Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Here she comes…here she comes. I feel like we have gotten a VU album before and I enjoyed it, but this just felt like a waste of time. Each song felt like it was the end of a song where the person is like scatting or messing around on the guitar before the song cuts.
Our third from these guys, Lou Reed and Co. Definitely not as arresting or seminal as the banana album, and looking back I think I enjoyed the self-titled more as well, but still another great album from them. They're just a strong rock band with tinges of psychedelic, artsy-avante garde stuff. The one song I do know on here is "Here She Comes Now," prominently featured in Adventureland (one of the greatest movies ever, but that's neither here nor there). I do like that this album was only a handful of tracks, that's always fun. But yeah, a great album but personally I'd say it's the weakest of the three from VU that we've had. Favorite tracks: Here She Comes Now, The Gift, Lady Godiva's Operation, Sister Ray. Album art: It's mostly black, there's some sort of silhouette image slightly there, I can't make out what it is and I'd prefer to keep it a mystery. For some reason, in my mind I always associated this album cover with a much newer band, like mid-2000's Tom Morello type stuff. Think I was thinking of Velvet Revolver with Slash. 4/5
Proof that not all artists of the 60s were great - or in this case even talented.
Velvet Underground & Nico is better but WL/WH is still a solid album.
Not particularly exciting
This sounds like kids recording their first month with new electric instruments trying to make the worst noise possible.
it starts nice, but it drifts away into nonsensical, annoying noise
Listened to the two disc extended version. Broadly did not enjoy. Lots of repetitive tracks. Lots of dissonance noise.
Noooooooo.
Not for me
Too much Noise Rock. Not for me.
Some songs very good. Others just okay.
Interesting to hear the velvet underground before loaded. The spoken word track was not interesting, but overall a good album. 3/5 Might listen again
An overrated album from an overrated band. I thought I'd qualify the above with a statement along the lines of "With all due respect to the underground movement...", but I guess I only hold respect for the underground when it comes to public transport.
Listened a little not enough to have an opinion
I know this group was considered influential for the 60’s counter culture movement, but this is just noise to me.
Last tracks are insufferable
I get it but i like loaded
Was going through this album thinking of how badly it needed a remaster. I couldn’t hear shit and it was just meh. At least in the context of Lou Reed’s full career. Then “Sister Ray” came on at the end. She was too busy doing HUH to WHAT????
Interesting…
I like some of the Velvet Underground but couldn't really get into this album weirdly. Could have just been the day, should give it another shot.
My first time listening to this album, maybe even all of the songs. Very different from what I thought the music would be. Spoken word was very unexpected. Reminds me of Bob Dylan, but maybe that was the time and place of the album. I imagine the band being high, and intense like all the songs. This seems very punk in the sound, and intensity. Not sure about his one. I think I should listen to it again, and determine if I am drawn at all to the sound. It might be that this will create a soundworm in the future. I also think this was influential in music, and I should be able to hear these sounds,. voices and concepts in other later bands.
Ni fu ni fa.
Nja, var väl någon låt som var okej.
Too much meandering for my taste.
Didn't care for this album. It's too bad because this band has some great stuff.
I was kind of excited for a Velvet Underground album. Sadly, this album was a complete miss for me.
Yo wtf is up with the gift? I tuned out all that nonsense. Off the bat, this is garbo, maybe this is on the list because of the band name, not because of how the album is. Or maybe this is here because it "pioneers a genre" -- just because of that. it doesn't make this a good album.
a cool band and a cool record.
It sounds like it was recorded in little Johnny's basement and is repetitive but somehow they make it entrancing. Good stuff.
I really liked the other VU albums on this list so I was looking forward to this one. It did not quite live up to my expectations. 5/5: (None) 4/5: White Light/White Heat, Here She Comes Now, I Heard Her Call My Name, Sister Ray Rating: 3.5
Ok
Ikkje lika bra som bananalbumet etter første gjennomlytting, men regne med da vokse på meg. Pluss for at da har ein 17 minutt lang sang, bare trist at den ikkje e tilgjengelig på musikkspilleren min
Incoherent noise, not sure what all the fuss is about
Nr. 102/1001 White Light /White Heat 3/5 The Gift 1/5 Lady Godiva's Operation 2/5 Here She Comes Now 3/5 I Heard Her Call My Name 2/5 Sister Ray 1/5 (2x) Average: 1,86 At times pretty unlistenable. Just doing something that isn't mainstream or sounds new doesn't automatically make it good.
Jään kuuntelemaan tarinoita mutta vihaan kitaramelua ja aivan turhan pitkään jatkuvia outroja. Kiehtovaa mutta ärsyttävää (puoliksi hyvällä tavalla).
Koukut käytetty - aika eksperimentoida! Pisteet rytmikkäästä avauksesta, tarinasta ja Sister Raysta sikäli kuin se on biisi. Anteeksi mutta ei minulla jää John Calea kauhea ikävä..
doesn't interest me much. especially not the talking with the gift. got through the first two songs but then had to give up. it's just not for me
So good. So much fun. But not as special as Nico.
These guys have to be among the most overrated bands of their era. All of their stuff is just average at best; never understood their appeal. This album was no different - sounds like they were just playing their instruments very poorly during portions of it or uttering nonsense into an open mic. The talent in this band is just laughable. 3/10.
Not sure what it was but this was a horrible listen. I think it was just the dissidence in the lead guitar throughout the entire album. It physically hurt my head. Not sure if I liked any song because I couldn't focus past the guitar. :(
A punk album ahead of its time... rough and raw.
This was disappointing and shitty
Obnoxious sound, poorly produced
Bråkete og jævlig
Dull
Classic
Very good record! In my opinion the second best velvet underground album.
This was an interesting listen, but not one I think I’d revisit. Some fun spoken word bits, and track 1 was probably the highlight overall. Music felt a bit boring.
1. 3 2. 2 3. 3 4. 3 5. 3.5 6. 3 = 2.91
As ever, I appreciate how unhinged they are willing to be. I much preferred side two for exactly that. The album as a whole is likely not one I'll come back to often.
A wild and uneven record. I admire their bravery, but don't necessarily love the results. In fact, I enjoy many of the outtakes from this era, now included as bonus tracks on the super deluxe version, more than what ended up on the actual album. Those outtakes sound closer to what would come on their next album, which I adore. But I suppose they needed to get this wonky skronkfest out of their system first. This album is the audio equivalent to what I Imagine taking a speedball would be like. Let's take ALL the drugs... I would actually prefer to see these songs performed live in all their raw intensity. Rolling Stone apparently refused to even review this album when it was first released. Ha! As if you needed another reason to prove that Jann Wenner is a total wanker.
This is a cacophony in the greatest way. Somehow (maybe in help to) how distorted and janky the entire album is it works to be a greater sum than its parts. I’d love to know what the recording members thought while this happened. Definitely encapsulates the subject matter. It’s a mandatory jam going into overtime, especially with Sister Ray. What a template. I hadn’t heard this album in full and it was good to dive into it. I could see a lot of folks absolutely hating it, but the avante-garde nature somehow transcends itself into something more cohesive… somehow? I do like the recorded album versions over the extras though. Although if the actual takes sound like the extras, well done to the producers!
I have grown to love their other two albums. This one isn’t on the same level but I liked it enough. Between 3 and 4
Adjacent to so much I liked but there are only so many times I can hear "sucking on my ding dong." I hate this album.
Not pleasant to listen to.
My brother said “this album turned me into a music snob in high school” so for that, fuck you.
4. I love it. Not entirely my favourite album of theirs but it's very good. Some songs and experimentation were awesome but bring the album down a little compared to their others for me
its like if remain in light was bad
An absolute atrocity. I don't care what edgy vibe these noisy fuckwits are trying to put across, it's no good if there ain't a tune popping out every now and then. Just stupid dissonant noise. Gross.
Obviously bold, abrasive, and wildly ahead of it's time. There is not much to the way of objective opinion that I could say that hasn't already been said to death! On a personal level, I found this a far more consistent record than their debut; the lack of Nico on this one is a big plus for me. I love the sheer spunk this record does. It spits in your eye. However, while it is more consistent than the debut, it does lack a bit of the highs it had on tracks like Sunday Morning or Venus in Furs. Overall, I think this juuuuust misses out on 5 stars for me, but lands as my overall favorite from these degenerates.
Yeah, I like this. I think it is probably a low 5, but it still makes the cut for me.
Amazing record. A noisy-weird-rock n roll-avant garde mess, and it's a beautiful thing. This is when the VU are at their best, and this album captures it brilliantly. So many brilliant bands can be traced back to this record. It's not as good as their first album, but it still bangs.
El disc més experimental, obscur i complicat de la Velvet. L'adéu de John Cale a la formació, que marxa havent fet seu abans el disc. Rock experimental, ple de feedback, distorsió i aventures sonores que han estat molt reverenciades. A mí, respectant un gran tema com el que dona títol i acceptant la solvència de la llarga 'Sister Ray', em sembla el pitjor dels 4 treballs en estudi que la banda va gravar
Next 5 songs played by my Spotify Algorithm: Pixies - Wave of Mutilation Wire - Champs Minutemen - #1 Hit Song Talking Heads - Thank you for sending me Yo La Tengo - Stockholm Syndrome
First half is like being at the dentist but the second half gets it shit together and I can see how this was a major influence on punk.
Difficult listen but still p good
First off, listening to this sober is the wrong move. Also, looking for traditional song structure? Look else where. This one is for the druggies by the druggies. I honestly think this one is SO ahead of its time. Like, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr. were trying to sound like this 20-30 years on. If you dig early 90s indie noise rock you'll probably find something here to appreciate. I fucking dig it, not for everyone though obviously.
What on earth was that? Lo-fi recording can be an artistic choice, but this sounds like it was recorded on a potato. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: White Light/White Heat Date listened: 01/12/23
Very experimental album but not to my tastes.
Wow I was not expecting THAT.
Not great.
The Velvet Underground are legendary. This album, while hailed by many as one of their best, isn't a favorite of mine. I love the title track, and I think "The Gift" (which seems to be a divisive one) is incredible. But the rest of the affair just gets a little too noisy for my tastes. Did "Sister Ray" really have to be over 17 mins? Many would say yes. I do not.
Oh my.
One of those bands I'd heard a lot about but hadn't spent time listening to. Enjoyable and clearly inspired so many bands that followed, but occasionally hard to get through.
Liked it a lot.
The link here directed me to the deluxe edition of this album, and I wonder if that was really supposed to happen as I see now there is a also a regular one on Spotify. Listening to the original album version might've changed things as it seems much more condensed, but I can't be arsed to go through it again. This album has cemented my dislike of The Velvet Underground. Their first album is ok, but not really my cup of tea. This is much worse in all regards. The guitar distortion they have on all tracks is done in an ear-deafening way and not very nice. So many high pitched shrieks that are really unpleasant. It's not just the actual sound though, the songs themselves are super boring as well, and a few of them just drag on forever, like 'The Gift' and 'Sister Ray'. I think this probably has to be listened to with the fact in mind that it was released in '68, but it's hard to do that when it sounds how it does. There are many older albums that survived the turn of time, but not this one.
Man, how I didn't like this. Pretentious, noisy (in a bad way) and just boring. "The Gift" might have been fun if the story was actually any good. "Stephanie Says" is like a worse "Sunday Morning".
Very strange album. There are some highs, but more lows overall. You can see the beginnings of concepts, but it felt like then were never full actualized. I'd almost give it a 2, but Sister Ray saved it and I'll settle with a 3
This is classic. I love me some VU. This is probably my #2 album from them behind the album with Nico. My only gripe is The Gift. I hate the way John Cale reads it and I usually just skip it, but the story itself is fairly amusing. It still gets a 5 for the other songs, particularly Sister Ray, which I would certainly understand if some people hate it.
Shit, someone should tell Sonic Youth that these guys are stealing their sound!
A stark contrast to their legendary debut album, White Light / White Heat sounds as if it was produced by a deaf horse in a hurry. “Oh, but the sound was highly influential on noise rock and shoegaze. You like those, right?” Well, this still sounds horrible for a considerable part of the runtime.
I did not enjoy these noisy jams. Maybe if I had the context of 55 years ago I would have been more impressed by the experimentation given the context of the time.
Good album. A bit chaotic but enjoyable
dumb
Far from the worst on this list, also a country mile from the best. What sets The Velvet Underground apart from other similar bands is their seeming lack of fucks to give. I'd be willing to wager that more than a few people told Lou Reed he is definitely not a guitarist, but he had so few fucks to give that he did it anyway. They get a 10 for the punk ethos and a 2 for talent, but this was a fun album all the same.
This album is an early noise rock masterpiece. This record by the Velvet Underground is polarizing as it is not as accessible their other albums. Lyrically, it covers familiar and transgressive material revolving around sex, gender, and the self. Musically, it contains the roots of everything from punk, to shoegaze, to pure experimental noise rock. The final 17 minutes track is its centerpiece, and while challenging, is a definitive statement on the Velvet Underground's musical orientation.
2/5 nope
Definitely very Velvet Underground! A bit cacophonous but I know that's what they were known for in their live performances, and there's still some semblance of musical structure for the most part. Such an interesting group doing interesting things that ran a bit counter to what was happening in most of the music culture at the time.
I always kind of overlook this album with the simple reduction that this is Velvet Underground's noise album, but whenever I listen to it I love it. It's aggressive, broken and overdriven and raw. It's always a rewarding listen from a great band.
This one was okay
De eerste keer dat ik het luisterde voelde ik pas dat ik er tegen het eind wat in kwam. Toen nog maar een keer gaan luisteren en dat beviel al beter. Het is niet ‘goed’ per se, maar het is zeker niet saai en er gebeurd veel. VU spreekt me altijd wel aan, en daarom neig ik net richting de 4
I like some of the weirdness of this album and I like some of the songs (White Light/White Heat and Here She Comes Now) but overall I don't see it as revolutionary. Yes, it was everything what the hippy movement wasn't, so it made it underground/different/cool but feedbacks, guitar distortions weren't new at that time. I get that it had influence on the next genres (proto punk/noise etc) but overall I find it a weaker effort than their other albums.
The main thing this album has going for it is no Nico. A reasonably interesting listen, but by o stretch enjoyable. Certainly belongs on this list.
Pretentiöser Art Rock.
Just as meh as all the Velvet Underground albums.
One thing I noticed is how the left and right year = different sounds weird
Part of the soundtrack of my childhood! I was obsessed with The Gift - which I just called Waldo for years. I played it over and over revelling in the story with music, the different viewpoints and John Cale’s insouciant tone. It was just amazing to me - moreover I love all the other tracks - I didn’t realise then how huge an influence this would be on styles to come but I knew it was different and fabulous. It may have been in the folks’ record collection but I adopted it as my own and as far as I know their original vinyl is still in a cupboard infused with love and memories.
‘The Gift’ was insidious and perfect. Reminded me of Tom Waits’ ‘What’s He Building?’
Another development in this endeavor is that I've come to understand the Velvet Underground better than I once did. And for one hot minute, I thought maybe I'd even come to appreciate their art. That is to say, I was somewhere in the vicinity of a 3-star rating. And then... yeah. It went south from there. So, I still think I better understand what they were all about, but I'm not one to actually choose to listen to the sounds the group makes. I was going to write "musical output," but that might be taking it a step father than I'm willing to go.
I don't know how to rate this one. I love the Velvets but this has always been my least favorite. First of all, it sounds like ass. Then again, I think making it sound "better" would actually make it sound worse. I was surprised at how much I was digging Sister Ray today, as it's never one I want to listen to, but it kind of swept me away. Anyway, I wish Loaded was on this list instead of this one.
It's the avant garde nature of The Velvet Underground that wows me every single time. John Cale's voice and influence provides the edginess that's missing from the VU albums that come after this (though I love those too!). I heard about the song The Gift long before I actually heard the song because in my day, you had to actually buy music to hear music. When I finally heard The Gift, it did NOT disappoint. I'm a sucker for a long offbeat story and when you toss in a Welsh accent---swoon. Somehow the distortion and din on this album hit all the right notes with me whereas when other bands distort my ears bleed. Viva The VU!
I thought this was great. It’s got a 60s Happenings vibe to it, part beatnik party, part performance art. The white noise and distortion add to the atmosphere, sounding like the hubbub of a crowd or a poorly recorded bootleg. Favourite track: Sister Ray.
Do Ilove Lou Reid,? Yes. Do i hate his whiny bitch ass voice at 9 am? Why yes. That too
Like a good workout, it takes a while to really take off. In spite of the opening track. Still, most influential. If not the most listenable.
I expected to like the album more than I did. It was okay but in no rush to listen to it again.
Maybe there should be a set of rules when you get an album from the Velvets (or Lou Reed for that matter). For starters, they need multiple listens. The first time I heard this album, I hated it with the white hot intensity of 1,000 suns. But the second time through, my stance changed completely. Maybe I had better drugs this time around. That's rule number 2 by the way. The first 3 Velvet Underground albums are best experienced under the influence. Amphetamines are the obvious choice here. Like their debut album, this one's legacy is how it inspired many future bands who saw greater success than the Velvet Underground ever did. That's a shame, because no one was as successfully experimental like they were. This isn't a diss at all, but it's still my least favorite album of theirs (the experiments work better on the follow up to this one, and I always ride hard for the album "loaded" with hits). The third rule for all Velvet Underground albums is that they should only be listened to with great headphones. There's a lot happening here, I especially on both channels, and intense listening provides the greatest rewards.
Truly dreadful
Sorry, know they were supposed to be great but I found it naff.
3.5
It was enjoyable, but I think they have many much better albums and songs
I only listened through Sister Ray, I didn't do all the alt takes and lives as that felt like asking too much of anyone but die hard fans, but I did enjoy the first six tracks! A little overindulgent even for my taste to have a song about a handjob that is 17 minutes long but there were some enjoyable parts otherwise. The spoken word piece was interesting
I may rethink this but right now can’t go above a 3. I love the title track but the gift is just not musically interesting and sister ray is fine to listen to in the background but so so long. May have been a 4 if I wasn’t listening on an airplane.
Ok but I like Lou Reed much better on his own.
This was better than I thought it would be but still not for me. "Sister Ray" felt shorter at 18 minutes than "The Gift" did at 8. That one was unbearable for me.
Pas ouf, c'est bordélique un peu. Créatif mais anarchique.
Just like Sister Ray Said
A truly terrible album where I stopped listening after a few tracks, "the gift" was both bad and disturbing. Why are they famous?
Weird 60's drug music. I was kind of digging The Gift, but it drug on far too long. I much prefer their first album. A lot of just feels like noise.
Fairly good, but the 17 min song was not.
Certainly not as accessible, and for me not as enjoyable, as their other work. The Waldo story went on far too long, as did the final song. The Waldo story I would not have missed if it wasn't there, and the final song would have been better for being a lot shorter, it didn't go to enough places to warrant its length.
Like a gift that is so revolting you actually kind of love it. Speaking of gifts that song is a wild ride. Sister Ray is a cocophone of sound but with a purpose, I enjoyed it. Lady Godiva hits for me too. The only song that really sucks is the title track
Favourite tracks: sister ray
lou reed suck my nards u friggin poopoo butt
2 stars.
I've never listen to this album, but i'm a big fan of their legendary first LP, so i have some expectation on this one. First we have roughly the same lyricals themes, like drugs use (white light/white heat is about injecting speed or methamphetamine), gender issus, sexuality and Lou Reed's trouble youth. We ear John Cale sing in 2 songs (The gift and Lady Godiva's operation), this album made the achivement of being more experimental than their first one, maybe a bit too much for my taste, but its the velvet undergound so we have to acknoledge their influence on punk and alternative music. The album is less psychedelic and more noise and art rock, with song like The gift wich is a 8 minutes spoken song, apparantly the album was make to recapture how they sounded live. We could also see early punk, new wave and even metal eleent in some song like Here she come now and sister ray. The song I heard her call by my name is inspired by Jimi Hendrix and its guitar work look a but like run Run Run from their first album. The album is much more experimental and noisy than their first LP, but i also think its less good, look sister ray a fucking 17 minutes long partyaly improvised song and its more messy and wierd than anything a bit like the rest of the album, but not in the same way than the first one. I still respect how much this band was a head of their time and again influencial for all their sucessor, but this is not really my kind.
Following their abrasive and highly experimental debut, they take it even a step further with even more shocking effects, droning, and amplified distortion. Despite how hard it is to listen to, it's not as challenging as one would expect due to its short length, with just 6 tracks, and a few of them have many pop characteristics. "White Light / White Heat" is a standard garage rock song akin to many of their other songs, probably the easiest to listen to, with many catchy vocal parts and melodies. Although here we get our first signs of the distorted web, with a play on a guitar solo in the last minute. "The Gift" is vocal poetry read like a nursery rhyme, but with the distortion giving off consistent eery vibes. Doesn't really work as well as other attempts they'd make, like "The Murder Mystery." Definitely the weakest part of the album, but the story's interesting. Our next two tracks are pretty dreamy and can be seen as a pre-cursor of noise pop or shoegaze. "Lady Godiva's Operation" is pretty soothing despite the creepiness of the whispers and drones. "Here She Comes Now" is the outlier, with no unsettling noises, but some pleasant effects in the background. "I Heard Her Call My Name" is probably the most forgettable track. It's a cool bluesy garage track that reminds me of The Rolling Stones, but doesn't have much to stand out besides the crazy out-there distortion in the second half. Certainly the most chaotic. "Sister Ray" is the highlight, often regarded as one of their finest songs. The whole track is an adventure, a barely audible fuzzy movement that keeps going on-and-on in new and exciting ways. Doesn't ever get boring and leaves you immensely satisfied by the end.
Great!
i dont really care about this either
Usual squalling guitars. The Gift was ok, very obvious but gruesomely fun plot twist! Beginning of Sister Ray is good then it becomes the same noisy mess as European Sons's on ...And Nico.
Another great experimental album that does has some lengths on its second half. It also seems to me that John Cale is the more interesting character compared to Lou Reed. I enjoy his solo works a lot more.
pretty cool as expected. thought i was gonna like it a little bit more but still very good
Weer een gevalletje 'operatie geslaagd, patient overleden'... We hebben al eens eerder zo'n matige experimentele plaat van Lou Reed gehad, en deze is zo mogelijk nog erger. Ik zat nog heel hard aan redenen te denken om deze nog tenminste een 2 te geven, maar ik kon er geen enkele bedenken.
Wat gemompel dat losstaat van de muziek. Als er toch zangpoging wordt gedaan, is het een soort slechte Dylan. Af en toe nog het piepende geluid van een microfoon die te dicht bij de box staat om het af te toppen. Een 1, omdat lager niet kan.
Ik heb me eigenlijk nooit gerealiseerd dat al die Velvet Underground zo oud is. Uit de tijd van de Stones, de Beatles en de Kinks. Maar nog voordat Black Sabbath zogenaamd alle riffs uitvond. Tuurlijk, het klinkt wel oud, maar ik dacht dat het 70s was. De muziek (of mja, soms is het meer geluid) is vrij psychedelische rock met wazige spoken word in de eerste nummers. I Heard her call my name is een eentonig tromgeroffel, waar wild een gitaar aritmisch overheen loopt te janken. Sister Ray moet het sluitstuk zijn, de overweldigende climax. Maar het is een lange zit vol improvisatie. Kan me voorstellen dat dat live iedere keer anders is en de absolute fan die kickt daar op natuurlijk. Maar geef mij maar iets meer gepolijste liedjes. Meteen na het album start youtube toevallig een live uitvoering uit 1969 van Sister Ray, van maar liefst 36:52 minuten. Wat me gelijk opvalt is dat de geluidskwaliteit veel beter is, wie weet is het geremasterd. Maar dan komt naar voren dat het best wel richting bluesrock gaat. En dat klinkt dan een half uur erg lekker (zou daar zo een 4 voor kunnen geven). Maar ja, dit staat niet op het album zoals wij het voorgeschoteld krijgen, dus kunnen we het daar niet op beoordelen.
I respect this band a lot more than I like them. Especially this album, I have a hard time getting into it. If I’m honest, I have to go with a 3. Just like that Nick Cave album, Hüsker Dü, MC5, and other ones I’ll come back to. Not for me today.
Drew me in with its odd atonal random passages. Kinda became too random as the album went on and was hard to listen to
One of velvets more experimental less approachable records. Can see a lot of sucide on here.
I enjoyed the compositions, but they soon became far too repetitive. Lyrically, awful.
As with so much of VU/Lou Reed’s output it’s probably more influential than it is interesting or good. Not really something you want to settle down and just listen to.
stars calm but after a spoken word bizarre story turns into a highly experimental album with noises that arent always nice to hear but interesting for sure
I enjoyed the album, despite the fact that it contains a song over 17 minutes long. It turns out I like The Velvet Underground - never would have guessed it.
Proto-punk, sounds weird. A worthwhile story, a mediocre experience. 2,5/5
On tää kyllä hieno bändi hitsi sentään! Tämäkin varsin hieno levy. 4/5
Tää on kyllä tosi hyvää häröilyä. Harvoin näin sekavasta tykkään. Parempi kuin banaanilevy imo.
Kiinnostavaa tavaraa kuten bändiltä voi olettaakin. Melkoiset spoken word-setit keskellä. 4/5
I find the praise for this album baffling. Yeah it’s a contrast to the San Francisco flower power scene, but what was so revolutionary about it? This was 1968 not 1948 - surely people had heard distorted guitars before? And where are the tunes?? I’m sure their first album had some tunes on it… I did enjoy the storytelling on The Gift, but not much else.
Felt very experimental, chaotic song to end the album, and I have a feeling “the gift” is hilarious second listen needed for that song. 7/10
Je suis encore à pondérer si j'ai aimé ça. Je peux comprendre comment cet album est autant polarisant. Autant je suis fasciné, autant je ne suis pas sûr d'aimer. J'ai l'impression qu'il ne faut pas être à jeun pour apprécier au maximum cette musique. Clairement l'impact que ça a du avoir doit être immense. Je pense tout de même que certains passages ont plus mal vieilli que d'autres. Malgré mon indécision sur l'appréciation de cette oeuvre, c'est clairement le genre de truc weird que j'esperais découvrir sur ce site. Un autre album qui mérite amplement d'être réessayé. 6/10
I have tried to find something here which could justify two stars, but I had to give up.
Classic Velvets sound, but this one is really all about Sister Ray! That's all you've got to say I think.
Didn’t like it as much as I remember. Definitely too random noisy and experimental for me but I enjoyed parts of this.
bad length. I really don't like 8 minute monologues about shit I don't care about. I also dislike boring 17 minute songs about ding dongs. dogshit tier. I also don't really like the sound of the real songs either.
The sounds my turds make when they plop into the toilet bowl are more musical that this dogshit.
It's hard to stomach a dumb spoken word track on a six-track album, but when they just play (and there's no electric viola), it's magic. Unfortunately, that's only half of this album. Best track: Sister Ray
Hugely influential - even among other bands that themselves were influential (Modern Lovers among others). Yes - hard to get through sometimes but worth it.
This one feels insane, bit old but you can really see why it's here. Seriously creates an atmosphere. BT - She Called My Name - The Gift
2.75 stars If I'm going to listen to a velvet underground record it's usually and Nico. But I don't listen to much velvet underground.
Well, I hate this album
The pop sensibility of six-in-forty is truly demented. Headphoned, at least two tracks - and novel ones - cross the unbearable boundary. Yet the transgression retains the New York precision that can drive a rock music staple firmly into the historical fabric.
Yes it is my least favorite VU album but it is still a classic. 4.5 stars
Oh, Waldo... I don't ever get the urge to listen to Sister Ray, but no doubting it's existence.
It’s Velvet Underground!
I am often somewhat dismissive of Velvet Underground but I was really feeling the groove today. I dug it! 17 minutes is still too long for a track though.
Side 2 was far too thirsty for me, it was actually distracting. I'd probably revisit the first four songs, though.
Nö. 1 Stern
she suckin on my ding dong
I didn't enjoy this album at all unfortunately.
I never liked this band, the singles that I’ve heard, and listening fhe full albums doesn’t make it better. I can see the appeal, it’s just not for me. 3 out of 10
A whirlwind in the right light and temperature. A nightmare with the wrong elements.
Probably the album where my enjoyment will vary the most based on my mood. If I'm into drug based fuckery I'll throw it on. However, f I'm in any other mood...
It hurts my ears!!!!! It's so good!!!!!
cool
weakest VU. idek. not my cuppa when it comes to these boys but it probably influenced alot of stuff that I really like so i will never disrespect VU by giving them anything under a 4. hard review
Joku tarina pääpiirteittäin luontuu ulkoa toisto.. jos ylläpito kysyy... Objektiivista siis....
This is like shoegaze but in the 60s. The production on this is very noisy and compressed. I guess VU was playing very loud at the time and it couldn’t be picked up on the recording equipment? Not entirely sure. Pretty decent record nonetheless. Probably influenced a ton of records to come after it.
Other velvet underground albums were better
Incredible album. Need to listen to the first iconic album again, but I liked this way better on my first listen. The Gift is an incredible short-story song with punchy guitar behind it. Incredible. Not usually a fan of very long songs (17 min) but the last song keeps the vibe the whole way through.
Pretty awful
Was it groundbreaking/influential? = yes. Is it any good? = No. Is it enjoyable? = questionable.
I mean, I don't mind talking and stuff, but what the heck are those excessive noises... NO
What an absolute ugly mess. This is not good music, I do not enjoy listening to this.
Couldn't rate it higher. The audio quality held it back. It couldve just been the version I listened to
Mikið sem mig langaði að hlusta á þessa plötu í 10. bekk, svo heyrði ég hana og skildi hvers vegna hún fékkst ekki víða. Live Bowie coverið er mun betri en originalinn (honum hefði líklega ekki fundist það), en það er samt ágætt. Lady Godiva er líka hresst, en hitt eru aðeins of mikil læti fyrir mig.
Soft, and i love the old scratching effect that comes with old albums. 3/5
generally like lou reed and VU but this just feels really hard to get into with the poor production. Kinda sounds like the worse songs from VU and nico are expanded to make an album
I really like some of these songs. I really despise the others. The Velvet Underground definitely have a distinct sound, not that I enjoy it, but it’s certainly original. I admire the risk of experimenting they took, but, personally, it was just all over the place. 3/5
Art rock with absolutely batshit crazy lyrical content. Lots of noisy guitar solos. Not my thing. Too weird. Debated giving a 1 star, but it is listenable. Some of the songs have normal-ish structure.
Title track - sounds messy and muddy production wise, but the melody and interplay with the backing vocals gets stuck in my head once a week at least. The gift - the instrumental jam is good, I dig the story line, and I like John Cale’s Welsh accent. Lady Godiva - see above comment regarding John Cale’s accent. This is one of two VU albums to include him, so it’s a rarity I enjoy every time. Here She Comes Now - the soft spot on the record yet still a little dark, brooding and messy. I Heard Her Call My Name - I thought this would be the reason I gave it 4 stars, but I ended up enjoying it more than I expected Sister Ray - good groove, maybe doesn’t need 17 min but a great finishing track. A very coarse album, impossible to digest on first listen, but I can’t turn it off once I start listening to it. Definitely a good one to try out after the Banana album.
so ahead of its time. i love how noisy this album is. it is to noise rock, punk, and no wave (among other genres) what helter skelter was to heavy metal. sister ray is one of my fav 10+ minute songs ever
Disappointed here. "Loaded" is an all time album and the &Nico work is interesting and enjoyable. This misses The mark in my opinion
2.5/10. Didn't finish the album. Freeform, noisy, like jazz but rock. Wasn't for me.
Not a fan of Lou Reed, but something about the raw nature of this really resonated with me.
Pretty great. Some long songs. Weird story song in there, but always great to hear Lou Reed.
"she's busy sucking on my ding-dong". I ask you, has a more poignant lyric ever been written? Though I love Lou Reed so very much, I do think +17 minutes for a track is way too self-indulgent. Otherwise, you're getting exactly what you'd expect from VU, skewed very far left of avant-garde and a hop/skip off the path of experimentation into full blown mad science territory. It’s oddly hypnotic and shouldn’t work but somehow it does.
3.5..................................way to experimental for my taste
Lou Reed plays a cantaloupe on this one. "The Gift" to be specific. That's real, you can Google it. IDK, I think this is their most boring album. It's noisy, but not in an exciting way. They play some regular 60s rock that's mixed so low you can barely make out the lyrics, and once in a while Lou Reed comes in with a very distorted guitar. Marvel at their genius. Eh, it was cool in 1968 at least.
En ocasiones rock más pesado, guitarreo intenso, voz característica, inicios del rock tal como se conoce hoy. Le falta algo más de armonía y disparidad de ritmo
I hadn't heard this band before, because I hate Lou Reed's solo work. It's not as bad as I expected. It's good for a while and then it's very repetitive. I understand why this record is important. I like some artists who were obviously influenced by it, like Sonic Youth and the Pixies. Favorite song: The Gift
Mostly super early punk-ish tracks. I kinda liked Stephanie Says as it felt more like inspiration for Weezer or early Fountains of Wayne, so it was more my style. Overall nothing I would listen to again but fine for what it was representative of at the time it was released
Had to skip the 3rd track. And the 5th track. The orig release only had 6 tracks, so I only reviewed those. Velvet Underground has _way_better songs than anything on this album. There's actually some good stuff on the Deluxe release. 1/5
I'm glad that this 1001 albums thing gets me to listen to stuff I never would on my own. Also, I didn't like this one. I was waiting for it to end.
This is a weird as what I thought a Velvet Underground album would be. I have listened to the previous one (with the banana) but not this one. The spoken word track was a bit over the top, but the last half of "Lady Godiva's Operation" took it to another level
This feels very experimental. The second track is poetry which for me personally is difficult to listen to. Id never heard velvet underground before. I understand the album is a gateway to later genres but you can really tell. I wouldn’t call it timeless. The best track for me was White Light
3/5. I can see the appeal for sure but it’s not amazing. There is a swagger to the music and the instrumentation is the best velvet underground stuff. The issue is the songs are not repeated listens. You get what they’re going for after the first time. Best song: White Light, The Gift
I think their previous is head and shoulders above this. More interesting songs (although The Gift is pretty hilarious) and a bit more for the ear to latch onto instead of just noise/fuzz and dissonance. 6/10
I don't know. I really like VU, and I love Lou Reed. I also love the title track. As an album, though? It's a little tougher to swallow. I'm going to give this one star more than it probably deserves because of the things I just said I love.
Still not really my thing, but yeah, Waldo was indeed a schmuck
Loose and dark
I can't seem to get into it. Have heard other albums by them before, but it doesn't click. Maybe I'd need to give it another chance (or two) someday. Liked the spoken words of The Gift though.
Для меня не более чем просто еще один альбом в каталоге культовой группы... Даже как экспериментальное не воспринимается, для меня сильно сырое и гаражное - не значит экспериментальное.
Trop de distorsion et de n'importe quoi.
Get the fuck out
Pas besoin d’écouter plus, 4 pour the gift parce que c’est drôle et intéressant
This was pretty terrible. Some songs have great potential but the singer's tone/voice and strident noises just don't work. The rest is just over-saturated noise. Gave me a headache.
I said, "I wanna be a singer like Lou Reed" "I like Lou Reed," she said, sticking her tongue in my ear This Pixies lyric is mostly to blame for why I like Lou Reed and, by extension, The Velvet Underground. This album, I barely like this. Just barely. But ya know, it's Lou Reed, so it's fine with me. Was it just me or was the whole last song about somebody sucking on his ding dong? That was pretty cool. Would put on in the background again.
It's a bit of a slog, ain't it? Ghostbusters!
I gotta really be in the mood to enjoy this much feedback and repetitive madness. Today was not that day. I still like "Stephanie Says," but Shawn says, "Not today, Lou."
Gritty 60s rock, can see how it influences punk.
Man, could not get into this. 1/5
My favorite VU album
Went into this one ready to like it and enjoy it and sadly it just wasn't the case. Sister Ray is easily the best song and I'd say its the only track i cared about, which isn't the worst thing considering its 17 and a half minutes long. There's so much layering and different instrumentation, it's cycling and repetitive and I was into it. I can easily see how this would inspire a lot of bands to come. The other tracks just didn't interest me much or flat out were annoying. The gift is mixed so stupidly shitty and you know where the story is going to go halfway through it. Some very silly choices were made with panning the vocals left to right and back again and it's just annoying. I'm sure they were shitting their pants back then but it's gimmicky now. I'd listen to sister ray again but none of the rest. An the album art sucks. Score: 40 Art: 20
I'm glad there is a place for experimental music to be made, but this was torturous and it made me angry. I began by laughing at the absurdity of it all, but then that quickly turned into screaming shut the fuck up over some freaky 8 minute story time about mailing yourself to a woman and then getting murdered. You can like this and say it's ahead of it's time, which it probably is, but listening to a 17 minute noise rock song about getting your ding dong sucked just isn't for me.
Very interesting music, but blends into the background at moments
Chaos
2.5
Låter som de vill slå sönder sitt barnrum. Kanske hela kvarteret. Mycket bra.
I’m conflicted. It’s weird and noisy and oddly irrelevant. This does not conform to anything, and I think some could argue whether or not this is even music. Hell we have story about a dude mailing himself to a girl and getting stabbed through the box, and we a 17 minute power jazz record about sucking on a ding dong. Meanwhile, there are synths and guitars whaling all over the place. I wouldn’t say I vehemently hate this record, but I would have a hard time telling someone that I like it. I would just say this shit is loud, sloppy and strange. I just don’t know what to do with myself.
massa uns mas meio experimental (discurso em meio à musica), não tão agradável
Not a very good album in a way. WLWH is poor, Sister Ray not as good as the JD cover, etc But a great artistic statement.
What a lovely hot mess this is. Rambling story telling, protopunk thrashing, darkness and dirt. It plays less like an album and more like a slice of life.
Much prefer Loaded and Nico. This is jammier and get who they inspired as a result of it.
In many ways this even more experimental than the banana album. However the songs are a notch below and some of the singing by Cale is a bit off. Still, it's an enjoyable album and a reminder as to why the Velvet Underground stood out from many of their contemporaries.
Not quite the bannana but juicy still
Not their finest moment, but still very fine
Noisy poetic dirty fun.
I was only familiar with Velvet Underground & Nico 🍌 album, hadn't listened to this one before. I went with the non-deluxe edition, 6 tracks, conciser-ish. https://open.spotify.com/album/0HHmJpwOXXRJu9HI9iQiEO Funny with the opening track, immediately knew where LCD Soundsystem's Drunk Girls got its influence. For the rest of the album, I didn't care for it much, it's all over the place. Some call it art, most call it noise.
It was a good listen, I liked their sound. Felt kind of like live music, but in studio form.
An interesting album, especially with the poetry/story in the second track. I wouldn't really say I enjoyed this too much, though. Fave track(s): Lady Godiva's Operation
On first listen I thought it was alright, not great but listenable. Second listen some tracks were just a din ! 3*
Listened to this during quite a stressful morning and found that with all the spoken word it was too much... only an after work re listen I thought it was fine.
28th February 2023 Listened during the day while working from home. Took the floor up a bit and painted the living room. Peter softer, folkier Underground, parts of this (including the 17 minute central track) were not for me.
These guys were on another plane
Gritty, dark and chaotic. Gleefully, sometimes piercingly noisy. Lyrically vivid and provocative with dashes of whimsy. Pushes all the buttons VU liked to push, but stripped bare of the melodic touches that were on their first album. It can be a hard listen for some but it's pretty brilliant. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): White Light/White Heat, Here She Comes Now, The Gift, Lady Godiva's Operation, Sister Ray, I Heard Her Call My Name
Great tunes and noise.
9/10 maybe I need to give this one another chance some other time it’s obviously an incredible album, but I didn’t find it as good as their first or third albums it’s just the slightly awkward in-between album still amazing tho, just not as good I guess
5/5
It's interesting until it's annoying. I think more than anything, the Velvet Underground offer a glimpse into a sub-culture
Nothing special. Would not suggest or recommend it.
Another band that have this mythical reputation yet sound like absolute dog pants. Awful, 0 good songs.
A very solid 2, nothing very interesting though
The rock is good. But a seventeen minute song is fourteen minutes too long. I got ADHD, ain't nobody got time for that.
This is a really challenging album... it's messy and plenty of eclectic parts that start to take some of the straightforward nature of the velvet underground sound and start to twist it. I can't find much here to appreciate. A pass.
Sort of good, probably influential, I want to like it, and most of it is navel gazing bullshit I don't want to listen to again
I appreciate the creativity for its time, but this is tough to listen to.
nicely nice, love it but little bit looong
Well, this was an interesting listen for sure. I'm usually not a fan of the random garage rock esque playing of the more Avant Garde style of music, but there was certainly stuff here that I enjoyed. The story of "The Gift" kept me legitimately enthralled for the whole eight minutes, and stuff like John Cale's voice was very enjoyable, which was surprising after really only knowing Lou Reed from this band. I mean, this has a lot of issues, definitely, so don't mistake my praise for enjoyment, a seventeen minute song is almost always unnecessary, and this was no different, and not much was actually notable, like a case of trying to be too artsy with no real direction, but I could definitely see the enjoyment here. Gotta give it right down the middle, but I will admit this is perhaps my closest to the four stars of all my three stars? I'll have to fact check that for myself, but it seems right to say.
what the... c'était quoi cette album de velvet underground !? Pas du tout comme les autres. Est-ce que c'est moins bon, non. C'est vraiment différent mais il y a un certain charme dans ce bordel. 3.75
I get this is important. I can hear the influence it had on other stuff. But the stuff that came after is just.. better.
Groovy tunes
Pretty out there. Not as good as their debut by I like the rawness of it all
Ugh. It was annoying. The 17 minute song was definitely not needed and it just became noise. It was not good. I am rounding down.
Interesting
Brilliant drug fueled bummer music. It documents a scene and inspired a million bands.
Love this band, so many great and weird sounds.
Rock experimental. Coñazo.
I don't think I'm cool enough to be blown away by them. I really want to be, I'm just not.
Ovaj album je strava, a tek Sister Ray stvar? Uf.
Lou Read and VU are awesome but this this one was kinda meh for me.
A classic, but doesn't reach the highs of the 1st or 3rd records.
I want to like The Velvet Underground and there are elements of their music that I really enjoy. I can see how they inspired so many things to come. But it also drags for me and I can't wait for it to be over.
Heel erg chaotisch. Doet zelf af en toe pijn om aan te horen. Het heeft wel enige legacy, en dat is het enige pluspunt aan dit album
This sure was something. Very experimental. I've had an interest in The Velvet Underground, so it was nice listening to this. Not what I expected, but decent. I still enjoy John Cale's voice quite a bit. The Gift was a nice little story. I could definitely understand why people wouldn't like this, as sometimes it became a bit much for me. But, I liked enough about it to give it a 3. My favourite song was Lady Godiva's Operation.
Classic
Not a fan
this was fucking weird.
So I was accidentally listening to the extended version but didn't like anything on this and so much of it went on forever.
Its fine 3/5
I do not get them and the quality of the sound really takes me out of it.
Rock concebido e executado com arte.
Not... great
Thought i liked the band but apparently not :(
It is hard to put into words the monumental impact that Velvet Underground had on music, rock, and art. Emerging from the New York Punk scene, underground tapped into Lou Reed's lyrics and artistic vision to make not only important music, but push what could be considered music.
as a lou reed fan, white light/white heat was a disappointment. it's made up of the kind of experimental music i don't enjoy and don't find a lot of interest in. there were periods that consisted only of discordant keyboard smashing. i can understand the significance and influence on punk music, and its release in '67 was much earlier than other punk music. but i just didn't enjoy this. one positive is the storytelling in "the gift." yes, it's weird but intriguing. i don't think i've heard a song like this before. the storytelling was performed dryly by john cale, and it isn't too surprising it was written by lou reed.
I barely enjoyed this. This is mostly just mumbling, rambling, noise. Even the experimentation just sounded like they let some wild animals slam on instruments for a bit. I can get a little bit down with noise rock, which is why I guess this isn't coming in at an absolute 1. But I really don't have much good to say about this. Another strike for me with the proto-punk genre. We get it, these bands helped establish punk...but it was not very good. We don't need this many examples.
I was so excited to finally get a Velvet Underground album on this list as I missed the last one and didn't get around to making it up yet! This one is a corker. I really love the first few tracks. The opening track especially is so warm and inviting. Really cool sound classic VU so exciting with lots of twists and turns too. I get a bit irritated by the second half ish of the album but that's only because I'm listening while working from home and not live at a gig which would be awesome.
Well this was psych experimental classic-ness wasn't it. I found the majority of it really interesting to listen to, and again another album that is so iconic of a time. Made me want to be there. Really loved the one about the story of a man who posted himself. Hilarious! Well told story too. I can see why Luke likes VU so much at times, the repetitions and just going and going leaning into a riff so much. I might not have as much appreciation for all of that at times, like the 17 min song - but on the whole I did love it
I love Velvet Underground, even today it has such an individual sound. I must say I was NOT in the mood to listen to it today but I know I love it
Pretty great follow up
I've heard this one several times and unfortunately I just don't get it. Probably my least favorite VU album...
I think I’m just not avant-garde enough
Extraordinary album, one my favourites since I was young. Beautiful cutesy moments, horrible machine music moments, joyful little experiments, the odd inclusion of a Welsh accent among the squall which is deeply satisfying. Pale blue eyes is one of the simplest, nicest songs written. The album sometimes dissolves into an uncontrolled difficult morass but it reforms well. An iconic, stand out record. Although I wonder if the velvenlt underground are a five star band that only produces four start records.
Noise 101 The Beatles' first use of distortion was I Feel Fine. They approached distortion with white gloves on and everybody listened to it. The Who whacked distortion in the face with boxing gloves on in their song The OX. Nobody listened to it. They also mixed some lighter distortion in their songs they hoped would be hits and they got radio play. Lou seemingly couldn't give a fuck about radio play and gave us this opera of distortion sledgehammer style. Overall, the album feels like it's half baked although I guess noise is supposed to sound that way. Side 1 is, relatively speaking, tame. Side 2 is the ugly noise side. "I heard her call my name" ramps up the distortion level and Sister Ray is a full-on assault of noise. When listening to this, it's hard to imagine that four years later he would record Transformer and six years later, on Rock 'n' Roll Animal, he would show that he recognizes the benefits of musicians who can play, in the more typical definition of the word. I've come to realize that musicians have greatly advanced hearing so hear things that mere mortals like us don't. After so many years I can appreciate the noise assault on this album. I'm still miles away from Metal Machine Music and doubt I can ever take enough baby steps to get there.
Sheesh what noise! The title track is the most accessible, which isn't saying much, but from there it goes downhill. The gift is the sort of thing that you want to listen to once - just to hear how it ends. The vocal contribution by Reed on Lady Godiva's Operation is grating and amateurish. Speaking of amateurish, Here she Comes Now sounds like it was improvised on the spot. The last two tracks are distorted and hard to listen to and I guess it's that don't-give-a-shit-attitude that made this popular with the punks a decade later.
I'm not a fan of the VU and this album was even more unlistenable due to the terribly distorted recording.
Love the way The Velvet Underground experimented with styles and technics. The lyrics were very controversial and absurd, especially for that time. They just went a bit over the top with the distortions.
Classique
This somehow goes from possibly their most accessible song to their most unlistenable with a lot of chaos in the middle. There's a lot to love here, but also a lot of pretty horrible unnecessary feedback, and some dire mixing (Reed's vocals in Lady Godiva's Operation in particular are so jarring)
White light is ok, the rest are just rambly bollocks.
Not really a fan of how the album is produced. So distorted and sounds like noise. Made it hard to appreciate the songs.