formed in late 1964, the Fugs has been dubbed ‘the first underground rock group of all time’. The band showed little concern for the ‘ moral standards ’ of the time, crafting their own unique brand of rock’n’roll, ‘rife with political and social satire, as well as explicit profanity and sexual references’. 59 Indeed, the band’s name is provocative in itself, being a euphemism for ‘fuck’ as penned by Norman Mailer in his gritty war novel the Naked and the Dead . 60 Interestingly, it should be noted that Ed Sanders, vocalist of the Fugs is credited with the first known usage of the phrase ‘punk rock’. Indeed, in March 52 rateyourmusic.com, [WIP] Punk vs. Metal (remake) – Rate Your Music , [online]. 53 youtube.com, MC5 - Kick Out The Jams live 1970 Detroit , [online]. 54 Hogan, THE ROUGH GUIDE to the Velvet Underground , 278. 55 libguides.nypl.com, Live: Take No Prisoners & Street Hassle – Lou Reed Papers – Research Guides at New York Public Library Research Centers , [online]. 56 phawker.com, Q&A: Talking Velvet Underground With John Cale – PHAWKER.COM – Curated Reviews, Gossip, Concert Reviews, Fearless Political Commentary… , [online]; seen.co.uk, Eyewear Icons: Lou Reed , [online]. 57 libguides.nypl.com, Live: Take No Prisoners & Street Hassle – Lou Reed Papers – Research Guides at New York Public Library Research Centers , [online]. 58 Hogan, THE ROUGH GUIDE to the Velvet Underground , 245. 59 allmusic.com, The Fugs Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More , [online]. 60 slate.com, When F-k Was Fug , [online].
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