The Velvet Underground

You would think The Velvet Underground were the second coming of Jesus or something with the way people hype them up, but the reality is they actually had little commercial success during their time. Honestly, I can see why. This is just your average underground rock album from the '60s. There is some interesting instrumentation and are an interesting enough mixture of rock and avant garde things, but it's very middle of the road to me. I wonder if the "myth" of the band is greater than the sum of its parts. The standout song is "Candy Says" which was actually surprisingly progressive and sensitive for its time. Excellent song. Other than that, meh.

The Velvet Underground albums with black covers are better than the Velvet Underground records with white covers. …and this is the best one.

However flawed he may be, I am a Lou Reed fan. This is the first VU album after John Cale left the band so the experimental weirdness that came from him and Reed together is lacking here. This makes for a more widely palatable VU sound, which is not a bad thing. I love this album! There are lots of standouts for me, the biggest being "Pale Blue Eyes," which is one of my favorite love songs/songs in general. I think this record is also a testament to albums as a cohesive piece of art as opposed to a handful of singles and supporting tracks. The pacing is fantastic. It goes from serene to rollicking and back again throughout, which creates this wonderful feeling of tension and release. This is especially apparent as the wacky, intense "The Murder Mystery" plays into the cute little ditty "After Hours." I also love that track as a closer because it feels like I'm being tucked in and sung to sleep as a night of partying, and the album, concludes. A classic.

This album is boring and is not interesting. I don't know why this album has 4.10 on rym

Mellow, bland, dull, boring. I guess I'm just not hearing what everyone else is hearing. But reading the reviews, and the book entry, I still haven't found anyone who was able to articulate exactly what makes this essential listening. One confused shoulder shrug. 🤷‍♂️

I really liked this. Actually, reflecting on it, I really, really liked it. Every song had something that caught my ear by way of darkness, tenderness, beauty, despair - usually all of the above in some transfixing you constellation. Then came the one-two of Murder Mystery and After Hours, which really sealed the deal. Murder Mystery staggered me - so many of the (emo) songs of my youth lifted wholesale the double-voices murmuring gnomic, dark lyrics - it was truly surprising to hear this approach on a record 45 years older than those songs. Then After Hours acts as a gorgeous counterpoint to all that fevered intensity, and sealed the deal - the deal being that I really, really liked this.

Interesting but can’t get me excited.

This is terrible. Lou Reed has just never clicked for me. This does nothing to change that. It’s just boring, meandering, and pointless.

During a heroin zonk-out on their previous album, Lou says, “and I know that I just don’t know”. He probably says it a few times. Heroin is like that. Here, considerably less heroin’d, and aided by melodies and vocals so affectless they’re almost childlike (just joking—you ever heard a kid make music? it’s shit) he shows us in exquisite detail just how much he doesn’t know. “What do you think I'd see if I could walk away from me?" “Between thought and expression, lies a lifetime.” “Here comes two of you. Which one will you choose?” “That's the difference between wrong and right. But Billy said, ‘Both those words are dead.’” They’re the questions, thoughts and feelings the great unwashed have every day. They just can’t put them in such a way that they retain their allusive, liminal quality, yet feel entirely accessible. Happily, Lou shows us he can brain-fart, too. The whole of Murder Mystery, for example, or the one where he says, “I wore my teeth in my hands, so I could mess the hair of the night.” Sure you did, pal. Elsewhere, After Hours may be the most unassumingly beautiful song ever recorded.

'The Murder Mystery' is easily the best and craziest song on this album. Two verses at the same time by different people hard-panned to each channel, with strong instrumental backing. 8/10, want more like this song, but the banana album is better overall.

What the fuck is this? It's fucking brilliant that's what it is. Why have I never heard this. That's on me really.

Songs were a little hit or miss but overall a nice chill album that felt relaxing and easy to get through

More late 60s, hooray. Lou Reed sucks, his band sucks too. 2/5.

Fell asleep briefly in the middle of the day listening to this. When I awoke it was to a cacophony of babbling. Then Mo Tucker sang a song. Most unsatisfying.

The Velvet Underground should stay buried. Sounds like the soundtrack to some bad romcom movie. I couldn't sleep at all lest night but this album almost cured my insomnia.

Three albums from 1969 so far this week. Great year, and this is probably the best of them. Timeless, influential and so listenable.

8/10

I’ve heard this album a lot over the years, but I’m really enjoying it more now today for some reason. It’s nicely cohesive for a VU album, and far more musically accessible. The absence of John Cale gave the band an opportunity to be a little more restrained, moving into fresh territory while still retaining some of their trademark grit. The album also feels like more of an all-band affair, and frankly just sounds like they’re just having fun. The lyrics are more contemplative and emotionally earnest, with less of the cool cynicism you might expect from VU. The band really nailed a certain moody, melancholy vibe, one that other artists have been chasing unsuccessfully ever since. I really like the collaborative aspect of the vocals that the band took this time around. Lou Reed had a strong pop sensibility, which I don’t think a lot of people give him credit for. He didn’t want to do the vocal on every song, and the other band members were brought in to do lead or harmony depending on who he felt was most effective for each song. Doug Yule probably doesn’t get enough acknowledgement for the quality of his vocals, but his work on “Candy Says” is really lovely. Also, Moe Tucker on “After Hours” at the end is such a bright blossom of a song. When the band ventures into more energetic fare, the commingling guitars of Reed and Sterling Morrison are riveting, the sonic equivalent of a sneer. I tend to favor tensely melancholy songs like “Candy Says” and “I’m Set Free,” but the punchier little rockers like “What Goes On” and “Beginning to See the Light” are great fun, full of the old VU jangle and burn. “The Murder Mystery” is some kind of wackadoo madness that you’re only going to find on a VU album. It’s noisy and outlandish and so very 1969, but weirdly fascinating. The album would have been better without it, but you just know they couldn’t help themselves. And I can’t help but love them more for it. Fave Songs (all songs, in order from most to least favorite): What Goes On, Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, Beginning to See the Light, I’m Set Free, Jesus, Some Kinda Love, After Hours, That’s the Story of My Life, The Murder Mystery

Quite liked about half of this, although largely fairly forgettable. A few songs bored me a bit. Might benefit from a deeper understanding of the band/context. Not really what I expected from TVU. Much more folky (almost country?) than I imagined. Quite like the sad/relaxed vibe to some of the songs. REALLY like After Hours - probably the only song I'd return to. Faves: After Hours Pale Blue Eyes Least faves: Jesus I'm Set Free Track-by-track: 1) Candy Says - Striking lyrical start. Chilled. Sad. Like it. 2) What Goes On - more upbeat. Jangley! Like it a lot. Good organ. 3) Some Kinda Love - yee ha - country. Less keen. 4) Pale bule eyes - pleasant. Relaxing. Not sure its supposed to be. Sad vibe. Like it. 5) Jesus - bit dull 6) Beginning to See the Light - like the harmonies bits. Bit Bob Dylan otherwise. Meh. 7) I'm Set Free - nah, not keen on this. Dull and also a bit irritating. Folky at the end. 8) That's the Story of My Life - Jaunty. Fun. Nice little interlude after a bit of a drudge. 9) The Murder Mystery - System of a Down! Organ! Weird vocals. Some spooky and some talking. A bit odd. Don't mind it, but doubt I'll listen again. Liking it less the longer it goes on (which is long). 10) After Hours - Nice. What does this remind me of? Mr Rodgers? Really like the happy tune and sad lyrics. Soudns like Mouldy Peaches. Which is a good thing. Maybe my fave on the album (sorry Lou).

I was majorly into The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed circa 18 years old. Even spent what was probably an entire paycheck to buy the Peel Slowly and See boxset. I remember having a crush on a girl I worked with at the grocery store and lending her this cassette. I don't think she was that impressed. Looking back I'm wondering if I truly was that into The Velvet Underground or whether I was just being pretentious. Probably both. But listening to this for the first time in maybe 30 years I knew every word except for the long song where they just talk into both sides of the mix. Jesus is still a standout on all levels and I'm not sure why that song is not talked about more in the Velvet Underground canon. Also justice for Doug Yule, that guy was doing some heavy lifting here. Rounding up for nostalgia.

Phew I was worried yesterday's gem was a happy blip on an otherwise trashcan radar. If yesterday's album got me imagining ripping a giant bong and sinking into a couch while jerking it to Zooey Deschanel, this album makes me imagine dressing in all black, injecting just the tiniest amount of heroin, and squeezing lemons on Nico's cheek bones. I don't know if I've ever fallen in love with a voice quite as hard as Moe Tucker's in "After Hours". She was also their drummer—Matt, maybe this is an opportunity for you to lilt a tune while drumming during our next jam. Who knows what bulges will emerge. It's hard to not feel cooool, maaaan, while vibing to the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed will swallow you whole and shit you out into Andy Warhol's Factory.

I don't care for Lou Reed's voice and I think The Velvet Underground are largely overrated. But this album wasn't too bad. It was cruising for a high 3 star rating but then it ended on a shitty note with the bizarre (and not in a good way) "The Murder Mystery." Left a yucky taste, so I grant this album a begrudging 3 stars rather than a curious and optimistic 3 stars.

This album works whatever my mood. Sometimes I feel so happy, sometimes I feel so sad...When I'm up it feels bouncy and celebratory, when I feel more introspective it still feels in tune. That's before we get into the fact that this band made - to this point - three absolute classic albums, all of which are so different from each other. Beginning To See The Light and What Goes On will always make me smile. One of the best.

Heck yeah this album is brilliant. There are no bites of the commercial apple taken on this and I'm glad for it. Mellow and lo-fi, I'll be adding this to the rotation. Just exactly perfect for a Friday morning. I think Kirk Hammett said it best, "when Lou Reed says he wants to make an album with you, you say yes." 5 stars all day, everyday, in my book.

Candy Says and Pale Blue Eyes have been some of the most important songs in my life since I was a teenager. The blend of calm and melancholy have been a source of much comfort in many different times, and also a source of enhanced wallowing when I could not wallow to proper depths unaided. I have heard What Goes On described as "a big swingin dick of a song", and crass as it may be, I cannot disagree. The Murder Mystery is probably the only song I'm not as in to, but hey, who am I to tell the Velvet Underground what to do. After Hours is such a great contrast to the rest of the album. I really wish she hadn't gone off the Right-Wing deep end. Album cover: (B) Its good but its no banana.

10/10 The Velvet Underground’s first 3 album run is possibly the greatest album run in Rock history, first by cementing an Art Rock classic in 1967, the most grotesque and Avant-Garde Noise Rock masterpiece in 1968, and with this, one of the most beautiful and lovely Pop albums of the 20th century. If you at all loved the lovely’s tunes on their first album, you are presented with an albums worth of wonderfully written and delightful melodies and tear jerking lyrics, a complete whiplash that displays the versatility and range of Lou Reed and company. I love gay people and Jesus!

Hard to believe how early this music was. So ahead of its time.

Masterpiece! Wondering if song - the murder mystery was taken as an inspiration for chop suey. Tried googling it, didn't find any info saying it was, but I'll live my life further believing that it's true. Overall I really think this album is a piece of precious art and should forever be cherished!!! Listened to the 45th anniversary deluxe edition, really appriciated the live versions of their songs from other albums, very nice. What can I say, I really like the velvet underground.

I want to start this review with the one complaint that I have about it. I did not enjoy listening to "The Murder Mystery." I have... respect for the song, but it just give me too much of a sensory overload that I feel like if I ever listened to this album again, I would probably skip this song. But would I ever listen to this album again? Yeah, probably. Aside from the one skippable song, this is basically a perfect album. Going back to when I listened to Lou Reed's "Transformer" a while back, my one complaint with that album was that I didn't like Reed's singing. Fortunately, his singing in this album is a million times better. The singing from the other members is great too. The songs have interesting writing that makes you really think about these songs. The instrumentation and tone are expertly crafted as well. Overall, this is a (mostly) phenomenal album, and I'm willing to excuse the one song that freaks my brain out and give this album a 5/5.

The machine has started the week kindly. I won't try to write something new about a record that's been dissected, scrutinised, extolled and rolled between many a sticky hand. My experience of listening to this today was marred by some randomizer I couldn't switch off in the car that kept jumbling the record, usually to play 'After Hours', one of the two songs on this record that I find a little irritating - the other is 'Murder Mystery' - though I'm glad they exist. The randomizer also threw 'Foggy Notion' at me, which is not on the record, but should have been, and is one of my favourite rockers in their repertoire, so irritated me in a different way. So I'm knocking one star off their six as punishment.

Love all of this ("The Murder Mystery" included), probably the VU album I listen to most (sorry, John and/or Mark). I could play "What Goes On" on repeat ad infinitum, love that proto-Motorik drone groove (see also "Foggy Notion" elsewhere). Just so good

Mellow and reflective with the aggression dialled down from their other efforts. A sobering soundtrack for that inevitable moment when all tomorrow’s parties turn to morning-after, makeup-smeared, self-loathing introspection.

more cozy music! much calmer then their debut, so i glom on to it faster. 92/100

Candy says is such a beautiful song

Feels like a bridge between the more experimental early VU and the later Loaded era. After hours feels like it was written yesterday.

This album is very cozy and enjoyable. Liked songs: Candy Says, What Goes On, I'm Set Free, The Murder Mystery Favourite songs: Pale Blue Eyes & After Hours

Solid jams! 4/5 just reminds me of oldies

Overall, I did like this album. No songs really stood out to me, but it was a good vibe all the way through. Some of the lyrics were really nice and I liked the sound.

Overall, I enjoyed it but some songs were still a bit trippy for me.

More mellow than I was expecting which was a good thing. Interesting, I'll have to revisit sometime.

Really good. One's always thought VU to have got overrated after years of being underrated. Their massive influence is legit of course, as is quite hearable here, easily their best record because the least pretentious and most earnest. Understatement worked well for them, particularly LR. "Pale Blue Eyes," "Some Kinda Love" and "After Hours" are all great, and other cuts are interesting, and the whole thing feels like a nicely integrated whole, and a product of them not trying too hard. Aside: It's weird to do an eponymous title on a third record, especially given the "w/ Nico"the debut.

I had never listened to this one from the Velvet Underground. This is a really good record, somewhere between the sneer and agression of their first one and the sunny disenchantment in Loaded. Though John Cale has left at this point and been replaced by Doug Yule, the tension and dissonance he was bringing to the whole is still haunting some of the songs, like with the organ in What goes on. Lou Reed is maturing as a writer really in his own league, but this feels like a transition: where the tension between Cale and Reed was driving the early Velvets' music, the center is visibly moving on this one. Love the doo-wop accents on Candy Says, a nice wink from Lou Reed to the music he grew up listening to in the 50s. And the nod to early R'n'roll on Beginning to see the light. And I love the closing song, with Moe Tucker singing, bringing to the foreground the child-like innocence and simplicity that drives most of their music, even at its most furious. Though it does not reach me as viscerally as their first record, this album is a great listen, with some amazing moments: Candy Says and Pale Blue Eyes are easily among the best songs Lou Reed has written. There is a kind of purity that he reaches at these peak moments. These songs feel like quiet creeks that invite reflection (the mirror is a theme in the Velvets music that reappears here and there here): moments of peace in the chaos. I don't know many bands who can capture this sense that beauty and chaos are merged at the hip, that there cannot be one without the other. The beautiful, the quiet, the still carries the memories of the grit and the filth it emerges from. And the oceans of noise carry the seeds of grace. It is playful and dark, graceful and filthy, honest and sarcastic, full of paradoxes. Just like life, and just like humans.

Listening to The Murder Mystery while at Atlanta International Airport has to be one of the most surreal experiences with music I've ever had! Overall, the vocalist balances traits of both anxiety and tranquility efficiently.

Surprisingly gentle and charming. This had a lot of sweetness to it backed by strong songwriting. And while we lost John Cale and subsequently a lot of the bite that I loved in the debut, we also got rid of Nico. So, you know, trade offs.

Aside from the iffy experiment "Murder Mystery", this album is tight from top to bottom and shows a lot of craft. Reed's vocals and lyrics are their characteristic mix of enthusiasm and apathy and ruminate on love and morality.

I really enjoyed this one. The songwriting is intriguingly subtle (especially for The Velvet Underground), the performances have an enchanting energy, and the production is appropriately raw. "What Goes On," "Pale Blue Eyes," and "Beginning to See the Light" are absolutely fantastic examples of alternative songwriting. It's a power album for The Velvets where they flex and show their depth. My guess is that most detractors get stuck at "Murder Mystery" which is admittedly extremely avant garde. But it's not enough to tank the whole album and, if you take the time to dig into what's being said, it's actually a really great piece of poetry about existential identity confusion brought on by an onslaught of popular culture. It's often considered to be a great example of the power of modern poetry.

Why have I never listened to this album in full. Simply outstanding from music to lyrics to overall vibe. Going in the keeper pile.

'Down for you is up' is maybe my favourite lyrics of all time not because it is difficult or clever but it's performed with such beautiful simplicity that I want to die a little bit every time I hear it. Does anyone else think I look a little like Lou Reed on this album cover? Just similar energy. He's got good posture though.

This list has definitely made me a Velvet Underground fan. I love this stuff. Nothing really sounds like them, even in the decades since, everything they do is interesting because it's unique. If nothing else good comes from the 1001 albums, opening my eyes to these guys will be worth the time spent. I feel so at home with this music.

I think this album is really gorgeous. It's deceptively simple, but the chord structure is nearly always flawless. Reminds me of a bit grittier version of the Beatles. Banana album will always be my favorite, but this rocked.

Never been a huge VU fan because my only point of entry was Lou Reed's solo stuff, and my one coworker who only played their live stuff. I like this quite a bit. "The Murder Mystery" is an absolute mess, but I really enjoyed the rest of it. Lackadaisical, subdued, easy listening. Favorite tracks: "Candy Says", "What Goes On", "Beginning to See the Light"

i love them but a lot of the songs sounded like they didn't have energy in them

Slow, Melancholy, forgettable, unremarkable, and boring at times I dont think I'll revisit the whole album often, if ever, but Candy Says is a beautiful song I liked. I really disliked The Murder Mystery. Overall I give the album a shrug.

Some laid back folk/pop rock. Not what I expected from The Velvet Underground as this was my first time listening to them, but it was ok. Hard to believe this is 1969 as it sounds pretty fresh to this day - smooth, laid back clear production and vocals. However, there’s nothing here that sticks out to me and I’ll likely never revisit. It’s fine to have on in the background while I’m doing something else.

I don't care for this album at all, but I just want to shout out the final song - After Hours - which is amazing and was doing the modern indie bedroom pop thing 4 decades before that became common. I'm glad I had the opportunity to listen to this album for that song alone.

# Playlist track - After Hours # Notes - Not particularly interesting. - Found "Murder Mystery" to be way too gimmicky and the rest of the album to meander between "oh, that's really nice" and "can't this track just end already?"

Abysmal, barely a single coherent thought in the whole shebang. Absolutely rubbish, but still better than the Nico album! 0.00000001 🌟

Super boring. One long section of chord vamping made it sound like the mixer forgot to layer in the guitar solo. Least interesting 60's album thus far.

der erste song ist so interessant, finde Candy says richtig richtig gut, hätte nicht gedacht, dass das aus 1969 ist. => generell so so cool, finde das immer noch crazy dass das so alt ist, finde fast jeden song richtig cool und das album hat mich sehr überrascht

Incredible vibes

After The Beatles maybe the band that has had the most influence on my life. From my first exposure to The VU via their debut album (I liked the pink banana on the cover LOL) back when I was a little brat too young to be thinking about pink bananas and spanking butts - I fell in love. No other band (not even The Beatles) reminds me more of myself. If I was music, I would be the first 4 VU albums. Squeeze is NOT me. It's an imposter! A creeper! A self-loathing lout! I can't imagine the world without me.

A new iteration of the band and largely devoid of cales avant garde influence, lou might be at his melodic peak and I can’t get enough of sterlings guitar tone. Perfect in a new way.

Loved every second of it. Never wanted it to end. This one is going into the regular rotation. My favorite track was "The Murder Mystery" -- it was a tour de force. The end part where they sing different things at the same time was some of the most impressive song production I've ever heard.

It's not as good as the debut but it's still brilliant. Another album where I like every single track. Candy Says, After Hours and Pale Blue Eyes especially are some of their best

Great album. Really liked it. Can’t understand why I didn’t listen to it years ago.

Not as amazing as Nico, but still an amazing album. Candy Says. Pale Blue Eyes. Beginning to see the Light.

Wonderful! It seems like I have to keep re-learning this lesson, but I really need to stop assuming things about bands based on their publicly identifying fans.

After Hours ❤️

Incredible - 5 Stars.

This was great. Even the odd experimental craziness that was murder mystery worked for me. 5/5

It is still a great listen and got a positive vote from my nine year old granddaughter as well. A sound of it's own.

4.7

AWESOME

Not spectacular, but wonderful. Low key. Perfect in it's own imperfect way

++*: After Hours ++: Candy Says, What Goes On, Some Kinda Love, Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus, Beginning to See the Light, I'm Set Free, The Murder Mystery +: That's the Story of My Life 9,7/10

A simple masterpiece that will revolutionize music in the upcoming years and will influence many, many great artists.

I loved this

I just love this band so much man

Can't be certain I've listened to this before, but 4 songs in I am nothing short of in love. Candy Says is quite a low-tempo opener and an absolutely beautiful song. What Goes On has a wonderful warmth about it. Pale Blue Eyes is a familiar one, though I can't say where exactly I've heard it. Such a simple, yet effective piece on which Lou Reed's characteristic deadpan delivery sounds about as smooth as it ever has. Might be one of the best songs I've listened to in recent memory. The Murder Mystery is a kooky one -- instrumentals make me think a lot of Explosions in the Sky -- with the overlaid rampages spoken word. After Hours is a nice stripped down closer. Loved this album through and through. Sneaky 5.

Прекрасний альбом, якраз для мого сьогоднішнього настрою.

Actually never listened to full album by them. Realised they’re really good. On this one I can hear how they influenced the later work of my favourite band, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, and it makes sense that John Cale (I know he’s not on this one) would call their debut his favourite album.

first VU LP without John Cale, so the melodic sensibilities come more to the forefront here. you also get vocal turns from Doug Yule on the opening track and from Mo Tucker on the closer track, and they both crush. "What Goes On" is one of the all time greatest rhythm jams, especially their live recordings from other releases (notably the version from The Matrix Tapes).

Can you imagine if Moe Tucker had ever hit a cymbal hard? The world might be a totally different place.

I love them all, and it feels heretical to say, but this is probably my favorite VU record. At least the one I listen to the most. They lose the camp without Nico, the abrasiveness without John Cale, the cachet without Warhol, but really tap into the sweetness about hard living when they focus on songs. They sound more like a band on this record than on any of the others. "What Goes On" and "Some Kinda Love" are the best grooves they ever came up with and "Candy Says" and "Pale Blue Eyes" are as pretty a songs as there are.

A lot less noisy than other VU albums, but just as good. And you know what, a good enough level of noise and craziness. Great shit.

I think this album has kind and friendly melodies, liked to listen it🥹 but to me it is very similar to many music in 60th years era)

Every twee indie record of the past 30 years needs to give this record its flowers. This is my go-to Velvets record when I'm not in the mood for the chaotic noise of the debut album. 'Candy Says' and 'Pale Blue Eyes' are two of the most beautiful songs ever. 'After Hours' is a delightfully innocent closer that features drummer Moe Tucker on lead. This is one of the best albums of the 60s for sure.

Essential

The bomb

Needs more than 5 stars. OG indie band

First VU album where they were trying to make a pop record. Without John Cale the experimental stuff (the murder mystery) does fall short. Doug Yule’s first record with them and as always his voice is beautiful and really adds some depth to Candy says that Reed could write but not sing. It’s definitely in my top 3 vu songs. My first VU album I ever heard- so always a 5, despite the fact that it definitely has a couple skips on it.

normal guy voice: I LOVE THE VELVET UNDERGROUND New fav: The Murder Mystery

loved down. already somewhat familiar with the album but great to sit and listen to. love when lou reed moans a little 👍

All-timer

I have deliberately laxed my standards on what a 5 star album is. I used to reserve that kind of score for transcendent, life-changing experiences...but that's limiting, isn't it? Why can't something just be a kickass collection of songs? If there are no bad songs, it might as well be 5 stars, right? This album is one of those. The experimental edge of their previous work is gone, but they still come in hot with an almost perfect set of tunes. The stretch from Candy Says through Beginning to See The Light alone is so flawless that it earns the album a high rating.

I've always enjoyed the Velvet Underground and I enjoyed this album, they achieved such a melancholy and gritty sound which I somehow also find relaxing and tender. I like the collaborative vocals, and the mix of songs like PBE to punchier ones Murder Mystery

I LOVED this album. Not sure why I initially thought I wouldn’t enjoy this album but I ended up thinking it was amazing. Firstly, the production across the album was SO good, I loved how raw/gritty the music felt, it had great cohesion, you could totally zone out while listening to this album and still think it was great. It does feel a bit less experimental than other VU songs so maybe that’s why I enjoyed it more. Vocals were spot on and at points reminded me of early Beatles, every song was so unique in its own way but never out of place. Can’t really think of a better album to be self titled, they really nailed the tone/mood/vibe which has rarely been replicated.

Pleasantly surprised by the use of the organ on What Goes On. Love me an organ. Sensationally groovy and smooth. A perfect Sunday album. Top 3 1. Pale Blue Eyes 2.I'm Set Free 3. Jesus

W album. 27/27

This is the album I would play at a nostalgic life reset trip. Which I recently just had lol. I’m in LOVE with it. The sound is BEAUTIFUL, and the lyrics give me so much joy and love and everything else in between. I love life and I love this album.