The Velvet Underground & Nico

I was sceptical at the beginning, mostly because the band is very popular, and I have never heard a song from them, which probably means bad news. But after listening I can safely say, this is a really nice album! Don't have much time for more, the big question is 4 or 5 stars. It's 4,5 in my current opinion, after brief first listening. So maybe 4 stars right now, and then we will think again.

It’s very decent. I can never work out whether I love or hate Nico’s voice.

Alright.

So close to a 5⭐️ if it wasn’t for the mental last 10 minutes

The proto-punk/rock album that should be among the best ever produced. Every human being on this earth should listen to this album, especially track “Heroin”.

Meh

3,5 Sterne. ist Okay, aber hat mich nicht umgehaut, gut zum nebenbei hören

Really good stuff. A but too experimental/dissonant on the last track but everything up until then is a really interesting listen. 8/10

9/11, 82%

Great album, very influential, a little difficult to listen to (at least at first). Very much something I had to warm up to just as most everybody back when it came out.

Never heard the whole thing but it’s apparent that pretty much all rock after this was just trying to recreate this album

Feels a bit like a mixed bag, some great songs, some weird ones. Really enjoyed "All Tomorrow's Parties".

Been a while since I listened to this. Different sound but very unique. Love it.

i dont know. 3.5/5

Probably top 5 most influential albums of all time

i like the album overall, some songs are a bit too experimental tho. 3.5 probably, feeling generous tho

2.6

Their voices were not pleasant to listen to, no innovation compared to other artist of the same genre and era

Ehhh. Not bad, but not very engaging.

One of he greatest, most influential albums of all time! Everything about this album is iconic, its sound, its genre-mashing and innovative nature, Nico, The Velvet Underground's members, its bizarreness... All of this topped by having one of the most iconic album covers of all time, designed by no other than Andy Warhol himself.

I’ve always liked this record. One of the most influential albums ever. The Nico songs are definitely my favorite of the bunch. I think the only thing I don’t like about it is how sloppy the guitar solos often are. But I know that’s part of its uniqueness, so I can get past it

Some revolutionary stuff here.

Siendo el primer álbum de estudio de la banda The Velvet Underground, quienes tuvieron la colaboración de la cantante alemana Nico, fue increíble el impacto que tuvieron y la instantaneidad de su éxito. Jugando al borde de lo "bien visto" y siendo vanguardia total en su lanzamiento, la banda hizo que desde la tapa, tuvieran controversia. Andy Warhol teniendo un rol importante en la realización del álbum, figurando como productor y siendo el creador de la tapa del álbum, fue como el mentor principal de la ideología que se ve en este proyecto. La totalidad de los temas fueron compuestos por Lou Reed, y se mete de lleno en la experimentación, la psicodelia y el rock/folk, todo esto se reduce a denominarlo: art rock. Las canciones más experimentales parecen sesiones de improvisación, y los temas más folk son en los que se ve reflejada la dulce voz de Nico. No es muy constante su escucha y suele tenderse aburrido en partes. La temática de varias de las letras del álbum son la liberación sexual, el consumo de drogas, el sadismo, masoquismo y la prostitución, algo totalmente nuevo y disruptor para la época. Es un trabajo histórico, ya que se ve como el puntapié inicial para muchos álbumes que vendrían en un futuro. Le abrió la puerta a miles de proyectos y se consolidó como uno de los álbumes más importantes de la historia de la música.

Pas aussi iconique que je pensais que c'était. Sunday Morning et Heroin sont bonnes, les autres un peu bof. J'aime bien la voix de Nico!

Yikes. Nothing here of value. Very annoying album to trudge through. The vocals, the random sounds, just terrible. 1!

Don't you just love Heroin (the song)? Nolan: Yuh

Nico is so good. They both compliment each others voices so good. Heroin is the best song tho

This is one of my favorite Velvet albums. It's stacked with fun tracks and formed one of the pillars of the pre-punk movement. It's anti-establishment and counter-culture and lovely most of the time. This album has some of the biggest Velvet hits on it: "I'm Waiting For The Man", "Run Run Run", "All Tomorrow's Parties", "There She Goes Again"... it's just stacked with great Velvet jams. One of the most shocking things about this album is the fact that it came out in '67. That's the same year that Hendrix dropped "Are You Experienced" and Beatles dropped "Sgt. Pepper's" and The Doors and The Grateful Dead dropped their self-titled albums. This album stands in stark contrast to all of those. It doesn't feel like it shares any DNA with any of its contemporaries. In fact, it feels like it belongs a decade or more in the future in the punk movement. It's remarkable in how much it stands out. I don't know. A lot of folks hate on the Velvets for a lot of reasons. Many of which are not wrong. But they're also not right. Velvets did their own thing and they did it well and with passion and I love 'em for it. It's not supposed to feel good. It's supposed to feel strong. Mission accomplished.

Any song with Nico is a big NO for me. I really dislike her boring, sleepy, unusually low and monotone voice. Not sure if the songs were good at all, because I just can’t stand her voice that much. Immediately skipped. That said, I was surprised that I kinda dug the deconstructed vibe of the rest of the album. ‘European Son,’’ ‘I’m waiting for the man’ and ‘Venus in Furs’ were the songs I most liked.

Pass.

Interesting album. I really liked the orchestra parts. Oh also I want to do heroin now.

I don’t like bananas. I don’t know if it’s the taste, the smell, the texture, or the fact that it’s a little past it’s expiration date. This one is no exception. 2 stars

Just a drone....I do enjoy Lou Reed's voice and guitar work.

Great album. Just an interesting vibe the whole way through. 4.5/5

one of my favorite albums

If Belle & Sebastian don't owe their existence to 'Sunday Morning' then I just don't know what to say.

All the makings of a classic. Fresh, subversive and catchy while still having some edge. Love this album.

It started well, but ended up being a little too experimental from time to time.

Gud, så jobbigt

ibland är det rätt bra och ibland är det rätt kass. en svag trea får det bli

Same old sound of that time.

What a great trip, with the start buying the drugs and the end with a crash.

An automatic 5, for sure, but I listened to it again twice because why not! Fave track - honestly, about two thirds of the tracks on here are contenders. Maybe more like three quarters. "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "Heroin" are just amazing, iconic. "Sunday Morning" and "I'll Be Your Mirror" are so lush. The freak out of "The Black Angel's Death Song!" Overall, though, I'm going to have to go with "Venus in Furs", which was probably the first song from the album to pierce my consciousness, due to that psychedelic Dunlop tires commercial! 😆

cool album. I was introduced to this from Heroin being on The Doors movie soundtrack. Can definitely see how ahead of the times they were.

I've listened to this album before and had it saved in my library but it's been a while since I put it on. I enjoyed listening to it at work. Has a great opening trio of songs. Love Nico.

favourite song: heroin least favourite song: femme fatale had heard this before and didn't really like it at all, has really really grown on me since.

Enough ink has been spilled on this one. Just listen to it.

enough's been said

Dont have much to say about this one. I love the albums phsycadelicly distorted soundscape, but the lack of any memorable moments (like a catchy chorus or guitar solo) makes the album fall flat for me. I think this album just isnt for me.

sunday morning has been a fave since i was in high school, it has a certain vibe that’s just pristine.

Ah sweet, this one always comes up in David Bowie circles, so I'm looking forward to it. Plus, I really like Venus in Furs. Vocals in Sunday Morning put me in mind of Bob Dylan, which is not a good thing, but it's not to a bad degree here. The music really screams 60s in a Strawberry Alarm Clock kind of way, maybe a bit more subtle. Damn, the more this I'm Waiting for the Man song goes on, the more I want it to end. Very repetitive, and too long. Am I going to dislike this album? The vocals now are kinda feeling more Violent Femmes. Yeah, cut two minutes from that track and we're cookin'. Femme Fatale is a totally different vibe, I dig it. Ayyyy Venus in Furs. What a unique sound from this one. There are a lot of different sounds going on here, and it would take a few more listens to isolate all of them. Run Run Run is very Rolling Stones to my ears. Lots here on this album, cool. First couple of songs had me a bit worried. Heroin is an interesting one, because it's really repetitive but it builds kind of when you don't expect it. Oh wow, except I just realized it's 7 fuckin' 13 long. I just hit 4 and half minutes and thought, yeah, this must be winding down. Nope. Ew, this shit just got unlistenable with the screeching. Why do artists do this? The highs are high and the lows are low on this album. Feel like I've heard enough. OMG the last song is almost 8 minutes long?? Better not be more hyper-repetitive shit. This album too damn avant-garde for me, I think. God damn this last track is hard to listen to. You know what? I'm skipping it. Jesus, a few good tracks can't save that mess.

This influenced quite a bit of music that I use to listen to. But not my cup of tea.

Just being honest. I really didn't enjoy anything on this.

Nice, varied album and also nice to finally be able to put a sound to the album cover I've seen on sporcle many times

Overrated sludge

A really fascinating album, that never drags. I loved some tracks on this and strongly disliked others. ‘Heroin’ is revolutionary but I’m not a big fan of the screeching viola towards the end of the track. Overall, a really interesting experience of an album. I’m sure my rating of this will change over time.

What a fucking mess. Sounds like they’re smacked out on heroin or something? A very catchy and icon mess though (first side is anyway). Despite the underdeveloped backing tracks and “Whose line is it Anyway”-esque rhythm schemes i was grudgingly going to give this a 5. The last 10mins became a real chore though.

Ingenious composition and carzy emotive delivery. Lou Reed is fantastic. I'm not sold on Nico's singing, but the rest is top drawer

Absolutely incredible. The last two tracks are some of the best recorded Velvet Underground. I suggest reading the '1967 in music' wikipedia article while listening .

Im ok with Velvet underground when its 1 song. A whole album I dont enjoy

That wasn’t particularly fun, tbh.

Dope as hell

Pretty mid

Heavenly voices and great song content, all around good album

Idk it kind of makes sense for the songs about drug abuse and sadomasochism to sound rough

El primer gran àlbum de rock alternatiu, molt abans que ni tan sols existís aquesta definició o etiqueta. Tan referencial i important com apunten les cròniques i pura història del rock i dels '60. Art rock en la seva essència

Yup

Ibland det bästa albumet någonsin

The VU are one of my favorites. This is an amazing debut album. I tend to prefer a lot of what they did once they were able to work on their own without Nico, though she has a great and unique voice that works really well with their sound. Standout Tracks: Sunday Morning, I'm Waiting for the Man, Venus In Furs, Run Run Run, All Tomorrow's Parties, Heroin, I'll Be Your Mirror, The Black Angel's Death Song, European Son

Lovely

Yes.

Probably the only VU album showcasing the potential of every member of the band. Impossible to overestimate the influence of this record, and thus, impossible to give less than a 5.

So cool. The coolest. 😎 The recording is crappy, the performances aren't super tight and Nico's voice is hard to listen to but does that really matter?

Nice... dark psychedelia

10/10

Nice variety of songs and didn't want to skip anything.

One of those albums I knew to be iconic but never got to. Nice to finally give it a listen and I really liked it. The melancholic voice of Nico really adds to the whole thing with Lou Reed just completing the 'coolness' of the whole affair

this is one of my favorite albums. i can't be impartial. all the songs are great. even all tomorrow's parties. which i should hate. i think is hauntingly beautiful. the black angel death song. incredible. venus in furs. amazing.

somehow heroin is simultaneously the low and the high point of this album. it's an enjoyable listen, but i'm not sure what's so groundbreaking about it. still enjoyed it either way, tho european son is evil

Influential. But overrated.

Honnêtement à la hauteur de tout le bruit autour de cet album. Pas l'album le plus impressionnant que j'ai entendu, mais définitivement unique avec un son typique des années 60

Yeah, you can tell Andy Warhol had something to do with this album. The Velvet Underground & Nico is so far ahead of its time. An album in 1967 that was a successful avant-garde / punk / psychedelic / artsy / post-punk album that paved the way for so many bands. 4/5.

I feel like this album would be much more enjoyable on drugs. As far as being sober and listening to it, I just didn't really care for it.

First a kinda boring album musically speaking, but the lyrics has some meaning, however at the end it's just chaos. It's hard to tell if is a good or bad album but is so interesting to know that a band could have a very experimental album.

Cover art = 10* Album so influential

A crazy mix of styles of music that is sort of confusing when put together. It would be interesting to have heard this when it came out. Overall, I think it's better in retrospect considering the time it came out.

love it

What is a timeless album? I don’t know but this about as close as you can get.

Wonderful album. Runs the full spectrum of bliss and beauty to horror and strangeness and hits everything in between. It is truly artistic statement.

Ne može ništa osim pet

i like drugs

I had this at the age of about 21 as part of the Peel Slowly and See boxset. It's still amazing, a gritty backlash against the staid pop that dominated airwaves in the 1960s.

"The Velvet Underground & Nico" is an album I was afraid to listen to because of its reputation. However, it's such a classic album that I could not understand how much geniality it compresses. Finish my listening session; I can say that it is pretty nice but also pretty typical. But, listening to it in 2022 is much different from listening to it in 1967. The album was released one year after "Pet Sounds," which means the revolution was everywhere around Velvet Underground guys. So it was "easy" to capture the moment and put it all together. The last songs of the album, mixing some noise and raw distortion into pieces, are engaging experimentally, but even these songs do not sound so revolutionary to me. It's still a gratifying experience, and now that I'm not afraid anymore, I can search for more Velvet Underground. Some months ago, I received "White Light / White Heat" on this list, and I could not understand it. After Listening to this one, I can conclude two things: - they weren't as revolutionary as I thought - Not understanding it made it even better for some reason.

just love it so far although already was a velvet underground fan. Such a good mix of songs & styles, their experimentation all sounds brilliant, lyrics and themes are so cool

Nice

This is one of my all time favourite records. Lou Reed truly penned some tragically beautiful songs that will last for ages.

sehr geil, kenne ich schon ewig, weil mein Vater die Platte hat als Kind mochte ich das Cover sehr K.

A classic. Good to revisit overall, but an overrated VU album. I was able to rediscover There She Goes Again by relistening.

A little strange but not bad.

Never really listened to this before but have heard of The Velvet Underground. This albums got an interesting mix of different songs. Femme Fatales great, Venus In Furs is fantastic. I can see the albums influence on what came after. But by no means is this a perfect album how I've judged my other 5s. The recording is super poor it Just sounds rough and not in a good way.

Not really a fan of this, but would listen again

Meanders a bit for my taste. Haha. But I get why it's a classic.

Este disco ya lo había escuchado antes y me había gustado. Eso sí, en este caso, el valor histórico se me escapa. Sí, es reconocido como altamente influyente, pero con poco, que no nulo, conocimiento de la música popular y la música underground de fines de los 70 y toda la década de los 80, el valor que muchos críticos y melómanos le dan a este disco, como ya dije se me escapa. Me gusta Sunday Morning.

I actually couldn't wait for this to be over. Just nonsensical speaking into the mic. 3/10.

Sunday Morning is a good song. Even though there is a despressing feel to this music, I can't help but like it. Lou Reed had something that was attractive even though he seemed to be chasing everyone away. That attractiveness somehow comes through the music. The album is different from others of the era, though I could swear I heard some Dylan influence at times. Not into the disorganized chaotic free falls but some of it is very nice.

I'll acknowledge the foundation that this album likely created, but the content and sound is something for its time. Apparently only 30,000 copies sold in its first 5 years but every one of those people who bought the album started their own band. Sounds okay to me for the most part, but I can't replay it.

4.75

Vraiment plus intéressant que l’album The Velvet Underground. Plus de recherche, d’exploration. Je n’y reviendrai possiblement jamais, mais je suis bien content de l’avoir écouté.

Probablement l’album le plus connu du groupe grâce à sa pochette signée Andy Warhol. J’adore les pièces Sunday Morning et Venus In Furs. C'est pas le band le plus accessible, mais leurs explorations ont poussées bien d'autres band à sortir du cadre. Cet album a définitivement sa place dans cette liste.

Groovy

re banana el andy

.... idk, very of its time? tops: Sunday morning Femme fatale Venus in furs Run run run

Starting off with an iconic tune heard in many films (Sunday Morning), then fading into I'm Waiting For My Man; this album early on set's the tone of the record - Classic 60's barbershop vocals with a Surf Rock Backing. Moving onto Track 3 (Femme Fatale), was an unexpected one for me. This is the original version of a cover I spent many of my teen years listening to when discovering my sexuality. A VERY moving song and will always be a staple to me. So far from listening to the first 5 tracks, I can already see how this band has had such an impact on rock, avant-garde and indie music throughout it's post years; from the distortion in the guitar and vocals, to the drumming patterns. This distortion in the guitar mixed with the drumming pattern used across the album has been used over and over again throughout 90s rock presented by bands and artists such as Pixies, Nirvana, David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Libertines. As well as 90's bands, this sound has transferred into more modern artists such as Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, The Neighbourhood, and Lana Del Reys earlier releases.

Very interesting album, can see some how it influenced future rock music. Not a fan of avant garde so some songs were not very appealing but still provided a great listening experience. Will have to listen to multiple times to appreciate some more.

Interesting, saw a comment that it got more experimental as it progressed and I definitely agree. The last song was too long imo and I preferred songs with lou singing to the ones with nico

Only partially listened. Liked what I heard, would try again.

Has to be a 5 BUT with major qualifications. This album is nowhere near the Velvet Underground’s best. The extremely rough production is simultaneously this album’s greatest strength and its weakness. The songs themselves definitely hit the mark, even if time has somewhat blunted their edge. You get the impression on tracks like the straightforward chugging rocker “Run Run Run” that Lou Reed is intentionally trying to sabotage any semblance of formality in their melodies - and that I guess is the appeal of this record. But here’s the other thing, this album came out in 1966!! That’s utterly astonishing. There are sounds on this record committed to vinyl about 20 years before they had any right to be. As far as influential albums go, there are few which can measure up to this. Ramones, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain and the Fall all trace their heritage back to here. It changed the landscape in such a way that, regardless of any technical shortcomings on this record, it is both aesthetically and sonically one of the most important albums ever.

One of those albums that when it is on it's fantastic and when it is not it's cacophonous nonsense.

Not a fan of Nico, but damn. The influence of this record is huge, and still sounds so ahead of its time were it not for the out of tune vocals of the singer.

Yup...this is my thing, always loved this album. Nico and Velvet Underground... Sunday Morning, I'm Waiting For The Man, Venus in Furs and Heroin...and There She Goes Again, maybe's its the hippy trippy side of me but I love this album, from cover design, history, Nico being like a female Leonard Cohen, not sounding right but somehow is for these songs. (Sidenote: Massive Leonard Cohen fan so that's not a dig).

A wonderfully lo-fi, more coherent VU effort that expertly straddles the line between chaotic freeform and musical excellence. The more improvisational nature means some tracks do come across as rambling (and the LP nearly falls apart in the back half), but those that stick to the message while living it up a little are a joy to listen to.

Not a big fan of the experimental sound. I'm Waiting for the man is the best one though.

It's an interesting listen like many mid 1960's albums. Cool sounds and grooves. I suppose the lyrical content is a bit more unusual than similar era fare, buying drugs, sadomasochism, etc. I do prefer Lou over Nico though. Rolling Stones fans should enjoy it.

Really good album although I was over it by the last track.

This is as great as everyone says. I remember when I was a kid looking up to lists of the GOAT albums, this was the first that I seriously enjoyed. It started on a path of classic rock and I have fond memories of it.

some of this was a bit too droning for me but some songs were fun, most of them just didn't stand out to me except venus in furs and i'm waiting for the man (a classic!!). i liked their creative use of instruments with the 60s sound but didn't like the tone of some of their songs esp european son, there she goes again, & run run run. idk maybe needs a vibecheck?

Random thoughts Immediately love the sound here: drums are minimal and there seems to be a droning element in each song, guitar organ, piano etc that makes the whole album feel psychedelic. I can see how this went to inspire music going forward even the likes of Brian Wilson on pet sounds and even more recently Coldplays song Yes is clearly inspired from Venus in Furs. The songs themselves are fairly conventional in blues, pop, and folk styles but the arrangements make them unique. With strings, glockenspiel, lots of distorted guitars they provide a surreal backdrop to otherwise conventional songs. A good example of this is All Tomorrow's Parties which sounds like a 16th century folk song but has a droning paradiddle-like rhythm through the whole song. My favorite songs were those fronted by Nico. This album would be worlds better if Lou Reeds was not trying to sound exactly like Dylan. It's so distracting and grating it detracts from an otherwise unique and creative work. Also, European Son is goofy nonsense. 3.75/5

Not bad

Ethereal, shades of Dylan, psychedelic, and a strong sense of adventure, abandon and inventiveness. Lou Reed and Nico's voice are quirky and perfectly paired with the minimal and rich aural landscapes provided in this now iconic album.

LOVED LOVED LOVED!! there are a few songs that aren’t my favorites but they aren no where NEAR as bad as these reviews make them seem. this album is overall very enjoyable. highlights: sunday morning, all tomorrow’s parties, heroin, there she goes again

Due to the time it was recorded in, the quality of the recording can be a little hard on the ears. However, this does not reduce the quality of the album based on liking. I think it's a nice album. However, I don't find myself listening to this again.

The Velvet Underground & Nico was more artsy than I expected however considering it was recorded during an Andy Warhol tour things started to line up. Themes throughout, are quite avant-garde and for the time would have been somewhat confronting, this reflects the limited number of copies that were sold on it's original release. However it's easy to see that it has been very influential to many future bands and releases in the vein of alternative, rock, punk, goth & indie. Best: Sunday Morning Worst: European Son 4.5 Stars

Nope. Off their faces, clearly, and Nico just can't sing. It's not quite as bad as her solo album, but still the 2nd worst album I have ever listened to in full. How this got on the list, I will never know. Absolutely rubbish; 0 🌟

It was fine, not really my genre again

this album was not for me. i appreciate its influence? i'm glad musicians i like heard it and got excited and inspired?

One prefers the lyrical sweetness ("Sunday Morning," "Femme Fatale," "I'll Be Your Mirror") to the harsher tracks, but the power surely originates in the contrast. Bonus points to this record for the classic tracks of "There She Goes" and "All Tomorrow's Parties" – it's the melancholia, innit?

It was ok. Didn't do much for me. Didn't hate it. Would be 2.5 starts if available.

Always

sure.

I knew of this album and was excited to listen to it because I knew that when it came out it was very influential in experimental/psychadelic rock but I have to admit that on my first listen, I really didn't enjoy the album. Then I listened a second time with the mindset that it was the first of its kind when it was released. I liked it a little better the second time but I decided it's not really for me. I appreciate what it did in opening up new lanes for rock and as someone who is a fan of other psychedelic/weirder rock albums I can see it's importance. That being said, a lot of the songs didn't resonate with me, the vocalists weren't my favorite, and I had trouble finding songs that I enjoyed all the way throughout. I appreciate it but it probably won't be something I come back to. Favorite Songs: "Sunday Morning", "Femme Fatale", "I'll Be Your Mirror"

The sweet slow numbers are better than the debauched rockers. Bonus points for the iconic (for once that overused word is accurate) cover imagery.

Some of it's very fun and interesting, while the rest is just psychedelic tinged trite that needed a stern trimming. 3

Apart from Venus is furs, I don't really see what the fuss was about

This album is the audio equivalent of a modern art exhibit where the artist stands around and sneezes on people, then yells at them until they apologize for not getting it. 1/5

Classic tho

this one is hard for me to finish. The last track is a real nerve wracking son of a bitch. But I love the way the album starts so its hard to rate. Solid in the middle album.

2.8 - didn’t enjoy this much as I anticipated I would.

4.5

3.5/5 Interesting rock album. Has interesting song concepts/sounds, but several sections were just unpleasant to listen to. Sunday Morning and Venus in Furs were the ones I liked best.

Fantastic album - so atmospheric and lyrical.

Not my style but very well made

Great album.

Not really an album that I would go back to listen to, but I will say that the second track is titled Sunday Morning and this album came up on a Sunday and it was a beautiful Sunday. I was out walking my dog so it was quite appropriate. The next few songs all followed the same vibe so it made the morning walk and start to my day uplifting.

Phenomenal. It's just amazing. So much has been said about this album that I couldn't possibly add anything remotely new. It's just great. One of the most important albums ever made and just a treasure to listen to.

Ne zashlo. Banan krasivyj. Endi Vorhal chtoly?

Ideal album for easy morning.

More influential than "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and you know I'm right!

6/10. I liked it all right

This is an album that I always wanted to like more. The cover is so iconic and the influence is there, I just think individual songs drag on and Nico’s contributions are pretty lackluster. Heroin is still an amazing song. 8/10

Oh I did NOT like this when I first heard it. I'd seen an Andy Warhol documentary which included a bit of the famous VU performance at the Factory that the police interrupted, and that looked great, so when VU and Nico turned out to... well, not be like that, I was quite let down. (Conversely White Light White Heat was much more like what I was expecting.) It took a while but I now realise it is cursed with one of the worst stereo mixes of the mid-60s. It's a fantastic album, but it *must* be heard in mono.

good, think the album art is more iconic than the music though

Have to admit I just don't get this. Cool heroin chic is all well and good but a fun album I want to listen to it does not make.

Lol har visst alltid trodd at da stoppa etter All tomorrow's parties, så detta blei første gang eg hørte meir enn da. Men bra albi

Interesting, sounded like some more modern indie at points

Jestem niemal pewny, ze juz pisalem o tym krazku, ale lista jakos go nie pokazuje wczesniej, co jest dziwne, bo dawno nie mialem tak nie tylko osluchanego materialu, ale rowniez z wyrobiona opinia na jego temat, nie kojarze takze zadnej dyskusji w ktorej moglbym sobie wyrobic tak silnie odcisniete na pamieci osady i ciekawostki, tak czy inaczej, jesli zadanie domowe po przesluchaniu picku zrobilo sie samo, to nie ma sie co tutaj kolejny raz produkowac

solid

Another classic VU album (first 4 are 5 stars)

This album might as well be the epicentre of rock and roll. It's the peak, the high water mark that every other album preceding it built up to, and every album following it, tried to no avail, to best. This is not Lou Reed best, I leave that to his magnum opus that is 'Transformer', but this is the world of fashion, design, art, music, drugs, sleaze, psychedelia, literature and poetry - the meeting point of the minds in New York at it's most vibrant and decadent. The album sleeve alone is literally an art piece - its sign by Andy Warhol itself rather than having the band and album name. It's legendary its function too. And then, there's Nico, whose contribution elevates the album past the sum of it's parts, lifting it from the opium den fever dream to an angelic catwalk. It's not the Beatles, it's not the Stones, nor the Stooges that should be the snapshot of 7 decades of guitar music. It's this specific album.

band female male liminal mellow soft lonely sparkly

SUNDAY MORNING - Fin harmonik, melodi och sång. Trevlig ballad. I'M WAITING FOR THE MAN - Partylåt, samma grove genom hela låten. Helt ok men aningen tråkig. FEMME FATALE - Min favorit hittils. Nicos röst är väldigt trevlig att lyssna på. Enkel rak låt med en bra melodi och text. VENUS IN FURS - Helt ok, nice fiolspel. Medeltidskänsla. RUN RUN RUN - Experimentell blues. Solot behöver vi inte prata om igen. ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES - Tack för att du räddar mig igen Nico. Den tyska brytningen gör det vädligt bra faktiskt. HEROIN - Upplevelsen när du tar ditt koks. Intressant. THERE SHE GOES AGAIN - Helt okej. Vet inte vad jag ska säga. Inte min favorit direkt. I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR - Nico igen som gör det bra. Märkt att detta band gillar tonika-subdominant ackordgångar. THE BLACK ANGEL'S DEATH SONG - Skum. Lou Reed mina damer och herrar. EUROPEAN SON - Inte mycket text. Men ljudet är ju WTF.

48 minutes that mysteriously feels like 48 hours. 48 intense, stimulating, unsettling, glorious hours. OK, getting the obvious out of the way, yes, the recording is primitive and the instruments are often out of tune. And Maureen Tucker’s drumming on ‘Heroin’ is unlistenable. Unless it was some kind of artistic choice to, every so often, allow the beat just to randomly wander from the rest of the band? If so, avant garde genius. Who knows? This ain’t King Crimson, that’s all I’m saying. But neither are Neil Young or Bob Dylan (both of whom have, at times, intentionally left mistakes on recordings) going for the sparkling perfection of, say, Rascal Flats. The Velvet Underground’s sound does not require Steely Dan proficiency. This is street stickball, not Major League baseball. And sometimes, that’s where you want to play. Then again, play might not be the best word to use for this particular LP. No one’s better than The Velvet Underground at offering a sweet, simple, almost lullaby type tune set to sour, complicated, dark lyrics: ‘Sunday Morning,’ ‘Femme Fatale,’ ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror,’ all three songs featuring Nico on lead vocals. Nico is like escargot, an acquired taste you either love or hate, no in between. But the entrée to these appetizers are really the Lou Reed led numbers, even darker lyrics and set to darker tunes: ‘I’m Waiting for the Man,’ ‘The Black Angel’s Death Song,’ and especially, ‘Venus in Furs,’ a most unsettling song set to a mostly drone tune (a musical genre the Velvet Underground mine well and often), sustained by the shamanistic beat of Tucker’s tom and accentuated by the haunting middle-eastern moan of John Cale’s electric viola (which is also featured in the terrific free association exercise of ‘The Black Angel’s Death Song.’) ‘Venus in Furs’ is a heady experience, where five minutes casts a spell that seems to last for fifty, concluding in the chilling lyric: ‘Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart.’ Lou Reed and company are not all doom and gloom, though. They enjoy a perdcic kicking up of their heels, too, as on the very Highway 61 Revisited sounding, ‘Run Run Run,’ or the uptempo pop of ‘There She Goes Again.’ I love Reed’s spontaneous joy and laughter at the end of ‘I’m Waiting for the Man,’ not to mention Sterling Morrison’s adventurous walking bass lines. And, believe it or not, some genuine gentleness and caring is expressed on the lovely and comforting ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror.’ So there are some characters and situations in the Velvet Underground’s world that lean more towards the velvet than the underground. Just not many. The song to end the LP, ‘European Son,’ was dedicated to Reed’s literary mentor, poet Delmore Schwartz, who died alone three months after the recording. The lyrics are sparse and bleak, but the extended musical jam is extraordinary, a precursor to the noise rock of groups like Sonic Youth. Each player is allowed to run free, yet together, and somewhere in the cooperatively created cacophony glory blooms. I was a little winded at the end of the near eight minute track. All this, and an Andy Warhol original on the cover? 'The Velvet Underground & Noco' is embarking upon a journey down a red velvet carpet into a dark cavern. Be prepared for any eventuality.

Best album cover of all time. Also legendary album with some of my favorite velvet underground songs.

Wierd since I've been listening to a lot of Nico lately.

I don't like Nico's voice! At all! Right, with that gangly truth evacuated, I feel better, more capable of discussing this album cogently. The Velvet Underground and Nico has long held the critics' choice of coolest album ever, but to we professional contrarians that's a provocation; hasn't its coolness been diluted by the elevation of the Velvet Underground to the pantheon? And isn't Eno's declaration that the few who bought this album each formed their own band obsolete nowadays, considering this is now an entry-level music snob text? Funny thing: plenty of bands I adore cite the Velvet Underground as a major influence (Bowie, Roxy Music, Sex Pistols, Joy Division), but that's also true of plenty I find inadequate (U2, The Strokes, a thousand abject landfill indie bands each with the lame ambition of their debut album fusing this with Sgt. Pepper). Influence is not a virtue in itself, and humanity has quite the history of venerating the feeble. So, shearing away the tangles of its legacy, I can say that much of the album does hold up. Lou Reed's drug odes still sound exhilarating, and I'm a sucker for sleaze. The production is a tad muggy, but that's to the album's benefit: how would their songs of pushers and transvestites work if they sounded like Steely Dan? But whilst listening I found myself thinking of The Doors' debut, which was released two months before this. The Doors (the album) shares much with The Velvet Underground and Nico: the subject matter (drugs, fucking, mooning authority, nightmarescapes), freaky beatnik ropy poetry, the desire to experiment, to stretch rock beyond its still-inchoate borders. But The Doors (still the album) coheres much more satisfyingly than The Velvet Underground and Nico. The tracklist to The Doors (again the album) feels impeccably structured and it flows effortlessly. The Velvet Underground and Nico, by contrast, seems just an aggregation of songs. Fine songs, yes, but songs that don't cleave together that well. Also, The Doors (yet again the album, but also the band as well in this case) got to number 2 on the Billboard chart. The weird, disreputable and exploratory were already becoming mainstream by the time this was released. Surely The Velvet Underground and Nico's legacy involves some revisionism? But that's not the real problem. The impediment, as I said right at the start, is that the Nico-led songs sound crap because Nico can't sing. Andy Warhol insisted that the band feature his acolyte Nico, ignoring that she sang as well as an anus, and the band accepted her to keep the peace and perhaps get fellated. Nico was partially deaf and didn't know what key she was singing in. The result was, to be technical, pisspoor. Try listening to Femme Fatale, counting the words as she sings. With the twelfth word "break", the whole song aptly breaks as Nico strains for a key she has no hope of finding. Her songs aren't bad enough to ruin the album, but they feel more like chores than treats. One lazy contention about albums like this is that time has blunted their impact, that in 1967 this would have been as gobsmacking as a brachiosaurus. However, I don't think that's the case here: I believe I view The Doors (once more the album, and I think the band as well) as remarkable as 60s teens would have, whereas I view this is as more interesting on paper than in actuality. The Velvet Underground and Nico is a valiant and oft-successful first attempt, but it's hard to herald it as the grand paradigm-shifter of 60s rock.

I didn't hate it but I wasn't blown away either. It has it place on the list but for me it was a one and done.

Upee! Klassikkobiisejä täynnä oleva eheä kokonaisuus! 4/5

Ohan tää cool ja ajaton, mut ehkä mä en vaan oo tarpeeks cool. Muistaakseni pidin enemmän bändin myöhemmästä helpommasta matskusta.

Klassikko eikä syyttä. Viiltävän ivallinen sävy ja hieno tasapainottelua rajujen tekstien ja kevyemmän musiikillisen otteen välillä. 4/5.

Really interesting stuff, shocking that this is 55 years old and still sounds so fresh.

Buen disco de rock suave, con melodías agradables y buena voz

Some parts were nice, some parts just noisy. I wouldn't seek it out again.

The first half is iconic, the second half hurt my ears, and I used to make noise for crying out loud.

Not as good as Loaded but still fun

I've heard that in Waiting for my Man he described perfectly the attire of the late 60s heroin dealer '' ... he's all dressed in black; PR shoes and really big straw hat." (PR is short for PRFCs meaning Puerto Rican Fence Climbers - shoes with a narrow point that enable fence climbing if needed to make a quick exit.) The next lines in that song tell how dealers are always late (another very accurate comment - or so I've heard): "He's never early; he's always late. The first thing you learn is that you always gotta wait" My favourite song is Heroin. Both these addiction songs are anti-drug but even mentioning drugs was enough to get the stations to ban the songs. While my personal favourites are the addiction songs, the album also has songs with transgender and kink themes. More excellent topics to generate radio play lol. I like the Eno quote that the album sold hardly any copies but everyone who bought it started a band.

This album would have been too weird to most listeners in 1967, with it’s shifts between mellow psychedelic and bluesy garage rock, edgy lyrics and of course, Nico's voice. It’s not hard to see why it was ignored by everybody. It went through a rebirth in the 80s when I bought it. I have a better appreciation for it now. There are a handful of timeless tracks, especially on S1, while some of the others grate the nerves. Nico is a bit of a downer.

There are a few albums that are really highly regarded and highly rated but I just don’t get. This is one of them. I think I’ve listened to this 10 times over the years but I still don’t like it. I particularly dislike Nico’s voice and think her rendition of All tomorrow's parties is horrible. I think I’ll just have to agree to disagree with all the fans of this record.

04/25/22

3/5 nice, but not enough

Objectively genius? The fact that this was made 55 years ago is a glitch in the matrix. Petition to investigate whether it was in fact made by the ghosts of Lou Reed, David Bowie, Mozart and God gone back in time from 2077 in a DeLorean so that 80% of current music it ultimately influenced could be a thing

Funny to have another Velvet Underground album so soon on the list. This is their first album and musically, it’s a fascinating mix of psychedelic pop (“Sunday Morning,” "I'll Be Your Mirror") and more experimental avant-garde fare (like the gloomy BDSM jam “Venus in Furs” and "The Black Angel's Death Song"). There are also songs that exist somewhere between those poles (like “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” which has a simple enough structure but features druggy mood music in the background). The album has some great rock numbers too. I love how "I'm Waiting For My Man" keeps that steady rhythm throughout. The music only changes slightly between the verses and choruses. "Run Run Run" takes a relatively basic rock/blues sound and pushes it towards noise rock, and then "European Son" takes things even further into experimental territory. Somehow the sequencing of the album balances all these different styles. Having Nico sing lead vocals on a few songs helps break up the stranger, more challenging material. The album is a weird, wild ride but I really love it. P.S.: If you're not sure about this one, their sound definitely changes after the experimental first two albums. Their self-titled third album is mostly melodic acoustic songs and their fourth (and basically last) album "Loaded" is a big, beautifully produced pop album with some major hits. P.P.S.: Funny to hear the name Severin used in "Venus in Furs" - I never knew he was saying a name there until now!

Overall a tight album, and probably my first time listening to all of the tracks together. Sometimes I think some of these albums from this era are often looked at with rose tinted glasses but this was a great listen for me.

Much better than expected above average art rock. Still - it’s art rock, and Lou Reed is overrated.

Better than expected. 3.5 for me musically, but begrudgingly rounding up for the influence.

bonito album perono esmi tipo jjjajjfj

Classic alternative rock is classic. This was the first alternative album. Much props. Also, how many covers did this album spawn?

incredible album, especially good to hear those tracks sequenced again

Með betri plötum. Fengi kannski 9,5. Mjög ljúf hlustunar. Gamall góður vinur einhvernvegin.

Gríðarlega hát fjarki, algjört fimmunart.

Íkonísk. Þægileg og skemmtileg.

Deserves another listen.

Awesome record. Love the moodiness and psychedelic guitar riffs.

This was absolutely fantastic. I have no idea why I've never listened to The Velvet Underground before. My mistake, because they were really fantastic. I also tend to love 1960s and 1970s era rock, so I was destined to love it.

Undeniable confidence and charisma. I have no idea why it's so good, when other similarly unpolished things strike me as pretentious and annoying. Denied a perfect rating by that *actually* pretentious and annoying closer...

Classic album, classic cover.

Nostalgiafest from repeated play on low capacity mp3 player.

Ihan jeppis, ne pari klassikkobiisiä tältä levyltä on ne klassikot ihan syystä. Muu vähän helposti unohdettavaa.

banana

Not my bag!!

Really enjoyed Sunday Morning and Venus in Furs but this almost felt like Bob Dylan’s less wordy clone. Felt like a classic album which means some were great and some were just eh.

A true classic! For me, at least, it's the pinnacle for everyone involved. Yeah, Nico has that cool solo album, and Lou Reed made some cool songs elsewhere, but this one is just hard to beat. The four-track run that opens this album is amazing: a perfect intro, one of my favorite Lou Reed tracks, one of Nico's most memorable tracks, and then the super psychedelic "Venus in Furs." I feel like if I were alive back when this came out this album would've permanently changed me. And I haven't even gotten to my favorite track on here, "Heroin." Such a brilliant, building song. It was used very obviously in the movie Killing Them Softly for a scene where Ben Mendelson does, yep you guessed it, heroin. Leaving that aside, I just love the length and trajectory of this song. The rising and falling throughout is so satisfying. I'm struggling to come up with a good reason to give this less than five stars. There were some songs on the back end that didn't stand out to me, but with all that I love and the highs it has to offer, it's really one of the best of its era. Favorite tracks: Heroin, I'm Waiting for the Man, Femme Fatale, Venus in Furs, Sunday Morning, All Tomorrow's Parties. Album art: The unforgettable, iconic banana. Designed (and signed) by Andy Warhol, the early vinyl pressings of this had a peelable peel sticker and the flesh of the banana underneath is an unsettling pink. I do have this on vinyl, but it's a repressing without the peel sticker. Maybe that's for the best; that pink banana is creepy, and I'd hate to be the guy who lost the sticker. 5/5

Some of it's very fun and interesting, while the rest is just psychedelic tinged trite that needed a stern trimming.

About this band Ive only had the warhol banana reference. Listened it and didnt like at all, but it is not bad.

Great album. Not a fan of nico

A Classic that offers weird, but fun offerings. A lot of the songs here are great, but I'm hesitant to call it a 5 star favourite. Favourites: "Sunday Morning", "Venus In Furs", "Heroin", "European Son"

Definitely feels of its time. It can be a little to droning and sharp for me

*In Donkey Kong 64 voice* Ohhhh, banana!

Lou Reed was a brilliant songwriter

Makes sense that this would be hugely influential, but I don’t know that I’d put it on to listen regularly.

Re-listen, as terrible as first time.

Not mindblowing, but certainly has character

2 stars. Itsfar too lo-fi and noisy for my taste

I can understand their influence, but I continue to fail seeing why they are such a legendary band. Nothing stood out on this particular album.

Great atmosphere but hasn't necessarily aged well because what was maybe a first back then and very influential, has now, 55 years later, been done often and better

Non mi ha fatto impazzire.

Not bad. Very avant garde for its time. And I can certainly see how it's loose, dgaf style was so influential on the New York CBGB types. Overall, it wasn't a bad listen. Some good tracks all produced by people who can't really sing.

Bro that opening track is insane

Nico is terrible.

So good.

Honestly... getting tired of "noise" albums. Screeching violin strings, or crazy guitar/amp feedback in a recording is ridiculous. The song Heroin dropped this down to a 2 star for me. And it's one of the more played songs on the album. I just don't get it.

Undeniable confidence and charisma. I have no idea why it's so good, when other similarly unpolished things strike me as pretentious and annoying. Denied a perfect rating by that *actually* pretentious and annoying closer...

Love.

Maybe I didn't do the research on this one. I don't know who Nico is, I feel like there's a concept here but I don't know what it is. Is the Warhol tie just aesthetic? This is probably what I expected from Lou Reed? All I know is satellite of love, and there was nothing like that here.

Excelente!

Well well well... this one almost makes too much sense, perhaps as an atonement for yesterday's MGMT pick. The thing is, that when I first got it, I was disappointed, I only liked I'm Waiting for My Man and Heroin. Yet I knew there was something there... and kept with it, and it's grown and grown on me. And as it's one of my favorite covers, I probably own at least six copies on vinyl (even having given away two copies in the past couple of years, trying to get perfect covers as well. 10/10

3.5/5

02/21/22 I was always under the assumption that it was grungy punk-rock, so I never gave them a shot or even an attempt at listening, despite the constant praise. Wow, how wrong I was! Heroin's a great one, but got in trouble at work for the wild guitar strings at the end, lol. :-/

It's hard to believe this was released when it was considering you hear echos of noise rock, experimental, drone and a whole host of other genres that didn't properly form for another 2 decades. Of course experimentation and influence don't necessarily mean something is great, luckily however this has Steller songwriting throughout. the sweet poppy songs are as intoxicating as the drone songs or the gritty, dirty rockers. Nico and reed kill every performance.

Meh. Not bad I guess

I Love this album.

Claaaaassic

One of the most crucial albums you must hear before you die. 1967 really was a loaded year

Finns något oändligt coolt med detta album, en mänsklighet som syns väldigt väl och kalla, kalla ljud.

Ok.

Great album. Lou Reed / Velvets, classic. Basically every band worth mentioning has shamelessly ripped this style and sound since they were in high school diapers practicing in the garage. Nico is super-strange, but I dig her, there's some movie about her imploding after her time at the Factory. Love her pronunciation of 'clown' aka "KLON" in Femme Fatale. Sunday Morning is beautiful, Heroin brings back memories, Lou Reed, RIP.

Have you ever been in an elevator, being steadily and pleasantly elevated one floor after another, only to have the cables break and you suddenly plummet towards the bottom of the shaft? And then the cables are magically repaired and you go up a couple more floors before plunging down again? You've probably never been in that situation, but I have an idea of what it might feel like after having "The Velvet Underground & Nico" repeatedly cable-cut by the Nico songs. I was having a good time, and then Nico's voice intruded upon the flow. Nico is out-of-place here and I don't dig her voice. The rest of the album is good-to-great. Some songs feel like they imitate the Beatles or the Stones without enough to stand out or differentiate themselves, but in other places The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed unleash a punk aesthetic that would inspire the future as much as they were inspired by the past. -1 star for Nico though.

I am having a tough time with this one. There were moments of listening to this that were not entirely pleasant. But somehow they were unpleasant in an interesting way that made me want to listen to more. I can't figure out why that is, but due to the fact that I want to hear more, I am giving this 4 stars.

Have you ever been on a major wooden rollercoaster? Compared to steel rollercoasters which dominate the scene, wooden coasters don’t go as high, they don’t have loops, there are no barrel rolls, and they don’t go as fast. You know what wooden rollercoasters have that steel coasters never will? Grit! Wooden coasters have a distinct sound and feel as a rider. They rattle you around more. This album feels like a wooden rollercoaster to me. It feels raw, unpolished, ambitious…and gritty. Lou Reed’s voice fits this sound quite well. But I also contend that Nico’s voice elevates her songs to another plane. I’ve always been disappointed that Nico was only with The Velvet Underground for one album…really just four songs. This album is remarkably distinct. Against my better judgment, I’m going to give the 65 track super deluxe version a go because it has a bunch of Nico solo tracks and a disc full of live songs. Wish me well…

7,5

Du folk garage racontant l’addiction et le désespoir, est-ce que ça peut mal vieillir? Mention spéciale au technicien de son, s’il y en avait un, pour avoir réussi à faire croire qu’il pouvait faire la job.

Classic

Loved it perfect for a Sunday morning, some lyrics sounded a little misogynistic though.

💛💛💛

Passé

Love it

Don't do drugs, kids... Heb met gemengde interesse naar dit album geluisterd. Er staan een paar aangename nummers op om naar te luisteren. Andere zijn een hele doorworsteling.. Moeilijk te beoordelen

When you hear some of these songs, it's hard to believe this was released in 1967. Songs like 'Sunday Morning' or 'There She Goes Again' are just so far removed from the typical sound of music at the time. It's not surprising that this album is flagged as being as influential as it is - you can hear the influence this album had on the alternative/indie rock scenes of the late 70's and 80's. This album is absolutely bizarre at times, but in a brilliant, unforgettable sort of way. The album's centerpiece, 'Heroin', is an excellent example, beginning in a more mellow way before gradually building into an eruption of cacophonic screeching and twisted guitar sound effects. The Velvet Underground were clearly experimental pioneers in their day - to this day, I've never heard another song that reminds me even faintly of 'The Black Angel's Death Song'. And yet, amidst all that weirdness are just some of the most melodically pleasing songs I've ever heard. 'Sunday Morning' is an amazing start to the album and captures the often ethereal feel to many of these tracks. Nico's vocal contributions to the album pair perfectly with some of the album's more psychedelic tracks, including the stand-out 'All Tomorrow's Parties'. "I'll Be Your Mirror" is simply beautiful, and I'll always appreciate the pronunciation of 'Clown' as 'Clon' on the catchy 'Femme Fatale'.

The shrieking and/or monotone background melodies in half of the songs spoiled it a lot

I used to be prejudiced against music outside the 80s. Everything seemed too psychedelic until I discovered that everything I listened to was influenced by this album. And how wonderful it is to listen to this album and rediscover it for life! From the cover and the lyrics, the whole album is a work of art.

Christ, this fucking sucks. Why does this book constantly, without end, punish me with late 60s SHIT? 2/5.

God level brilliance

Great album. Very experimental sound with use of heavy distortion, interruption and varied pace. Various styles/delivery: psychedelic, r/b, rock. Good songwriting to understated vocals esp heroin/femme fatale. Heroin is definitely the standout track which I hadn’t heard before; clear representation of his experience through building chaos and clamor. Solid top to bottom. Femme fetal, waiting for the man, heroin, there she goes again 4.6

Годнота.

This is classic Velvet Underground that became so influential in so many ways, Bowie, Glam Rock, Punk and Post Punk all inluenced by Warhols Factory house band, who would have thought it! some great songs here. My Favourites are "Sunday Morning" "All Tomorrows Parties" & "Venus in Furs" Rightfully in the list here.

Of course it's an all time classic!

A great album with a chaotic energy, but that sometimes drifts to being a little too chaotic.

Nunca tinha parado para ouvir Vevelt Underground e esperava um som diferente. Fiquei positivamente surpresa! Que disco delícia, dá vontade de dançar na sala, num fim de tarde, com aquele solzinho entrando pela janela...

Incredible.

Ouwverwetste popmuziek. Het album begint wel geinig, beetje cult-achtig. Helaas wordt de opname erg slecht, overgemoduleerd geluid, short-loops in de audio - peeeep. Daarna worden de nummers ook wel erg vaag. Nee, dat wordt hem niet. *

Tied for the best VU album ever (with the self-titled album). Gritty. Reminds me of NYC.

cansativo

Interesting album, sounds like it was made in a weekend. Not my cup of tea, but it's influences are there.

Good

Cool 60s rock album with poetic lyrics about drugs, death and other stuff. I like it.

De drugsjunk bij de voordeur... Gezellig op zondagochtend...!

Very influential album and great songs.

2/5 ekki mitt

Pretty much the genesis of a lot of the music i listen to but it is by no means a stellar album. for starters you can write off the last ten minutes of it, i'm all for a jam out but its not very listenable. and then we get to nico and her fucking irritating voice. i can tolerate her singing on femme fatale, probably because its a huge tune and weirdly her retarded singing actually adds to it. I can only just manage to listen to ATP all the way through, which is a shame because its a great song beneath the caterwauling, thankfully there are decent cover versions out there. anything else where she does that weird anglo german accent just gets skipped. but the bottom line is the other tunes are such bangers that it would be madness to give it a mid score.

What's the opposite of defecating in a zorb and then having it hit you in the face over and over as you run down a hill?

Imagine being one of those reviewers that painstakingly deconstructs every song and writes 15 paragraphs like they're auditioning for Q Magazine, when you can sum some albums up in one emoji. 🍌

A truly iconic album. It's just cool isn't it? Everything about it is cool, from the cover art to Nico's very good, not very good singing to Lou Reed's snide attitude to John Cale's experimental noise making. The grandaddy of trendies everywhere from art-rock to heroin chic to 21st-century hipsters.

Love this album, always have. Not much else to say, I'm sure there's a 4-hour long documentary on Youtube that analyzes every single note of every song on this album.

as far nothing really HIT me hard. ,,sunday morning" kinda calm, u can hear kind of bells in the background what gives the vibe (but are not my favourite), and the guitar, that peacefull vocal is nice ,,waiting for my man" is also nice to listen ,,femme fatale" another one with peaceful vocal. nice. liked it ,,venus in furs" not as peacefull as previous one becouse of the background noises ,,run run run" definitly better begining has kinda nice vibe. ,,all tomorrow`s party" sounds nice. ,,heroin'' the beggining is cool but the end literrally hurt my ears (after 5th minute) i had to turn off the volume ,,there she goes away" nice to listen. lite. liked it ,,i`ll be your mirror" lite/sunny vibe. nice. good to listen when you don`t want to worry for the single thing in life ,,the black angel`s death song" from the begginig it`s that hard to listen and unpleasant kind of screetching. not liked it (mostly bc of that) ,,european son" started with a nice nutes (sound of breaking glass) later it started to be hard to listen for me. i coudn`t properlly finish it album is ok, firsts songs has a nice vibe and, but some of them are just imposible to listen and literally hurt my ears. definitly not liked ,,heroin" , ,,the black angel`s death song" and ,,european son". the rest of them i could at to my playlists. my favourite one is ,,I`ll be your mirror'' and ,,femme fatale" (i think). but still nothing hit me really hard. some of these songs were really 8/10, but all of the album 5/10

Not my first time of listening but it's been a year or so, what hasn't been said about this album already isn't really worth saying, i wasn't born when this album was released but you can hear it resonating down the decades, seeping into the subconscious to this day and forever. Timeless.

The one chord 70s sound is not my things.

A classic. There were a couple of songs I recognized, but for the most part this album was new to me. This is right up my alley, and while some songs didn't quite "click" upon first listen, I enjoyed it overall.

Legendary

Fabulous i guess

Jag tyckte det här var en av de bästa classy rock-albumen vi haft hittills! Kanske inte bara bangers, men Femme Fatale Heroin och All tomorrows parties går alla tre in på mina spellistor

Riktigt schysst, håller än!

Svårt att bedöma denna på en skala 1-5, jag tyckte albumet var spännande, kul hur de utmanar gränserna mellan rocknroll och konstmusik, tyckte Heroin speciellt var kanon. Men det är samtidigt inte så catchy? Inte jätteroligt att lyssna på som musik, mer som konst kanske? Klurigt!

Det var mycket bättre andra gången jag lyssnade på det än första. Förutom sista låten som är tråkig. zzz

I liked the sound, but I think I need to listen to this a few more times to better understand it. I think it was more important in its time.

I love this album long before this project. Lou Reed's voice has such swagger and sweetness. And then Nico, sounding so warm yet aloof. Every single song does what it was intended to do, even if I don't know what exactly that was. I really got into Venus In Furs for the first time, digging the strings. I Am Your Mirror is one of my all-time favorite songs, but it hit me differently this time around. It sent me into reflecting about how that's how I can only hope to be that for the people I love.

So happy to hear this!!! It was fortuitous that it was delivered on a Sunday morning!

Didnt mind this one - nothing outstanding but could give it another listen!!

I don't see what the big deal of this band is, but maybe its more of an influence thing than an actual product thing. Of course, when Andy motherfucking Warhol makes your album art I guess that's a good sign. Venus In Furs is not great as a song but cool as an artistic expression. Heroin is a legitimate masterpiece work of art. European Son is minutes of aimless noodling and feedback. I am docking a star for that bullshit.

Fucking awesome

Junkies band to together and make an album that no one buys. Cut to a few years later and it's now one of the most important albums ever. Nowhere near as out there as people claim. Solid tunes. They almost make heroin sound worth it. Best Tracks: I'm Waiting For My Man; Venus In Furs; Heroin

Great album to get into experimental rock. Love Lou Reed’s delivery and lyrics. I hear so many bands that have been influenced when I listen to this.

Just kinda boring. I get the slacker 60s aesthetic, but it drags on after a song or two. No standout tracks.