Jonathan Richman har en hel sang, hvor han på rimende vers får fortalt ret meget om, hvad gør The Velvet Underground til et så specielt band, at de for ikke så få af os står som 60’ernes vigtigste og mest tidsløse, foran Beatles, Stones, Kinks og alle de andre…
VELVET UNDERGROUND
They were wild like the USA
A mystery band in a New York way
Rock and roll, but not like the rest
And to me, America at it’s best
How in the world were they making that sound
Velvet Underground
A spooky tone on a Fender bass
Played less notes and left more space
Stayed kind of still, looked kinda shy
Kinda far away, kinda dignified
How in the world were they making that sound
Velvet Underground
Now you can look at that band and wonder where
All that sound was coming from
With just 4 people there
Twangy sounds of the cheapest types
Sounds as stark as black and white stripes
Bold and brash, sharp and rude
Like the heats turned off
And you’re low on food.
How in the world were they making that sound
Velvet Underground
Like this
Wild wild parties when they start to unwind
A close encounter of the thirdest kind
On the bandstand playing, everybody’s saying
How in the world were they making that sound
Velvet Underground
Well you could look at that band
And at first sight
Say that certain rules about modern music
Wouldn’t apply tonight
Twangy sounds of the cheapest kind,
Like “Guitar sale $29.99”
Bold and brash, stark and still
Like the heats turned off
And you can’t pay the bill
How in the world were they making that sound
Velvet Underground
Both guitars got the fuzz tone on
The drummer’s standing upright pounding along
A howl, a tone, a feedback whine
Biker boys meet the college kind
How in the world were they making that sound
Velvet Underground
Wild wild parties when they start to unwind
A close encounter of the thirdest kind
On the bandstand grooving, everybody moving
How in the world are they making that sound
Velvet Underground
Det meste af den musik der holder mig i eufori, er nok mere inspireret af VU end af de to du peger på. Har The Beatles nogensinde skrevet et bedre, mere tidsløst bevægende nummer end ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ eller ‘Sunday Morning’? Har The Rolling Stones nogensinde indspillet mere medrivende, nøgen rocknroll end ‘White Light, White Heat’ eller ‘Foggy Notion’? Svaret er – i min bog – nej.
Ro på! Enig, de var gode og på mange måder epokegørende og forud for deres tid. Men ærlig talt – foran i hvert fald de to førstnævnte? Nej, det tror jeg altså ikke.