How Moe Tucker achieved her unique sound
The Velvet Underground are one of the most influential bands of the modern age. There has to be credit given to the fact that between 1967 and 1970, despite relationships within the band being persistently turbulent, they could put out four of the most innovative albums of that period. This boils down to the fact the band was willing to push the boundaries of the sound they worked within, and it was because they had a plethora of talent on board.
It’s not too often that you see a band drop an experimental and noisy record, like White Light / White Heat, but only two years later, make something as commercially pleasing as Loaded. As musicians and songwriters, there was a great deal of versatility on hand within The Velvet Underground, and one of the biggest contributors to that versatility was their drummer Moe Tucker.
Tucker’s drumming style was equal parts individualistic yet widely applicable. Like many people, she was initially inspired by The Beatles, specifically Ringo Starr. She also liked Charlie Watts’s drumming style, which inspired her to pick up some sticks and start playing. Despite these inspirations, she developed her own style, and once The Velvet Underground was looking for a drummer, Tucker came along and gave the band plenty of range.
Granted, there are a lot of factors that contributed to the success of The Velvet Underground. Andy Warhol taking them under his wing certainly helped; they also needed commercial success on Loaded and likely wouldn’t have been as widely recognised if Lou Reed’s solo career hadn’t taken off; however, when you view the band in a vacuum and just listen to their music, appreciating it for what it is on the surface rather than the wider implications, it is evident that the drumming of Moe Tucker was essential when it came to establishing their sound.
They were a band that was happy to live spontaneous lives as they simultaneously accepted and rejected every trend in modern music. Want to make a light and welcoming pop song? No problem. Are you keen on making something gritty and inaccessible? They’ll do that as well. It was essential to have a drummer who could not only keep up with this haphazard approach to songwriting but also contribute towards it.
She was happy to throw convention out of the window, playing with mallets and brushes rather than sticks and turning the bass kick drum up rather than keeping it on the floor. She also knew when to hold back on songs. For instance, on a track like ‘Pale Blue Eyes’, Tucker doesn’t play the drums but instead just hits the tambourine on the second and fourth beat. While this may seem odd for a drummer, in retrospect, it’s hard to imagine that song being played in any other way.
She could play straightforward grooves that carried the songs but also put swing into her music. When you hear a track like ‘Run, Run, Run’, she adds plenty of swing to her snare, which helps take the track to brand new heights. Every song she plays is incredibly exciting to hear, as with every beat and fill, she offers the listener something brand new.
Tucker achieved her unique sound by not being confined by convention. Similar to how the band acted, she gave in to her own spontaneity, allowed herself to feel the music, and played what came to mind. When you listen to ‘Heroin’, her drumming steadily gets more and more upbeat as Lou Reed sings the outro, which will have been her call at the moment.
If the band had had any other drummer, they wouldn’t be recognised in the same way. A conventional style would never work for The Velvet Underground, and having someone like Tucker on board gave them an added edge. It’s always exciting to listen to her music and pay homage to what she was able to achieve with The Velvet Underground.
