5 Awesome Rock Bands You've Wrongly Slept On

5. The Velvet Underground

For many people, The Velvet Underground is known in rock circles as just "that band that Lou Reed was in." While Reed's pedigree as one of rock's great poets is warranted, The Velvet Underground as a collective were one of the greatest rock acts of the 1960's.

Are they the greatest of musicians? No. The innovative techniques with feedback and heavy soundscapes are what made them unique. Albums like White Light/White Heat display some of the most uninhibited performances ever captured in the peace-and-love era.

These kind of techniques foreshadowed the punk movement a decade before it had even begun. At the same time, The Velvets had a beautiful slow side, with gorgeous pop songs like "Sunday Morning" and "Pale Blue Eyes."

And these accomplishments haven't gone unnoticed by major artists though. David Bowie himself had said that The Velvet Underground reinvigorated his love for the arty side of rock.

Additionally, art rock acts of later years from the Talking Heads to Beck to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have all sung the praises of the Velvets and how they shaped their music. By all accounts, one of the most overlooked 60's acts that should be on any music lover's radar.