Art Rock

Art rock on vinyl: rock as art

In short: Art rock is rock that sees itself as art – with unusual sounds, concepts and images. Its pioneers included The Velvet Underground from Andy Warhol’s circle in the late sixties and David Bowie and Roxy Music in the seventies; later examples are Radiohead, Nick Cave and black midi. The Vinyl Room currently has 62 art rock records.

What is art rock?

More idea than formula: the debut “The Velvet Underground & Nico”, with the famous banana on the cover, combined rock with the New York avant-garde. Radiohead first released “In Rainbows” in 2007 as a download at a price of your choosing, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds delivered the double album “Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus”.

Plus Swedish organist Anna von Hausswolff, the German band Triumvirat and, from Denmark, singer Fallulah.

What to look for

Classics such as “The Velvet Underground & Nico” exist in many pressings. Which edition you get is noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

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FAQ

What is art rock? Rock with artistic ambition – unusual sounds, concepts and images.

Who is regarded as a pioneer? Among others The Velvet Underground, David Bowie and Roxy Music.

What is the difference from prog rock? The line is fluid; prog rock leans more on long pieces and virtuoso playing, art rock on concept and attitude.

Is there art rock from Scandinavia? Yes – here, for example, Fallulah from Denmark and Anna von Hausswolff from Sweden.