Reviews (page 3 of 13)
I love this album. It really helped shift my mood on a bad day.
thank god i have actually been waiting for this one while i don’t believe this is a perfect album, i personally am giving this one a 5 because i love every song on this album and this album and i wish all of velvet underground/ lou reed sounded like this but that, as we’ve seen so far, is not the case but this. is. gas.
Love love love love love love
Me like it
One of the best albums of all time.
I only knew of The Velvet Underground by reputation, so I went into this thinking: “Okay, show me what’s so great about his”. After listening, I fully get it.
Incredible. I thing my fav VU album. The songwriting and production is gorgeous
God these mfers are too influential it’s insane. The Murder Mystery (while probably my least favorite song on the album) is just like a sonic youth album that came out 20 years before they released music like what.
Great great record.
Amazing
Loved it. I had only listened to it once before and was great to revisit it again.
Arrancamos segunda semana de octubre con éste bellísimo disco, que marida muy bien con el día nublado y fresco que tocó hoy por San Juan. Álbum que contrasta con la obra de The Velvet Underground y que es lo que seguramente hace que sea más bello. Gracias y hasta mañana.
A timeless treat.
I love
Incredible record! Love it from start to finish!
Beautiful album. One of the best of the late 60s. Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, What Goes On, Jesus --- some of Lou's best songs. 5 stars.
Proud Dad Moment: After Hours comes on my kid’s Spotify. Me: You know this song? Her: Yeah! You played it for me. Me: I didn’t think you were paying attention! 🥰
I mean come on
Honestly, this may be my new favorite Velvet Underground album. The paired down lyrics and psychedelia make this highly listenable repeatedly. Maybe it’s just I’m getting older but this album vibes vibes. I liked the contrasts between uptempo beats like Beginning to See the Light and softer melodies of songs like Candy Says. Some Kinda love also throuws in a little bit of that Heroine vibe that made VU famous to begin with. I’m going to find this one on vinyl!
Perfect
Start here. This album is amazing. I can't believe this was released in 1969. Critics have said that it isn't as good as their previous work, but to me, it is their definitive, most accessible, and timeless masterpiece. Bravo... relistening.
Iconic and fantastic.
Genius. Pure, pure genius
Pale Blue Eyes has got to be one of the best songs of all time. This album is amazing from top to bottom. Even better on a lonely, dark night.
Huge VU fan, and particularly a fan of this record, and their official live output.
That was beautiful will probably be on of my repeat listen albums like nick one is. 9-10/10
What more do you want? Probably the album where it's clear Lou Reed is a quite exceptional songwriter. Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes and Beginning To See The Light (a candidate for inventing the motorik beat) and evergreens you can imagine covered by anyone from Johnny Cash to The Clash. Every song is fully formed, and they benefit from more straightforward arrangements with more space to breather than on the first two albums. Yes The Murder Mystery is one of those long experimental tracks. But it all works, even and perhaps especially giving Mo Tucker the throwback closer After Hours.
No John Cale, no problem. It's not quite as noisy as the previous VU albums (The Murder Mystery must be acknowledged of course) but this album still has one great song after another. The Velvet Underground surely had one of the best 4 album runs in history. I did say 4, once Lou left...well if you know, you know. If you don't know I wouldn't look into it.
Honestly one of the greatest albums I've ever heard, might be my favorite. 10/10
I love Lou Reed so goddamn much. He is one of my personal favorite artists. I'm such a huge fan, to the point that I don't only tolerate Lulu, I actively enjoy it, solid 8/10 album. So you'd think that I'd just be absolutely in love with the Velvet Underground....right? And yeah of course that is the case. All of their albums* are masterclasses in proto-punk and experimental rock. Super great listens and genuinely the most influential band of all time besides like the Beatles. On this album they strip back their sound and go for a more folk rock approach, and I fell in love with it upon first listen. The songwriting is fantastic, Lou's vocals are the very strongest here than on any of his past and future work, and the band feels incredibly cohesive here. Everything stitches together in just the right way. This is my personal pick for the best album by the Velvet Underground, and is easily one of the best albums of all time.
Didn't get through it all but very good
Stunningly simple, gentle and at time chaotic, discordant. One of my favorite albums of all time.
fantastic
As good as the first one imo
When the party is almost completely wound down and you're knitted to the sofa, all the wine is gone and the last joint is going around and it's what? two in the morning? and you're all just enjoying the end of the night spent with friends very quietly, this is the album to put on to close out the night. Absolutely perfect.
100% hot take men det her er vist mit yndlings VU album. Ikke så eksperimenterende som deres andre, med undtagelse af det enkelte nummer, men lyden er bare sygt gennemført og Pale Blue Eyes er meget muligt deres bedste nummer
I am not quite the pedantic analyst of details that can pinpoint the minutemost microscopic aspect of this album that makes it good. All I can really do is say it do be good.
9/10
this is only my third favorite velvet underground album but since theyre my favorite band of all time that doesnt mean much. candy says is the best song here but everything is pretty amazing. 9/10
Probably my favorite Velvet Underground album. Classic.
Para mí de los mejores discos del siglo XX
Wow really enjoyed this one!! What a nice surprise 5 ⭐️
Best MOR album ever
I mean, it's the end of the beginning of what would become punk, new wave, and alt rock. I could go on about how great Pale Blue Eyes is or how Candy Says could be a Beatles song if the Beatles sang about aging drug addicts and such. None of that would matter. It's not the best Velvet Underground album but the one that best presages the 70s in its entirety - the doom and gloom, angst, and sorrow.
I don’t need to justify this rating
Yes
Cmon
To begin with, I think the Velvet underground might be one of the greatest band names of all time. I think it paints such a vivid picture and captures the music very well. This album is very good front to back and displays a sweet style of music that there wasn't a ton of in this era. Compared to their contemporaries this is more subdued and vulnerable. This is a great listen with a diverse sound across it.
Being the second VU album I've heard, I expected the dark, experimental style of Velvet Underground & Nico. There is a bit of that in spots here, but this record seems to be much more straightforward psychedelic rock and I still welcome that. Really nice mix of a bunch of different sounds that make just a beautiful album. Extremely listenable! 9/10
manche Lieder sehr mellow (Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes), manche hören sich wie Vietnamkriegrock an (What Goes On), After Hours hört sich sehr modern an, könnte zb. von Soko (I'll kill her) sein
Classic/10
This album is one of the few I'll argue literally every person truly does need to hear before they die. This is a transformative experience. My review can't really do it justice. Go and listen.
Fra første sekund mangler Velvet Underground sitt tredje album den soniske eksperimenteringen til John Cale. Dette blir omtrent gjort opp for med Doug Yule sine nydelige harmonier, som står i perfekt kontrast med Lou Reeds råe stemme. Han er også en sympatisk hovedvokalist i det nydelige åpningsnummeret Candy Says. Sterling Morrison og Moe Tucker er essensielle, dog diskré. De gjør enormt mye med veldig lite, som er hele gruppens etos. Morrisons varme soloer får frem det beste i sangene. Tuckers primitive tromming gir enorm energi til råkkerne What Goes On og Beginning To See The Light. Også hennes synging på After Hours har en genuin skjørhet og uskyld. Reeds lyrikk utforsker universelle emner som kjærlighet og ensomhet. Hele hans personlighet skinner gjennom sangene, også når han gir vekk mikrofonen til andre medlemmer. Fra første til siste sang skapes skjønnhet og dybde gjennom enkle ord. Hele veien gjennom er albumet upretensiøst og engasjerende. Ikke nødvendigvis det mest sonisk banebrytende VU albumet, men alltid en fryd å høre på. Gjennom hele gruppens uendelige sjarm er dette albumet tidløst. Pluss langt kulere enn de fleste klassikere.
Pretty much unlistenable
I have this album in both the Valentin and closet mixes. In many ways, The Velvet Underground lost the more experimental influence from John Cale when he left the band after the second album (White Light/White Heat), and Lou Reed's songwriting came through more clearly. While I do prefer the first two LPs, this remains a stone cold classic with a clearly influential legacy. Most of the songs here are terrific, particularly Pale Blue Eyes and Candy Says.
The Velvet Underground is the only album of this band that could have had any appeal to a larger audience. The rock songs and ballads are not as strange in instrumentation, arrangement and lyrics as on the other three albums. Songs like Candy Says, What Goes On, Pale Blue Eyes or Afterhours are all time classics.
delicinha, nunca tinha ouvido nada do the velvet underground mas já tinha ouvido que eles eram populares e tals, gostei.
I'm truly blown away by how timeless this record is. You could have told me an indie folk band released this in 2022 and I would believe you. How they never found contemporary mainstream success is a mystery to me, and a damn shame. One of the most enjoyable albums in this project. Top tracks: Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, I'm Set Free, After Hours
These are the Velvets I ride for. My favorite Velvet Underground album is the one after this one, Loaded, named as such by Lou Reed because he thought it was loaded with hits, which, not quite. I guess they were hits on their scale. But this is their most complete album, the one that offers more rewards on repeat listens than their debut. This is where the Lou Reed Dylan comparisons truly begin. The old saying regarding their debut album is that everyone who bought it started a band. I bet anyone who bought this one upon release started a good band.
I absolutely loved this album… Dunno how I have never heard it before!
After Hours is the introvert’s anthem.
Meni je ovo najslabiji od četiri - banane, white light-white heat i loaded.ipak i dalje je jeben i možeš čut skoro cili indie rock ikad u ovom.
I love every song in this album, and together it really is something special. I like pretty well everything by the velvet underground, but this one might be my favourite.
Not the best album but still amazing. After Hours is always lovely and murder mystery is so crazy it did make me feel kooky
Un grand classique, ça me rappelle ma jeunesse (je suis pas vieille juste edgy insup)
Candy Says starts everything out so strong and sets the tone for the whole album. ending on After Hours is brilliant. You can hear the bands I love listening to this and getting inspired: Pavement, Parquet Courts, The Strokes. This must have been such a game changer
Much calmer and restrained than the first two Velvet albums that I prefer, but their incredible songwriting is still plain to see. Would still consider them one of the most important rock bands of all time, their versatility was unbelieveable.
Solid classic I haven’t heard in years and it sounds/feels the same as it ever did. Kind of one of those perfect albums that you can put on at any time, in any place, with any crowd.
Al igual que el resto de la discografía de la banda liderada por Reed y Cale, este disco es una adición más que agradecida al panorama del rock y la música popular de los '60s. Con un espíritu innatamente disruptivo, The Velvet Underground construye panoramas desoladores y encantadores, en unos 40 minutos llenos de contrastes expresados a través de historias sumamente interesantes y paisajes sonoros que nos adelantan lo que pronto será el género del punk. Un mejora considerable desde su debut "The Velvet Underground & Nico".
great!
Slet ikke det album jeg havde forventet. Velvet Underground er aldrig noget jeg har fået hørt. Det her var mere afdæmpet end jeg havde regnet med. Albummet er fyldt med små perler af sange. De lyder MEGET slut 60er agtige, men det gør slet ikke noget. Samlet bliver det en skøn oplevelse og albummet er gennemlyttet en 5-6 gange. PS: Murder Mystery er mere som jeg forventede. Det fungerer også mega godt.
The VU's twee indiepop album, they depart from the hard-edge dissonance and dark psychadelic explorations of noise of white light/white heat and instead deliver a of couple brooding and bittersweet love songs, a couple of classic singalongs, some proto-punk spirituals, and an experimental sound-collage story. It's not as a great in total as their other albums I don't think, but the highs are so high. Pale Blue Eyes & Candy Says are as simple and poignant as it gets, while What Goes On and Begining to See the Light are surprisingly upbeat rockers. A great less is more album - there's nothing flashy or complex here in terms of musicianship, performance, or even songwriting, just a stripped back simplicity of vision and commitment to melody and a mood.
My teenage son can’t understand how I don’t know their music. Three songs in, I’m loving this. Musically my jam, Lou Reed’s singing has not always been something I can bear, but perfect here. First album in this project where I’m reading the lyrics.
A very pleasant surprise. This was not as Avant Garde as I expected. Maybe it was for the time, but it stands up to today's standards of a good solid sound and lyrics.
Artsy pop rock. This album was incredibly tight. Like the composition of the entire thing was nearly flawless. Very introspective and mellow, immaculate vibes. I'm not very familiar with Velvet Underground so I'm not sure how this stacks up against some of the rest of their discography, but this album definitely makes me want to hear it all. Masterclass in music making. My only gripe is that The Murder Mystery felt a little out of place in this record. Otherwise fantastic album. No doubt a classic. Can't wait to revisit. 4.5/5
1) pale blue eyes is an wonderfully beautiful song. I keep replaying the chorus in my head. The guitar is so gentle and clean. 2) the murder mystery is one of the more memorable songs from a creative standpoint in a long time, and I learned started liking it once it clicked for me. I really liked this album.
Incredible.
Perfect mellow album
#throwiton Apple Music Notes: Listening to The Velvet Underground can feel like walking into a small, late-night gathering with close friends: It’s warm, it’s fuzzy, it’s a little imprecise. But in that imprecision is a sense of quiet epiphany, the feeling of revelation that forms around moments you might otherwise miss. There’s laughter in it (“Beginning to See the Light”), and there’s tenderness, too (“Pale Blue Eyes”). But there’s also a reckoning with big questions about doubt (“I’m Set Free”), purpose (“Jesus”), and how we share our inner selves with the outside world (“Candy Says”) that runs deeper than the album’s sweetness lets on. Lou Reed said that White Light/White Heat was, in part, a reaction to the delusions of hippie culture—the way free love led to broken hearts and supposedly innocent drug use devolved into people too disconnected from reality to function. But if the band has a psychedelic album—not in the carnivalesque sense, but in the sense of pointing one on a strange personal journey—this is it. The shift is radical: After two albums of noise and rebellion, they sit down on the carpet and open themselves to quieter thoughts. Sterling Morrison said part of the change had to do with the departure of John Cale, which left Reed free to explore his sensitive side: If Morrison had written something as romantic as “Pale Blue Eyes,” he teased Reed, he wouldn’t have forced Reed to play it, but he also wouldn’t fight with him about it. He later described Reed’s original mix of the album (included on the deluxe 45th anniversary edition) as the “Closet Mix,” because it made the music sound like it was recorded in a closet: safe, private, secret. And Reed described “Some Kinda Love” as a conversation between two very drunk people who talk their way through the fog to some obvious conclusions. The Velvet Underground is music made at a close distance, but just out of focus enough to keep mystery intact. “I don’t know just what it’s all about,” he sings. “But put on your red pajamas and find out.”
"Candy Says" leads off the record with an empathetic character sketch on that certain type of New York personality that Lou Reed specialized in. "What Goes On" is my kind of track. Tightly written, tightly played and some of the best multi tracked guitar playing of the 60s. Did not know that the solo was Sterling Morrison, always thought that was Lou Reed. A reminder that Velvet Underground weren't just a conceptual project, but a rock band and a damned good one. "Some Kind of Love" is fine "Pale Blue Eyes" is another reminder that Lou Reed could work just as well in quiet, intimate spaces as he could in noisy chaotic sounds paces. This is right up there with Buddy Holly's "Everyday" or Roy Orbison's "Crying" for achingly tender songs. And then they follow that up with "Jesus," which......I was not expecting that. It's gorgeous. "Beginning to See the Night" is a silly Dylan-esque rocker. I like it. It's great. It's closer to "Obla Dee, Oh Bladah" than it is "Taxman" if that makes sense. I dunno, it's got some more great rhythm guitar and Lou Reed doing his Lou Reed thing but the best part is the "How does it feel to be loved" outdoors. "I'm Set Free" builds nicely two that two part harmony. I also like the switch to the silkier guitar, as well as the subtle looping arpeggios under the vocal performance. This is a nicely layered track. Curious if the "Closet" mix reflected that. Very nice solo, like something off a Roy Orbison song. Very David Lynch. "The Story of My Life" is strangely underwritten for someone who wrote so pointedly about other people. It's no bad but it's not particularly good either. I'm pro "Murder Mystery." It doesn't fit as well on this album as "Lady Godiva's Operation" fits on "White Light, White Heat" but this is one of the VU songs that made me curious about the band when I was younger. This and "Venus in Furs" were kind of confusing siren songs coming from my sister's tape collection that marked Velvet Underground as a cycpher to be unlocked later in life. It's a reminder that this band, from its founding, wanted to break pop music in the same way Warhol wanted to break art. And I appreciated them for that. It does go on a bit. "After Hours" is a perfect ending. A sort of "If we shadows have offended...." coda that wraps up the album almost as well as the last chord strike of "A Day in the Life." We've come to the end of our Magical Mystery Tour, and this closing little Diddy is the lights coming on. Love it. This is a five star album. In terms of writing rock songs that balance tunefullness with experimentation and studio creativity, it's right up there with "Revolver." It's conceptual and tests the boundaries of a late 60s rock experience, but never sacrifices listenability.
If I could give it less than 1 star I would.
Early on what was to become one of the most influential bands ever. Lou at the center
This album is the beginning of Lou Reed the solo artist. A departure from the NY Velvet sound of the first 2 albums, it’s a completely different direction. Lou Fucking Reed.
Such a vibe. Pretty much perfect. Vocals are spot on and all the instruments blend so well. Very playful but very tight compositions
5 stars just for “What Goes On” & “Pale Blue Eyes” ……….
Great
I'd like to know completely what others so discreetly talk about. . . check out the song "Distortions" by Clinic
I can see why these guys were so influential. They’re like the indie Beatles; more creative but less pleasing to the ear. Very good album overall.
Not something I'd try to listen to on my own but I'm glad I did. A couple goodies, plus "murder mystery" was so weird I just loved it. I'm noticing a pattern, where I don't really enjoy slow songs or songs with muddled vocals. I feel like my ratings of all these albums can be approximated with just bpm.
Another stone cold classic to play at my funeral. I love this album with all my heart.
I absolutely love the Velvet Underground and there are some perfect songs on this album.
I love that each VU album was very different from the previous one. This is the quiet one, it's chilled but also a bit spooky, and sounds great on the early hours of the morning. Absolutely love it
Yes, this is the Velvet Underground album I always reach for. Fantastic stuff! Chilled, weird, good.
I had a really really good time with this one
So many cool songs
Five big stars! Good for relaxing, good for happy, good for sad, good for cool.
Classic. Pale Blue Eyes, What Gones On, I'm Beginning to See the Light, and The Murder Mystery among my favorite songs of theirs. No way this is not getting 5 Stars!!!
And here it is, my first 5 star rated album I got from this list. Had to listen to this album several times, absolutely right up my alley, I cannot believe I haven't listened to this before.
I've heard about The Velvet Underground for a long time, but never really got around to listening to them. I fell in love with this album immediately, I don't know what took me so long.
Beautiful album, nothing else to say, just feels cozy
This is a great album, their first since the departure of founder member John Cale. It has an altogether calmer atmosphere than its predecessor 'White Light/White Heat', with one of the bands greatest songs, 'Pale Blue Eyes' and the similarly langurous 'Candy says' sung by New member, Doug Yule. However, it's not the completely laid back album that some critics lazily describe. It contains some rocky numbers which hark back to the first two VU LPs, such as 'Beginning to see the light' and 'What goes on' though neither of these are as sonically extreme as the previous album's 'Sister Ray' or 'I heard her call my name'. The band's daring experimentalism remains on the, unfairly, critically mauled 'The Murder Mystery' which contains an angelic and beautifully sung duet between Yule and Mo Tucker. The song IS ultimately flawed because of the (deliberately) clashing poetry recitals by Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison which each come at the listener from different stereo speakers. However, it's still pretty astounding attempt and always a joy to listen to, in my opinion. Throughout the album, the instrumentation is of a consistently excellent quality, with particular shout outs to Morrison's lead guitar and Yule's keyboards, especially on 'The Murder Mystery'. Top marks here, without a doubt!
Great album!
Great! Soft, soothing music with a bit of bite every now and then. Way better than i thought it would be
I’ve listened to the album with Nico a countless amount of times, I’ve seen the documentary, and I know all my favorite bands cite the Velvet Underground as their favorite band… but I’ve never ventured further into their discography until now. What a shame because this album is outstanding. My first 5/5.
My second favorite Velvet Underground album after Loaded which didn’t make the list. Great variance of tracks. Love the start and finish with Candy Says and After Hours
Really diving deep into The Velvet Underground's discography has been one of my favorite aspects of this project. Each one of them has been an all timer. 5/5
An album far ahead of it's time. Obviously massively influential.
Intense, powerful stuff. It still sounds fresh and current.
Changed rock forever.
So far this album feels intimate. It feels warm. It appears to pull the listener into a work in progress. You can pick up on the improvisational nature of this album. It reminds me of a live recording of John Coltrane or thelonious monk. The music seems to go round and round with no apparent end. Then it comes together in a whimsical and beautiful manner.
Loved this
love this. Distills the appeal of country & rock n roll down to some basic elements, finds some essential quality that hadn't been heard by itself before. Has the guts to do just what's needed & leave a ton of sonic space. Full of heart. I've neglected The Murder Mystery thinking that it's The Gift, and I'm glad to have been reminded about it again. Makes a lot of other music sound ineffectual and silly. music: adored. 10 out of 5. (⌐★_★)
Incredible album. The version I listened to had a live section at the end that was awesome. The actual album has some of the Velvet Undergrounds best songs. Pale Blue Eyes is probably my second favorite song of theirs. There's something about the simplicity of the song, and Lou's longing on it. Love it! After Hours is a good one too. As far as other Velvet Underground albums go, this one is pretty straight forward, not too experimental. I believe this is pretty much Lou Reed at this point in the band, Cale had left the band I think. Lou really shines as the main songwriter. Only he could sing about the seedy parts of New York, drug addiction, the kooky characters that surrounded him, and make you want to be there with him. Lou is one of a kind.
It's simple: I see any of the Velvet Underground's four albums, I give it an automatic 5.
It feels really weird that I've been listening to the Velvet Underground for more than 20 years, but there are still albums that I haven't listened to in their entirety. That might be because I'm lazy. Anyway, this album has a bunch of VU songs that I really like going back to when I was a kid and first picked up their greatest hits. This album really shows off how well the Velvet Underground did everything. There are conventional love songs, funky rock songs, experimental songs, and all of it very well executed 5/5
Great late night thinking and reflecting music. Them at there most sweet.
This album is the second masterpiece from the Velvet Underground, and I personally enjoy it more than their debut album with Nico, even though I appreciate is more historically significant. The songs on this album are beautifully written and have a more accessible sound, with mellow and reflective melodies and lyrics. Some of my favourite songs are “Pale Blue Eyes”, “What Goes On”, “Beginning to See the Light”, and “The Murder Mystery”. The last song adds a bit of experimental flair to the album, with its split channels and overlapping vocals. This album showcases the talent and versatility of Lou Reed, and I give it the full five stars.
This is art in the hands of the people. It's exactly what it means to be. So much fun to listen to. It has the fingerprints of the artists all over it, and I love it. And "I'll Be Your Mirror" is the best expression of the Jungian concept of the Shadow ever set to music. Fight me.
Today I got velvet underground and niko on vinyl and this album is great
very cute
11/20/23. Unbelievably holds up well and sounds great, all the songs are well thought out and unique. A classic.
One of the most important albums of the decade.
Another perfect album, which happens to include one of my all-time favorite songs: Pale Blue Eyes. I was thinking about this song the other day when reviewing Different Class by Pulp. That album has a number of songs about adultery, all of which focus on humiliation - for both the cheater and the cheatee - and as a result they feel dirty (and as I mentioned before, just on the border of consent). PBE, by contrast, is touching and poignant, with discordant notes signaling the intensity of the emotional investment for both the singer and the listener. It is much more mature and nuanced and ultimately a much better song. The whole album is phenomenal.
Another classic VU album! While not as perfect as Velvet Underground & Nico (to me), this is still a fantastic album with some of VU’s most wonderful songs: What Goes On, Beginning To See The Light, That’s The Story of My Life, and, of course, the two gems that are Pale Blue Eyes and After Hours. I’m curious to see if the entire VU discography will make this list!
Every time I listen to any Velvet Underground record, I fall back in love with them the exact same way I fell in love when I first listened to them at 13. I go right back to the first leather jacket I bought, the first time I learnt to play these songs on guitar. The Velvet Underground is my personal favourite of their albums, and I really don’t listen to it enough. If & Nico is the origin of Alternative, and White Light/White Heat and Loaded are the origins of Punk, then this is Indie, Alt Country/Folk, Cowpunk and even Post-Hardcore? The Murder Mystery is totally a proto-post-hardcore song. Words cannot describe how much I love this album
Simple yet Creative. It Still holds up today. The Velvets were short lived but their Impact on Rock music cannot be denied
Amazing! Nearly every song here hits. The soft songs bounce off nicely with the louder songs. The experimentation is nice as well. However. I think The Murder Mystery drags on a bit. Other than that, superb album! I applaud.
This album is so good. In some way it's also kind of the reason I started this album thing in the first place. I saw a Twitter thread about "After Hours" about 7 months ago, then went down a Velvet Underground rabbit hole, then listened to a podcast about the Velvet Underground that mentioned a bunch of other bands from the time, then realized I should listen to more older music, which led me to this. This album has already been part of the rotation for a bit now and it will continue to be. "Candy Says" is an incredibly powerful opener, especially given the time it came out. "Pale Blue Eyes" is one of my favorite Velvet Underground songs, it's understated and beautiful and heartbreaking. While this album is great overall, I also think the stretch of songs from "Pale Blue Eyes" to "I'm Set Free" is one of the most thematically strong stretches of songs that I can think of. He's wrestling with his past, he struggles with religion, and it ends with the lyric "I'm set free to find a new illusion." "I'm Set Free" also just has such a grand sound that builds over the course of the song that pulls it together. It's such a narratively strong run, and they're all great musically too. Then there's "After Hours," which got me into them in the first place. It's an interesting song to be the first song of theirs that I ever listened to, since it's so different from basically everything else of theirs. With no other knowledge I would've guessed this was a early 2000s indie song, but they were doing it 40 years earlier. Apparently Lou Reed just kind of decided on a whim that Moe Tucker should sing this one, she had no interest in doing so, and only agreed when Reed kicked the rest of the band out of the studio for her to record it. The song is brilliant, everything about it works perfectly. It's very clear that I love this album, and it's so close to perfect to me. I do have to mention the one blemish though, which is "The Murder Mystery." One of the things I love about the Velvet Underground is their willingness to be bold and try things that are a bit out there. This worked perfectly on "After Hours" for example, but "The Murder Mystery" is a big miss for me. I won't comment on it too much, but it's 9 minutes long, has a lot of mumbling background noises, and definitely hurts the album flow a bit at the end. They tried something, I respect that, it didn't quite work, it is what it is. This is already a super long review, but I just love this album. I'm not sure how I'd rate it vs. The Velvet Underground and Nico, but it's at least close for me. I think the overall narrative and production might be a bit tighter on this one, but they're both great in their own right. Easy 5 stars here, I've been waiting for my first Velvet Underground album and am looking forward to the rest. The whole album (except "The Murder Mystery") is getting added to my playlist. Favorite song: After Hours Other: Candy Says, What Goes On, Some Kinda Love, Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus, Beginning To See The Light, I’m Set Free, That’s The Story Of My Life
beauriful, just beauriful
Pale blue eyes favourite song, good pacing, no skips
First album I’ve rated on here and it’s one I know front and back. What’s new is the mix for the 45th anniversary edition that sounds incredible. That organ in What Goes On is clear as a bell.
clássico
one of my all time faves
Classic
Missing a lot of the wackiness that Cale brought to the group, but some of VU's best and most beautiful tracks are on here.
A pretty unique style of honey sloth songs and some although still soft more upbeat songs, wouldn’t be my everyday music but definitely a nice little intimate niche to dwell on during rainy days.
There are problems in these times, but wooooo, none of them are mine! Every Velvets album is great in one way or Another this is the more quiet and introspective one I guess. Is it the best or my favorite I don't know but maybe
Always mesmerized by "Pale Blue Eyes". Loved the duality of the ballads and rock songs in the album. The way Lou Reeds voice (and the other band members) flows between the guitars. Big highlights for me where the ballads, like "Candy Says" and "After Hours".
So great
Actually own this album. Totally unappreciated album and band...
I don't know what I love about The Velvet Underground but there's something they're doing right.
It's not as groundbreaking as their first album, but damn if this still isn't excellent. It's The Velvet Underground much more subdued, but they do it so well. Candy Says and Pale Blue Eyes are each absolutely perfect songs.
I really enjoyed this and think this deserves the five and banana album deserves the four. Sounds like TVU are pulling music into the future, so far ahead of the game are they.
One of my favorite albums of all time
I mean it's the Velvet Underground so it's great. However I do think this is my least favorite true Velvet Underground album, sorry Squeeze is not the Velvet Underground. Heavy on ballads but some amazing ones, Pale Blue Eyes is just outstanding. Murder Mystery is the weakest song, seems like a retread of the The Gift but not as well executed. It's a 4.5 but what the hell I'll round up.
Gentle, swaying, earnest and experimental in a way that preserves its edge decade after decade. One of the best albums ever made.
lovelovelove
lovely
I'm a fan of artsy weirdos 4.5 stars
Not a single dud on this.
A classic, simple as that.
Well this was a rare treat after a run of duds. Not my favourite album by the Velvet Underground, but it's still a solid 5-stars. Even though this is one of the more straightforward albums with only really Murder Mystery being experimental, there's still so much to take in here. Never dull, there's a mixture of ballads, straight-up rock songs, and everything in between. Each song is perfectly placed in terms of structure and pace, absolute perfection! It's staggering to think how much of an influence the Velvet Underground were on the music scene and how an album from the 1960s sounds so fresh that it could have been recorded yesterday. There's nothing flashy or clever here, just people singing with guitars and backing. But this is exactly what is so revolutionary about the Velvets, showing the world what could be done and inspiring generations of musicians who came after them.
Favourite tracks: what goes on; some kind of love; pale blue eyes; beginning to see the light; I'm set free; after hours
not banana
If the organ part on What Goes On doesn't give you chills then you need to seek professional help. The choice of songs and their order on this album is so hopeful it is a joy to listen to as a complete record.
This is very dour stuff. Haunting stuff. Pop music if the people making it were too depressed to function.
Strong album of what I would call gentle rock. I listened to it twice through. I don't think I'd put it in regular rotation but I'm hard-pressed to give this anything less than a perfect score. I'd never listened to The Velvet Underground before so I'm glad I finally did, and liked it!
Wow, this is one of those moments where you listen to an album and are just immediately infatuated with it. I see this being a regular spin for me.
Aivan ihana! Herkkä ja vahva kokonaisuus joka kestää kuuntelua pitkään. 5/5
Jos banskulevy on jättänyt minut aina vähän kylmäksi, niin tää onkin aika timangia alusta loppuun. Kukapa indiestä tykkäävä ei tälle lämpenisi. Kaunista, 4.5/5 ja pyöristynee ylös.
VU is a national treasure. Everything they did before 1980 was amazing.
Really surprised by this. For some reason I had never been interested in the Velvet Underground, but this album slaps. Something to add to my rotation for sure. I can also really hear this album's influence on more modern bands.
The first album on this list that I already knew inside and out. One of my absolute favorites.
Sublime
A 9/10, nearly perfect. The velvet Underground has me at the Banana album but even though that’s a 10/10, they still continue their unique amazing sound and lyrics
Este disco es una locura. Un temazo atras de otro, aguante la Velvet.
Very good album. No frills, just good tracks.
this album is the first of the softer, gentler velvet underground and marked the major shift in tone after john cale left the group. while i do miss the discordant violin, and this is a clear third in my VU ranking, i’m still happy to have an excuse to revisit it. after hours remains one of my favorite songs ever, it’s just so perfectly sweet.
Nearly as brilliant as first 2 (Cale) VU albums. Any album with Jesus, After Hours, Pale Blue Eyes, Candy Says and the weird Murder Mystery is a 5*.
"The fact that you are married / only proves you're my best friend / but it's truly, truly a sin" Boy, do I love this album. 4.5/5, rounded up to 5/5.
I mean…
Not a bad moment 5/5
I spent an embarrassingly long amount of my late teens and early twenties thinking that Velvet Underground was that band with Slash and Scott Weiland. I even used to proudly tell people that my band covered Slither by Velvet Underground. Nothing more needs saying about that though. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: What Goes On, Pale Blue Eye, Jesus There is a hard to define feeling that I get from some albums. It is like the cosy feeling of sitting by a fire on a cold winter’s night with an oversized mug of hot chocolate. Interestingly, those albums that stir this feeling tend to be from 60’s-70’s, which this falls into the bracket of as well. I hadn’t heard any of these songs today, and yet the album still caused this happy, relaxed feeling. The music is interesting throughout, and I love the vocals. The lyrics can sometimes get a little zany (“Put jelly on your shoulder, let us do what you fear most”) but generally tend to make sense and make for good listening. Definitely give this a listen.
I’ve heard the main four VU albums now, and I think that this might be my favorite. There’s not a bad song; from pretty songs like ‘Candy Says’ and ‘After Hours’ to the sadness of ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ to ‘The Murder Mystery’, my favorite of their experiments.
Glorious
Other than Murder Mystery, which is a bit of a challenging listen, the album is pretty easy to approach, entertaining and interesting. It captures an intelligent artsiness that is appealing. A great listen.
I didn’t even listen to this yesterday but I have so many times already - the second i saw it i knew i was giving it a five
The Velvet Underground, sure, I know about them, right? Well, maybe…but is their typical sound…I have no clue. Regardless, I was sitting right in the pocket of this groove. It hit me just right. Diggable rock from the 60s!
Creates a groovy atmosphere. Simple and nice.
The Velvet Underground seems ubiquitous, yet before this I couldn’t name a single song from them. I wasn’t even sure what they sounded like even though I’m sure I’ve listened to something from them somewhere along the way… This is great! I’m a sucker for good 60s organ, and there was plenty of that. The songs were varied and groovy! Lots to enjoy here.
I love how quiet this is in places.
Chill and weird in all the best ways
Just a perfect little album of songs. Love how they switched it up from the experimental avant/grade edge of White Light/White Heat and came back with such a soft and delicate collection of bedroom pop that brings in vocals from some of the other members at just the right times. A building block of many great bands to come.
1/19/23: Hadn’t heard this album before but I really enjoyed it. Also cool to see how Lou Reed/Velvet Revolver evolved from this debut. 4.5/5 for me
I almost didn’t need to play this album. It’s part of the musical wallpaper of my childhood. Ever-present! I’m pretty sure I have my fathers vinyl copy tucked away in a cupboard. I will often quote ‘After Hours’ as my favourite song ever. Depends on the day. But I do remember even as a little girl discussing the meaning of it with my father. I quite often sing it just off-the-cuff trying to mimic Moe Tucker tones. The album is a catalyst of memories for me and the songs are ingrained in my soul. It may be the Velvets without John Cale but still essentially Them. It’s poetic and introspective and melodic and pervaded by a feeling of painful loss. Glorious!
I was 18 when I first heard the debut VU album (The Velvet Underground & Nico), and I had that classic reaction that Brian Eno referred to (“The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band”). It forever altered the way I listen to and think about music. But their last two albums (this one and Loaded) are the ones I keep coming back to. This is an album packed with exquisitely written songs, performed in that loose, low-key, post-John Cale-VU way that I adore. "What Goes On" informed my rhythm guitar style, probably to my detriment as a guitarist, but what are you gonna do? (Plus, that double-tracked guitar solo still thrills.) The Murder Mystery is the only tune on here that isn't a home run, but even that one's cool. The VU are so much a part of my musical DNA I don't even know how to talk about them.
I love everything about this album except for Candy's body dysmorphia. I'm a huge VU fan and feel intimidated trying to comment something new on this masterpiece. I don't know if Lou Reed intended it but I often string these songs together as a larger story...maybe it's a story about Candy or Andy? Does anyone else hear this? Candy talks about her problems and then Reed responds in What Goes On with "you know it'll be alright." Because "no kinds of love are better than others" as we hear in Some Kinda Love. Conflict arises but still those Pale Blue Eyes carry something special...soft, kind, complicated (oh boy do I love that gentle guitar). But Jesus...help me find my proper place. Oh here I go, I'm Beginning to See the Light and guess what I'm Set Free---That's the Story of My Life. But life is complex and cacophonous it's "lurid and lovely" and "lovely and filthy." And then After Hours, a youthful androgynous kid lets us know that someday someone will look into your eyes and say "You're my very special one."
Seminal. Maybe not as seminal as the Andy Wharhol album, or maybe more so
This blew my mind when I listened to it as a teen, and still kind of does. Love it all, even the frequently maligned Murder Mystery.
All four Velvet Underground albums deserve to be in this list. This one is the most "intimate" release of the four, and yet such intimacy is complemented by the religious and/or transcendent overtones that made "Beginning To See The Light" or "Pale Blue Eyes" breathtaking cuts in the VU repertoire. Add to this the groove of "What Goes On", the off-kilter experimental drive of "The Murder Mystery" (which aptly foretells no wave stuff à la Sonic Youth), plus the irony of "After Hours" or the melancholy of "Candy Says", and you have... a stone-cold classic. Number of albums left to review: 699 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 149 (including this one). Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 70 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 83
Groundbreaking album during a period in music that was all over the place. This was a very cool album. Candy Says and Pale Blue Eyes were standout tracks for me.
nearly perfect
I remember buying CDs one time with my friend in high school. You always got different stuff and shared cause they were so expensive. He picked up this album and I bought something completely forgettable. We took the CDs back to my house and we put this album on my Stepdad's stereo and I remember being absolutely hypnotized from start to finish. I was rendered speechless and just kept looking back and and forth between my friend and speakers in awe. When it was over I was so jealous my friend could go home and listen to it again and again afterwards and I couldn't. This album had a profound effect on me and I'll never forget that experience of first hearing it. I was familiar with several of the tracks from a "Best Of" comp I got from BMG, but the thing that blew me away was that all the other material was just as good. I felt like I had known these songs all my life somehow. Everything just immediately connected with me. I consider this a perfect album. Maybe the most perfect album I've ever heard. I never skip a track, not even the more experimental "The Murder Mystery" as I find it playful and thrilling. It's unconventional for sure but it's like a pop ditty compared to most of "White Light/White Heat." This album has it all. Such a wide range of moods and emotions. From joy to sorrow, everything in between, and then back again. And I think that's what I like so much about the album: it takes you high, all to knock on your ass and make you cry, just to pick you back up again in triumph. Just an amazing ride. Capturing both those highs and lows, that contrast, even those contradictions, really rings true to my experience of life. And coming from someone as bitter and cynical as Lou Reed can be, this album ultimately feels genuinely uplifting in the most authentic way possible. Truly, deeply, beautiful.
Really good really liked jt
So I have known this album was a classic. It was much lighter than I expected, idk why I was expecting a heavier sound. Very pleasant.
Peak fucking love Lou Reed
Every Velvets album could be a completely different band, and they're all absolutely 5 star. This here is Understated Velvets, and it's the absolute best Understated Velvets album ever made. I love every song. "There are problems in these times, but woooooergh none of them are mine!", still makes me laugh.
Any album that can contain Pale Blue Eyes and The Murder Mystery is going to be either brilliant, or a mess. This is brilliant with none of the horrendous irritation that we were delivered when Nico was around.
I love this album. It has a gentle, easy-going energy, which is a total left-turn from the first two Velvet Underground albums. The hardest-rocking songs are "What Goes On" and "Beginning to See the Light," which are both relatively mellow (especially compared to the experimental noise rock from the Velvets' previous album "White Light/White Heat"). A number of songs feel like lullabies, like "Candy Says," "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Jesus." They're beautiful songs with understated singing from Lou Reed. Rather than pushing the boundaries of rock like their other albums do, this album focuses on songcraft. The only hint that they were wild experimentalists is the strange psychedelic penultimate track "The Murder Mystery." But if you make it through all 9 minutes of that song (I rarely listen to the whole thing), you're rewarded with the closing track "After Hours," a gem of a song and a personal favorite sung by the drummer Moe Tucker.
Indeed!
Brilliant
First things first, The Murder Mystery is a tough listen and is representative of Lou Reed's most self-indulgent artistic impulses. It's confrontationally experimental and while I wouldn't necessarily call it bad, it's not a good song either. This is an album that I bought when I was younger and just never got into. Listening to it 20 years on, I'm now very glad that I have it. The first side is stellar top to bottom, and I like Doug Yule's vocals on Candy Says and Jesus, the latter of which has some rich vocal interplay between Reed and Yule. Beginning to See the Light is a fun rave-up, and even the Mo Tucker sung After Hours is ok. A great album with a weird art project shoved into it.
this album has some really high highs (specifically the first and last tracks for me) and is fun to listen to
no brainer
My friend says I'm stingy, so I'm rounding up this time. The Murder Mystery is too weird, but I liked it more on my second listen.
The murder mystery is basically pavement/ parquet courts mo.
Un très bon album, doux avec plusieurs chansons qui sont dans leur genre. J'adore ca et je vais réécouté plusieurs fois 5
fucking incredible. This is my favorite underground album. the prototypes
This one is probably my favourite Velvet Underground album
Outstanding album. Every song is a standalone hit, and put all together its one of the best of all time. 5/5
Even though the songs are a lot more straightforward than the two previous Velvet Underground albums, the same uneasy feeling of discontent and disconnect flows through me while listening to this album. Opener Candy Says is a bit of a strange one to me, is very slow, but it gets picked up shortly after by What Goes On. Pale Blue Eyes is absolutely beautiful and one of the best love songs ever written, even if it has the Lou Reed strangeness in story. The straightforward songs continue till the strange Murder Mystery - with its several stories and voices at the same time - which would've fitted perfectly on the John Cale experimental beginnings of the band. Only to have the drummer Moe Tucker close the album marvelously with the sweet After Hours. It is a great VU album, even if it doesn't have a Venus In Furs or Heroin on it.
One of my all time favorite bands! Great stuff.
Album super i embel.E shijova shume.Per kohen, tingujt e ri besoj se kane qene super modern.Overall shume i kendshem.
Right up my alley
Revolutionary. Every song takes you on a different trip.
On their way to see the light, The Velvet Underground had found a way forward, however short-lived. On their third, perhaps most straightforward, outing Lou, Sterling, Moe and new recruit Doug Yule shed the skin of their avant-garde, Warholian past and began to paint their corners into somewhat brighter colors (thus, this being The Gray Album). Gone were the transgressive songs about prostitutes, drug users and dealers, grisly deaths via well intended acts of love and sucking on ding-dongs. What we're dealing with here is a set of songs whose most shocking attribute is that you can hum to them; that it's accessible and approachable. That it didn't tilt the world on its axis, as most VU records didn't, is mostly the worlds' fault; as it always is. But maybe it's best that it didn't, that it didn't garner the infamy that the first record did. Maybe it's better that way? It's quite loaded but there are plenty of people that feel the same as me.
Lou reed and Jon car never miss
meu favorito deles, de certa forma é um dos menos experimentais, a unica musica que da pra dizer que assustaria alguem é murder mistery, e mesmo assim, não é tão dificil de gostar. destaque pras progressão de acordes e o trabalho de solo de guitarra. beginning to see the light e im set free são as preferidas
What's the saying? VU didn't sell many copies of its first album but everyone who bought or heard it started a band. Seminal.
I’ve always loved this album. I wonder what substances they were on.
Listened while doing astrophotography. It was really enjoyable, and the setting made it better.
oh lou
Our minds are programed to either like something immediately or move along. Listening to this album, I've realized how much our consumption of music has changed. Everything is free! Just listen to a commercial or two, and all the music is available ... everywhere. Which ironically, cuts exposure and listening to new music. :( This album, for example has a handful of tracks that are outstanding (Candy Says, After Hours), while others are meh. But in 'the olden days' you'd have to listen to the WHOLE album and over time the meh either ruined the good ones, or grew on you. That is you were FORCED to listen to the entire album, not just the good ones. This is one of the few that benefits from my 'olden days' listening and I can definitively say 'there's not a bad track on it.'
Like a party that hasn’t quite fizzled out yet
i love john cale most of all but also i think this is my favorite VU i cannot square the circle
Wow, sometimes the 60s is music that makes you feel like you are on drugs, and sometimes it sounds like it was made on drugs. This is both, in a really good way.
Nice album :) "After Hours" is so cute
Just a classic druggy album… these tunes are dripping in narcotics; but they don’t suffer from it at all. Amazing!!
if you close the door
HOW DOES IT FEEEEEEEEEL TO BE LOOOOOOOOOOOOVED Prefs: TOUT Moins pref: RIEN
Un poco lentillo, pero como es Lou, le pongo un 5.
Pretty much perfect
Enjoyed
One of these superclassic albums (just like VU albums 1,2,4) and probably the most perfect album on the list.
Brilliant album from start to finish. I can even appreciate Tucker's slightly-out-of-tune singing.
Honestly might be my favorite VU album or at least the one I revisit the most.
Good album, somehow slow and melancholic…
sandy says: i find this album very beautiful. i was only familiar with pale blue eyes, which i loved obv, but i had not noticed the last verse, so i didn't know it was about infidelity :o first and last track of the album are masterpieces, and the one that grew on me were What goes on, the jesus one and The murder mystery. The latter captures anxiety impressively.
my second fave tvu album. the vibes are pristine. I LOVE the murder mystery.
Amazing album. 2nd favorite VU album. 9-10/10
Every indie alt rock song pretty much ever is seeded here.
Love it
fremragende arbejde boiz
What an album. Outstanding.
Não conhecia o álbum. Achei sensacional! Meio rock progressivo, meio experimental; uma junção de bons toques. Vou pesquisar mais.
Un poco lentillo, pero como es Lou, le pongo un 5.
Wonderfully reminiscent album for me. So unique, inimitable sounds.Andy Warhol did good creating the VU
Idk why I never got into this band before. I dig this a lot.
I mean, it's a classic. Revolutionary album.
Classic album. Pale Blue Eyes a highlight. One of the best songs ever written. Rest of the album is great also.
Prototype indie album. Must have been so far ahead of the times, couldnt beleive it was a 1969 album.
Alright my first album on this website... aaaaand I've already listened to this one. Regardless, it's a classic and arguably better than their debut.
281221 15:28 4.5
VU's first album is the obvious one to get a 5 rating given how influential it was and how it redefined avant garde. This third album one was also a game changer and transformational for Lou Reed. This was the start of what we all think of as Lou Reed's sound as Lou's speaksinging became the main attraction and a lot of the White Light / White Heat experimentation with sounds not really made by the instruments were tossed. The cover photo is hilarious with Lou looking so young and wholesome. He doesn't look like a guy who two years earlier wrote a song about his heroin dealer always showing up late. Candy Says is a fine song although Lou does fuck with my memory with Candy Says, Caroline Says, Lisa Says, etc. I can't remember which woman says what but I like them all. Pale Blue Eyes is probably the best song on the album. I like the Christian trilogy starting with, duh, jesus and continuing on Side 2. I'm sure some will say they aren't a trilogy and who knows if Lou intended this but hey the customer's always right! Lou sums up his religious experience so well in I'm Set Free: "Let me tell you people what I found. I saw my head laughing, rolling on the ground" I'm guessing our Jewish friend either didn't find jesus after all or didn't like the religious narrative he found wrapped around jesus. Hallelujah Mr. Reed. After Hours is a great way to finish the album and works so well with drummer Mo's haunting voice.I even like Murder Mystery. All the talking over each other is quite rhythmic. It's interesting that the album has the same name as the band. Many bands have an eponymous first album. Examples include the first albums by Elvis Presley, The Doors, Miriam Makeba and Black Sabbath. When bands get around to their second album, they usually give it a name. The VU's second album had a name (White Light/ White Heat) but its third album reverted to being eponymous. It's much less common not to give a separate album name to later albums. One other case I can think of is the Beatles' eponymous ninth album. I guess Pater Gabriel also did this but all of his first four solo albums were eponymous. He was on a roll! I like the 6 CD set that the 1001 app leads to on Spotify. This allowed me to listen to the live versions of most of the songs. I know this isn't how we are supposed to play this game but Lou is so much better live especially in the early days when his studio budgets were tight.
I am being blessed by this random generator. I am a huge fan of The Velvet Underground, but I had not yet listened to this album in full before, so the amount of serotonin that entered by body upon seeing the cover was...quite a lot! Much like The Velvet Underground & Nico, the album that first got me into the band, The Velvet Underground (the album lol) is a calm (for the most part) and introspective series of songs, layered together with thoughtful instrumentation, delicate vocals, and intelligent lyrics. But what really struck me about this album in particular is how full each song sounds. There are never any instances where some element of a song feels unnecessary; everything fits together perfectly, and nothing feels "tacked on". When music sounds complete to me, that is when I know that I have found some musical geniuses. And The Velvet Underground, both the band and the record, without question, are fucking genius. This album is much shorter than The Wall, so I was able to pick out some favourite tracks on my initial listen, and they are Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, I'm Set Free, The Murder Mystery, and After Hours! Another big recommend to anyone.
60-S rock
I actually think this is better than "Velvet Underground And Nico".
Хороший альбом, но не такой яркий как первый их
Funcionou bem demais com o clima acústico, e mostrou a origem da candy says.
Lou Reed is a legend. Such great melodies, such a raspy, dry voice. It works. I love it.
Würde man dieser Liste 2 Nullen streichen, diese Platte wäre unzweifelhaft immer noch drin. Und zwar völlig zu Recht, weil das hier nimmt aus sich selbst heraus so viel vorweg, dass mich ernsthaft wundert warum man nicht ein eigenes Genre danach benannt hat. Aber gut, Punk, Garage, Glamrock auch das sind ja schöne Namen. Solange ich das mit dem Heroin nicht selbst ausprobiert habe, ist das hier auf jeden Fall Ersatzdroge of Choice. Oh, but I guess that I just don’t know.
I was looking forward to some Velvet Underground as I wasn't very familiar going in. This was good! I especially liked Pale Blue Eyes and That's The Story of My Life
Absolute classic. Is 1969 the greatest year in music history?
Pale Blue Eyes, Candy Says, and After Hours - Three GREAT Tracks.
My favorite of their four records
My favorite VU album,which means one of my favorite albums of all time. From the needle drop and the delicate strains of Candy Says barely a note out of place on this incredible album. Some Kinda Love, Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus, I'm Set Free, wow! 5 🌟
great album!!!
Such an uncanny thirst for heroine after listening to this a few time
O wiele przystępniejsza niż ta z bananem
All time
What a lovely relief from the previous albums. I hadn't listened closely to Candy Says before, but holy trans that song is so bittersweet and beautiful especially the final lines. The whole album is pretty, and it sounds like they're authentically having fun. Even the moody murder mystery song - the closest thing to their experimental previous stuff - sounds a bit playful among the stereo poetry jumble. If I had to program my mind to sync with one album, it would be this one. Tasteful. Well paced. Open eyed. Accepting. Empathetic. Authentic. Energy-giving. What a goddamn delight. A+
The first Indy Rock album—inspired so much that came after it, strokes, shins, Elliott smith, the list goes on. This is my idea of a perfect album, every note seems minimal to the point of feeling essential, Lou Reed’s poetry shines and every song is good, it’s fun, it’s melancholic, it’s hard, it’s soft, it’s about drugs, drinking, love, friendship, enlightenment and nostalgia. Whether it’s the the or the softness of “Candy Says,” the driving road trip vibes of “what goes on,” the jug band vibes of “some kind of love,” the perfectly soft darkness of “pale blue eyes,” the rock and roll lullaby of “Jesus,” the swinging good time of “Beginning to See the Light,” the enlightened release of “I’m set free,” the folksy, “That’s the story of my life,” even the avant- guard juxtaposition of “The Murder Mystery” its grating chanted poetry dissonant against the softer hazy moments create a sometimes skippable but still excellent song, and finally twee notes of “After Hours” this album never misses a beat, it’s relentlessly good. Easy 5
this is why i started this thing
This shit rocked hard. Really enjoyed it, but the final song was kinda strange.
I love this, it’s a (mostly) pleasant listen with great songwriting. Murder Mystery is so strange but in an interesting way. gets a 10
Awk sure this album isn't as fried out as the one that came before it, but you can't really expect me to dislike it can ye?
AOOOOOOOOO DELÍCIA DE SONZIM, AMEI
Fantastic album!
One of my top 5 favorite bands, and second favorite of their albums. No good words to describe it, but the storytelling + the music are excellent
Oasis musical en medio del desierto de sonidos iguales.
So good
Beautiful album. I've never listened to this VU album all the way through. It may be my favorite of all their albums.
I had only ever heard the song "pale blue eyes" on many mixed tapes - the rest of their music I only knew with Nico. Much better without her.
Great album
кэнди сэйс айв кам ту хейт май бади
Classic album
A stunning collection of songs. Side One has some of Lou Reed's finest work, and then Side Two sees the band branching out. Bands based entire careers out of the ideas on the final two tracks. I'd argue they are both more exciting than the noise experiments of the first two albums. Although it was not to last, this album presents the Velvet Underground as a cohesive, collaborative unit, adding magic to Lou Reed's masterpieces.
The first and last few songs on this album are so beautiful. Candy Says is a perfect opener and Murder Mystery was so captivating. I just wish the middle third didn’t drone on as much.
Thoroughly enjoyed
Can’t say I’ve ever heard anything by this group before. Candy says was quite a gorgeous start. It was almost like a lullaby. What goes on was a different vibe, but oh my god was it great!! I thought it had just the right amount of oomph for what it was trying to be. The guitar solo was also a nice bonus. Some kinda love was a great little track and then afterwards, pale blue eyes was super sweet. It was simple, but it worked. Jesus was another very vibey track. That’s the story of my life was also quite good. Then, going into the Murder Mystery, I thought the track was quite interesting. My brain felt like it needed to be everywhere at once. After hours was a nice enough way to end things! I liked the different vocalist. 4/5 ⭐️ 178/1089
Reminds me of the Beatles but with a bit more of a rock twang to it? The female voice in some songs is really nice. Very nice guitar across the board Favourite song (s): my best friend, coming back to you, D.C.B.A Least favourite song(s): nothing really stood out here, embrionic journey Overall rating: 8.9/10
Great album. I’m a fan of the band and Lou Reed as a solo artist. Lots of great songs here. Every song is good. 4.5 for me probably.
Great but not the best Velvet Underground record. If White Light White Heat is a 5/5, this is a 4/5.
Det va en trivelig liten sak, synes æ.
2026.06.30
Bueno disco! Solo conocia Heroin y no está en este disco, pero me gustó mucho, la cancion Mistery Murder una canción bien extraña, incomoda, pero interesante
Really enjoy the more mellow sounds on a lot of these songs. Big fan of I’m set free. These dudes just couldn’t help themselves with putting weird shit at the end of their albums, but unlike the end of the Nico album, murder mystery is actually kind of enjoyable in an odd way
Not sure if it meets the definition of the Mandela Effect but I went a number of years thinking Adventure Time used After Hours in one of the Marceline episodes. The feedback guitar solos on this and the Banana album are up there with Bob Dylan harmonica solos for destroying your family's ear drums in the car. I think this is my favorite Velvet Underground album. It’s certainly the most listenable of their first three albums, the Murder Mystery notwithstanding.
So happy to be listening to this in full. An all timer for sure. Like nearly perf album