The Velvet Underground Exhibition Set For Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum, May-Sept.

Velvets In Pittsburgh

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO: SCEPTER STUDIOS SESSIONS highlights the band and the music from their first recording sessions in APRIL 1966 in NEW YORK CITY. It will be staged at the ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM in PITTSBURGH from MAY 12th through SEPT. 25th. 

Recently identified while processing ANDY WARHOL’s archive, the nine initial tracks recorded by the band were the bedrock of their debut album, "one of the most jarring and influential albums in rock music." These monophonic reel-to-reel ¼” tapes feature alternate versions and mixes of songs later issued on the 1967 release, which was produced by WARHOL, and often referred to as the “banana album," as it featured a peel-away banana on the cover designed by the artist himself.

In APRIL 1966, the VELVET UNDERGROUND recorded their songs unsigned to a record label and without executive oversight which allowed them greater creative freedom. As WARHOL encouraged the band to stay true to their sound, the battered studio provided the home to the Velvet Underground’s first professional recording session. Although an acetate version, which was made from these master tapes, was released for the 45th anniversary of the album, it is of a different sonic quality, given the generation loss inherent in an analog copy.

The music from the tapes will play continuously in the gallery and will be accompanied by a large selection of photographs by STEVE SCHAPIRO at the time, as well as EXPLODING PLASTIC INEVITABLE performances. Also on view will be rare, unseen footage of the band performing live, more than 30 WARHOL Screen Tests featuring the five members of the band filmed during the peak of their collaboration in 1966, and 100 copies of the “banana album," all from the collection of VELVETS enthusiast (and noted SHORE FIRE publicist) MARK SATLOF, which highlight the listener’s interaction with WARHOL’s art.

The show is curated by BEN HARRISON, the museum's Sr. Director Performing Arts & Programming, in collaboration with Manager Of Archives MATT GRAY and Director Of Film & Video GREG PIERCE. 

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