Editing Doug Yule (section)

====1970–73 (''Loaded'' tour and final Velvet Underground shows)====
Lou Reed left the Velvet Underground during their summer residency at the New York club [[Max's Kansas City]] in August 1970.  With band manager [[Steve Sesnick]] looking to fill pending bookings, and with the upcoming release of ''[[Loaded (The Velvet Underground album)|Loaded]]'' in November of that year, Yule, Tucker and Morrison decided to continue performing as the Velvet Underground to promote the album.  Yule took over lead vocals and switched his main instrument from bass to guitar, and [[Walter Powers (musician)|Walter Powers]] was recruited as the Velvets' new bass guitarist.  Following the release of ''Loaded'' in Europe in the spring of 1971, Morrison left the group in August to resume his academic studies in Texas, and was replaced by [[Willie Alexander]] on keyboards. Alexander, Powers and Tucker left the Velvets in late 1972 after being forced out by manager Steve Sesnick prior to a handful of European shows to promote ''[[Loaded (The Velvet Underground album)|Loaded]]'' in Europe.  With no original band members left, and with a group of quickly assembled musicians, Yule played the final shows as the Velvet Underground in 1972.   With [[Ian Paice]] of [[Deep Purple]] and some session musicians, Yule recorded the album ''[[Squeeze (The Velvet Underground album)|Squeeze]]'' in late 1972. It was released in February 1973, and is in essence a Doug Yule solo album, though presented as a Velvet Underground album due to band manager Steve Sesnick's contractual agreement with Polydor, and due to the success of ''[[Live at Max's Kansas City]]'', which had received positive reviews the previous year. After two final shows in early 1973 (billed by the promoter as "The Velvet Underground", against Yule's wishes), the band was officially retired.