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The Velvet Underground & Nico - Quiz
Contributed by: Bassett
  • 1. When did The Velvet Underground & Nico begin to attract wide praise from rock critics?
A) In the year 2000
B) Immediately upon its release
C) A decade after its release
D) Twenty years after its release
  • 2. Who wrote a 1977 retrospective review for the Village Voice regarding the album?
A) Christgau
B) Tom Hibbert
C) Philip Sherburne
D) Colin Larkin
  • 3. Which publication included the album in its 'Basic Record Library' of 1950s and 1960s recordings?
A) Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies
B) The Perfect Collection
C) The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
D) Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums
  • 4. How has The Velvet Underground & Nico been characterized in terms of musical genre?
A) The first heavy metal record
B) A classic jazz fusion masterpiece
C) The original art-rock record
D) The definitive punk rock album
  • 5. Who described the album as a 'powerful collection' in The Encyclopedia of Popular Music?
A) Philip Sherburne
B) Tom Hibbert
C) Colin Larkin
D) Robert Christgau
  • 6. In April 2003, which magazine listed this album at the top of their 'Top Fifteen Most Influential Albums of All Time' list?
A) The Guardian
B) Rolling Stone
C) Spin
D) Q magazine
  • 7. NPR included the album in their 2000 series identifying what?
A) The 100 best selling albums of all time
B) The 100 albums that defined the 1970s
C) The most controversial rock albums ever
D) The most important American musical works of the 20th century
  • 8. What did Rolling Stone call the album in their 2003 and 2012 lists?
A) The most underrated rock album of the century
B) The first modern art-rock record
C) The greatest album of the 1960s
D) The most prophetic rock album ever made
  • 9. What rank did the album receive in the 2020 reboot of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list?
A) 42
B) 23
C) 1
D) 13
  • 10. Tom Hibbert's book 'The Perfect Collection' (1982) selected the album as one of how many significant US albums of the 1960s?
A) 100
B) 500
C) 24
D) 13
  • 11. In 1997, what was the album's ranking in the 'Music of the Millennium' poll?
A) 13th
B) 22nd
C) 42nd
D) 1st
  • 12. Which publication placed the album at number 1 in a list of '50 Albums That Changed Music' in 2006?
A) The Observer
B) Q magazine
C) Time magazine
D) Pitchfork
  • 13. In 2017, which publication placed the album at the top of its list of 'The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s'?
A) Pitchfork
B) Rolling Stone
C) The Guardian
D) Spin
  • 14. Who wrote that it is easy to see the album as a 'solipsistic record'?
A) Colin Larkin
B) Philip Sherburne
C) Tom Hibbert
D) Robert Christgau
  • 15. When was the album inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress?
A) 1997
B) 2006
C) 2008
D) 2000
  • 16. In what year was the album inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame?
A) 2003
B) 2008
C) 2006
D) 2025
  • 17. According to the text, which organization named the album one of the 100 best albums in 2025?
A) The Library of Congress
B) Time magazine
C) Apple
D) NPR
  • 18. In what year did the Velvet Underground business partnership sue the Andy Warhol Foundation?
A) 2010
B) 2012
C) 2011
D) 2013
  • 19. Who were the general partners of the Velvet Underground business partnership mentioned in the text?
A) Andy Warhol and John Cale
B) Nico and Lou Reed
C) Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison
D) John Cale and Lou Reed
  • 20. What product line led the partnership to sue the Andy Warhol Foundation?
A) iPhone and iPad cases
B) Posters and art prints
C) Clothing merchandise
D) Vinyl record reissues
  • 21. Which company licensed the banana design from the Foundation for mobile accessories?
A) Incase Designs
B) Apple Inc.
C) Warhol Enterprises
D) Velvet Records
  • 22. What is a 'Covenant Not to Sue'?
A) A settlement payment agreement
B) A binding promise not to take legal action over copyright
C) A license transfer agreement
D) A public apology statement
  • 23. Who was the judge that presided over the lawsuit?
A) Ruth Bader Ginsburg
B) Alison J. Nathan
C) Sonia Sotomayor
D) John Roberts
  • 24. Why did the court dismiss the partnership's copyright claim?
A) The Foundation proved they owned the copyright
B) It lacked a 'case or controversy' because no actual harm was imminent
C) The statute of limitations had expired
D) The partnership failed to pay filing fees
  • 25. What did the court call a legal decision that has no practical consequences?
A) An advisory opinion
B) A preliminary injunction
C) A summary judgment
D) A bench trial
  • 26. When was the partnership's suit finally dismissed?
A) Late May 2013
B) December 2012
C) March 2013
D) January 2012
  • 27. Which song describes a protagonist's efforts to obtain heroin?
A) I'm Waiting for the Man
B) Femme Fatale
C) Venus in Furs
D) All Tomorrow's Parties
  • 28. The song 'Venus in Furs' is a literal interpretation of a novella by which author?
A) Hubert Selby, Jr.
B) William S. Burroughs
C) Raymond Chandler
D) Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
  • 29. Where did Lou Reed study as an English major?
A) Columbia University
B) Syracuse University
C) New York University
D) The Factory
  • 30. For whom was the song 'Femme Fatale' written?
A) Nico
B) Andy Warhol
C) Edie Sedgwick
D) La Monte Young
  • 31. When did Lou Reed record the demo for 'All Tomorrow's Parties'?
A) January 1966
B) December 1964
C) July 1965
D) March 1967
  • 32. John Cale was influenced by his work with which minimalist composer?
A) Andy Warhol
B) John Cage
C) Richard Goldstein
D) La Monte Young
  • 33. Which guitar tuning consists of all strings being tuned to the same pitch class?
A) Open G tuning
B) Standard tuning
C) Drop D tuning
D) Ostrich guitar tuning
  • 34. What instrument did John Cale play on 'The Black Angel's Death Song'?
A) Bass drum
B) Tambourine
C) Guitar
D) Viola
  • 35. Who described Nico's vocal as 'something like a cello getting up in the morning'?
A) Lou Reed
B) Adam Budofsky
C) Richard Goldstein
D) Robert Christgau
  • 36. How did Moe Tucker play the drums on the album?
A) Sitting on a high stool
B) Lying down
C) Standing up
D) Sitting on the floor
  • 37. Which author is NOT mentioned as a literary influence on Lou Reed?
A) Victor Bockris
B) Nelson Algren
C) Allen Ginsberg
D) Raymond Chandler
  • 38. Who informed Moe Tucker's drumming style?
A) Lou Reed
B) Sterling Morrison
C) John Cale
D) Angus MacLise
  • 39. In what year was The Velvet Underground & Nico released?
A) 1966
B) 1968
C) 1967
D) 1965
  • 40. Who served as co-producer of the album alongside Tom Wilson?
A) John Cale
B) Andy Warhol
C) Paul Morrissey
D) Norman Dolph
  • 41. Which record label released the album?
A) Verve Records
B) Atlantic Records
C) Elektra Records
D) Columbia Records
  • 42. Which singer was featured on the album alongside the Velvet Underground?
A) Sterling Morrison
B) Lou Reed
C) Maureen Tucker
D) Nico
  • 43. On which street in New York was the album recorded?
A) Broadway
B) Fifth Avenue
C) Ludlow Street
D) Wall Street
  • 44. Which of these themes is explicitly mentioned in Lou Reed's lyrics on the album?
A) Environmentalism
B) Drug abuse
C) Political revolution
D) Religious conflict
  • 45. Who did Billboard rank as having the #1 'Best Album Cover of All Time' in 2023?
A) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
B) Abbey Road
C) The Velvet Underground & Nico
D) Dark Side of the Moon
  • 46. How many tracks did Nico sing lead on?
A) Two
B) Five
C) Four
D) Three
  • 47. Which song did Nico provide back-up vocals for?
A) I'm Waiting for the Man
B) Heroin
C) Sunday Morning
D) Venus in Furs
  • 48. Who was the Columbia Records sales executive that helped finance the recording session?
A) Norman Dolph
B) John Licata
C) Paul Morrissey
D) Tom Wilson
  • 49. What did Norman Dolph accept as payment instead of a cash fee?
A) A Warhol painting
B) A custom guitar
C) Royalties
D) Stock in the record label
  • 50. Why did Atlantic Records decline to distribute the album?
A) Lack of commercial appeal
B) Poor production quality
C) Drug references
D) Too short
  • 51. Where were three of the songs re-recorded in May 1966?
A) Abbey Road Studios
B) Scepter Studios
C) Mayfair Recording Studios
D) TTG Studios
  • 52. What sales status does the album hold in the United Kingdom?
A) Silver
B) Gold
C) Diamond
D) Platinum
  • 53. According to the text, how much influence did Warhol have on the recording sessions beyond paying for them?
A) Complete technical direction
B) Total control
C) Little influence
D) He was the primary arranger
  • 54. Who did John Cale claim produced nearly all of the tracks?
A) Tom Wilson
B) Andy Warhol
C) Norman Dolph
D) John Licata
  • 55. According to Lou Reed, who decided to bring in Tom Wilson to produce?
A) Sterling Morrison
B) John Cale
C) MGM
D) Andy Warhol
  • 56. What did Warhol famously say to the engineers during recording sessions?
A) Change the tempo
B) Make it louder
C) That is not good enough
D) Oooh, that's fantastic
  • 57. What color was the banana revealed beneath the peelable sticker?
A) Bright yellow
B) Black
C) White
D) Flesh-colored
  • 58. Where is the peeled banana image located on the 1996 CD reissue?
A) On the front cover
B) On the back cover
C) In the booklet
D) Inside the jewel case, beneath the CD
  • 59. According to the text, what do some sources cite the banana cover art as?
A) A political statement
B) A phallic symbol
C) A symbol of the music industry
D) An ode to pop art
  • 60. Who compared the act of peeling the banana to the peeling back of a foreskin?
A) Blake Gopnik
B) Eric Emerson
C) Lou Reed
D) Andy Warhol
  • 61. What event was the back cover photo of the band taken at?
A) The Exploding Plastic Inevitable
B) A recording session
C) An erotic art show
D) The Factory opening
  • 62. Whose image appeared upside-down on the wall in the original back cover photo?
A) Lou Reed
B) Eric Emerson
C) Nico
D) Andy Warhol
  • 63. How was the image of Eric Emerson hidden on existing printed copies of the album?
A) It was cropped out
B) A large black sticker
C) It was painted over
D) A white label was placed over it
  • 64. Which publication ranked the album as the best album cover of all time in 2023?
A) NME
B) Rolling Stone
C) Pitchfork
D) Billboard
  • 65. According to Richie Unterberger, when was the album likely out by at the latest?
A) March 4
B) March 12
C) March 31
D) April 1
  • 66. What was the album's peak position on the Billboard charts?
A) 195
B) 171
C) 182
D) 199
  • 67. How many copies of the album did Brian Eno claim were sold in the first five years?
A) 58,476
B) 30,000
C) 200,000
D) 10,000
  • 68. What was the actual number of copies sold as of February 1969 according to an MGM royalty statement?
A) 200,000
B) 10,000
C) 58,476
D) 30,000
  • 69. Who claimed that the album had sold 200,000 copies by 1970?
A) Jeff Gold
B) Richie Unterberger
C) Sterling Morrison
D) Brian Eno
  • 70. What did Brian Eno famously say about the people who bought the first 30,000 copies?
A) They regretted their purchase
B) Everyone who bought one started a band
C) They were part of the underground radio scene
D) They were all fans of Warhol
  • 71. When did the album finally leave the charts after its re-entry?
A) June 10, 1967
B) December 16, 1967
C) January 6, 1968
D) November 18, 1967
  • 72. Which magazine called the music 'a full-fledged attack on the ears and on the brain'?
A) Jazz & Pop
B) Vibrations
C) Village Voice
D) Billboard
  • 73. How did Dave Donelly describe the album's cover?
A) The wildest front cover yet
B) A depressing image
C) A masterpiece of art
D) A conversation piece
  • 74. To which artist did the anonymous American Record Guide reviewer compare Lou Reed's lyrics?
A) Andy Warhol
B) The Rolling Stones
C) Dylan
D) Nico
  • 75. What did Vance Johnston claim Warhol aficionados would declare the album to be?
A) His most commercial work
B) A failed experiment
C) His best
D) His worst
  • 76. Which Billboard review term was used to describe the album's style?
A) 12-tone rock 'n' roll
B) Savage sound
C) Sophisticated folk-rock
D) Electric viola experimentation
  • 77. Which band may have recorded the first cover of "There She Goes Again" in April 1967?
A) The Electrical Banana
B) Thee Oh Sees
C) Melvins
D) The Riats
  • 78. Where did Dean Kohler claim the Electrical Banana recorded their cover version?
A) In a tent in Vietnam
B) In a club in The Hague
C) In a studio in California
D) In a basement in Buenos Aires
  • 79. Which band released a single featuring "Run, Run, Run" and "Sunday Morning" in 1967?
A) Castle Face and Friends
B) The Riats
C) The Electrical Banana
D) The Melvins
  • 80. Where were The Riats from?
A) Vietnam
B) Argentina
C) The Hague
D) California
  • 81. Which band covered "Venus in Furs" on a 1991 split single?
A) The Electrical Banana
B) Thee Oh Sees
C) Melvins
D) Nirvana
  • 82. Which song did Nirvana record for their 1991 split single?
A) Here She Comes Now
B) Sunday Morning
C) Venus in Furs
D) Run, Run, Run
  • 83. Which actor participated in Beck's 2009 Record Club project?
A) Ty Segall
B) Giovanni Ribisi
C) Iggy Pop
D) Bobby Gillespie
  • 84. Where were the artists from who produced a track-for-track cover of the album in 2009?
A) Argentina
B) Vietnam
C) The Netherlands
D) United States
  • 85. Which artist was involved in the 2012 "Castle Face and Friends" project?
A) Ty Segall
B) St. Vincent
C) Sharon Van Etten
D) Nigel Godrich
  • 86. Which artist performed on the 2021 tribute album I'll Be Your Mirror?
A) Kelley Stoltz
B) Beck
C) Dean Kohler
D) Iggy Pop
  • 87. How was Beck's 2009 cover album released?
A) Online in video form
B) As a vinyl 45 RPM record
C) Exclusively at concerts in Buenos Aires
D) On a split 7" single
  • 88. In what year was the tribute album I'll Be Your Mirror released?
A) 2021
B) 1991
C) 2012
D) 2009
  • 89. Who replaced Andy Warhol as the manager of The Velvet Underground?
A) Norman Dolph
B) Bill Levenson
C) Steve Sesnick
D) Tom Wilson
  • 90. What was the title of Nico's debut solo album?
A) Melody Laughter
B) White Light/White Heat
C) Ludlow Street
D) Chelsea Girl
  • 91. Which instrument did John Cale play on the song 'Sunday Morning'?
A) Electric viola
B) Lead guitar
C) Percussion
D) Celeste
  • 92. When was the first CD edition of the album released?
A) 1967
B) 1996
C) 1986
D) 1995
  • 93. What song on the 1986 CD featured an alternative mix compared to the original LP?
A) Heroin
B) Venus in Furs
C) All Tomorrow's Parties
D) Sunday Morning
  • 94. Who oversaw the initial CD issues of the Verve/MGM catalog?
A) John Licata
B) Steve Sesnick
C) Bill Levenson
D) Norman Dolph
  • 95. Which performance excerpt was included on the Peel Slowly and See box set?
A) I'm Waiting for the Man
B) Venus in Furs
C) Heroin
D) Melody Laughter
  • 96. What was the duration of the 'Melody Laughter' performance excerpt included in the box set?
A) Five minutes
B) Ten minutes
C) One hour
D) Thirty minutes
  • 97. In what year did Universal release the two-disc Deluxe Edition of the album?
A) 2012
B) 2010
C) 2004
D) 2002
  • 98. Which unreleased track was initially planned for the 2002 Deluxe Edition but canceled due to a royalty dispute?
A) European Son
B) All Tomorrow's Parties
C) Miss Joanie Lee
D) Femme Fatale
  • 99. In which re-release was the track 'Miss Joanie Lee' eventually included?
A) Vinyl re-issue
B) Original 2002 Deluxe Edition
C) 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition
D) Rarities Edition
  • 100. What is featured on discs 5 and 6 of the 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition?
A) A previously unreleased live performance from 1966
B) An interview with the band
C) Remastered mono mixes
D) Demo versions of Nico's songs
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