When The Velvet Underground first started making its characteristic style of experimental garage rock in the mid-1960s, the group was creating a style of music nearly unlike any other band at the time. Now, decades later, despite breaking up in 1973, the Velvets' influence has seeped into nearly every crevice of music culture, resulting in far too many bands trying to pursue a sound that is blatantly ripping off of The Velvet Underground. Tentatively formed when singer/songwriter Lou Reed met John Cale, a Welshman who was studying classical composition in the States, the two bonded over a shared appreciation of experimental sounds and decided to form a band. After solidifying a lineup and a name, the New York-based outfit began playing a number of shows and was soon noticed by legendary artist Andy Warhol, who would quicklystep aboard as the band's manager and de facto producer. Warhol's notoriety helped provide the group with some interest from music aficionados from around the world who were eager to hear what the band sounded like. The Velvets' first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, would be released in 1967, and although Cale would leave the group in 1968 after the release of White Light/White Heat, subsequent albums would help establish the band as one of the more prolific and forward-thinking acts of its generation.