I had this record back in 1967. I consider the Velvet Underground as being the sound of NYC in the 60s. I also consider them as one of the "Big Four". The other 3 are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. They all had an enormous influence on the bands that followed them. We went to the Electric Circus back in 1968 in the East Village. It was formerly Andy Warhol's Factory.
hot take! The album is perfect. I’ve never thought of it as abrasive at all personally. Never thought of it as challenging. Just truly great songwriting and groundbreaking innovation. I’ve just always thought of it as perfect.
Yeah, same, I've never thought of it as especially difficult. BADS is obviously a bit out there, but by the time you get that far into the album, I feel like they've earned that and it's almost the logical place to go. At the very least it's no Metal Machine Music! 😄
I remember buying this a few months back and I told the guy selling it that I really liked Sunday Morning (the only song I'd heard from it before). He described that song as "settling you in for the horror to come", so I nervously laughed and listened to it at home. Only the Velvet Underground can start an album with Sunday Morning and end it with the train-crash, glass-breaking, lion-roaring European Son.
Black Angel is such a cool song to me! It conjures up the weird wild images I for some reason find comfort in. In fact the more abrasive songs are what I am most compelled by. As much as waiting for the man and heroin are rightfully praised for their groundbreaking nature especially at that time they are the songs that fall short for me. Point is this is one of the most important albums ever made. As important as anything the Beatles ever made in it's own subversive way!
Absolutely. Completely contrary to Abby's assertion about the strings here being the worst part of (presumably) the worst song, I consider them the best part of the BEST song on VU & N, imho.
maybe I'm a pervert, but for me the abrasiveness of the album wasn't so much a barrier to the songs as it was actually the thing that made them compelling, drawing me in to try and understand. The songs aren't always comfortable, but they also aren't about being comfortable. I like when the performance and production of a song matches it's subject matter, and, whatever else you can say about the velvets, this album definitely succeeds there.
when i first listened to this album, i was left feeling a bit mortified. i was still new to psych/experimental rock at the time and had no idea what i was in for, as i had not heard anything about how this album would sound. your description of it as "holding up a mirror to humanity" is very accurate, which i think is why i was so shocked by it. but though it was hard to experience at first, i believe there should be more albums like this
A high school teacher a million years ago (45 actually...) turned me onto Velvet Underground. I knew of Lou Reed, but wasn't old enough to know VU. He also gave me some sage advice that would get him fired and possibly imprisoned today. He told me that the trick to really appreciating such music is to be on the same drugs that the band was using when creating it to get into their head space. After I graduated high school and was 18 years old, I used to go to a local club/concert venue where you needed to be 21 or older to get in. The staff never carded and I saw a good few bands there when I was 18 and 19, Capt. Beefheart among them. In 1979, when I was 19, Lou Reed was booked into that club. I looked up my former teacher in the phone book (remember those, kiddies?) and called him, asking if he'd like to go with me to see Lou Reed. He agreed. I bought two tickets in advance and he met me in front of the club that evening. On that night, the door man was carding EVERYBODY. People who looked to be in their 40s. I guess they were recently caught allowing underaged people in. Before we even got to the door, tickets in hand, I looked at my teacher and said, "I'm sorry. I won't be able to get in. I wouldn't have even tried if I hadn't gotten in so many times before without a snag." He certainly could've gone in but, being a gentleman and a scholar, he didn't leave me hanging. I tried to sell the tickets there. They probably cost $8.00 ech and I would've been happy to get back $5. each. No dice. We got into his Volvo or Renault (I forget, but it was a hip foreign car) and drove to his home, five or seven miles away. After getting on the road, he rolled down his hand-cranked window (remember those, kiddies?) and tossed his ticket out the window, flapping in the air until resting on the asphalt. I felt shitty but, as I said earlier, I wouldn't have tried if I was successful every time before then. We got to his home and he introduced me to his wife. Lovely lady. We all got back in his car and went to a drive-in theater and watched Richard Pryor: Live in Concert.
The VU's box set "Peel Slowly And See" does have the pink banana under the peel. It also has all 4 legitimate albums as well a a CD of early demos and loads of outtakes. Around 10 songs Lou recorded on his own started as VU tracks. I love his music, his sardonic sense of humor, his views on life around him.
I have that box set, it have a long box book with the whole story, lots of unseen before photos, songs credits, and 25 unreleased songs. Unfortunetly the box set misses all songs lyrics and the original albums artwork but it does have the banana sticker.
You should cover the album Pink Moon by Nick Drake, also Nice Review! I absolutely love nico! She's gorgeous, and Lou Reed is at it's it peak of creativity in this album, Trippy asf
You could do a whole episode on Tom Wilson. Amazing career, kind of the missing link between V.U, Bob Dylan, the Mothers of Invention, Simon & Garfunkel, Sun Ra, Eric Burdon and the Animals, etc.
hello Abby! excellent video. one of the albums that without any kind of pretense changed music forever and how the rock format could be rethought both musically and poetically. Velvet's discography is pure inspiration. A separate paragraph for the wonderful Nico, her solo discography is full of gems. great way to start the year with this video! thank you and have a great 2023! PS: i read an Edie Sedgwick biography....RAW
edie had a rough life, i think of her all the time. she would've been so much happier as a flower child in san fransisco, NYC was too rough for her gentle soul
In the UK it was played by John Peel on the BBC when it came out, which gave it some real exposure here, and as Eno says, it was very influential in the UK from the beginning, first with The Soft Machine (who then influenced the sound of Sister Ray) then with Kevin Ayers, Bowie, and then Eno and Roxy Music and everything that followed. It had more of an art school following than in the US, in fact, probably every one of the many art school UK bands was influenced by VU & Nico.
He played the whole first side throughout his final Pirate Show on 14th of August 1967. This album and witnessing the riot celebrated in"For what it's worth' was why he returned to London; and became house DJ for Pink Floyd in Grafton St, etc!
I believe that both VU and Nico, as well as Nico’s “Chelsea Girl” album were in cut-out bins at drug and department stores for YEARS. And in the late 60s, those bins got as low as 3 for a dollar.
This album is just so 60's and ofc that cover is iconic by Warhol himself🍌 The Velvets in Velvet Underground and Nico & White Light-White Heat channel the darkest parts of Rock:Dr*gs and S*x through the lyrics from Lou Reed with Avant Garde/Classical instrumentation & sounds from John Cale which was brought out by only on VU and Nico by the haunting and monotone voice of Nico herself
I'm sorry you felt like you "had" to listen to this album because you were "supposed" to. I found this album as a young teenager and it opened the floodgates of my mind.
Not only did it influence bands, but whole genres within the rock canon: Glam, Punk, Navel Gaze, Heavy Metal. It should be emphasized that this the most influential rock ALBUM EVER MADE.
A rite of passage album for a lot of people it was for me as a 17 year old. There's the interesting choice of song content, the different approach musically and then there's the great tunes that show that this band was about more than just playing loud or controversial lyrics they were among the best performers and songwriters of their era.
Superb analysis of a great, seminal record, the great-granddaddy of alternative rock. Reed doesn't have a conventionally appealing singing voice, but it's perfect for this album, as is that of the brooding ice goddess Nico. Though not the easiest song on the LP (surely "Sunday Morning" fits that bill), "Heroin" I think is the greatest artistically, a devastating aural evocation of chemical dependency and submission. No doubt the record blew more than a few minds in 1967. I wanted to thank you for introducing me here to the The GTOs and Silver Apples, both unknown quantities to me before today. Also, you rock your retro looks, and your bright disposition is very winning.
Whenever I hear "Run Run Run" off this album, I hear "Parachute Woman" by the Rolling Stones. Also, the intro to "Heroin" was lifted for "Stray Cat Blues." That's some heavy influence right there.
Music as art: on this album the art is pushed to the front! That is what I love about this album! I believe this is what Lou Reed set out to achieve in his career.
When I was growing up on Long Island; my big brother was going to the city to see the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed, and The Doors were his favorite bands. I read a book recently about them. If I had to get rid of; or decided to get rid of all my rock music; Lou Reed, and John Cale would remain. They stand apart from the rest. Lou Reed wrote the best Rock Lyrics. Young rock bands shouldn't try to copy them. Instead they should just listen to them, and enjoy. Learn about the Velvet Underground; realize that they were like no other band at that time. They were the band that best represented New York at that time. To me; They are very much New York history, as us Walt Whitman. I think that Andy Warhol had a fun sence of humor. His ideas are art for every man. That's what made him great in my view. The first album that I listened to on 01/01/ 22, was Songs For Drella. Had to set my parameters for the near future; with that album.
If you're ever in Pittsburgh one day, at the Andy Warhol Museum, there is a section of the permanent expo dedicated to the Velvet Underground ... and a little nod to "Sticky Fingers" as well.
That album should be heard by everyone. It was a masterpiece and changed my life, in many ways. In my book, it was up there with Sgt. Pepper, in relation to influence! Andy Warhol and VU had such big balls to put out that record in 1967. If not only for the subject matter, alone!
I bought it when I was 15 and it had just come out. I loved every song though I didn't understand all of them. About a year later I was in the lunch room at school and the local underground station was playing over the intercom. Heroin came on and when Cale's viola started shrieking 2/3 of the students walked out in disgust. I thought, "The cool guys stayed."
happy new year Abby! I got into Velvet Underground in art school as well, cause of a film class that showed Andy Warhol’s films of Edie Sedgwick. Learning about her, how she deserved better, and listening to this album when I got home. Favourites are waiting for my man, venus in furs and sunday morning
Other than Little Richard(who was just weird), Lou Reed was the original 'gender bender'. Bowie took all his commercial cues from him. And later, much effort on Bowie's part to 'save' Reed from himself and the society that persecuted him. "Loaded" is the album to find.......
I’ve always found this album difficult to get into, but totally get why it’s (still) so influential. Wouldn’t mind seeing you tackle Lou Reed’s ‘Berlin’ which is another unsettling listen but strangely addictive. Good to see you back after the Christmas break.
Really? I think all are incredibly accessible except for maybe Venus of Furs and the last track. Heroin probably too...but I really enjoyed it on first listen. Femme Fatale blew my mind.
Hi Abigail, that continious staccato piano riff John Cale plays on Waiting For The Man has become so influential in Rock music: - The Stooges 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' (John Cale himself playing the piano and sleighbells) - Roxy Music 'Do The Strand' and 'Virginia Plain' - David Bowie 'Heroes' - The Fall 'Perfect Life' - Arcade Fire 'Rebellion' - Queens Of The Stone Age 'Go With The Flow' - Brian Jonestown Massacre 'The Serious Matter' The Modern Lovers ' Pablo Picasso' (produced by Cale, and also covered it on his Helen Of Troy lp from 1975) - LCD Soundsystem 'All My Friends' (James Murphy got Cale to do a cover of his song) and plenty olenty more have been inspired by this genius motif. As for the GTO's, Miss Cynderella aka Cynthia Wells had a turbulent marriage with John Cale between 1971 and 1975!
Happy New Year, Abigail! I'm with you on this one. I've had this LP for more than forty years but rarely play it. Actually the production is dire. 'Loaded' is far superior.
Yay! Abby is back! LOL. I look forward Vinyl Mondays now. I'm an absolute VU & Lou Reed fanatic. I think it was Sterling Morrison who was into experimenting with dissonance. Sister Ray can be grating on the ears. I think that influenced Lou Reed to make Metal Machine Music years later. I recently took the time to digest Lulu with Lou teaming up with Metallica. People are quick to dis it, but it's super experimental. Lou was all about taking risks & VU & Nico is a showcase for that.
can't believe i missed that in this video, the work on dissonance was just as pioneering as the dark themes and crunchy sound. justice for lulu. i am the table!!!
Great stuff, love love love Vinyl Monday. If it’s a flop on release it usually winds up a classic. I’m currently re indexing all my vinyl moving from A-Z to a series of collections. This record is has a spot reserved on my 20 greatest LP’s shelf. Finally yes ma’am, I’m now going to chase me down some GTO’s platters, thank you
I totally see your points and agree with you on most of them. I think that you have to treat the Album almost like two albums. This is where listening to it on cd/mp3 is beneficial. Depending on your mood you can listen to all the cohesive songs. I'm another mood listen to the abstract ones. I bought this album for similar reasons you did. I was home from college in 2006 for winter break. Bought it on sale for $10. One morning I decided to take a walk and put it on with headphones on. We had a freezing rain the night before and Everything was covered in ice. Real winter wonderland. It was the PERFECT moment in my life to hear "Sunday Morning". So this album has a soft spot in my life. Nicos songs are hands down amazing. Love your channel. Please keep doing these. I'm learning so much from you. Love your energy and point of view!
This may be a ling one...sorry. I have the Velvets 5 CD boxed set with the original art work replicated: I listened to it somewhat obsessively afterwards. While I liked the following 3 albums, I could not get enough of this one: a true masterpiece and a seismic shift for modern music. I agree that Lou Reed is an acquired taste, however, his observational writing style was so far ahead of its time. No one in 1967 wanted to hear songs with this subject matter. Additionally, the merging of primitive rock and roll with avant-garde Stockhausen-esque classical motifs was beyond radical.This sonic assault perfectly compliments the dark lyrical imagery. If you want a more refined take on one of these songs, seek out Bryan Ferry-s version of All Tomorrow's Parties off his Taxi album from 1993. If I had to pick one song that is my all-time favorite, it would be Venus in Furs: the grating and yet hypnotic viola perfectly compliments the S & M lyrics.
This was one of those records I heard in college too mostly because my friends were into it too. I didn't care for it much at the time, thought it was overrated, but it definitely has grown on me. I like Loaded much more at first. It's more accessible. Black Angel Death Song was one that just kind of would go by without too much notice when playing the record. Then one time years later it came out of my subconscious. It was stuck in my head and I couldn't recall what the song was exactly, I thought it was Velvet Underground and could hear it in my head so distinctly. Anyways, I did figure it out and it is probably my favorite on the album. I wish it was longer. It has this great hypnotic thing going on. I don't know that is one of my favorite albums but it is very influential and influences me and I do like most all of it now.
I don’t know how I only just came across this channel, but I’m glad that I did. I would love to see a future review of “freak out”, that is one of my favourites.
My friend Tom Kingsley possessed one of those original 30,000 copies and he peeled back the banana skin for my witnessing. It was a transcendent moment. 1969.
Venus in Furs is one of the all time great alt rock tracks…still sounds contemporary…lyrics like these in 1966…wow.All tomorrows parties is epic…apparently Lou played guitar in “Ostrich tuning” as he called it…all strings tuned to a D
The viola is awesome on this album, esp on Venus in Furs. Also: real art IS difficult. Also: surprised she doesn't blast Mo Tucker for playing only one drum per song throughout.
because what mo does works, she just gives so much energy & power to the songs, nothing complex she just beats the hell out of her really simple drum kit and it adds to the songs as a whole
In the Uk, Bowie's reference to "VU white light"" on the back cover of Hunky Dory played a significant role in publicising them to a wider audience. Also - in an entirely unrelated matter - Moe Tucker once sent me a letter. It was when I was sixteen and still at school. It was in answer to me writing to her record company, in the straightforward naive way that a child would do. There was a signed picture postcard included in the envelope as well. I've still got it.
Love the groovy shades Abby. But aside from the “ mundane “ vocals by Nico, this album is legendary in its own way. The main reason it was overlooked early on is because of all the other major releases that came out during that amazing year of ‘67. The competition was obviously enormous. But as we know, this dark, edgy composition would go on to be a major influence for SO MANY other bands and artists, many of which are among my absolute favorites.
yes, the avant-garde approach and steep competition proved to be just too much for VU & nico upon release. the emerson lawsuit didn't help much either, that tangled up the release big time
John Cale also appears on one of my favorite debut albums, Glass Harp 1970. I have a soft spot for the Cleveland Ohio music scene in the 60's and 70's.
my favorite part on European Son(to Delmore Schwartz) is the part where the toilet flushes and the glass smashes. Well at least it sounds like a toilet flushing.
Don't do drugs, kids, espesh heroin. This album was a landmark "heroin rock" album, later utilized by folk like Thom York - lots of dreary atmosphere, trance platform, long falsetto notes...
Cool video. To me the best Velvets record is White Light White Heat -there's only 3 songs I really dig on it but I love them enough to make it one of my favorite records. This LP too - to my limited knowledge they sound like the foundation Goth was built on. That repetitive one note piano on Waiting for the Man sounds a lot like what the Stooges did on I Wanna Be Your Dog - wonder if they got the idea from there. Both LP's came out in '67, though I don't know the months of release. Abigail has such tiny hands
John Cale produced The Stooges debut and plays that repetetive piano and sleighbell pattern on I Wanna Be Your Dog. Ha also plays viola on We Will Fall.
When I first heard this album, I found it impossible to take seriously. Now after years of getting familiar with its deep eccentricity and understanding its context and influence, I still find it impossible to take seriously.
Happy New Year Abigail. Welcome Back! I love this album review, such an amazing album, such an influence on every band that ever existed to this day. P.S. Those earrings are amazing.
I think it may have been early 80's when I read an interview with Warhol. The interviewer asked Warhol to describe Nico's voice. Warhol replied " She sounds like an IBM computer with a Greta Garbo accent ".
Yay! I love it, I love VU (even the Doug Yule record). I was just commenting to my gf how this album seems quaint compared to what came next with WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT which sounds like it was recorded outside the room the band was playing in, then that recording was played back through a fuzz pedal.
I know you say you haven't really cra ked Sonic Youth yet - have you tried "Evol"? I think it's their best album containing their best song "Expressway to Yr Skull". Also, try to view Royal Trux as existing in a Stones vs VU axis. I'm gonna break that band with you, yet!!😂
my buddy is a HUGE sonic youth fan, he put together a listening list for me a while back. i'm slowly warming up to it, and now i hear their influence loud and clear on one of my favorite modern groups: pity sex. if you dig sonic youth you should give dark world and feast of love a try
I like how you described the songs as blank slates. I mean part of the appeal of this album is all the potential and experimentation you hear in all of its tracks and the fact that it sounds bad is also very inspiring.. it basically says "yeah I did this and so can you."
Great video lived up to all expectations the velvet underground are one of my favorite bands ever and Lou Reed is my favorite rock lyrist of all time and Andy warhall is a strange artist but entertaining great video
I love your beautiful kookiness ❤️ Loaded is my my favorite Velvet Underground too 😁 The original Sweet Jane, with the "Heavenly wine and roses, Seem to whisper to me, When you smile..." Is just gorgeous ❤️ The banana album is pretty damn intense... The fact Nico was deaf one ear, makes her speech and singing even more bizarre. Filthy, sexy, beautiful grotesque gutter addiction art. "And guess, I just don't know..."
i didn’t know nico was deaf, that and her heavy accent makes her pronunciation make total sense. ESPECIALLY her pronunciation of “clown,” that’s my favorite idiosyncrasy of hers. thank you so much - better watch your step casey jones
@@abigaildevoe Driving that train, high on cocaine 😂 I think Nico was partly deaf, Not totally sure... Something I read about her once. Her accent definitely has strange effect on how she announcaites lyrics... Yeah... The way she pronounces the word "clown" is great example.
Happy New Year. Great job as always. Thanks for this episode, I enjoyed it. "The Velvet Underground & Nico" is my favourite album of all time with Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" a very close second. Todd Haynes' documentary "The Velvet Underground" which came out in 2021 is worth watching. It's very good until John Cale gets ousted from the band. Unfortunately, it kind of rushes through the Doug Yule years making it a missed opportunity for a perfect Velvets documentary in my opinion. Anyways, best wishes & cheers.
just a thought about i'm waiting for the man. lou reeds vocals sort of move along steadily while the music is insistent,driving,much more on edge.. like if i'm waiting for my man, i'm trying to hold it together, but i'm grinding my teeth.
I was an extra in Sid and Nancy in 1980 and I played a heroin addict standing in a cue in an alleyway. One second of film, maybe 22 frames, but there it is, my face. The director was (is?) a superchill dude. 40 bucks for two hours work. In 1980 that's like, 700 bucks.
@@abigaildevoe - and now one can find her in YT and freeze the frame. You kids and your E.T. tech, it ain't fair, we would have gone to extremes to possess tech like that...Imma look up yer Proff.
Were this If this were 30 years ago I would have had to go to the videostore on my bicycle and rented jaws and come home and freeze frame. If you had told me, in 1993, that it would take 2 minutes to find your professor without going anywhere I wouldn't, perhaps, have believed you but all of that is moot because you weren't born yet.
Thanks for only being gone a week. Haven't listened to banana in a long time, now I gotta go through black angel death song again, was it the chi chi I, and the choose to choose. Lou Reed cracks me up The bumps are good, any further comedic mugging you do is most welcoe
