The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground and Nico refers to the 1967 debut album by The Velvet Underground — Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker — featuring German vocalist Nico and produced under the patronage of Andy Warhol. Released on Verve Records with Warhol's banana design, the record contained both avant-garde noise experiments and uncommonly literary rock songs dealing with heroin, sadomasochism, and alienation. It sold modestly on release but became one of the most influential recordings in rock history, cited by generations of punk, post-punk, and art-rock musicians.