I love the Velvet Underground. I think the fact that they didnt sell many records vindicated a lot of people because if were in a band yourself and didnt sell many records you could always just say "well neither did the Velvets" and whos going to disagree with you? It opened the dorr for all those punk bands to make records that didnt sell but still feel good about themselves. If Nick Drake had heard them he might not have started doubting his abilities near the end of his life and he might still be alive. I can't think of another band who has inspired so much quality music from other people. Just about everybody (except for Bowie of couse) who's claimed the Velvets as an influence went on to make great records, wether it was the Talking Heads or the Jesus & Mary Chain or whoever.
As a fan one of the things thats always interested me about the Velvets is the multifaceted nature of their work. They covered a lot of ground with just a small catalogue of songs and it seems that everybody perceives the Velvets in a different light. Some people see the folk band of the third album, others see them as being the originators of noise rock with
White Light/White Heat. Personally when I think of the Velvet Underground, the first thing that comes to mind is dark, gothic psychedelia of "Venus In Furs." Its my favourite song of theirs and its probably impossible to cover because the whole sound of it is that one note viola drone and Maureen's stripped to the bone drumming.
Separate note - Shouldnt this thread be in the Indie section?