Reviews (page 2 of 8)
No sé si sentirlo, revolucionarios o estrés
The second half was extremely hard to listen to, but the short story in The Gift was intriguing enough to save it from one star.
Wish I could've been there to hear this when it first came out! Love the noisy jams and how the whole thing feels almost otherworldly. Favorites: The Gift, Lady Godiva's Operation, Here She Comes Now, I Heard Her Call My Name Sister Ray, too, but sometimes the lyrics took me out of the song. Not to hate on them or anything, and I see why they were very shocking/controversial/trailblazing at the time, but they were just kinda silly to my ears. Maybe that's the point though.
Yo La Tengo is my favorite band of all time. They would not exist without this record, so.... May not have the same catchy tunes as their debut, but the boundary pushing here is exhilarating. Just absolutely incredible this came out in 1968.
If I remember correctly, the producer was only a producer in name and the band was basically allowed to do whatever they wanted to do. The first album didn’t make much of an effort to engage a popular audience (not a criticism. It’s excellent.) but this album makes absolutely no effort to do so. The result is a mixture of really fantastic raw and energetic music and some the laziest self indulgent bullshit that you will ever hear on a record. A lot of the material that is meant to be transgressive really just comes across as juvenile and puerile. The last track Sister Ray really represents this dialectical tension, and is equal parts breathtaking and eye rolling. Definitely worth the listen but a record that also tries your patience.
Keep this velvet underground. Spectacularly boring stuff.
While the hippies were spreading peace and love, the Velvet Underground was exploring...other themes. I'd probably like this if I listened to it more. Lou Reed could write actual songs. This is something else. I suspect I would need to listen more to get into it. Lou Reed could write actual songs. This is something else.
There might be no redeeming qualities on this one chaps. The good instrumentation is in 17 minute long songs that drag. Theres a 8 minute interlude of just talking. The one short song is legit unlistenable.
fuck off
I know they are a pretty famous band and the album with the banana on the cover is very popular but I thought this album was 100% garbage. It's not often that I hear something that I dislike from beginning to end. I did not find anything good about it and could not wait for it to end. It's probably "experimental" and "laying the groundwork" for other bands but it sounds like some super shitty high school kids that just got instruments and waits for their mom to leave the house so they can play something horrendous and think they are super deep and unique. Hopefully I never hear this terrible album again, it's amongst the worst things I have ever heard. There is nothing redeemable about it, pure garbage.
4.7
Better than the banana album 🤷♀️
Listened to on my Bose AE2 Soundlink headphones. I almost want to reflexively type "I don't get it" and leave it at that, but I suppose the album could use a bit more than that. I'm a big fan of Velvet Underground's debut, and the self-titled follow up to this piece, but White Light/White Heat exists too far into the noisy extremities that were found throughout the debut. Whereas that release combined cutting edge abrasiveness with thoughtful introspection, White Light/White Heat feels like an experiment in the baseness of noise and it's relation to music, though experiment perhaps makes it appear more scientific and driven than it sounds to me. Hearing Lou Reed rip out "she's sucking on my ding-dong" repeatedly across an 18 minute instrumental that frays in the mix and dares the question of what constitutes listenable material might have been the guiding hand towards the punk sound that would soon follow, but does not necessarily make for material that I want to return to. I can lend it some praise in the idea of it's total rejection of security or conventionality, but it's not one I'm chomping at the bit to peel through it's barriers and layers and find some meaning in rejection of hippie culture or whatever. Though the sound certainly seems purposeful, it doesn't compel me in any strong ways.
This sounds like your weird pervy lush of an uncle with his "band" in the basement, and not in a good way.
Makes my head hurt
And thus, we go from an album that is a celebration of life and love all wrapped into a great R&B album, to drag queens, orgies and shooting up amphetamines… and a partridge in a pear tree! Though, in all seriousness, I wasn’t really too big on this album, not really being a big VU fan from what I’ve heard of them, but it wasn’t awful. Going in, I’ve already heard VU and Nico, and I wasn’t really that into it(this may be dated once I finally have a rematch with that album), but I was still going in hopeful that I’d enjoy this one. After listening to it, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but I don’t fault the people who are. I guess I’m just not really that big into the bands rawness and overall weirdness. Especially on a song like Sister Ray, where that idea is stretched out for seventeen minutes. The only less intense spot, Here She Comes Now, would probably be my standout for this album, with its light guitar part being a nice change-up from the rest of the album. But I also have to give some grace to the title track, which, although not my favorite, is actually not too bad, and The Gift, which I wasn’t big on at first, but the ridiculousness of the story kind of made it stick in my head. Probably enjoyable for others, but it’s not really my thing. I guess I’ll hear another good album call my name.
hmm
Vaca catch up
"Fuck! We've got 2 hours studio time booked this afternoon and we've not done any rehearsing, let alone written any new material. What are we gonna do?" I have no idea how this band supposedly became influential, because this is absolute cods.
Best way to describe it is just dumb
Альбом который навсегда изменил мое отношение к группе и окончательно влюбил меня в себя. Пожалуй, он воплощает две главные характеристики, которым я сам следую в искусстве: разрушительная красота. Здесь есть и интеллектуализм и изобретательность ("The Gift" "Lady Godiva's Operation") здесь есть и необузданная, похуистическая разрушительность ("I heard her call my name" "Sister Ray") Всё сделано столь интересно, столь неформатно, и одновременно с тем, столь непринужденно с эдаким нонконформистским, панковским флёром — что это не может не очаровывать. Всё начинается буквально с первой песни: White Light / White Heat. Обратите внимание на то, как она начинается, голос стартует с музыкой АСИНХРОННО! Специально было это сделано или случайно — совершенно неважно. Если этот take был оставлен, значит так и было нужно, всё следует этой необузданной, панковской концепции, при том, "панка" - не тот о котором знаете вы, а именно в его самом, что ни на есть зачаточном состоянии, без политической мишуры, без красных мохавков и булавок. Здесь есть и красота, и задор и моменты атмосферной тишины с неповторимой юношеской, нагловатой энергетикой. Альбом который повлиял на возникновение и нойз-рока и панка и альт-рока, и, как по мне, один из важнейших музыкальных релизов 20 века.
Bad sound quality, some good ideas but in the end this album is not one of the good ones of velvet underground.
Not a sound for me. Couldn't get past the first 3 songs.
Okay, this is quite an old album and so it doesn't have the most exciting vibes, but it's okay as a background listen. It was overall quite chill, but at times a bit too repetitive.
This felt like the overly artsy kids at school started a band and tried to be like the Rolling Stones, and it doesn’t work
You know what the 60s were cooking with gas because in the early 60s everyone was swinging and going "woooooooo" and by end of the 60s everyone was doing heroin and making cool music (not that drugs makes you cool for the record, it just is what happened in this case). Mad stuff. I like it! And then Sonic Youth did all of this again in the 90s and thus is the circle of life.
The best Velvet Underground record - really love this one a lot. looking back the insanity of an 18-minute long noise rock track like Sister Ray being made in the 1960s was hugely influential on me and setting me on a path to liking even more difficult music. In fact this might even be my favourite album of that whole decade.
Yeah was not into this one. What was up with random talking over some of the tracks?
Really enjoyed this. They have such a great style
My least favorite of the early Velvet Underground albums.
They just make people to kill them
Chaotisch, zijn solo albums zijn beter
Misselijk van het Waldo verhaal
Okay so if this was my first time hearing this album, I would probably rate it much lower, but I gave it multiple chances because I really liked VU's other works and it slowly grew on me to the point where I realize it is a masterpiece. Totally understand why people would not like this album. So much uniqueness and interesting compositions, there aren't many records that can compare. Every song is awesome, but my favorite is probably The Gift. Really need to buy this album on vinyl, but haven't gotten around to it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was worrying about this when it popped up. I know The Velvet Underground are kinda experimental and avant-garde but enjoyed this a lot. I like the “normal songs” like White Light/White Heat and Here She Comes Now. I also REALLY LIKED The Gift. Something about John Cale’s Swansea accent works for me with this story. And Sister Ray was an experience I got lost in. GREAT ALBUM
TOO BUSY SUCKING ON MY DING DONG
Couldn’t get into them. Maybe o got lost in the track they legit just talked
Not the biggest fan of the velvet underground but this was ok
Can understand why so many thought if they can make money with that, I'll be able to make money out of what I play. Not totally awful, but not the best. Sorry, just can't bring myself to give it a 2.
So much better than ‘Nico’, but that was a pretty low bar. Musically interesting…most songs felt like a decent jam session but then run through the distortion machine to make it experimental for the sake of it. There’s a good album in there somewhere fighting to get out.
This is the sound of a bunch of musicians so far away from conforming to the norms of the era, proving to the world that you can do what you want without chasing popularity. It didnt sell well at the time, but without this noisy badly produced record I do wonder if there would have been a blueprint for all alternative rock to follow. It would have taken a lot of guts and plenty of fuck not giving to make such a record. I love the distortion, turn up the amps to 12 and hope for the worst. You get it. A 17 minute song about a blow job? The sound engineer walking out half way through? Pure class. As for 'The Gift' you knew it wasn't going to end well. This collection of noise has influenced so many of my favourite bands. A cornerstone of low fi indie rock.
👎👎 crap
I’m not sure this qualifies as music.
Cerramos la semana con éste bandón de la vida y su disco más vanguardista, por ponerle un título caprichoso: hace tiempo que no lo escucho, así que me va a venir bien la refrescada. Proto-Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, desde el primer track (¡y en 1968!), es un ejemplo de cómo vale la pena animarse a salirse del molde, experimentar, sin pensar en los resultados, en el éxito, en seguir las fórmulas. Muchas gracias y nos vemos el martes, que tenemos lunes feriado.
Pure, blown-out noise rock, interrupted by story telling that punishes the repeat listener.
Probably top 15, top 20 albums ever made and it's only the VU's third best
Niin outo levy, oudolla mikki ja nauhoitus tekniikalla etten oikein voi tälle hirveästi pisteitä antaa
I like the story on the Gift, I'll admit I was engrossed. And the first 7 minutes of Sister Ray. But beyond that I was mostly waiting for it to be over. Turns out Nico was holding these guys together. And god, Lou Reed really demonstrates his ability not to sing on Lady Godiver. Apparently that's the point. But it's not a point I care for.
I thought this started ok, but it dissolved I to a bunch of people who clearly consider themselves to be very cool and just do anything they like regardless of value. I think the talking story track killed it off for me, but they had the opportunity to win me back and didn't take it. I didn't hate all the instrumentation, but I just didn't enjoy the songs.
"[T]hey often played loud with new equipment from an endorsement deal with Vox. However, the final product was compressed and distorted-–most members were dissatisfied with the final product and it was followed with the less experimental The Velvet Underground the following year..." -Wikipedia "White Light/White Heat sold fewer copies than The Velvet Underground & Nico, and peaked at 199 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. The album's only single, "White Light/White Heat", failed to chart, which the band blamed on airplay bans and lack of promotion from Verve. The album was dismissed by many contemporary mainstream music critics, although underground newspapers took notice." -Also Wikipedia Let me get this straight: the band didn't like this album because it sounded terrible, critics didn't like this album because it sounded terrible, and it failed commercially because it sounded terrible, and yet I'm supposed to believe that this is an album that's important enough to be on a list of albums I need to listen to before I die. It really doesn't help that this is one of three albums from The Velvet Underground and one of five from Lou Reed. As much as I hate The Velvet Underground & Nico, I can at least understand why that album's on the list. It's impossible to deny that it had a huge influence on the underground rock and punk scene and could easily be called the single most influential rock album of all time. That album being on the list should mean that White Light / White Heat isn't necessary, but apparently we needed The Velvet Underground & Nico but worse. Every song on here is five minutes longer than it needs to be at a minimum, and every song is significantly worse than the one before it. That last point really comes to a head with Sister Ray. I was damn close to giving up midway through that song, only to find out "midway" was actually about a quarter of the way in. Truly awful.
This is lo-fi slop? This is one of those albums that really make you question why people loved this in its heyday. There are albums today that have garnered lots of attention that we’ll look back on with the same confusion, but when that’s the case why is this a must-listen 50 years later?
Wow... this is mostly just noise.
By rights I ought to love the Velvets but whenever I try to get into them it feels like something is missing.
Aside from the lead track, and the humor of track two, I'm lost.
I like the stories of The Gift and Sister Ray. Good album overall. Pretty chill for the most part, especially Lady Godiva’s Operation and Here She Comes Now. Also, the title track reminds me of the VU’s earlier tracks I’m Waiting For The Man and There She Goes Again.
Like listening to fingernails on a chalk board. Ugh
Beetje schijtherrie
I personally consider this album to be the first true noise rock record ever made. Of course, that’s debatable depending on how strictly you define “noise rock.” Artists like The Fugs, Red Krayola, and The Monks had already flirted with noisy, abrasive sounds, but none of them matched the sheer feedback driven aggression you get here. The Velvet Underground throws all caution to the wind, embracing raw distortion, amp noise, and complete chaos.The production is deliberately murky and abrasive. It was recorded quickly and mixed roughly, with the intention of sounding as raw and loud as possible. This album paved the way for countless artists like Sonic Youth, Suicide, Swans, Big Black, The Jesus Lizard, and MBV.This one was clearly meant to be anti commercial, something designed to repel mainstream taste, and it’s probably their least popular album. But for me, it’s my personal favorite. A lot of the music that came out of The Velvet Underground’s universe never really appealed to me the same way it does to others, but this is the one I fully connect with.
The Velvet Underground's most abrasive record arrives as a deliberate act of confrontation — louder, noisier, and less interested in conventional song structure than almost anything being made in 1968. The historical importance is genuine. The listening experience is punishment by design, and not everyone is required to enjoy punishment. The title track is the accessible entry point — a structured pop song underneath the distortion, a straight amphetamine rush that shows what the band could do when they wanted to. Everything after it moves progressively further from that concession. "The Gift" is eight minutes of John Cale reading a short story in one stereo channel while the band plays in the other, which is either a fascinating experiment or exactly what it sounds like. "Lady Godiva's Operation" adds dual overlapping vocals to the strangeness. "Sister Ray" closes with seventeen minutes of noise that requires a specific kind of commitment this record never quite earns. "Walk on the Wild Side," "Sweet Jane," and "Perfect Day" are great — but those belong to a different Lou Reed entirely, the accessible melodic version that this record has no interest in being. A two for the version that showed up here, honestly delivered.
CHE CAZZO È. SICURAMENTE È STATO IMPORTANTE PER LA MUSICA A VENIRE BLABLABLA…QUESTO È RUMORE PURO E I TESTI FANNO CACÀ. “THE GIFT” PUÒ ESSERE UN RACCONTO INTERESSANTE, NONOSTANTE NON SIA UNA CANZONE: C’È CALE CHE LEGGE UNA STORIELLA E UN BABBO DIETRO CHE SUONA LA CHITARRA NEL MENTRE. MI PIACCIONO PERÒ LE PALLE CHE I VELVET UNDERGROUND NON TIRANO INDIETRO. 1/5
Innovative and experimental. Great noise rock tunes complimented by Lou reed’s knack for fantastic lyricism and storytelling
overall it was pretty crap. was hard work to listen to.
Absolute bollocks.
This was an okay listen - there were parts that caught my ears, but there was also quite a bit of things that just sounded odd to me.
Got very excited for this one, I had a VU phase in HS. They really are a band that laid the groundwork for everything to come after it. Despite that, some of this is hard to listen to. The Gift is spoken word with distorted guitars, not great, but the instrumental jam is good in isolation. Here she Comes Now was good, i like the wind instruments coming in and the guitar parts. sister ray was a good jam. Now a lot of this is just noise, which is why i cant like it. Appreciate it, dont like it
recording quality is !!! awful !!! early stage stereo audio nonsense. I guess someone had to do it first. Lou Reed's writing is really lovely though. The sort of album that should exist in a gallery
A lot of spoken word, must of been prior to their height
I already enjoy the Velvet Underground, but this one is so bizarre that it becomes endearing. It sounds filthy, half broken, and completely unconcerned with whether anybody else understands what they’re doing. The title track is a solid opener and probably the closest the album gets to sounding normal. “The Gift” is a short story that only Lou Reed could’ve written, and John Cale reading it in that Welsh accent makes the whole thing more interesting. “Lady Godiva’s Operation” is already weird enough then Lou starts randomly interjecting lyrics. Then there’s “Sister Ray,” which sounds like it was written and recorded during a heroin-fueled rager with nobody willing to stop playing. It’s loud, repetitive, ugly, and way too long. Somehow, that’s also exactly why it’s so good. This album is a mess, but it’s a very entertaining mess. Favorite song: “White Light/White Heat”
I came for the noise rock, but was disappointed by the spoken word. At least I did get the noise...
Fascinating. Lyrically offball and compelling, motored by pulsating instrumentation. Not as experimental or innovative as I might have expected; I felt the Nico record was much less immediate. For all of that the tracks are enjoyable and exciting, though best listened to with a lyric sheet. First side is avant garde if not sonically unusual; the final cut there, Here She Comes Now, is a borderline accessible pop track. First track of the second side could have had much more life with better mixing.
Some sort of concept I don’t understand
VU at their most grimy and raw. Some may hate this but I love it. The Gift is such a fun idea and a well written story.
There are times when the band members go AWOL and either play a different song or get entirely too board with the droning. Examples - Bass at the end of the first track - Guitar in the first two minutes of The Gift - The random vocals on Lady Godiva's Operation "SWEETLY!" - All of Sister Ray If you plucked out good parts of each track you would make one complete good song. "Here She Comes Now" is the first decent track on the album. Rough album.
It’s funny reading all these confused, negative reviews of an album I’ve kind of taken for granted throughout the years. So foundational to noise rock and anyone else in rock music who plays with deconstructing the form. So weird, intelligent, druggy, and uncompromising. Probably the least accessible of VU’s essential material, but obviously still essential.
Strange, dark and chaotic noise but not in a bad way.......sounds like weird 90's grunge
One of those polarizing albums where I feel somehow in both camps, feels bizarre to give it a 3* but I feel like if I listened to it a year down the line it might be a 2*, or a 4*, or even a 1* or 5*
Some good, some mid
The Velvet Underground may be an innovative band with exciting concepts. Apparently, my understanding of music isn't sufficient enough to appreciate this album. I won't listen to it again. 1/5
Pretty good. Somehow noisy and catchy at the same time, despite how distant and weird it can initially seem. I can see this one growing on me.
너무 듣기 힘들었다. 마치 난해하고, 알 수 없는 이미지로 가득 채워진 실험적인 예술 영화를 본 듯한 기분이었다. It was incredibly difficult to listen to. It felt like watching an experimental art film filled with obscure, inscrutable imagery.
Bad
Cool
losowe dzwieki gitary polaczojr z czytaniem ksiazkk
Nie lubię audiobooków
No. It's too old, too... experimental. The vocals are awful—listening to them makes you feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Another one from Velvet Underground that was really far ahead of it's time, or maybe the drugs in the late 60s were just really strong. Or maybe it was just the copious amount of drugs ingested that needs to be taken into consideration. The retrospective reviews being so much more positive than the reviews of the time makes sense though - this would have been absolutely bonkers for an audience in 1968. Like their first record, this one has to be a love it or hate it thing. But I feel like this is an album that a lot of early punk rockers listened to and were inspired to pick up an instrument. I think I Like Velvet Underground an Nico a little better but this is up there. I'd call it like a 3.9/5
This is really interesting one to review and sadly last VU album for me on the list. After the banana, this is definitely my favourite album of theirs. Incredibly groundbreaking work of art. I already rated it at least 4.5 on RYM and was pondering between 4 and 5 stars but I think it deserves 5, just for the incredible krautrock like groove in Sister Ray. Some shocking stuff here too and highly experimental in nature so yeah I get it - it won't be for everyone but this music requires patience and open mind
Album 268. White Light / White Heat (https://open.spotify.com/album/0HHmJpwOXXRJu9HI9iQiEO?si=G2xP0qalRda_jpe2IrNPTw) — The Velvet Underground (1968) Fucking awesome, noisy, dirty and experimental. The Sister Ray track is insane. I enjoyed it so much. 3/5 No liked songs
A bit wild and chaotic but somehow it all works. The Gift was a bit of a challenging listen to keep engaged with but as part of the album it somehow makes sense. Great musicians making slightly off the wall music without being truly captivating.
Haha "Sister Ray" - Jesus what an assault that is over 17 mins. Completely manic and crazed. The lyrics add amusement at different intervals and are hard to fully follow but a scattering of dark themes. I mean to use such a acidic, nail scratching sound to such effect in the most unusual jam of comedy, narrative and sound is quite compelling. It's astonishing how this came to be in the late 60s and such a weird concept, but they did something on this which is inspiring. Despite such a smashing attempt to addle the mind I listened to this album many many times and to my astonishment didn't tire of its barrage of my ears. Very interesting and noval. Not sure if deserves a 4 so will be conservative for now.
This album contains lots of cool noises, lots of weird noises, and lots of avant-garde talky bits about people posting themselves and women "sucking ding-dongs". To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I am quite pleased to have listened to it. It's raw, expressive and artistic but it's also weird and annoying. I had a really positive reaction to the the earlier work of the Velvet Underground but this one was just a bit too formless, experimental, and noisy for me to enjoy it all the way through.
Ok
How can you not at least appreciate the guitar playing on this album?
1/5. Absolute trash. Experimental crap.
Probably ground-breaking, but way too much drugs & black turtlenecks for me.
3.5
Pretty garbage. Go write a book instead of making these stupid songs if you’re just gonna talk the whole time and put terrible music over it. You know they’re stupid when their Spotify bio has a typo in the first sentence: “The Velvet Underground were largely ignored during HEIR original run from the mid-'60s into the early '70s, but few bands would cast as long a shadow in terms of innovation and influence.” Absolutely one of the worst albums I’ve ever had the misfortune of subjecting my ears to.
The Gift was peak
I have never been able to get into this band.
What is this? It's weird. It's artsy. It's not fun to listen to. The audio quality is atrocious. Did not hear much to redeem this.
Saw the bandname and album over, but didn't check the year so I was quite surprised as I was expecting some kind of 90s EDM. It's weird, noisy, obtuse and at times even needlessly provocative. I fucking love this shit.
I'm sorry I wasn't really listening to the lyrics I was looking at ramen recipes but I imagine the lyrics were pretty neat. Something about a ding dong
**An ok album
Lovely. As it would be.
Six songs may seem small, but it’s so fantastic! Sister Ray blew my mind as did the rest of this album
The 3rd VU album of this run and I'd say this sits between the other two in terms of my enjoyment. It was more confrontational and just weirder than the debut but still that streak of effortless cool running through it.
A bit too raw and unpolished for me
I disliked this to the point that I considered going back and lowering the ratings of other Velvet Underground albums.. glad they learned they would have better success with a different formula
Maybe because it's Friday, or maybe it's watching hummingbirds in the backyard with coffee, or maybe it's the road trip with my wife to see Band of Horses and Dinosaur Jr tonight, or maybe it's the 17 minute tune about ding-dong sucking, but this album hit me just exactly perfect today. I found this to be absolutely excellent and definitely in the top 25 of new to me albums from the generator.
veel geluid, weinig geluid om van te kunnen genieten
*45 Jeg forstår ikke helt, hvad det skulle gøre for mig.
Synes virkelig heller ikke at det her var særlig fedt
Tja, det vildeste ved det her album er nok, at det er fra 1968. Samme år som The Incredible String Band og Johnny Cash i Folsom Prison, som begge allerede har været på listen. Det her er jo så markant anderledes, at det føles som fra en helt anden tidsalder. Men den tidsalder er så også veloverstået nu IMHO. 2.3
Helt igennem nederen album. The Gift er måske den mest irriterende sang jeg har hørt (med headset på)
Favorite songs: White Light/White Heat, Lady Godiva’s Operation
Wild album
Mainly it was fine, generic 60s rock, except the Gift.
This was not velvet, and should stay underground.
Great album. While familiar with Lou Reed, I hadn’t heard this album. I recommend checking it out.
Me rompió bastante los huevos.
I did not need to listen to a 17 minute song about a blowjob before I die.
Beautiful noise. Last Velvet album with John Cale.
They are making love with the piano in the titular song, fun in music is the easiest thing to hear when it's being had and I heard that in the first track, The gift is a story I didn't expect to hear but this entire album has been like that, it's all very interesting and it keeps me focused
Disturbing album 1/10 unbearable
Day919 - there’s just a few bands on this list that have left me wanting more. i don’t know if i totally understand the velvet underground but i know they’re geniuses
White Noise
A good listen
VU dropped this almost 60 years ago and it's still ahead of its time because half of you bastards still don't get it.
If i was in control of music history, this album would be the base for any music to come after it.
I like VU but this one didn't do anything for me..meh at best 2/5
3/5
Je chie sur ma guitare personnellement
Noooooo
music is love
Not my fave Velvet Underground album, but it's solid. Sister Ray goes on for too long, but I thought The Gift was unexpectedly really fun.
Musically great, don’t really dig the spoken word vocals
It all sounds wrong, as it should do
This is #day694 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my third and final Velvet Underground record. Unhinged, abrasive, experimental lo-fi noise rock and whatever else you want to call it. It's almost as if the record is doing its very best to be unlistenable. And, in a way, it kind of succeeds. Totally different from what was going on at the time, and hugely influential on what was about to come over the next decade or two. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day695.
vinyl day!! S-S-S-Sucking on my ding dong
3.3 2x
terrible. awful.
People saying that Sister Ray is just a wall of noise have never heard a wall of noise! This is beautiful.
When I reviewed 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 & 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘰, I joked that it might be unlistenable for some people. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵/𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘵 somehow manages to be even less accessible. If you made it through the debut, this album is ready to push you even further. The record embraces noise, distortion, and chaos in a way that was almost unimaginable in 1968. At the same time, The Velvet Underground continue writing about subjects that few rock bands were willing to touch, including drugs, homosexuality, and gender nonconformity. It’s an uncompromising album in every sense. And then there’s 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝘆. The story of its recording session has become part of rock folklore, and the track itself fully lives up to its reputation — an extended, noisy jam that seems determined to test the listener’s tolerance for chaos. It certainly isn’t an album I’d recommend to everyone, but I can’t help admiring just how fearless and uncompromising it is. Nearly six decades later, it still sounds like a record that refuses to play by anyone else’s rules.
Sorry but I like their more radio friendly music better maybe that makes me basic but idgaf I don’t need to hear John Cale or whoever talking for 15 minutes about nothing
Maybe I should stop reading reviews before listening because they tend to sway my opinion on the music before experiencing it myself. This is raw and exciting and real. I can see how much this band influenced so many other great bands who would follow.
4/10
This was The Gift I needed.
Utterly manic and bizarre... I still can't decide whether V.U. were geniuses, or if I fucking despise them. I found myself listening to the full album twice in a row, so I guess I'd go with the former - even if I really want to hate this. If nothing else, no other band perfectly encapsulates just how radically the way music is written (and the capacity of listeners' attention spans) has changed over the past half century. I will admit that this album demonstrated how V.U. was so influential to so many artists that came after, but you can't simply listen passively and expect it to just click. Sober or blitzed out on a cacophony of hallucinogens -- you gotta immerse yourself in the weirdness.
Not too shabby
Wish I could give half starts, it would be a 3.5. Was probably a four then the 17 minute song just got on my nerves.
I've always been interested in the story behind Sister Ray, but never really cared about the song until reccently. The songs just has such a great energy and I now see it for the master piece it is. I also enjoyed The Gift a lot more on this listen. I've also always liked here she comes now, Nirvana also has a great cover of that song. High 5!!!
Wow, this is a long album of kinda boring songs.
Not my vibe
I love Lou Reed, I like John Cale a lot, but I have something to say: a deep dark secret that has haunted me, a theatre/art history grad who has been described as a “pretentious wanker” more than once: I hate the Velvet Underground. I hate this album, I hate the production, it’s almost unlistenable.
3.5 Very weird, not necessarily in a bad way, i was hooked throughout and I get why these guys had such an influence. But also I don't think I'd really want to listen again
Terrible production, monotone “singing” what I expected. There is something about lady Godiva. According to Spotify only one cover but it is strangely familiar. Last song reminds me of queens of the stone ages.
Not a huge fan
Very solid Velvet Underground album.
The Velvet Underground will always be associated with Andy Warhol, but he was only the producer for the first album and had been booted out by Lou Reed for this album. The result is a hugely influential blast of noise and surreal lyricism that didn’t stand a chance of ever being played on the radio. This was also the last Velvet’s album to feature John Cale and his lilting Welsh voice on The Gift is a highlight as he narrates a story of a jealous boyfriend with one hell of a twist at the end. This album is very much the dark side of the sixties - the heroin binge to Sergeant Pepper’s LSD trip. The use of feedback and distortion in the sound makes for an abrasive experience for anyone wanting a mellow vibe, but in retrospect it really hits the spot, especially on the epic Sister Ray although the repeated references to sucking on his ding-dong make this very much a not safe for work listen! Ding-dong-tastic!
nice little project
YOU’RE BUSY SUCKING ON MY DING DONG… this probably should be a 1 because it’s mostly just guitar noise that’s up its own ass, but I have enough respect for Lou Reed as an artist not to banish it to those ranks.
Oh dear
An un-good record from a pretty over-rated band, IMO.
Very unpleasant listening experience bcs what is going on. Textbook definition of overstimulation packed into an album. I’ll just read the lyrics next time. Or maybe not. I don’t know. I don’t like hate hate hate this album but I don’t really like it and I don’t need to listen to this again please and thank you. It’s probably like a 1.5 bcs we read the lyrics to the gift and I quite enjoyed but the sounds are not it
I need to rate something so that they don’t make my account inactive— I listened to this with Yuthika a few months ago it was definitely an experience!! Experiential in the sense that it’s experimenting how long people are willing to put up with bs!!! Still fun though
I like the Velvet Underground albums either side of this more, because they have beautiful songs alongside the noise and sleaze. You have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy this one and yesterday it felt likely to bring on a headache, but if you get into it, it's a pretty wild listen.
we've got another entry from the velvet underground. i can safely say that after listening to a bit of these guys, they're probably the best "true neutral" example of really early experimental rock music. this is their second album release, made after firing andy warhol, who produced their first album. noise rock is probably the biggest descriptor i can really give this. in a world of safer and more contemporary 60s rock, the velvet underground distorts the FUCK out of a lot of their music. some tracks essentially start as crunchy standard 60s rock but as it continues it smoothly goes to staticy mush. this album can be really grating on the ears, but even someone like me with big hearing sensitivities thinks that you gotta learn to get used to it or get yourself in the right mood for it. it's a true audio oddity and i feel like while it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, i think this is worthy to listen to if you want something to challenge and bewilder yourself with.
Easily the trollest Velvet Underground record. Hot take it’s better than Andy Warhol. 17 minutes about ding songs. Lou Reed was truly a genius
06/17 Hippie druggie bullshit
Maybe a pioneer in noise, maybe punk and grunge benefit from this record, but to me it just feels like a mediocre job at mixing and production. I guess in most artistic evolution we're going to see it get ugly before it gets pretty. My complaint: historical significance doesn't make it an album I have to listen to. I would've been happy to read about this while I listen to other Velvet Underground records. 2.2/5
White Light / White Heat - 4.5/5 The Gift - 3.5/5 Lady Godiva's Operation - 4.5/5 There She Comes Now - 4/5 I Heard Her Call My Name - 4/5 Sister Ray - 4.5/5 The quote rings true that although the Velvet Underground sold poorly, almost everyone who bought one of their albums started a band. This album is highly experimental for its time and probably scandalous for how Lou Reed talks about getting his "ding-dong" sucked. Incredibly ahead of its time and deserves equal praise for the VU albums surrounding by it. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: White Light/White Heat, Lady Godiva's Operation, Sister Ray
From all the hype about VU I wasn’t impressed by this album
Like an ice pick to the ear drum.
Now that you’ve listened to this album, go back and play The Gift. I’m 100% positive this is what the CIA plays at “11” for terrorists held at black op sites between their water boarding sessions. This is just bad music. Hard pass for me.
Oddly boring while trying hard to be interesting. Too much bluster with not enough substance.
Trying way too had to be cool and edgy. Brutal sounds, just all around unpleasant. Except the Waldo story, that was dumb but at least it was weirdly interesting.
Сара опет слабо слушала, фокусирала се на јаковов албум марко 1
another album that's not for everybody. it's noise, chaotic, and challenging with two long songs taking up much of each side, and "sister ray" taking up 2/3 of side 2. still, an album i've loved for some time, even if i don't pull it out very often
Musically almost quite nice, but the vocals are annoying. And "Sister Ray" at the end messes it up even more. 1,5
Naw
Artsy fartsy but not pleasant to listen to. Guess they got the sound they wanted, but it wasn't something that I wanted.
This is by far one of the most obnoxiously abhorrent albums that I've had the displeasure of listening to. It had the sensation of waiting in line for the electric chair, hearing nothing but the jarring sounds of the screams of the unfortunate before me. They should try making music sober instead of manufacturing this bs off whatever narcotics they were on.
Forgettable
Bananas that this came out in the 60's. VU was so ahead of the time.
I was ready to live this as the last Velvet Underground album on here had been so amazing. And at the start I was getting very “60s punk” vibes. And when it sticks to that I really like it. I’m less keen on the wishy washy songs. So, I dunno. It could be a 3… or a 4… maybe even a 5! But I’ll settle for 4 as I think this is one I might return to.
Not the most accessible of works, feels like it’s been included due to its influence on other artists, rather than its own merit. Some interesting dimensions to it though.
Why is this on the list?
Scuzzy overdriven and distorted freakouts, spoken word tragicomedy, and gorgeous pop songs at one with layers of noise. There is no punk, no wave, or new wave without this. Still weird, unsettling, bracing, and fun to listen to.
Hmm, I didn’t always love this, but you can’t look away. “The Gift” reveals the gift of grisly storytelling, in kind of a Sweeney Todd way. “Here She Comes Now” is as great as ever. Torn between 3 and 4 here.
On first listen I enjoyed the track about the guy who mailed himself to his former girlfriend and the rest seemed disjointed and noisy. On second listen a few others settled in. By third listen I found myself repeating several tracks to figure out what was being said. I’m going to lean into this to encourage more exploration. 4/5
That shit sucked for real
achei mais ou menos, não é meu estilo!!
Two classics bookending dross.
Of the three Velvet Underground (VU) albums on this list, this is my least favorite. It's probably (arguably) their most experimental and it suffers some for it, and it is not all "Sister Ray"'s fault either. That track is the draw and if you treat it like a jazz piece -- which you could make a case for -- it's ok. Until the last few minutes, the beat/tempo stays consistent over the organ, vocals, and guitar. That consistency helps keep the piece from falling apart entirely. It's decent work and some of the more palatable noise/experimental stuff we've encountered so far in the list, IMO. It's some of the other tracks that are kinda weak. "I Heard Her Call.." and "Here She Comes Now" are some of the weakest music I've encountered from VU. Just unfocused and messy beyond their image. "White Light/White Heat" is great and may be my favorite VU song. So, overall a mixed bag. (3/5). Im looking forward to the other two VU records when they pop up. Those are much better.
Dropping this the day after John Cale's solo album feels a bit less than random, but I can appreciate the juxtaposition. The shadow cast by VU is a long one indeed, as the level of distortion and wall of sound style that they revolutionized sounds almost second nature to a 90s kid like me. The Gift was the standout for me here, though the title track and Lady Godiva were great bookends on either side of it. Unfortunately, this is a sound that wears on me after a bit, and by the time it got to I Heard Her Call my name I was ready for something else. Given the marathon that is Sister Ray was still ahead of me, I found myself ready for it to be over with half of the album's runtime to go. Thankfully it lightened the abrasion ever so slightly through most of that track, but I still couldn't make out mush of the vocals aside from "sucking on my ding dong," which may have been a blessing. The god stuff was enough to push this to a 3.5/5, but not one that I feel compelled to round up.
105. White Light / White Heat - The Velvet Underground (1968) 6.7.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 2 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 “I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it." - Calvin Klein Not my favorite by the group, and been a while since I've heard it. The Velvet Underground continue to get their flowers well into the 21st century, and it's all well deserved. I've got no counter point to make or anything, except to say that as influential as they were, that's all I really hear anyone say about them, which can be pretty boring. And as far as influence goes, let's save that for their first one, which is guaranteed to be on the list. I might instead dip into why they were NOT very successful in their time, despite being obviously great in retrospect though. Very little to say here other than I'm ready to sit back for some guaranteed quality. THE TRACKS Side one "White Light/White Heat" - Great piano led little boogie number that descends into chaotic feedback by the end, this songs seems to encapsulate the band's ethos pretty well of very listenable backwards looking stripped down rock aesthetics mixed with an avante garde sensibility. I'm not claiming that this isn't great stuff, but very easy in retrospect to see how these guys were setting themselves up for, if not failure, then certainly obscurity. For the time period. Reed in his later years complaining about how no one got it, surely understood at the time that that was kind of the point. The band most definitely courted the art scene, no matter how much Reed claims they just wanted to be a successful rock band with giant hits. Sure, but totally on their, at the time, unreasonable terms. And it's been proven again and again on these albums they could pump out short, radio friendly, divine pop rock. I would maintain the lyrical content is what kept them down. This is no exception, and that bit of business at the end is just the nail in the coffin. "The Gift" - God bless these weirdoes for doing this, which they knew would not be getting them a spot on the Ed Sullivan show. A killer fuzzed out jam serves as the table setting for Cale, with his hilariously button down voice reading this very EC Comics bit of horror comedy. This should not work as music. It should be performance art at best. But it somehow works as a musical experience. And I am someone who is vehemently anti-spoken word when it comes to music. This gets a complete pass form me. Genuinely funny, with a sting of horror. The Cryptkeeper himself would be jealous. "Lady Godiva's Operation" - More lovely, fuzzed out prettiness. Cale providing lead vocals with Reed popping in occasionally to roughen up the edges in real time. Interesting stuff near the end, but this is a prime example of the sort of self-sabotaging impulses Reed just can't tamp down. I would have been perfectly fine without all that, and while I like this one,, it would have sat a bit closer to the next track on the bench. "Here She Comes Now" - S-tier stuff. Reed displaying all the god-level melodic abilities that he seems to want to hoard for special occasions. "Sunday Morning", "Perfect Day" are maybe the best example of him in this mode, and proof that he could indeed sing well. But I think he maybe was the type of guy who would rag on you for liking "that pussy shit" even though he wrote it himself. And here we barely get a taste of it. Side two "I Heard Her Call My Name" - Reed tries his best to gunk this one up with his atonal guitar solos, but it still remains pretty listenable otherwise, with Tucker's metronomic trance beat functioning as the rivets barely holding the boiler together and preventing an explosion. "Sister Ray" - The centerpiece of the album for me, though we are forced to gorge ourselves at the end of the meal instead. Sprawling but never meandering. This one spreads out before you with intent and a drive that allows no glances backwards. And how do they manage to make this effort last the whole run time without petering out into either exhaustion or boredom? Keep it simple, stupid. There is absolutely nothing flashy going on here. These are all basic as fuck elements that are just compounded upon and remixed and used to propel you ever forward, with even the provocative lyrics barely registering as they pass by in the rearview. Worth the price of admission. HIGHLIGHTS - "White Light/White Heat" - "The Gift" - "Here She Comes Now" - "Sister Ray" MIDLIGHTS - "Lady Godiva's Operation" - "I Heard Her Call My Name" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS When listening to this again, I was struck by just how unpalatable the content would have been to the mainstream of the era compared to how listenable and easily digestible it became over the course of twenty or more years. All the cool kids were ready at the time, or maybe shortly there after anyways though, and like the John the Baptist of highly influential alternative rock, the Velvet Underground's message was picked up, expanded upon and made gospel by the more successful weirdos that followed in their wake. Bowie was a big proselytizer, for example. By the mid to late 80s they were already giants in the minds of all the budding alternative and indie rock bands that would soon blow up your radios. And by the mid 90s ( in my memory) the band had finally earned it's place as one of the bedrocks. This album in particular, as great a listen as it is, is not Reed and company in my favorite mode. It's purposefully abrasive in ways that I appreciate, but could never emotionally connect with. I much prefer the delicate, beautiful pieces over the feedback and the noise and the more avante garde material. And there's just not enough of that on here. Maybe that's because that more prickly sort of stuff seemed old hat for someone who grew up surrounded by all the stuff that owed debts to it. I said that the talk of influence bores me, but it's unavoidable when talking about context. This is still is and will remain a classic though. It's just a 4-star classic for me, because I have to compare it to other stuff by the band and even Reed's solo material that I like much more. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Wouldn't dream of it FURTHER LISTENING - We're Only in It for the Money by The Mothers of Invention - The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers - Fun House by The Stooges - Tago Mago by Can - Transformer by Lou Reed - Marquee Moon by Television - Suicide by Suicide
Do you hear it? That low and hard distortion. That sounds like the future. I read a comparison once that the rock being made in the 1990s, grunge and alternative, wasn't all that different from the rock being made in the 1970s. The Velvet Underground would like to note that on this album its still the 1960s. This album surprised me, I love its sound, and I love it because it is so similar to the rock I grew up with in the 1990s. The influence of this album is readily apparent to anyone that lived through the three decades after it, or is looking back from the vantage of 2026. Its funny that the day after we got John Cale's backward facing more gentile offering "Paris 1919" we get the influentially forward and less beautiful sounding "White Light/White Heat" that got him fired from the Velvet Underground. C'est la vie, I guess, c'est la vie. You know what else I hear, I hear the distant sounds of an album titled "Lulu." Lou Reed would go on to one day collaborate with Metallica in one of the most outlandish, but not really if you think about it, projects ever. 4/5 Track Highlights White Light/White Heat The Gift Sister Ray
Probably a more challenging velvet underground album, but not terrible on the second listen
Fine enough. Less impressed here than other velvet underground or lou reed stuff. A 20 minute closer is alot man. And in theory thats the best song here. Its just too indulgent for me. Other than that lady Godivas operation is the best song. Those I will gave props to the somg about the guy mailing himself to his family. Thats just a Malcom in the middle plot. Less family friendly ending but the same play nonetheless. Just not that into the music here. Its passable but not all that engaging either. Just OK across the board. I know they have better and maybe i can hear that one with the more psychedelic cover. The last one. Maybe thats more my speed
Too many (them) or not enough (me) drugs to appreciate this one, especially the 17min closer
Это не альбом. Мужики просто пытались придумать новые песни. У них не получилось.
Pretty good. I like The Velvet Underground generally, but this didn't feel like their best work and was all a bit samey.
This album is extraordinary. It's so hypnotic and catchy. I've had so much fun listening to this one, it's very refreshing and also very interesting. It's both, grotesque and chaotic and very repetitive in a great sense. There are many moments of jazz, and sure it has a very bluesy vibe in some of the songs. I'm delighted. It has been a very enjoyable musical experience. And it's pretty poetic and literary too, I find the musical part to be an immersive experience into the stories, and the different elements as psychological approaches, a way to translate or channel certain emotions through the music. It's been delightful, truly an excellent album.
Aside from listening to "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" a million times, I have virtually no experience with The Velvet Underground, so this should be fine. Despite initial enthusiasm, the muddy feedback that coats all of "White Light/White Heat" was just unbearable, not rescued either by the unenthusiastic delivery of the lyrics or the repetitive slamming riff at the end; garage rock sound at it's worst. "The Gift" was like nothing I've ever heard, yet it made so much sense that something like it would exist; a story told with a backing track. Cale's voice is fitting for the story (which I now understand was written by Lou Reed!) and the backing track was great until the dog whistle screech around the 2:30 mark (continuing on and off) which completely ruined my enjoyment of it in these places; I hope something else like this exists elsewhere. My relief at "Lady Godiva's Operation" was palpable; subtle drums and bass overlayed with a pleasant reverbed guitar and fun lyrics made me fall in love with this one. For pretty much identical reasons, I enjoyed "Here She Comes Now". "I Heard Her Call My Name" with it's erratic energy feels like everything the opening track should've been but wasn't, however, it quickly ran out of the lyrics that was doing half the job of propping this up to something more enjoyable. Then came "Sister Ray"; I am always wary of these 15min+ tracks, as some of them are nothing but droning filler and others hide musical gems within. With this, it's high-pitched notes whining at 6:30 mark was the end of my enthusiasm for the track. Overall, there are some neat ideas in here and some amazing sounds, but it's sort of buried in a lot of edgy garage rock sounds that seem to do more to piss you off than entertain you. Real shame.
Apparently I made the mistake of listening to this one without whatever drugs you're supposed to be on if you want to enjoy it
Listening to this record felt like a roller coaster ride: I enjoyed some moments, lost my nerves searching where that squeaking sound was coming from, and one of the tracks made me jump several times. 2.5/5
I don't see the appeal
I thought for sure this was an easy five, but I guess I was just not in the mood today. Also, the whole “ding dong” bit was easier to ignore when I was younger, for some reason. It was just too much cheese for today though.
Not as good as the debut
Decent, experimental for its time 4/5
This is a five star for its impact. Listen to it twice. Think about very noise rock or messy spoken word interlude you’ve heard. Or fuzzed out weird song. It traces in part back to here.
this actually physically hurt to listen to, in particular the screeching guitar. i used to looove the velvet underground but this has me really questioning my taste. almost gave it a 2 for the moments of solace in Here She Comes Now and parts of Sister Ray.
Ah, now you can have your Beatles: the Velvets are the late-60s music that I like best. This whole thing is a beautiful, chaotic mess, a lot like my favorite tracks on the banana album (Black Angel's Death Song, etc). I'm sure people have said that "Sister Ray" goes on a bit long; well, ok it does go on a bit long. But I think it's an appropriate ending to this remarkable album. You gotta feel a little bad for Waldo, though. 5 stars
0.5 / 5 Best Song: Sister Ray Worst Song: I Heard Her Call My Name Weirdest Song: The Gift Honorable Mention: White Light/White Heat Thank god, it's over. I laughed hysterically, but out of bewilderment or torment, I do not know... By far the most abrasive, chaotic, and ear-shattering abomination I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing. Half a point awarded for Sister Ray, which made me laugh for quantity of ding dongs sucked.
#20 What a noisy mess of an album. It feels like they are trying to be as experimental as they can possibly be, while also making it deliberately off-putting.
At best it bored me (such as during the Gift), at worst aggravated me (such as the weird vocal cuts on Lady Godiva's Operation), but mostly it just confused me. It sounds like giving a small child access to any musical production gadget and telling them to go wild, while one or two actual musicians try to keep up. It works best as an album described to you than you actually giving it a listen. I'm really hoping either of the two eponymous albums live up to the Velvet Undergrounds' legend.
I am definitely a "White Light/White Heat" guy. I just love this album. The first VU record is the one most people know, and while that album has some incredible tunes, it also has some absolute garbage. I don't think WL/WH has a bad song on it. And while Nico isn't here, that's ok, I can go listen to her solo albums if that's the vibe I want. Love him or hate him, Lou Reed takes you places you might be afraid to go by yourself. Like a sex change operating room, an electric shock therapy session, a speed-fueled gay orgy. In real life, I would never. But with Lou Reed - sure. Also - "Sister Ray" is so incredibly great. Yes, it is noisy and terrible. But that's part of its charm. I was going to only go four with this but I've talked myself into - FIVE STARS
Kinda sloppy. I dig their psych stuff but I’m not sure why they popped off from this record. The self titled and loaded are incredible
Rubbish
Had never listened to this album before, but had really enjoyed other Velvet Underground albums. Unfortunately, I was disappointed!
White Light/ White Heat - 3/5 The Gift - 2/5 Lady Godiva's Operation - 2.5/5 Here She Comes Now - 3/5 I Heard Her Call My Name - 2/5 Sister Ray - 2.5/5
it was okay, nothing spectacular but i enjoyed it.
Phenomenal choice of Velvet Underground albums. A true 5 for this list.
By far not as interesting as their debut album.
Pretty songs
I like the first 3 songs the lasts ones are crazy and my ears hurt
This is really good. I cant believe I had never heard "The Gift" before or that I liked it so much.
Wow this is BAD.
166. ok
Jesus was this recorded on a potato? What is this awful noise at the end of the first song? Cool and now song #2 is just someone telling a weird-ass story. Oh great the last song is 20 minutes of noise. No thank you.
wow no thank you.
Alright but forgettable
Halva albumet är en intermission. Velvet underground måste vara det mest överskattade bandet någonsin, så hjälper inte att de släpper ett "album" som absolut inte kan räknas som ett album. Varför detta med i listan?
A pivotal album, there was nothing quite like it at the time. Noisy, feedback, abrasive, improvisational, droning, spoken word, stories about shootin speed, lobotomies, shootin dope at a trans orgy. It was all new, dangerous, exciting, and powerful. It rules, and even the aspects that kinda suck still rule. More or less the launching point for punk rock, noisy music, and critical for avant-garde rock. open your ears to it. I will admit, I was a fan of VU for a while before this one really connected. But it also scratches an itch that no others can.
Too much noise
Tried to get into it, and there were some riffs and vocal hooks I digged. But as a whole, it's just not that enjoyable.
A good album, I liked The Gift and Sister Ray the most.
listened to again kinda drags on
Im September 1967 bezogen The Velvet Underground – eine New Yorker Band, die damals mehr Berühmtheit als Publikum besaß – die Mayfair Sound Studios in Manhattan und nahmen in knapp zwei Wochen ihr zweites Studioalbum auf. Produziert von Tom Wilson und auf Verve Records veröffentlicht, ist White Light/White Heat ein Dokument radikaler Absichtslosigkeit gegenüber dem Markt: Noise Rock, Art Rock und Proto-Punk verdichten sich hier zu einem Album, das weder Chartplatzierungen anstrebte noch auf Radiorotation ausgelegt war – und beides mit bemerkenswerter Konsequenz verfehlte. Sechs Stücke, kein Füller. Der Titelsong ist ein Amphetaminrausch mit Hookline, „Lady Godiva's Operation" gleitet zwischen Traumsequenz und Alptraum. John Cale liest auf „The Gift" eine Lou-Reed-Kurzgeschichte vom Tod – monoton, dissoziiert – während die Band im anderen Stereokanal dagegen antritt. Und „Sister Ray": siebzehn Minuten, ein einziger Take, keine Unterbrechung. Die Band spielte, bis der Raum brannte. Gary Kellgren mischte das Ergebnis mit einer Verzerrung und Kompression, die viele Beteiligte damals als Fehler betrachteten – und die sich als die präziseste Entscheidung des Albums herausstellen sollte. Es ist John Cales letztes Studioalbum mit der Band; er verließ die Velvet Underground noch im selben Jahr. Was bleibt, ist ein Album, das kaum jemand kaufte und das trotzdem den Klang von Punk und Noise Rock für die nächsten Jahrzehnte vorwegnahm. White Light/White Heat klingt heute nicht nach Vergangenheit – es klingt nach einem Zustand. Wer nach Schönheit sucht, findet hier etwas Beständigeres.
So interesting. Not my favourite of theirs but really experimental and interesting. Love it.
In which Lou Reed and John Cale take nearly the entirety of late Sixties pop up to that point - Motown (the title track), Flower Power ditties ("Here She Comes Now"), British Invasion fuzz-rock (most of the rest of it) - into a back alley and beat it over the head with a crowbar. "Sister Ray" out-Morrisons Morrison (Jim, not Sterling), but the real star here is Reed's wicked sense of humor - "The Gift" and "Lady Godiva's Operation" are both laugh-out-loud funny in a way that allegedly serious artistic music isn't usually allowed to be. That said, much of this is meant to be respected rather than liked, which is another way of saying it's abrasive on purpose in a way that you may not want to necessarily listen to often. And I absolutely think they could've gotten to the point sooner with some of these. But as a standard-bearer for MoMA rock you could do a lot worse.
Pretty underwhelming for a Velvet Underground record. The whole thing felt a bit aimless and noisy for the sake of it, which I’m sure is the point and probably influenced countless bands I do like. Still, I much prefer their debut or Loaded to this.
This was truly awful. Most of this isn’t “music” - just noise, or talking (over noise). The most music-like tracks are fuzzy-sounding and have terrible song lyrics.
It’s alright I guess
I don't have it in me to give the Velvet underground a two but this just did not hit me when I needed it to.
I would give this album a 5 on the basis of Sister Ray alone. I mean it's such a depraved fucking song and it's so great. Between the 17 minutes of wacked out improv, and John Cale's massive organ sounds, and Lou Reed sing-songing "sucking on his ding-dong", I could listen to this crazy circus again and again and again (and I did). But the rest of the album is so fantastically abrasive and loud. Right. Up. My. Alley.
I love most of their albums, including this one. I absolutely understand people who think it is needlessly "cool" and weird and don't get it. In fact, I married someone who does not tolerate this album very well. For me, it is just the right mix of rock, pop, and boundary pushing.
White Light/White Heat is the only song on here I've returned to (and that a lot) over the years, but the rest is pretty impressive. For a droning eight-minute story-song, The Gift is amazing. Blew my mind the first time I heard it, back in high school when I borrowed the album from my friend Marc. And Sister Ray works even though it should be three or four separate songs.
4/5 - I'm sure some would like to get off the bus about half-way through Sister Ray, but I'm glad Ira Kaplan never did. Did D. Boon and Malkmus first here talk-rock here? This is a pretty essential listen and certainly deserves a strong spot on this list.
It’s experimental. I mean, that’s like The Velvet Underground’s whole deal but wow. I did learn that Here She Comes Now is a TVU song and not an unfinished Nirvana demo, so there’s that. I liked that song but didn’t really vibe with the rest of it.
Who knew I needed a 17 minute song about Lou Reed’s ding dong getting sucked? But seriously folks -I don’t know where I rank this in VU discography but do know that I like it.
i'm sure it was groundbreaking because it was inappropriate at the time but wasn't my thing.
Good album. Not a lot of songs, but most of what’s here is very good. Classic garage rock sounds.
A much noisier, and probably much more immediately challenging listen than the debut, but I love it all the more for it! It sounds like a riot unfolding in a cellar with the doors bolted shut, and the speaker volume knobs turned up to the max and snapped off. Largely gone are the "pop" aesthetics of the debut, instead being replaced by an avant-garde, proto-punk assault, owing to its heavy utilisation of distortion as layers of atonal cacophony and a show of rejection. The title track nestles with a nauseating, pounding rhythmic sprint, whilst the bookend "Sister Ray" is the album's centerpiece, and a masterclass in controlled chaos, as a 17 minute improvised jam. The organ and guitars are constantly duking it out with one another to be the dominant force whilst a hypnotic drum beat underlines all of it. Easy to see how it would have inspired forms of noise rock and even industrial music.
Wierd. Don’t get the motivation but the execution was good if noise was the goal. The story was the best part, the rest was just fine. Not my favourite velvet underground album, will need to read more about why it’s so highly regarded
segundo de la velvet un éxito
More experimental shit by Velvet Underground. Yeah hard pass. Only decent song is The Gift, and that is only because it has an interesting story. But it's not even a song, it's just the guy telling the story while music plays. And the music is too high, can't hear the words. Thankfully the music is all in the right channel and talking all in the left. I just moved the balance slider and I could understand the story. Best song: The Gift
Didn't take it in. Might need to try again
Was very raw and kinda just sounded terrible. Their other albums are actually enjoyable this just seems terrible to be terrible.
very cool how the Velvets use the same drugged-out, two-chord caveman rock to all sorts of ends here - the vehicle for insane sexual desperation, the relatively straightforward backing for two short stories, a gateway towards amphetamine-nirvana. it's like they're playing six different covers of the same song, six variations on the same dental-drill theme. as such, this isn't an easy record to love, even if love for noise-rock comes easily. i, who can get down with all sorts of nastiness, am totally filtered by Lady Godiva's Operation, the world's most horrifying song that is perhaps played as a joke. but it's an easy record to feel awestruck by, awe in the proper old sense where you're sort of stunned and repulsed and terrified. the band, even more than their previous outing, turn their debaucherous lives into an aural horror-movie. it's not the fun kind, but it's the kind that lives under your skin after the last bit of Sister Ray finally fades, still there keening along to the tinnitus you've given yourself by blasting it
Some pretty good playing and some bearable singing but dives into arthouse and the spoken word track probably works better when played to a room wearing sunglasses and berets But there's no denying the influence of tracks like Sister Ray on later music
Oh so when they play like shit it’s considered art and an album you need to hear before you die but when I play like shit I’m told I’m “ruining the vibe” and that I’m “out of the band”. I’m sick! Loved the bedtime story I got during this album though.
Not a fan at all. Unfocused.
Not much of anything
The Velvet Underground's first three albums are absolutely essential listens, even if you don't vibe with them, due to the influence they had on music. I have a soft spot for this album in particular, it is so aggressive and overdriven, with a raw intensity that is rare to capture on record. It doesn't sound like something that should have come out of the last years of the 60s - it sounds like something that would have come out of the underground in the 80s or even 90s.
Purposefully ugly and unpleasant. An extra star for the undeniable influence on grunge.
Gah. Terrible rock album. Too weird.
I fear this drug fueled album unintentionally inspired far too many noise rock MBV style bands. On the plus side I thought “sister ray” rocked
3.5 I never listened to this before. quite a bit more experimental and out there than what I was expecting. Guitar work was cool. Ive met at handful of people who I would consider true artists and I assume that you could call the VU ensembles true artists. They are typically are typically super weird and im uncomfortable around them but you have to admire that they can think differently from the norm and usually have a bit of drive for what they want to do.
Peak
Pretty mid nothing too good.
I take back every time I called something else pretentious bullshit, because this takes the absolute cake. What a self-absorbed waste of 40 minutes.
While White Light / White Heat may not be as shocking as the debut, it is certainly more upsetting. I can't even really pinpoint why, but there is something that feels viscerally off here that can't be accounted for by the guitar and cello squeals alone, though they do help. The debut's darkest, most pounding songs, the ones that feel like a heart attack, were counterbalanced by some genuine, if cold beauty. But here, that beauty only really presents itself on the still slightly uneasy Here She Comes Now. And the rest of this album is more punishing than even the most intense moments on the debut. I Heard Her Call My Name and the title track both kind of feel like watching a garage rock performance where the singer ODs on stage. It is just rock music, but it manages to feel unsafe. The Gift is an intense jam in one ear, and a recitation of a dark, if kind of funny short story in the other. I don't know, it just conjures something really off. And Lady Godiva's Operation is, to my knowledge, the first of many songs penned by Lou Reed that are explicitly and empathetically about trans women. The empathy here is a little more distant, but Lady Godiva's operation manages to so honestly capture a certain, trans specific medical anxiety that kind of hits close to home for me that I found the song to be *remarkably* upsetting. The last song here is certainly not least. Sister Ray is a 17 minute long noise rock convulsion. It actually elevates your heart rate and was quite possibly the most difficult song in all of rock music at release. And really, to get more challenging at the time in the rest of the musical world, you would have had to explore a certain kind of particularly punishing jazz record. By the way, it's worth noting that this was inspired by Ornette Coleman; it sounds like it. If you look into how this was recorded at all, you'll pretty quickly find a short list of producers who swore off recording for the band because they insisted on redlining their pedals, absolutely shredding the sound of this thing. And that makes sense, to make something this fucked up, you pretty much *have* to break something. I listen to a lot of noise rock, but there is something special here; White Light / White Heat sounds genuinely sick. There is something convincingly wrong here, and the experience of listening to it is completely unique.
I do love some of this album and I feel like it would be worth while to listen to is many times over to get a feel for the lyrics as they are the most interesting part of it all. I do love the trippy trance like vibe to Lady Godiva. Very cool for it's time.
Title track masterpiece. The rest a little weird. But of course very cool. 3.5
I don't really know this album and I've been told it's not their best but I liked it nevertheless. Lot of talk about sucking on dingdongs and finding mainlines. They knew what they liked and they weren't afraid to let you know.
I really don't know what to say about this record. Glad to have heard it, won't listen again.
they lost me here
The least accessible Velvet album. Interesting as a time piece punk/grunge before they were invented. Sister Ray is a rocker
more rocking than experimental. Good cover song. the rest, not that impressive.
Dirty and fuzzy and whilst not as accessible (or good) as their first album its pretty awesome - other than The Gift as spoken word songs are annoying. Love the drumming on Sister Ray. A high 4.
White Light / White Heat From pared back and sweetly tender to scuzzy and discordant, eccentric and abrasive in the most brilliant way and an equally brilliantly absorbing listen. The title track is a banger, doing the classic VU trick of a kind of simplified 50s rock and roll structure combined with a droning dissonance and lyrics about the seediness and grubiness of drugs and 60s New York. Sister Ray takes this same template into overdrive, adding an ecclesiastical organ and lyrics about sucking on ding dongs and is an absolute behemoth of a song, an utterly fantastic, relentless, addictive, pounding classic. In between I love Here She Comes Now and I Heard Her Call My Name, similarly simple in construction, but just as great. And over the years The Gift and Lady Godiva’s Operation have really grown on me. When I first had the album I didn’t much care for John Cale’s spoken word stuff, but now I think it’s great, darkly humorous but played straight with his South Wales accent. It's a fantastic album, and of course hugely influential, you can hear threads of it all through the 70s and 80s and the 2000s. Another easy 5. 🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳 Playlist submission: Sister Ray
Their debut was always going to be difficult to follow, but even taking that into consideration, this is especially hard to love. When they lean into Reed-led garage rock, it comes up trumps. 'Lady Godiva’s Operation', the title track and 'Here She Comes Now' are classic Reed melodies, with added scuzz. 'Sister Ray' is regarded as their magnum opus by some, but how it can be considered on a par with 'Venus in Furs' remains a mystery. This is not always enjoyable; actually it can be irritating. And yet is there anything quite like this? A certain sound, a certain approach that could only be the VU, and a heck of a wide-ranging influence. For fascination value alone it's a four.
3.0
6/10 As I've come to discover over the course of this project, I am a big fan of psychedelic rock. That being said, even though this album is definitely that, I struggled a bit with it. Each song individually is generally quite good, with one or two parts I wasn't particularly keen on; but when put together as an album, they don't really work. The flow is all off: some songs are too long; The Gift makes absolutely no sense surrounded by songs with actual vocals; and on occasion certain choices were made that interrupt what is actually happening in a song. This album is clearly bursting with creativity and is influential to boot, but song/album structure was put to the wayside in its development, to its detriment.
ehhh naur
Yes
Me gustó mucho. Hipnotizante.
The Velvet Underground, avant guard in the extreme. I thought I'd like it more. I tried listening to it sat working, I tried listening to it out walking, commuting, shopping. Perhaps it's an album that can only be appreciated when doing literally nothing else, but my generosity towards it has been spent and I'm moving on. It's best understood as theatre I think, it's certainly not pop music in any traditional sense. I remember seeing Kieren Culkin doing a tribute band called the Pizza Underground in the naughties and thinking it was a hilarious if talentless bit. Now I realise the parody was more accurate than I could ever have known, I just didn't have the context of this album, a collection of sprawling, hypnotic, tuneless yarns told over the same few chords chugged out for 17 minutes. I think it's safe to say, it was a one time experience, and I can't recommend it.
In a way a quantum leap from their debut, showcasing a leaner sound and the use of distortion and feedback in pursuit of art rock. Ultimately perhaps the songs are not as strong as on their debut (although sister ray’s swallowing up half the record may make that points moot?) but it’s a powerful and important artefact.
I mean, they got better with each album
It would be really hard for me to choose a favourite VU album, but if I was forced to, this might be it
What a strange experience... that was exciting
sounds like drunk chaotic whailing, appriciate the caos a little but goddam
This was so bizarre but I didn't hate it
4/5
The last song made everything else irredeemable by association.
I don't love everything the VU did but this is great in all it's fuzzed out and unpolished glory.
The gift was a cool concept song, but otherwise the rest of the album is a lot of noise. 4/10
Inventor of noise rock some 20 years before the matter. Not an album to really listen to all that often, it's quite grating and songs like Waldo's Gift lose their novelty when listened to more often. Still one I always like to return to, Lady Godiva is my favorite here and I think a lot of the non Sister Ray songs on here are pretty underrated. The hardest but probably most rewarding Velvet Underground album to listen to, even if it's still pretty tame by todays standards.