The Velvet Underground & Nico

One of those albums that was obviously very influential, but also holds up in its own right. I’d say the Nico tracks are overrated but it’s hard to imagine Twin Peaks existing without them.

Venus in furs made me smile with the line 'I could sleep for a thousand years'. I found 'I'll be your mirror' very sweet in lyrics. Although it is not my taste, I really understand other people vibing to this!

Good record. It's a little bit rough around the edges but falls into that category of music where the playing and singing (Lou Reed sometimes has Bob Dylan's dedication to his own melodies; which is to say, little) seem to rough on purpose. The effect is of something raw and DIY and I can see how this would've been an influence on the early punk movement: it's kind of impressionistic in the sense that the *how* of any particular part -- be it a guitar solo or Lou Reed's vocals -- doesn't seem to matter much. The frantic tremolo picking on 'European Son' (not sure if that's Reed or Sterling Morrison) isn't about the placement of particular notes, but about the fury and the feedback and roughly where the pitch sits against the chordal cadence. The whole album is like that, with Nico's vocals being a bit more polished and Maureen Tucker providing a solid drumming foundation for Reed and Morrison and John Cale (on bass for the Velvets) to flail over. As a work of art, it's highly effective: like the impressionist painters, it's pushing the feeling over the precision of the form. My favourite was 'Heroin', ebbing and flowing as it describes the feeling of injecting the opiate in detail. It starts out placid and lovely and, despite very simple arranging and production, devolves into complete chaos at the end. When you get this influential, you end up getting compared to The Beatles. It's apt for the Velvets: they may be equally hat-tipped by later musicians, just from different genres. Where the Beatles took a lot of American song forms, combined them with their own musical inclinations (which is to say, they worked with McCartney) and polished them until they shone, Lou Reed & company just wrote songs that belonged to those American forms and pushed their content and feeling to the bleeding edge. Where the Beatles (putting out Sgt. Pepper's and Magical Mystery Tour when this album was released) made everything they touched impossibly pretty, The Velvet Underground proved to us that not everything had to be quite so neat and manicured to be effective and affecting and still beautiful. I swear half the time, Reed and Morrison aren't totally in tune. It's a landmark and an essential entry by one of those bands that seems, sometimes to exist as homework for music fans. It deserves its reputation as essential, for the beautifully ugly emotional content, the slapdash-but-effective recording and its dedication to feeling above form. There's a timeless essential truth embodied in this record: if you've got something to say and a sense of melody, you don't have to possess baroque compositional skills to make something of worth. This is great. But I'm probably not going to buy it. It's a landmark but not a masterpiece: it does drag in a couple spots. 4/5

very plesently surprised. moody vibes in all the good ways

Sunday Morning: christmas vibes, I saved it I'm Waiting For The Man: cool metaphor Femme Fatale: liked it, saved it Venus in Furs: interesting but boring Run Run Run: didn't like it All Tomorrow's Parties: boring Heroin: didn't like it There She Goes Again: liked it, saved it I'll Be Your Mirror: sweet, liked it and saved it The Black Angel's Death Song: didn't like it European Son: didn't like it

TOO old, sorry

Ei

I’ve listened to this 4 times now and I still don’t know how I feel. Some hits, and some really miss the mark for me.

A lot of pretentious nonsense. This is just very much of product of its time. If this were released today, no one would have batted an eye. It isn't annoying to listen to, so that saves it from the lowest score. 2/5

Not my fave VA album but I love the Nico contributions. At times meandering and long winded but also extremely cool and captivating on occasion. I’d cut some song lengths and would swap this out for their later self titled record. Gets hard to listen to eventually and I had to turn it off lol.

Classic

What can you say. It's just a mind blowing album on every level. If you hate this then just cross the street. I'm obviously not your sort of person.....

Que no soy yo muy fan de la Velvet, plis... Ya vale

I feel like I *should* like The Velvet Underground, but there's just nothing there for me to grab onto.

The type of album that everyone can get something different from

I don’t think i like the velvet underground

Pretty good!

i love this album but i’ve overplayed it a bit too much for my own good. a near perfect album that i’ve just gotten a bit tired of.

Všetky piesne sú v podstate klasiky, nie je tomu čo vytknúť...

Someone will probably throwing rocks at me, but even though it’s not a harsh listen, I don’t enjoyed it either. Sunday morning was a good entrance, but some chords and the violin was rough sometimes. 2/5. Sunday Morning: 3,5 I’m Waiting For The Man: 3 Femme Fatale: 2 Venus In Furs: 2 Run Run Run: 2 All Tomorrow’s Parties: 2 Heroin: 3 There She Goes Again: 2 I’ll Be Your Mirror: 2 The Black Angel’s Death Song: 1 European Son: 1

Odd ducks. Foundational album.

An album that should be listened to anyone about to visit New York for the first time. Especially if you are going alone or under 25.

This album has so much aura it's crazy Sunday Morning is quite the intriguing track, it has such a relieving tone to it despite it being really about paranoia I think the contrast between the lush and peaceful tone of the melody and the lyrics about regret and paranoia is really good and makes for quite a unique opener. I LOOOVE I'm Waiting for the Man it's such a cool song and definitely the highlight of side 1 for me I love the rock and roll-esque melody and I love the concept W song. Femme Fatale is the first N*co song in the album but it is admittedly really good I like the lyrics on it and I think Nico's vocals really go with the concept really well. Venus in Furs is another standout for me because it starts really suddenly there's no buildup it just kinda throws you into the song, I also really like John's viola in this one (John Cale = GOAT) and the concept regarding sadomasochism are really interesting. Another drug song, Run Run Run is a really fun sounding song with a not so fun concept because it tackles addiction and overdosing and whatnot, good song but it is probably my least favorite song on side 1. All Tomorrow's Parties is quite a unique song, it's about Andy W*rhol but it's really good I think the piano riff and pounding bass drum make up for the fact that the song is still about Andy W*rhol and the Factory. Heroin MIGHT be the greatest song of the 60s, it starts off really simple but then it gets real fucking loud and I like that, the feeling of the music getting real intense during the high and really stale during the sober state is really cool I like that. There She Goes Again is a personal favorite of mine I can't believe Lou Reed stole a Marvin Gaye song for it. I don't have much to say about it but it's a really fun sounding song albeit the subject not being as fun. I'll Be Your Mirror is also a personal favorite of mine I think it's a really soothing song both lyrically and musically surely the next 2 songs follow that peaceful vibe, right? The next song didn't follow that peaceful vibe. The Black Angel's Death Song is a fucked up song, it's the only song in the album with lyrics that don't mean a thing, the whole purpose of this song is to be dissonant and unnerving and while I like that about the song it is my least favorite song in the album. European Son is definitely the most unique song in the entire album in my opinion and it would heavily foreshadow the sound of VU's next album, which would lean more towards noise rock and improvisation. What also makes this song unique is the concept, with this being a bittersweet farewell to Lou Reed's university teacher, Delmore Schwartz, this album did have songs about real people and whatnot but I find this one to be particularly unique because of how it is structured. My verdict: Excellent album when you forget Andy Warhol had anything to do with it.

Very good classic album! Love this actually and was always just kinda of meh towards the Velvet underground

Entspannte vibes, bisschen Beatles-like - passt super zu einem gemütlichen Herbstmorgen (aka a lazy sunday)

OOOOOHHHHH BANANA! This is the first album on this list that I'm actually revisiting. I own this album on vinyl, sticker and all. That being said I remember this being one of the albums I only took a few songs from. Let's see if my opinions have grown since then. Track 1: Sunday Morning. Dreamy, ethereal and trippy. Undoubtedly one of the best album openers of all time...but also not one of my favourites. It sounds nice objectively but for me there's nothing that really keeps my attention. 7/10 Track 2: I'm Waiting For The Man. I don't know why I like this song so much. On my original listen this was one of the stand out tracks and it still stands out for me years later. It just sounds...fun? 8/10 Track 3: Femme Fatale. On the contrary, this song does nothing for me. It's just so...barren. So boring. 2/10 Track 4: Venus In Furs. This song sounds intimidating as fuck yet the lyrics are oddly sexual. I feel like the person portrayed in the lyrics is in danger, yet that's exactly where he wants to be. No other notes. 8/10 Track 5: Run Run Run. I remember this being my favourite song off the album on my first listen and now that I've listened to it again, yeah it's my favourite so far. It totally holds up. From the storytelling lyrics to the distortion in the guitar solo, I love this song just as much as I did when I first heard it. 9/10. Track 6: All Tomorrow's Parties. This one's weird but in a good way...I think? It's slow, cryptic and mysterious especially in it's instrumentation. Prepared Piano and Fretless Guitar accomodate melodic yet oddly unnerving vocals perfectly. 8/10. Track 7: Heroin. Wow. I forgot just how great this song was. The first portion of each verse is almost comforting like you can just fall asleep to it but when each part speeds up it's almost like a bad trip. Something's gone wrong and you can't stop it. You're just there for the fucking ride and if you die, you can't help it! You can barely help yourself! All you can do is take another shot and ride that fucker out, baby! YEAH, COME ON! I'LL TAKE ALL YOU BITCHES DOWN TO HELL WITH ME! YOU DON'T SCARE ME! GOD WORSHIPS ME! SATAN FEARS ME! I AM ONE AND EVERYTHING! ...yeah I really like this song. 10/10. Track 8: There She Goes Again. The most accessable song on the album following the scariest. Another oddly sexual song too but I ain't complaining. Especially with the speed up at the end. I wish we had more of that part. 8/10. Track 9: I'll Be Your Mirror. Eh? Don't really gain much from this track. It sounds nice but that's about it. That's really all I can say about it. 5/10. Track 10: The Black Angel's Death Song. This song is all over the place. Lyrics that don't make sense, weird sounding strings (at least I think they're strings), what sounds like a fucking air pump break between verses, I am not sure what to think of this song. 5/10. Track 11: European Son. I mentioned in my last review I enjoy "breakdowns" at the end of performances. This is that concept taken to it's most extreme. Almost 7 minutes of sonic chaos after just two portions of lyrical content. And I love it. 9/10. Overall this is undoubtedly one of the best rock albums of the 60's and possibly all time. Very little to complain about and a lot to take away. I think I might have a banana after this. Favourite song: Heroin. Least Favourite Song: Femme Fatale. Overall: 9/10. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

I'd heard some of these songs, but not listened all the way through. I'm ready to be impressed by "the first art rock album". I can see the art aspirations, but also hear a few similarities with other psychedelia of the day (1967 seems to have been a big year for psychedelia). Sadly, the album is quite uneven: Waiting For The Man puts me off early with its repetitive jangle, that's insufficiently minimalist to achieve transcendence; and I don't much like Nico's approach to singing, eg Femme Fatale. But Venus In Furs has a really great sound, Heroin is amazingly classic (for several reasons, not least the viola drone and then its take-off), The Black Angel's Death Song is very attention-grabbing (even after learning that Reed didn't intend the lyrics to mean anything, they were just phrases that sounded good ...). Then there's the closer, European Son - was this inspiration or at least trailblazer for Nirvana's Endless, Nameless, I wonder? (I'm not a fan of either track - but can relate to the whole "how do we finish a good gig" problem.) So, I'd probably replay particular tracks rather than sit through the whole album, but I'd agree it's an album that people interested in "modern popular music" should hear, as part of understanding what lead to punk, new wave, and lots of art rock ambitions. The best songs here pull it up enough that overall it's Pretty Wonderful, 9/10.

The famous banana album. Here have 4 bananas 🍌🍌🍌🍌

I feel like I was missing something about this one.

Seminal

The last of the Velvet Underground albums for my review and the best. When I was younger, I used to revere this group but the passage of time has altered my perspective, and while bands have imitated the attitude and style of the band, the music itself remains rather elusive, mostly because the Velvets were all over the place themselves, and never narrowed down a definitive sound, morphing from experimental rockers to soft-spoken crooners in an attempt to obtain some commercial credence when being the cool anarchists didn't pay the bills. But this was, in my opinion, their best effort, where the songcraft and the experimentalism achieved it's highest synthesis. Nico doesn't really add much, though, and there's a distinct lack of polish and control in some of the playing. They'd tighten up on future releases, but they'd never top the Banana Album.

I wanted to like it. Thought I would after the first track. Even the first Nico song was bearable. Overall, though, this just isn’t for me.

It's a really good album. It has that warm crackly lofi vibe that's a comfort blanket. But it's also a ramshackle racket of screeching feedback and off-key vocals. There she goes again is very underrated. I like the kind of droney thing they have going on in songs like Venus in Furs and All tomorrows parties, and the garage rock thing in Waiting for my man and Run run run. The last 2 songs are shite tho. I believe that it would have been better without Nico, but I think that's an unpopular opinion.

My underground is so velvet my velvet is so underground ahhh heroine. Honestly it's like a 3.7 for me but it's gotta be a 4 for the the influence

Just an incredibly influential and psychedelic album. Truly ahead of its time, even today. Goddamn, Heroin just gets me every single time

Sooo good I found a new killer band too man this girly is so hyped

Yeah it’s kinda incredible

Love it. I've never done Heroin, but that song feels like a trip to me.

Cool embodied. Love how most songs are played either quietly or erratically. There’s not really a loud! Instead everyone is kinda doing their own things and not trying to be too much. Amazed at how much they can string together using only 2 chords.

Aversive, erotic, messy, jagged — and yet somehow inclusive, warm, and inviting. From the lyrics themselves to the way it was recorded, this is the most unapologetic, effortlessly cool album of all time, and I’ve worn it out to death. That it also has arguably the most iconic cover of all time is just bonus points. Lou Reed still does not get named often enough among the artists who actually rearranged the century. For my money, he belongs in the same breath as Kanye West and the Beatles.

I became wholly obsessed with TVU and solo Lou in spring of this year, and it all started after I suddenly had the opening xylophone line from "Sunday Morning" stuck in my head and decided to revisit the whole album, which I admittedly always admired but never loved or even really liked. It all clicked in the cube on that random day, forever memorialized because I texted Zach with an unexplained "shiny shiny shiny boots of leather" at the same moment he was also listening to the song. That obsession is, I think, the reason why I sought the 1001 project. In the glow of Cale's squealing strings, I found myself delighted and revitalized: there are so many wonderful old musical frontiers out there just waiting to be discovered...one need only look...and it helps immensely to have a system! I love every single second of this thing—every catchy melody and hypnotic drone. I see now that MOST of the music I love wouldn't exist without TVU. "Heroin" is the greatest song ever perhaps?

I listen to this album fairly regularly and it never disappoints.

One of my most hated records. Nico can't sing for shit. What is the fuzz all about?

Maybe this album makes more sense if you’re wasted, but I doubt it.

I didn't really get this album until "Heroin". It was very good, but I think the hype had me expecting more. 4, but a low one.

Very slowish and I get folk vibes from it, a little obscure.

Great album, Lou Reed was one of a kind and this ablum really helps highlight why

le daria un 3.5 la verdad no es mi vibra el sonido pero no estuvo mala. me gustó femme fatale

Hard to be objective about this one. The fact that folks are arguing about it 60 years on says something. We aren't arguing about the Beau Brummels.

1967 man, 1967

I like the controversial material but it's a bit too woozy for me as I prefer other psychedelic rock options but I know it inspired many an incredible album

Seminal counter culture album. Initially popular for teenagers as a listenable album about drugs, which your parents wouldn't want you listening to. It is of course much more than that. The songs stand the test of time, the lyrics have veracity as they lived the life. There is vitality and momentum to the rhythm, and even Nico's voice has grown on me over the years, she is more integral to the album than I initially gave her credit for.

I have found it hard to get into this band. Over the past 40 years they are very slowly growing on me.

I think I need a few more listens with this one. It's just... would it KILL these dudes to add a bridge into their song? A lead? A shake up of the riff? ANY variation at all??

OK album. Mye fint her

ehh

Very strong start with a few iconic songs. The rest of the album is a bit less interesting and not as catchy to me. 3.5

No need to repeat ad nauseam that this is a legendary groundbreaking album, a pillar of 20th century pop music, etc. etc. It's enough to say that any album containing I'm Waiting For The Man, Heroin, and Venus In Furs would deserve 5/5 even if the rest was just burps and farts. (Just saying. That's not the case here: all of the other songs are terrific too.)

oh my gosh European Son sounds so annoying some classics like Sunday Morning and There She Goes but god oh i thought these days would be on here but it's not! thumbs down

I always thought The Velvet Underground was a 90s grunge band. I think I get them confused with Vampire Weekend, for whatever reason. The common factor between the two is that I was never really exposed to either band, and I've kind of just heard about and listened to bits and pieces of them over the years. So this is the first time I've listened to a fill Velvet Underground album, and I didn't really care for it. It was very 60s and artsy and just not very pleasant to my ears.

Liian geneeristä ja yllätyksetöntä.

Siitä sitten kylmäkiskosen menon alkulähteille. Selkeesti eka puolisko levystä parempi ja loppua kohen menee liiaks hörpöttämiseks. Miehen oottelu -laulu kyl kuulostaa aika paljon luu riidin soolomatskulta, jota päästiin vähän aiemmin kuunteleen. Vaikee arvioitsea. Kai sen kolmosen vois kaivaa pöytään vaikka onkin hyvääkin seassa ja ollut joku suunnannäyttäjä.

No ei kyllä ihan varauksetona innostusta saanut tämä minussa aikaan. Ihan hyviä oivalluksia siellä täällä, mutta aika tylsä kokonaisuus.

No one song on the album really pulled me in or felt like a standout. That coupled with the really old mixing doesn't make for a compelling album for me. While the singing is fine and instruments play well there isn't something that I want to come back to and listen to again and the mixing makes me want to actively avoid it.

A response to Sgt Pepper's, 37 years later?

This album is just okay. It has a few decent tracks, but overall it feels pretty bland and doesn't really stand out to me.

Inte det bästa av VU.

quiero ser lou reed quiero ser john cale quiero ser sterling morrison quiero ser moe tucker (sobre todo moe tucker. y lou reed) la semana pasada estuve oyendo las versiones en vivo del 69 de las matrix tapes, que son cuatro sets como de a hora x set, que a veces eran dos tres hasta cuatro versiones de la misma rola, tons fue curioso de ahí regresar a las originales. lo que me brincó más esta vez (y que siempre he pensado hasta cierto punto) es que en particular en este disco, con tanto que se habla de la vanguardia, buena parte de las canciones (tanto x los arreglos, la producción, las composiciones mismas) suenan tremendamente sesenteras, que no podrían haber venido de otro momento, mucho más que otras cosas que estaban saliendo al mismo tiempo (el sgt pepper's, sin ir más lejos). y otro tanto suena a que salieron ayer. o mañana. quiero ser moe tucker (no quiero ser nico. andy warhol chance)

I find Nico's singing in her solo albums unbearable but she sounds so damn beautiful here. One of the greatest artistic collobarations of all time including the little input by Warhol. All the songs hit in very different ways.

I was really hoping to like this album but I guess I just didn’t get it. I didn’t mind it I just didn’t really find anything in it that I liked.

Really solid debut. You can pretty much hear Lou Reed figuring out the sound he’d use for the rest of his career here. The detached vocals, dirty guitar parts, weird subject matter, all of it is already there. Nico’s voice helps a lot too. It’s so unique that you know it instantly, and it actually adds a little warmth to an album that can get pretty cold and abrasive. “Sunday Morning” was great. I liked “The Black Angel’s Death Song” and “European Son” too, mostly because they show just how weird this band was willing to get on their first album. “Heroin” sounds exactly like you’d expect a song called “Heroin” to sound. It starts off almost calm and then slowly falls apart into chaos. Not everything here was for me, but this is a hell of a debut and you can hear why so many people ended up copying pieces of it later. Favorite song: "Heroin"

I wish I could get into this but I really just do not enjoy it at all

I did not listen to this album for the review, which is a first. Familiarity allows me to get away with a departure from duty. It also limits anything interesting and certainly original to state about The Velvet Underground's debut. Maybe due to their art house association and Nico joining the band for the record, The Velvet Underground reminds me of an excellent European film. Mystifying, challenging aural senses, probing dark areas and an aura of gloom. I don’t pull this record from my shelf with a sense of joy and excitement. Listening brings satisfaction and speculation as well as confusion. The latter quality contributes to why I can come back to this record. The most “V.U.” style songs, “Black Angel’s Death”, “European Son” and “Venus in Furs” put a lyrical and musical lens on scenes that I will never experience. Whatever titillation some of the stories might provide an aura of disgust and weariness pervades. The fury of the band makes me want to escape from the places. Have to admit my square side prevails. Lou Reed quickly showed that he was a fabulous traditional songwriter even when parts of the song broke new grounds. “I’m Waiting for My Man” has the vivid step-by-step review of a drug deal, and charging piano. Excitement prevails throughout the entire song due to music and Reed’s tale. “Sunday Morning” as the opening song does not set the context for the rest of the record with its evocatively pleasing refrain. While darker, Nico provides tenderness in “I’ll Be Your Mirror” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, although the latter features her in stern German mode. With whips appearing in other songs, I expect Nico to pull one out to end the night. Unlike White Light/White Heat, the debut walked the line between experimental, accessible and transgressive across the canyon. John Cale’s viola parts squawk and scare, not diving into self-indulgent freak out. Maureen Tucker and Sterling Morrison show why they deserve praise as minimalist musicians. Next time, I will sit with a lyric sheet and a case of amphetamines to fully probe this music.

Sure there are some great songs on this and sure everyone who heard it at the time wanted to start a band but it does go on a bit in places and sound a bit “of it’s age”. I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could, but I can’t and I’m feeling on the mean side

6/10

Historically interesting, but not something I want to listen to again

Brian Eno apparently said this album didn't sell more than 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band. I'm not sure how true any of it is, either him saying it, whether that's exactly what he said, or whether there's any truth to his summary. What I do know to be true is this is one of my very favourite albums

Some absolute classics, but still uneven.

Nasty people making good music, a tale as old as time...

Some very cool moments, but unfortunately it just all seems a bit indulgent. I didn't hate it and I wanted to love it so that I could be a cool kid. Unfortunately I am still not cool and this album is a three for me dawg.

ummm

This album was a huge part of my high school listening experience and identity because nothing says NYC hepcat like a 16 year old suburban kid in Ohio with a face full of acne. I still like almost all the songs on here although it peters out at the end. Not something I would feel the need to put on again if only because I listened to it enough back then.

While I think you're probably okay with the greatest hits, this is one of the Velvets' more cohesive albums and has some of their best songs: "I'm Waiting for the Man," "All Tomorrow's Parties," and "Heroin," along with solid tracks like "Venus in Furs," "Femme Fatale," and "I'll Be Your Mirror." Nico wasn't a great singer, but it works ok, especially in "All Tomorrow's Parties." The long instrumental coda for "European Son" was a bit of a slog, but if you're gonna own a Velvets album, this is the one to have.

It seemed like a decent album but the last few songs are not worth listening to. 3 stars or C-.

It was interesting to hear the influence of bands like the Beach Boys and The Beatles. I found the first half of the album pleasent if forgetable. It got more interesting the further it got. I'll Be Your Mirror has special significance for me, and I really liked The Black Angel's Death Song.

No tiene nada loco para estar en este set. Entiendo que es historico pero no mucho mas

Good album. One I’ve seen around a lot in record stores but never came around the listening to.

I’m sure the people at the time thought this was good, but mid for me in this present day

I don't hate The Velvet Underground, and I DO think they're culturally and historically significant. I also believe their lyrics are pure poetry. That said, I will never be a fan of Lou Reed's voice. He's got a voice that can never decide if singing or spoken word is more appropriate, and I wish he'd pick a lane and stick with it. But more than that, I'm just bored when I listen to The Velvet Underground. Now I will say this album is at least marginally more tolerable than their 1969 album.

Growing up, all the alt-chicks and some of the punkers were INTO this band and this record. I was more of a Ramones, Johnny Thunders and Black Flag kind of punker so the avant-garde mellow art-rock-y punk stuff wasn't much interest to me. I liked heavy, fast and loud, not the artsy-mellow synth-pop art. Over the ensuing decades, I gained an appreciation and affection for the "genius" of this record. They build soundscapes and Reed wrote lyrics that were controversial in their subject matter that he just felt translated to rock music in the same way as the literature he'd studied did. In that, I agree whole-heartedly with him. Dark, gritty subjects make good reading AND good rock songs.

Favorite Song: Femme Fatale Least Favorite: The Black Angel’s Death Song

Good, just not my style. But still enjoyed

Great

Started stronger than it ended. Big "this is ok" vibes, but there isn't anything I can get excited about here.

I have avoided this album because I thought every track would be like the last track. Fortunately it was an outlier. Great album didn't know that All Tomorrow's Party's and There she goes were Velvets orginalls

One of the few albums whose cover bears neither the band's name nor the album's title, but instead features the signature of the well-known artist, who was also... Well, probably not the producer, but rather the band's artistic director. The record itself is considered influential on a huge number of guitar genres, but I didn't get it at all. Clearly, almost no one was making music like this at the time (or even any longer), but only about a third of the songs are truly impressive. Another third is unremarkable, monotonous rock with monotonous vocals (and equally monotonous in both Lou Reed and Nico), and the rest is downright cacophonous in places (I really wanted to turn off the final seven-minute track). Thanks for the musicians this album inspired to form their own bands, but a light three is enough for it.

i thought i was the coolest person on the planet when i discovered this album. im possibly one of the least cool people on the planet but this album does make me feel perfect for its runtime. also venus in furs had me in a chokehold for YEARS of my life, i thought it was the most brilliant thing ever released.

A couple classics

This was bad… but it was music…

Interesting first album.