Best Ever Albums

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:05:46 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/27/2026 09:05

This is a hard album for me to review as it’s so iconic and influential that I find it hard to put into words how ground-breaking it was on release. I might end up using other people’s words to eloquently portray my feelings.

Even by today’s standards this is an “out there” / left field / art rock album so what must the reception have been in the late 1960’s? It’s a daring album with a “I don’t really care whether we sell any albums we are just going to do what we do” attitude. If that was the idea, it succeeded as it was a commercial flop on release. The fact that psychedelic music, for example, Hendrix and Cream were in vogue at the time also couldn’t have helped. Having said that it is one of the most important albums in rock and pop music

The album has an infectious groove that I love. The sound would have been very unconventional at the time and even today, you don’t here much like this around and it’s going to polarise opinion which is a good thing. I hadn’t appreciated until recently that the bulk of the album was recorded over a four-day period, Astonishing.

“The Observer placed it at No. 1 in their list of the "50 Albums That Changed Music" It has been characterized as the original art-rock record, influencing many subgenres of rock and alternative music, including punk, garage rock, krautrock, post-punk, post-rock, noise rock, shoegaze, gothic rock, art punk, and indie rock”
I thought that I’d include a few snippets from reviews at the time for context

"haunting" vocals of Nico and the "powerful" lyrics of the band, calling it a collection of "sophisticated folk-rock" and a "left-fielder which could click in a big way."
"a full-fledged attack on the ears and on the brain"

“'Sunday Morning' has a definite psychedelic hit sound. 'Run Run Run' still is another Underground gem gaining ground."

“not Commercial with a capital 'C' but an experience in sound." (I really like that one!)

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:39:06 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/26/2026 07:39

So that's the last track. Just the overall comments to post before next weeks listening session. Going to be interesting to see where the discussion goes

Please post any other comments if you wish. happy to hear from you

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:35:56 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/26/2026 07:35

European Son

On first hearing this I found it hard to get my head around this. I still struggle with the track, cannot put my figure on why, but I think that it’s a good track, just not as good as many others on the album.

I like chaos and left field music but this is a little too chaotic and unhinged for me.

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 03:54:58 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/24/2026 07:54

The Black Angel's Death Song

THE John Cale track. I find The distorted viola rather disturbing, which I’m assuming was the intention. The track doesn’t grab me though. It’s basically an OK track on a great album

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

MadhattanJack — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 05:12:57 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 08/22/2026 09:12

Johnnyo wrote:

I have to say that I couldn't agree with the Prof less!. VU&N is a seminal album that will endure for as long as music is consumed. Nothing against Journey or their output but this one album is far more important than Journey's discography IMO

Who's "Journey"? 😕

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 02:43:05 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/22/2026 06:43

Liedzeit wrote:

A couple of days ago Rick Beato and the Professor of Rock were chatting about music and how critics often dislike music that regular people (like them) adore. And the Prof. said people in a hundred years will still be listening to Journey but not The Velvet Underground. I think this is quite silly. Perhaps people will not listen to both. But I am sure that the music of The Velvet Underground will still be studied.

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Liedzeit — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:17:57 GMT

Author: Liedzeit

Posted: 08/21/2026 16:17

A couple of days ago Rick Beato and the Professor of Rock were chatting about music and how critics often dislike music that regular people (like them) adore. And the Prof. said people in a hundred years will still be listening to Journey but not The Velvet Underground. I think this is quite silly. Perhaps people will not listen to both. But I am sure that the music of The Velvet Underground will still be studied.

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:02:07 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/21/2026 13:02

I'll Be Your Mirror

It’s delicate and gentle, with melodic acoustic guitar which work pretty well. It is however, 0ne of my least favourite tracks on the album. Having said that it’s still a very decent track.

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:18:57 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/19/2026 10:18

There She Goes Again

Short but very good track. Another banger on this iconic album.

I guess in the great scheme of things, this is a more straight forward track than many others on VU&N but no the less impactful.

Link

R.E.M. did this great cover

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:59:01 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/18/2026 15:59

Hayden wrote:

More often than not, all said and done, at the end of the day, regardless what I say at various times and hours in various moments,

I still find this (bizarrely, unexplainably, irrationally) an underrated album—

It isn't difficult to find people who haven't heard it. Of it. About it—

And this, despite its accolades throughout various publications in every corner of the musicverse,
Is very important—

I can sort of corroborate that view. When this was announced as the next album at the music listening group, me and two others were like, YES! There wasn’t much reaction from all of the other people in the group which indicates to me that they probably have never heard the album before. They’re in for a treat or a shock depending on their musical tastes.

Going to be an interesting listening session

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Repo — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:56:32 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 08/18/2026 12:56

Hayden wrote:

Yeah. If you're not a music head, which is MOST people, you most likely haven't heard it. It goes back to that famous quote about anyone who has heard it ( i.e. a music head) started a band.

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Hayden — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:10:06 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 08/18/2026 10:10

More often than not, all said and done, at the end of the day, regardless what I say at various times and hours in various moments,

I still find this (bizarrely, unexplainably, irrationally) an underrated album—

It isn't difficult to find people who haven't heard it. Of it. About it—

And this, despite its accolades throughout various publications in every corner of the musicverse,
Is very important—

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:12:24 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/18/2026 08:12

Heroin

"My wife and it's my life".

Now this a thing of beauty. Is this the archetypal Velvet Underground track?

At seven minute long, it allowed the band to develop the song from the slow start “and builds into a chaotic, accelerating crescendo.” As one critic described it

As with the best of the Underground, it’s hypnotic and Droney, and you have that mesmerising guitar tone so synonymous of the band

It’s alternative rock at it’s finest

NB - Sadly, the link to the youtube video has failed. Going to try and see if I can yet it to work. rather annoying

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 04:22:12 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/15/2026 08:22

All Tomorrow's Parties

A Nico fronted track this time. I’ll come clean here, I prefer the Lou Reed vocal tracks to Nico’s but still like her a lot.

Anyway, one of the iconic tracks from the album. Personally, I think that it’s a little overrated. I’ve heard it “Widely praised by listeners and critics as a hypnotic, avant-garde masterpiece.” Not convinced.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very, very good song but masterpiece! Not in my books.

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 07:50:47 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/14/2026 11:50

Run Run Run

Hard driving track with a great R&B type guitar groove going on.

Not their best on the album but certainly not a filler or throwaway track. Just not up to the standard of the best tracks on the album

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:01:29 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/13/2026 11:01

Venus in Furs

One of the most well-known tracks on the album. It’s an iconic and very influential track. I find it hard to imagine The Stooges first album without this track.

It’s hypnotic and dronie. I love the distorted violin with a middle eastern vibe to the track as well as the minimalist drumming. The repetition in the song is what makes it. As with almost every track on the album, Lou Reeds vocal delivery is impeccable.

I’ve read that people find it unsettling. I really don’t hear that.

It’s a timeless track which just oozes class

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:01:46 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/11/2026 12:01

Femme Fatale

Very gentle track featuring Nico on vocals. Not my favourite track on the album by any means but a very sweet track

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:25:29 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/10/2026 08:25

I'm Waiting for the Man

The archetypal Lou Reed vocal delivery on this outstanding track.

Great jarring guitar alongside a pounding piano, it was punk ten years or so before punk.

Such phenomenal energy. A wonderful track.

Link

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

Johnnyo — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 06:41:00 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/08/2026 10:41

MadhattanJack wrote:

You've got to familiarize yourself more with Discogs — they show the high, low, and median prices people have gotten lately for official releases, and in this case those numbers show that it's not as expensive as you'd expect (though that might be because so many copies of the green-banana bootleg version already exist).

Still, it might also indicate that people who have heard it largely agree with me about it — it sounds awful, the track sequencing is a lot worse, and the label people were right to demand new versions of those three songs, not to mention "Sunday Morning." Putting "European Son" in as Side A track 1 seems like a deliberate attempt to get "uncool" people to angrily stop listening to the album before it even gets started. And I hate to say it, but hearing it made me like the official/definitive version less too, if only because it showed how much outside intervention was required to make it the album it became.

So, careful what you wish for, I guess! :-'

So not for me then. It just goes to show that the artists don't always know best. Who knows, if they had gone for the upripped version, The Velvet Underground might have ended up as a rather disappointing footnote in the annals of rock history. Now there's another discussion to have

Re: The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico

MadhattanJack — Sat, 8 Aug 2026 05:36:14 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 08/08/2026 09:36

Johnnyo wrote:

I hadn't appreciated that there had been a RSD release. If I had, I would have got it. I bet it's pretty expensive the acquire now.