New Velvet Underground book by Richie Unterberger "Do What You Fear Most"

Richie Unterberger's Velvets study Do What You Fear Most – out in the UK since May – is finally coming to North America. 

Here's the scoop from Omnibus Press...

No band has reshaped the possibilities of popular music like The Velvet Underground. Formed in New York in 1965, the Velvets emerged from the nexus of art, fashion, politics, music and counterculture. Although widespread popularity and acclaim evaded them during their four-album lifespan, their enduring, cross-generational appeal meant the Velvets could count iconic contemporaries like Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix as fans, alongside future legends such as Roxy Music, the Pretenders and Sonic Youth.

Do What You Fear Most chronicles how an unlikely group of upstarts came to define the musical zeitgeist. In a sprawling and engrossing narrative, Richie Unterberger follows the group from their disparate origins to their ascendancy as Andy Warhol’s Factory house band in New York City. It explores the creative alchemy between the core trio of Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico, the shocking exits and ever-changing lineups, as well as the wider New York cultural scene of the period. 

Rigorously researched and packed with previously undocumented insights, this book features many first-hand interviews with the group’s associates, as well as material newly unearthed from the Lou Reed Archive and the Andy Warhol Archive, alongside never-before-seen images and ephemera.

"Of all the books I have read on the story of the Velvet Underground, Richie’s is probably the best. He brings us the voices of the people who were also important to those times, but who either go unmentioned, unheard, or not written about in a balanced way. I also like the way he writes, and some of the many reviews of recordings and live shows were insightful in a way l have not come across in the work of anyone else. Bravo, Richie" — Jonathan Richman

The hardcover edition of Do What You Fear Most: The History of The Velvet Underground (Omnibus, 816 pp) is out in the US now and will hopefully be available in Canada by June 26th. If you can't wait for your local bookseller to stock it,  you can pre-order it via Amazon right here... but do you really think Lou would want you to line the pockets of Jeff Bezos?  Listen to Richie Unterberger chat about the Velvet Underground on the Rock 'n' Roll Book Club podcast right here. 

What the critics are saying...

You can read Bill Kopp's review for his Musoscribe blog right here. Still not convinced? Check out a second opinion from Thomas Sidwell who contributed a glowing appraisal for the Louder Than War blog right here.