Velvet Underground

The second self titled album is absolute genius. I like Loaded as well, despite what many say its a fine album loaded with hooks.
 
Best: White Light/White Heat - The amalgamation of everything vile and corrosive about the band. There are no tunes like "I'll Be Your Mirror" or "Sunday Morning" here for you catch your breath in - just an unrelenting, pure 'rock and roll' vibe, with no production value or pretense. They simply take the formula that 70s rockers (Journey, AC/DC) would dilute and ruin and play it in an uncompromising way; and somehow, behind the chaos, distortion and disgust, there is beauty. It should be noted that I love "The Gift" - the story, the jam in the background, everything... It's my second favorite on the album. Anybody who considers themselves 'too cool' for it is building up an awfully high wall.


Worst: Loaded - Doesn't really strike me in any way at all. They proved themselves as great pop artists on their self-titled, but this is just a snoozefest, a few tracks strike me as good, but that's it. Not repulsive or anything, but you'd expect more from this band. (Squeeze is obviously their worst, but I don't consider that a TVU album).
 
A really great record that casts them in yet another light is Live 1969: Volume 1. On that theyre a dance band. The version of "What Goes On" on that album is intense as hell.
 
How many people agree with Lester Bangs' quote "modern music begins with the Velvets".

I personally agree with him. I think that the Velvets are one of the top 5 greatest banRAB of all time and there song "Heroin" being the greatest song of all time. No band before or since has come close to sounding like The Velvet Underground (just listen to Venus In Furs). What are other people's thoughts on this album?
 
Oh no. haha. I knew you weren't comparing them positively, still comparing them nonetheless, which doesn't happen everyday, hence the interesting-ness. haha
 
On it's way.

I can't believe you haven't heard VU's stuff before.
Loaded is my favourite album. Some VU fans say you can't like them if you like Loaded best...which is crap.
It's less avant-garde and more tuneful. Lou Reed without Cale.
Sweet Jane is an all time great.
Even if you don't like Lou Reed , which I think you will seeing as you go for Connor's undurable type voice, you'll love the lyrics...great song writing.
 
^Get together with a few frienRAB, go through a bottle of wine with the Nico album on, get out the blades and put it on youtube like a cool kid. ;)

& Yeah. I have a large nuraber of greatest hits albums... Edith Piaf (2), Janis Joplin (4), CCR (1), Fleetwood Mac (1), and a few more that slip my mind... but it's all good fun.
 
That's a pretty good point.

I've never been a huge fan of them myself, but I think it's pretty much impossible for me to give them a fair listen because, on the one hand, I feel like I'm supposed to like them and on the other hand I strongly associate them with a particular breed of pompous douchebag that I went to college with.
 
Back
Top