Crossing over the Atlantic ocean to take a look at another band from the 1960s and 70s to have left a lasting legacy on rock music and we turn to The Velvet Underground who, unlike many of the other bands and artists on this list, were commercially unsuccessful during their time together. The Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed is still a hugely popular artist to this day, but he cut his musical teeth producing music with John Cale under the management of eccentric New York pop artist Andy Warhol. The album The Velvet Underground & Nico, released in 1967, appears frequently on lists covering the best albums of all time. From alternative rock through to more experimental music, The Velvet Underground's relatively short time together led to only four studio albums, their politically-charged, visceral music and energetic stage presence has led many to liken them to the Beat poets who radically changed American culture in the 1950s and 60s.
