The Velvet Underground

It was nice. Interesting. It was slow and sometimes repetitive, but for some reason I didn’t mind. I don’t get why these guys are so acclaimed but I did like it

I really liked some of the songs on this album, Jesus for example. The melodies are soft and lovely at times, the singer has a pleasant voice. However there is a general sense of melancholy and I tend to have a melancholy mind so I really prefer happy joyous music. This one will certainly bring me down if I play on repeat.

It's like the American Beatles. Rock and psychedelic sound.

The great, melloa VU style really comes through on this album. Pale Blue Eyes might be my favorite VU song of all time.

One of the first alternative albums.

So ahead of its time in so many ways. Objectively close to a perfect album and yet... just doesn't quite get there for me.

Beautiful guitar work, which mostly, the vocals match. Lyrics are on par with the decade.

Classic!

Great album. Soulful guitars with expressive Lou Reed's vocals, you can get into his skin and feel his love, pity and happiness. This album really represents the tender sound of The Velvet Underground. Really puts me at peace. Amazing.

Me ha gustado bastante. 4. Tiene la canción Candy Says

Jesus Halfway there, one step closer. 3 albums out of 5, 4 stars out of 5 it is, the self-titled has its magic where the artist real find their signature instead of (and most of the time) naming its first debut album a self-titled one. Perhaps the band is relaxing on this one, they don’t care about what’s coming, they just want to freeze the legacy of this, along their path in music history. Either way, on the list this is the third and last one, leaving Loaded and Squeeze out. This is a dawn album, you’re running late back home, leaving the party you just went too, starts remembering names, problems and what’s real life is. You can call it back from the beginning when Nico is invited to the party, White Light / White Heat is the party itself and the Self-Titled is After. B

I hadn't listened to this record. I have heard "The Velvet Underground and Nico" and "White Light/White Heat." Other than that, I've just heard Lou Reed's "Transformer," which remains the best of all the records I just name-dropped. "White Light/White Heat" is a great record, but that's not what we're here to talk about (I hope it is somewhere on this list). This is a much prettier record than the first two VU records. Especially prettier than WL/WH. It makes for a much more listenable recording. And it also presages the success that Lou Reed would have after the VU. I'm happy to have heard this record because it's the only VU record I've heard that I would put on and relax. Their other records are just too jarring to make sense in most situations.

Good vibes throughout. A little odd toward the end, but overall I was into it!

I enjoyed most of it, the lyrics were very raw and emotional.

This is an album you put on when you're in love with someone and there's nowhere else to go and nothing else to do.

What a beautiful piece of work. The Velvet Underground has long been a blind spot for me. Others note the band's influence on all rock music to come, but I don't have the investment in their legacy to get into that here. What I can say is I don't think I have ever felt so connected to a recorded guitar as I do here. Every note, every string, is alive. The minimalist production is at once melancholy and lit up, making the whole affair feel live and in-person. Plenty of bands have tried to sound like The Velvet Underground over the years, and few are half as interesting or talented.

Didn't quite make the five stars but A Pleasing Smile is a great track.

Perhaps some of the smoothest rock in history, the tamped down vocals, the warm tones, make appreciated a much needed break from their higher energy contemporaries. Where the 60s were looking for excitement and noise, this album found what could be felt as a sacred serenity for the rock genre. The pop genre was cannibalizing rock, and the genre needed an injection of authenticity. Whether or not this was the intent of TVU cannot be confirmed, but the history speaks for itself as to why this album stands out. Perhaps Jesus did indeed help them find their proper place here.

I wasn't goint to listen to this one. I was a big fan for a while back in the 80s, but I grew to hate them with a passion and haven't heard any for aaaages. But I put it on anyway. I guess any album that gets overplayed as much as this has to be considered something special.

solid album, definitely hear proto-punk sound.

Really dug this one! Didn't know many songs going into it but I'll be keeping quite a few. Know and love "Pale Blue Eyes" from Adventureland, same story as Unsatisfied from The Replacements. Thought I heard Nico near the end, but that was a different female vocalist. Anytime I listen to VU, I feel like I like them more and more. Can't wait to get The Banana Album from them! Favorite tracks: Pale Blue Eyes, After Hours, Some Kinda Love, Murder Mystery, Beginning to See the Light. Album art: The kind of band photo that does basically nothing for me. 4.5/5

I think this is their most focused output, and coming off of White Light/White Heat it’s surprisingly mellow.

While missing a good chunk of the experimentation from prior albums, The Velvet Ungerground prove themselves as great songwriters with this well produced album. Favorites: "Candy Says", "What Goes On", "Pale Blue Eyes"

The Velvet Underground's self-titled work is an enchanting folk-rock staple. The record begins with "Candy Says", a very delicate introduction to the record that sets a really cozy vibe. I love the moving guitar lines and subtly present bass work present on songs like "Some Kinda Love", and the personality-driven vocals from Lou Reed deliver on "Pale Blue Eyes" with its Bob Dylan-esque heartbreak song structure and "Jesus" as he harmonizes with bassist Doug Yule. The folk tracks "That's The Story Of My Life" and "After Hours" are two of my favorites, with both being very short and sweet pieces that showcase the best of The VU's songwriting abilities. The band also shows their capability in providing rocking bangers like "Beginning To See The Light" and "I'm Set Free", with the latter carrying an interesting sense of dynamics as it continually builds and retreats. The only underwhelming experience comes in "What Goes On", with energized riffs that get drowned out halfway through by organs and an enveloping fuzzy guitar solo that didn't work for me. The track starts with a lot of intrigue and ends by repeating that same motif for too long without evolving on it much, with the middle portion feeling somewhat out-of-place. This doesn't do much to bring the rest of the record down, especially with songs like the penultimate "The Murder Mystery", which is sprawling and confusing in the best ways. It features odd sounds effects and an intriguing drum pattern that pairs well with the ramblings and guitars during the verses, while the back-and-forth choruses between Reed and drummer Maureen Tucker give a break from the break-neck pace with slick guitar and organ lines. The song is overwhelming and captivating in its creativity, proving to be a stand-out in the tracklist. The sentimental, engaging, and bold efforts that The Velvet Underground make on this record pay off in an amazing display of songwriting and personality. BEST TRACKS: Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, The Murder Mystery, After Hours WORST TRACKS: What Goes On

Extremely poignant and intensely calming. Lou Reed has one of the most soothing voices ever, and the lo-fi aesthetic only adds to the homely feel. Favorite Tracks: "Candy Says", "Pale Blue Eyes", "Jesus", "The Murder Mystery", "After Hours"

The one with the banana is better, haha.

Favourite VU album.

Classic stuff. Groove, baby

Genius (with the exception of Murder Mystery, which is okay, but not up to the standards of The Gift)

Eins og mér finnst heilt á litið lítið til Lou Reeds koma þá var Velvet Underground æðsileg sveit, og þessi plata, sem ég hlustaði á í tætlur á síðustu öld, er mjög skemmtileg. Ekki fullt hús, en fer langt á nostalgíunni.

60’er avant garde, art rock, afdæmpet

The Velvet Underground is a sleazy dungeon I used to frequent when I lived in L.A. It was a grotty little sex club filled to the brim with the most filthy scum you could imagine. I once had a threesome with Harrison Ford and Lady Gaga on the pool table in front of everyone. They were a majestic pair of fuckers.

Not my favorite VU album, but I still love this record. More laid back than their prior two albums, and a lot more song oriented and less noise/experiment oriented. the noise thing really does a it for me, but I really rate the song-writing too. This album contains some deadest classics (Pale Blue Eyes, What Goes On, Candy Says, I'm Set Free), but I also love Some Kinda Love, which has a proto-kraut rock thing going on. For almost any other band, this would be the album of their career, but the Velvets, I rank second or third. A great record for people who find their more challenging material off-putting.

Some cool songs

Great album, chiller than and less impactful than Velvet Underground + Nico but I still liked it

Very good shit

7.5/10

Really good, felt very 60s rock quiet in a great way, chill af. Few bad songs

Perhaps it's just the mood I'm in as this one drops into the list but, apart from 'The Murder Mystery' this was very much a... I won't say fun, because it's not that vibe, but something that clicked pretty strongly. I have an affinity for melancholy in music in general so this fits pretty nicely into it

What a pleasant surprise this album was! I'd obviously heard of the velvet underground before but I'd never actually heard their music, and this is an album of laid-back rock I've got a lot of time for. It's probably a 3.5 but today I'm feeling generous.

I enjoy the chilled mood of this album, walking around town in the winter sun is really quite an experience. It's a nice mix of very slow dreamy songs and then a couple more up-beat songs sprinkled in. 10/10 will put this in my regular rotation

I really liked this! Didn’t care for the murder mystery but I loved after hours.i dont agree with my 4 star rating. it's a 3.5 star album for me

I like this band a lot, surprises every time I listen to something they made. Not better than ”Niko" but just as good.

Predivan album i sve, smatam da ne treba puno rijeci za opis (Isprike ekipi na neazurnosti ovih dana)

Pošto su mi Velvet Undergroundovci u top 10 bendova, nije teško skužiti da mi se bar 90% njihove diskografije sviđa. Pa tako da je ovaj album u top 3 njihovih, većinom se zna natjecati za drugo mjesto sa White Light/White Heat - zavisno o raspoloženju. Lou Reed <3 Favoritne: Some Kinda Love, Pale Blue Eyes, Beginning to See the Light, I'm Set Free.

Bez par pjesama se moglo, al svakako prejak album

Медитативненько, но могло быть лучше.

Hadn't heard this VU album before. Much more subdued than Velvet Underground & Nico. Really interesting. Lou Reed is great as always. 4.5/5

Delicate songs about troubled people in difficult and dangerous situations

Un bell'album. In particolare ho apprezzato Pale blue eyes.

A little sleepy, but over all very good.

Mis hier wel een beetje die krankzinnigheid van de banaan-plaat, maar dit is toch ook tof en veel gemakkelijker om in te komen natuurlijk.

Beter dan vorige plaat die we geluisterd hebben. Staan echt een paar mooie nummers op.

This is a great album. A shame they put two slightly annoying tracks on it: The murder mystery What goes on - The guitar hurt my ears!

Good album, I don't think I'd ever really heard any of these songs beyond Pale Blue Eyes and Candy Says. Would skip The Murder Mystery - it's annoying and long.

Nice, just got a bit weird towards the end.

Fabulous album - incredibly creative people capturing the sound and zeitgeist of the late-60s

The melodies are a bit boring, but overall very pleasant

It's a go-to "it band" of the 60s, transitioning from their experimental art-college student phase to much sweeter, more conventional fare. Direct, catchy, at times achingly melodic: I'll take it any day over the overhyped, "proto-everything" of their debut. Without John Cale or Andy Warhol at the helm (big influences on the avant-garde side of the band) Lou Reed and the remaining members set about to create something warmer, more optimistic, more immediate: a broad change from their earlier work. For me, it's a progression I can completely get behind: this still carries a weight of melancholy and hurt, but has such tender delivery throughout where the whole band are given the chance to shine. Songcraft is put above improvisation, with a conscious effort to cherish (rather than challenge) the listener. The "European Son"s and "Sister Ray"s are mostly abandoned for the "Sunday Morning"s and "I'll Be Your Mirror"s, and it pays off beautifully: even though the VU's experimentation was noteworthy at the time, it hasn't aged as well for me and often seems to eclipse material like this. Opener "Candy Says" is so delicate and fragile, in instrumentation and vocals, that it feels like it could blow away on the wind. From there, it does take a little while to get going. "What Goes On" feels like a sub-standard attempt at a single, and "Some Kinda Love" falls flat as the dud of the record. But then, the run of songs from "Pale Blue Eyes" onwards is absolutely gorgeous. We're treated to incredibly intimate vocals and oblique heartbreak in "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Jesus", later rejoicing in the swinging breeziness of "That's The Story of My Life", and Reed getting into "Transformer" mode with "Beginning to See the Light", which lives in the credits sequence of one of the greatest indie films yet to be made. While "The Murder Mystery" isn't all my cup of tea, it's much more focused than it could have been and adds a nice touch of the abstract to the album without going overboard. The piano runs in the last couple of minutes more than make up for all the poetry recitation. And "After Hours"? A great move for Moe Tucker to sing it to close things off, and a delightfully ambiguous feel. It's either a very gentle landing back to earth, or moving out of the final reaches of its orbit: whichever way I'd like to feel at the time. On the whole this is my personal peak of Velvet Underground: sweet without being sugar-coated, sincere without being blinkered, experimental without being try-hard.

Me ha gustado bastante. 4. Tiene la canción Candy Says

Good Album with Warhol cover art.

Murder Mystery threw me off Album feels more like a storytelling through music Good music overall - liked the vibe

Chilled, melodic, intimate.

I've heard a lot about the Velvet Underground. I don't know why but I thought they were a very early punk band. I was very wrong. That said, I liked it. Mellow jams, the voice is very familiar but I can't place it. (I cheated, realized it's Lou Reed). In the back half they seem to add some vocals and it's not just Lou. All goes with some easy melodies that work well and flow very easily. Murder Mystery was really hard to get through. Points for trying this in 1969, very ahead of their time with some ideas.

Beautiful piece of work. Side one is a five star, side two's 3.5 bring this to a four star.

Slower and mellower than I would have expected from a late-60's rock group. Worthy of another listen with more attention to lyrics.

I'm not nearly as familiar with this album, as "The Velvet Underground & Nico", but it definitely still hits the spot! The Velvet Underground being a little more straight forward and accessible, what's not to like? Fave track - "Beginning to See The Light" and "What Goes On" have been my favourites in the past, but this play through I really dug "The Murder Mystery". Love the effect of two voices overlapping and interfering and generating urgency without sense...

still not banana album BUT its good too!

Es un álbum super tranquilo, me gustó, 8/10

Viele sind es, in denen der Sound dieser Band bis in die Nuller widerhallte (Olivia Tremor Control, Moldy Peaches, Spiritualized, …) Die langsamen Nummern sind für die Ewigkeit, allen voran „Candy Says“, „Pale Blue Eyes“ driften wie müde Eisschollen am Ende der Schmelze durch das Morgenrot. Hier bleiben die Lider schwer und selbst das grellere „Beginning to See the Light“ (der beste Beatles Song, den die Beatles nie gemacht haben) ändert daran nicht viel. Niveau recht konstant, nah dran an Traditionen amerikanischer (Gitarren)musik und doch auch stark an seinen fransigen Rändern unterwegs. Samtige 4.1

4/10🌟this will offend people alrighttt it’s giving classic, could be a sleep album which if you know me IM OBSESSED W THAT VIBE. i don’t love it but i alsnog buy vinyl, mane needs more time, i’ll listen afterwards fs! I THIBK?? I liked murder mystery it was cool like the weird harmonies but not the talking at the beginning i also have to commend the range of their music thk liked- candy says, after hours, jesus, i’m set free disliked - what goes on, some kinda love, beginning to see the light

Melancholic pop. Very pleasant to listen to and chill around. (7/10) Favourite Song: Pale Blue Eyes

Know it well. Very good.

Not my favorite Velvet Underground, but still a great album

Blue eyes on this album, which you already liked. Didn’t find any other favs but a cool and unique sound. Solid but not stellar for me

liked it

Really strong album

Interesting album. Not really my type but I can appreciate the quality.

Pretty chill and nice

Some really standout songs on this album. Only marred by a couple duds towards the end.

very good album

Velvet underground with Nico was the first album I listened to on this journey and I remember being distinctly disappointed. I’m happy to announce this has completely changed my mind about the VU (Velvet Underground). I really liked this album. True to their name. Sounds like velvet. Sounds like underground. I delighted in Murder Mystery and pale blue eyes. It’s gonna stay in my thoughts for a long time. Turns out Nico was the problem huh??? But I love Nico.

Oh my god i love it a;ready Final Thoughts: 4/5

Wirklich gut durchzuhören.

How modern

Groß!! Klug und eingängig zugleich.

Норм

Iconic album

easy listening while reading

Another one of those bands that I understand are important culturally, but I've never actually listened to. I enjoyed it a lot.

good!

typisch 60's best goed

Top

9, very much enjoyed it

Warhol house band stop being angry and start singing about god and girls

Love the Velvet Underground but prefer the noisy albums. Still some nice songs

8/10, solid album, and I especially like that it is not super samey throughout. After much reflection, I did find that the singing on the last song really reminded me of the bit in Elf where the main gal sings in the shower.

Nice and mellow

Muy bueno!

nice

Pretty good for being slow and British. I think the production and lyrics are good and it's a bit more musical than other British stuff so yay. 8

Schön

Very chill easy listening, can definitely see why it is regarded as so influential

I really enjoyed the slower songs that weren't as dissonant as the others. I still prefer the Andy Warhol album

Enjoyed the vibes, but wasn't able to focus much on lyrics or songwriting. I expected velvet underground to be weirder, but I got a kick out of it!

Great one

Great record, not my favorite of theirs. Definitely still "Velvet Underground," but more pleasant, not as noisy as later records.

V good.

9/10

Music ahead of its time, good vocals

Muy pinches bueno. Una joyita que no conocía.

This is some seriously chill shit! I don’t know the Velvet Underground that well but this album really cements the fact that I’m going to have a massive heroin phase ✌🏼

Pretty, pretty cool.

kinda cool

Nice calm vibe with the first few songs beginning to see the light is jamming Murder Mystery is also nice

Great Album. Chill vibes. I liked Some kind of love Pale blue eyes Thats the story of my like After Hours

Pretty good. Kind of an album to just have playing in the background softly.

8

Nunca tinha ouvido, curtindo bastante, são canções, algo que não tava esperando, muitas em um tempo mais lento. Adorando, as letras as vozes, até as guitarras. Bem diferente do primeiro disco deles, que conheço muito melhor.

some songs are super good some are just not my style but overall great experience, pale blue eyes was ahead of time imo.

Pretty great overall, but the A side is definitely better than the B side. That penultimate track...ugh. No. Just, no.

Very cool live album, great for work jams. Loved the live renditions of Heroin and songs with Lou Reed

I enjoy VU. I knew Pale Blue Eyes (I think it got played at Starbucks for some reason??) Having Beginning to See the Light after Jesus reeled me back in. Solid album throughout, really enjoyed the aforementioned track, What Goes On, and a couple others at the end.

Amazing album 9.3/10

Wonderful. One of my favorites of theirs, if not my favorite.

Pale Blue Eyes Jesus Some Kinda Love

Own. Fave Song "Pale Blue Eyes" lots of good songs - 4.25.

8/10 FT: Pale Blue Eyes

its still bizarre to me how ahead of their time these fuckers were. first they do all that experimental bs and now this? what the fuck? how did it not catch on anyways?? like why did it take so long for twee pop and slowcore and whatever to catch on after this thing came out its so good!!! theres more misses than on WL/WH but the good stuff is amazing, it has just the right amount of raw-ish production and a lot the lyrics were kinda unexpected for 1969 too like damn they rly lived up to their name didnt they .................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................ murder mystery isnt super interesting until the last section with the pianos and shit though 9/10 barely

8/10, absolute classic

3.75/5. I liked this, some songs are better than others.

loved it!

The first half of the album had my hopes high but then it kinda fell off really. Not much else to say except I do appreciate the whole vibe that the velvet underground have.

Самый простой для восприятия альбом The Velvet Underground с их самыми радио-направленными хитами. Легкая акустическая психоделика и минимальный, но очень узнаваемый пост-панк-арт-хаус вайб

I’ve really enjoyed most of the other Velvet Underground stuff I’ve heard on this list, plus the solo projects that spun off from them, but this one was a step down for me\. It’s quieter and more stripped back than the first two albums, which isn’t automatically a bad thing, but a lot of it felt too subdued\. “Murder Mystery” was especially weird\. I usually like their weirdness, but this one felt more like an experiment I respected than a song I wanted to hear again\. There are still some good moments and Lou Reed’s writing keeps it from being boring, but this is probably the least interesting Velvet Underground album I’ve heard so far\. Not bad, just pretty middle of the road compared with what I know they were capable of\.

Pretty good. Overall, it was a pretty mellow album. The stretch from Pale Blue Eyes to I'm set Free was my fav. What Goes On is the only actually bad song in the album. I do not like it. Listened to this one 4 or 5 times. I could see it grow on me more. Looking forward to more from them eventually.

the best of the 60's psychedelia.

Beyond "Candy Says" there's very little special about this record. I may be biased because I'm certainly not a big fan of Lou Reed, but this album didn't really make me change my opinion.

C'est mieux sans Nico !

Im a huge VU fan, this album is really great. Not as good as some probably. Puts me right back in Wintergreen in like 8th grade though.

pretty good. i've heard their first two albums already so I kind of know where they're coming from with this. The first two really stood out because they were experimental and nobody else really sounded like that at the time. this album, by comparison, seems a lot more conventional/aligned with popular taste of the time, but I still think its good. i think the second half started to drag a little, and The Murder Mystery is the weakest point, really did nothing for me and was a little annoying to listen to. they had experimental tracks on their first two albums that are a lot more well done in my opinion. highlights for me are candy says, after hours, pale blue eyes, and what goes on is probably my favorite track, absolutely bangin.

6/10 Best songs: The Murder Mystery, After Hours Sounds kinda like the 60s rock equivalent of modern-day indie, with some bursts of extreme creativity (The Murder Mystery) contrasting with dull, garage-rock-esque sounds (I'm Set Free). I don't really enjoy most of the album too much, but I don't hate it, either. I don't really get how it managed to be so influential - what exactly was special enough that later acts replicated their sound? Oh well.

It was a long album. They remind me of The Beatles. 5/10 would listen again.

mid

A little discordant, not my usual style Playlist add: “Pale Blue Eyes”

Ultimately a mixed bag, but I really appreciated the simple beauty of “Jesus” and the forward-thinking indie-esque tracks that sound about 30 years ahead of time. The more experimental stuff could have been cut.

I was born in 2008 so it was very hard for me to listen to this but still chill, mellow album. Favorite tracks are The Story Of My Life, The Murder Mystery and After Hours. Chile it’s just like to 1969 for me. Not a bad album tho for 1969 i gues 👁️👅👁️

OK, might give it another listen

Owned this for years. Never been a favourite. It's not terrible by any means but it lacks the really great tracks that their debut has got. It passed fairly quickly and for the most part I wasn't bored but I wouldn't say that anybody who doesn't hear this before they die will have massively missed out on anything. I prefer Lou Reed/VU in their softer moments so those were my favourites. Favourite tracks.. Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, After Hours.

It was good

It was solid, but not their best work

3.5 rounded…..down. Could have gone either way, but ultimately it didn’t meet my expectations and was a poor man’s Transformer (come back, David, all is forgiven).

Pale blue eyes is definitely a romantic song but I think Candy Says is pretty sad; especially knowings it's about Candy Darling, one of the first visible trans person in the US.

I like 1.5 of the songs—pale blue eye one (Edgar Allen Poe referenced and I half-like the “if you close the door”… song bc they sing it in that Florence Pugh movie. The rest of the songs were ok

Quite chilled, laid back and an easy listen. But not something that had blown me away 3.2/5

So I got really disappointed because I genuinely thought The Velvet Underground and Violent Femmes were the same band, and so I got excited, and then it wasn't. With that out of the way, this is fine.jpg. There's some good stuff in here, I liked Pale Blue Eyes and I'm Set Free. There's some bad, I thought The Murder Mystery was annoying. The rest is very quiet. Another album I really struggled to actually hear. It's fine, but that's about it.

Boldly different for the era it was created in, in that it was willing to be more subdued and thoughtful. That said, it never really hooked me. At most; I feel like I recalled hearing After Hours somewhere else, in a film or TV show. I get why people could love it at least, I’m just not one of them.

No soy la más fan de la Velvet, pero reconozco que este disco me ha gustado mucho más que otros (¿será porque no me gusta demasiado John Cale? Puede ser). Eso sí, me parece algo más íntimo y otoñal, escucharlo con una ola de calor no me ha hecho disfrutar igual de la experiencia. Aun con su buenos 39ºC, con mi cerebro ligeramente derretido, me ha encantado muchísimo más que el del plátano. Canciones favoritas: 'What Goes On'

Chilliä rokkia. Hidasta, osa ballaadimaista. Vika biisi tosi symppis.

It's giving me Beatles vibes.

Wow.

This is probably my least favorite album from them. They were deeeeep into heroin and I get the cultural significance, just not my vibe. However pale blue eyes and after hours are killer tracks. 4.75/10 Top song After hours

Decent album. Has the tones of a Beatles record and vocals are “Lou Reed-Lite”, I’ll say. 3.4/5.0

Lou Reed, more like Lou Zer (pronounced loser haha!)

I tried very hard to like this band but its so fucking pretentious. I love maybe 2-3 songs here (their softer tracks are awesome) but dont really like the rest. Maybe ill like them one day. Thanks for inventing many great rock genres and being so influencial but your music aint that good.

boring other than "candy says"

It doesn’t suck, but I just can’t get into it. Pleasant enough, but nothing really grabs me or earns a return visit. After all the wild surprises that the late ’60s have thrown my way, this one feels surprisingly ordinary.

The Velvet Underground might be a cult classic, and "Venus in Furs" from their album with Nico is a masterpiece to me, but I found this album the more underwhelming the longer it went. Giving it 3 stars because the first tracks were quite good.

The Murder Mystery is epic!

More accessible than some of their other stuff, but I miss having more exploration in sound over the whole album.

It was way more mellow than I was thinking, but good.

I can only hope that someday I will be smart and cool enough to "get" the Velvet Underground.

Listening session: july 13th, while getting ready Listened to before: heard three songs before Thoughts: nice album but not as good as The Velvet Underground & Nico Favourite tracks: Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes & After Hours

5/10 fav: candy says

Nice as far as 60's rock goes but still not all that different

Very clearly an influence on a lot of later bands. Having said that I feel that there's better albums that have further expanded on the velvet underground. Still 3 stars for being a very influential and prototypical album.

After Hours

Not bad

7 / 10

It's when you want chill Velvet Underground.

not their best album

3,4 Highlights: Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes

It's pretty bland and just a bit boring. It's is not bad by any means just not the most exciting or interesting album ever. I do like it, I like the way it sounds and flows and I really like the vibe of it, but it just didn't really do it for me. It's is your basic underground 60's rock band. I can understand why it may be popular (especially at that time), but I don't think it's as good as people may make it. I don't think I'll visit it again in the future, but it isn't unimaginable that I do (maybe some of the songs). My favourite was definitely Candy Says. I did really, really like that one, so it obviously made it to the playlist!! There were also others that i did like and add to the playlist, but there were also quite a lot that i thought was just a little too long, since almost all of the songs are about 4-5 minutes long which can make it feel like it's a bit dragged out. I will say that most of the songs weren't repetitive at all, which i really appreciated, because sometimes that can get a bit annoying, but that didn't really happen with this album. I think to form a general opinion on this band, I would have to listen to their other stuff because based on this album i can't really tell if I like them or I'm not really a fan. Overall I think this album wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I'd say it was on the little bit better side of decent.

Chill rock album

nice. some chill songs, some mid songs. overall I liked it

This album is pretty good. Some parts can drag on (the song about Jesus was fairly repetitive), but by and large the instrumentals backing this project are exciting and fresh. This is one of my favorite rock albums from the list so far, and this list loves its rock albums. I am excited to see how I feel about this given more time.

Aunque sea un 3 lo he disfrutado mucho

liked this one. particularly 'after hours' - Juno vibes.

I had a hard time getting into it, but it wasn't bad.

The first half was pretty boring, but it got a lot better as it went on. I think even the early songs could grow on me.

I remember liking this, but it also didn't blow me away. Some nice smooth tunes though.

первые песни построены музыкально практически на одном и том же мотиве дальше уже поинтереснее но меня не зацепило

Right off the bat they kinda sound like the Beatles, but like a little more mellow

very good album

Beginning To See The Light I've heard before... maybe in a Wes Anderson film? Not super into this sound.

Pretty decent stuff - some of their folk stuff is a little boring.

Candy says was nice but it is all a bit soppy and sameish for me. Just not currently a velvet undergrounds bloke

i think this could grow on me

Сара 3 Марко 3

Vibey, the first few songs are a bit forgettable - audio quality/volume of vocals not that good? Some songs remind me of Simon & Garfunkel, from the folksy elements. I enjoyed it more as I went through the tracks. The organ in 'murder mystery' is wacky and weird, could work out if I liked it or not because the overlapping voices is quite intense. I ended up skipping it because the song is so damn long. Nice to get to After Hours

Maybe half the songs were really good. The other half were pretty alright. But the best two song are so much better than anything else on the album (After Hours and Pale Blue Eyes). They should’ve had that girl (who I now know is their drummer) sing more. I like her voice.

Beatles vibes. But different.

Easy listening. Not too bad

Not heard this before but I enjoyed it. Quite laid back.

Honestly a very mellow start to the album. Not super interesting but definitely emotional and melancholic, which can appeal to some people, but I can't say I'm a fan considering some of the other music of the 60s is much more intriguing while carrying that same tone. Also seems like the singers just get overpowered by the background music; not much power to their voices at all and the beat is way too loud. Interesting beats throughout but they don't actually land very well. Honestly the songs sound repetitive and way too pitchy. Overall, very uninteresting in my opinion. Definitely good for like some background noise but I wouldn't say it's intriguing beyond that.

I’m more into Lou Reed’s solo work, but this VU album post-John Cale 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. 3.5⭐️

Weird to have such a *huge* gap between Velvet Underground albums in the collection (first one was at #43, now this one at #888, and still one more to go). And quite a contrast to their debut/Nico collaboration album (and apparently a huge contrast to the yet-unheard "White Light/White Heat" album too), largely in a good way, as Nico's style and voice never really seemed to align with the band. But this album is also helping me understand that I really missed out by not listening to bands like this--and this one specifically--in my formative teenage years. This seems like a decent album, and in many ways more straightforwardly musical than their debut (either despite or because of John Cale's absence and the experimentation he brought), but it doesn't really speak to me, and its contemplative and near-acoustic style becomes a bit monotonous at times, "The murder mystery" excluded. I enjoyed the balance of percussion and guitar running through nearly every song, but there aren't many highlights for me--maybe the very Lou-Reed-inflected "Some kinda love" or "I'm set free"? I'm also beginning to suspect that Lou Reed wasn't all that gifted of a guitarist, which is kind of disappointing, but not entirely surprising. Did I need to hear this before I die? Probably not, but I'm glad to have more exposure to Velvet Underground.

Not my cup of tea, but a great experiment nonetheless

This was pretty good. Not fantastic, but pretty good.

Would be very good in a period specific movie, or on long drives in the background.

Overrated

This is fine. I never understood the hype around The Velvet Underground but I also didn't grow up in that time. I was a teenager of the 90s and now I hear all these people say how Nirvana isn't really that good and they are overrated. They don't get it. Just like I'll never understand what VU meant back then so when you listen now in 2026 you think "I've heard other bands do this better" you've only heard other bands do it at all because VU did it first. I respect what they did but it doesn't do much for me personally.

Sleepy easy album

No thoughts for this album, did enjoy the mix up with songs with no beat in them and just gutar.

Mellow - pleasant tunes

I like Lou Reed, and this album was a good vibe throughout the whole listen. It would be a solid 4/5 for me purely based on good energy... if it wasn't for "The Murder Mystery". That listening experience actually ruined my life. 30 seconds in and my head was pulsating and blood was dribbling out of my eyes. Awful. They used actual mosquito frequencies in production or something. 3/5. Didn't expect the album to lure me into a false sense of security and then incite Havana Syndrome.

First song is very good, relaxing album overall

Great

Having this on in the background was okay. The parts of the album where it was just random speaking all over the place annoyed me. I don't think there was anything that really stood out and caught my ear.

Chill listen

10 songs So funny story, there's this video called Jesus' betrayal: What really went down. Don't mean to spoil too much but that bitch ass judas tries to sell Jesus to the feds. At the end of the video the song Jesus from this album plays. My dumbass lived for 4 years believing that song was an original made for that video. Now imagine my surprise when I listen to this album and I reach that heavenly tune.

Not my usual taste in music but surprisingly good. Some songs from the album going into my playlist.

Quiet bluegrass vibe

The third album from The Velvet Underground was a notable shift from the raw, experimental noise of the previous two releases with Lou Reed now taking a greater role in writing. Whilst the music is somewhat easier on the ear, the lyrics of a track like Candy Says are still progressive, even now, when a song about the experience of transgender dysphoria wouldn’t make it past nervous record company execs. The penultimate track on the second side is the 9 minute Murder Mystery which is an interesting experimental piece with two overlapping stories being told from either side of the stereo. It’s not entirely successful as the only way to make sense of it is to follow along with a lyric sheet, but I’d rather have a swing and a miss than listen to something safe and bland. Overall, I still prefer their debut album as a 60s classic, but this is a solid piece that points the way towards Lou Reed’s solo work.

It never sounds as adventurous as I expect - but I think that’s just a result of my hearing it after so many things that it has influenced.

With John Cale departed, VU becomes Lou Reed’s band, in some ways for better and others worse. The art rock elements that made the band interesting are gone, leaving us with an underground, singer-songwriter tinged rock band. It is a fine if unexceptionable record that results.

Mmmmmmm Nota: 2.9

soft and flighty, does some cool stuff. some of lyricism is neat, maybe would appreciate some active listening. The Murder Mystery was kind of annoying, favorite song is either After Hours or I'm Set Free. solid 3

bell’album chill

had a couple tracks that i found interesting, a couple songs that were bordeline obnoxious to listen to

Inoffensive. An okay album. Won’t listen again.

Musiquita para escuchar en tocadiscos con una copita vino y luces cálidas bajas en un apartamento neoyorkino con paredes de ladrillo.

Was nice to listen to a Velvet Underground albums that wasn't that banana one. I liked this, might take a while to get the level of familiarity to enjoy as much as bananas

Enjoyed this except the last two tracks.

This album is losing a full star for The Murder Mystery. Incomprehensively abrasive. The rest of the album ranges from okay to boring. Not a big fan of this.

Pleasent

Not much here for me to sink my teeth into.The one where they all talked at me simultaneously was fun though.

Fairly slow, with interesting guitar and keyboard/organ.

Nice background album. Nothing groundbreaking. Prefer 1st half.

It wasn't very memorable to me but it was calming. I added Candy Says to a playlist and I will probably listen to it again. The Murder Mystery was intriguing, though, and I might revisit it.

Didn't love it ... didn't hate it!

Liked it more than I expected to.

I prefered Nico. this was ok but didn’t grab me much and was hoping for something more

have always felt like, on paper, i should love TVU, but i so rarely find myself returning to them. this has not changed my stance - i would give 2.5 if i could. that being said, i want lou reed (and many of his following imitators) to **** **** ****** ** ** and ********** ******** my *****.

gran disco, medio country no acostumbro. pero gusto. se disfruta de escuchar, se puede tener de fondo

Solid

Less than 80 into this project and we’re getting a third Velvet Underground album? Ugh. OK, I’ve put off listening to this for too long: I don't dislike or hate it. That's something. It’s nowhere near as intolerable as their second album. Some of it’s actually pretty good. The clever construction of “The Murder Mystery,” unfortunately, wears out its welcome long before the eight-minute mark. And there’s just too many ballads on this. Snooze. Overall, it’s just not for me. I’m still way lukewarm to Reed’s whole talking thing, and remain unimpressed with the lyrics. Sure, I can see how people might an…um…elegant simplicity to Lou's songs. But I just find it all rather uninteresting.

The Velvet Undergound is decent, but I don't think Lou Reed is the genius so many people claim him to be.

This seemed more accessible than the last Velvet Underground album I listened to and on the whole I enjoyed it a lot more. The only track I didn’t really get on with was The Murder Mystery, the rest was ok to good with nothing really standing out, I just enjoyed it more.

Well it was a lot better than White Light/White Heat, that’s for sure (I’m gonna ignore the fact that Murder Mystery is on this album because it was awful)

Easier listen than expected from The Velvet Underground. You probably could trace much of The Strokes' sound back to this exact album. It's not bad at all! Standouts: Candy Says • Pale Blue Eyes • I'm Set Free • The Murder Mystery • After Hours

The Velvet Underground gets....boring? Other than Murder Mystery I was a little let down. I know what they can do.

pale blue eyes is good. the rest of it is mid asf. 3.5/5

Already listened to it. I like Lou Reeds solo stuff more.

Liked the singer's voice and how the instruments were played. Too religious for me though

Lovely and a lot more mellow than I expected.

Candy says is really good imo

“The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.” -Brian Eno "And those bands probably sucked, too." -Me Just kidding...calm down. It's an okay album with a few good songs on it.

5 - AVERAGE

I like Lou Reed and I like minor chords, but this collection is a bit soft and lacking in edge for me.

3.5/5

I liked some of the songs in this more than I thought I would. I also really liked "murder mystery" and how it was set up which really enhanced my listening experience.

It sound like a Velvet Underground and Nico, maybe with a little bit of a fresh touch (as this one was after the one mentioned above). Still sound good, even they might repear themselfs a little bit honestly

Overall I liked it. Ahead of its time compared to other 60 albums. My favorite songs are Jesus, Beginning to see The Light, The Murder Mystery, and After Hours

Coincidentally I had Digital Underground the previous day. While I like The Velvet Underground better, they really are a band I have respect for but don't care to listen to all that often. I'm only giving this a 3/5, but recognize their historical importance and influence. I don't disagree with this album's inclusion on this list.

Now I remember why I never liked Velvet Underground, too much psychedelic influences

Love love love pale blue eyes. This album feels almost like a 4 star tbh but not quite

Pale blue eyes goated, rest ok?

I did not realize this is actually more folk music than early rock. A pleasant album to listen to although vocals are generally a little anemic. Was pleasantly surprised I must say. I now regret not listening earlier.

Good album from start to finish, except some skips, my introduction to psychedelic rock favs: what goes on, pale blue eyes, after hours skips: beginning to see the light and wtf was murder mystery?

Back in the 90's, all the cool college kids I looked up to listened to Velvet Underground. I thought there must be something wrong with me because I didn't think it was as great as they said it was. Now 30 years later, I still stand by my original opinions of the music. It's just ok. I'll give it a 3 because some of the songs spark nostalgia.

Not bad, not great

i bought this on CD in 2007 while i was revising for my AS-levels (lmao) and that's what all of it reminds me of because i just haven't really listened to it outside of that time period. so i just get these visceral flashbacks to, like.... revision flashcards and essay plans and huge piles of paper, and scribbling away at my desk with the April rain pouring outside. Candy Says is a classic of the Sad Girl Anthem genre and i definitely moped about to it aged 17, Pale Blue Eyes is perfect, there's lots of other weird cool bits in a lot of the songs, i think i used to be weirdly attached to Jesus (the song lol), and After Hours for some reason is the only song i've come back to regularly since i was a teenager. hand on my heart it's not quite a 4 but it was nice to come back to this today. "skip a life completely, stuff it in a cup."

I've never really sat down to listen to a Velvet Underground album start-to-finish before, but I will say that what little I have heard of theirs, it just doesn't strike me as being great. I don't think I recognize any of these songs by title. So we'll see what happens during this listening session. Yeah, this is just thoroughly meh.

it was okay just nothing special

It's ok. My picks: begging to see the light,that's the story of my life,after hours.

Some very good songs. Some less interesting

I am a fan of the Velvet Underground, and I mostly like this album, but it’s really not their strongest in my opinion.

A couple of nice songs. The Murder Mystery's riff reminds me of something

60s rock like The beatles. Very easy to listen to while cleaning 🧹. Indie cinema vibes.

I liked it

Good but slow.

É um bom álbum. Não faz o meu tipo de gosto musical, mas a harmonização dos instrumentos e o vocal calmo do Lou Reed faz com que a sonoridade entregue seja satisfatória e valiosa. Ouviria denovo em um dia chuvoso e quieto, porém, não é um dos meus favoritos e não me surpreendeu como eu havia esperado.

2,5

It's OK, more accessible than the earlier material, but still not a pleasant listening experience.

Non sono troppo fan. Carino ma un po’ à underwhelming. Some kinda love mi ricorda Heroes di David Bowie per qualche motivo e nomina due volte il mio nome quindi mi piace, Pale Blue Eyes è la tipica canzone da pomeriggio di piena estate seduta sull’erba sotto un albero con un libro e un cesto di ciliegie. Jesus mi ricorda le canzoni dei Beatles quindi è carina.

probably the least interesting/compelling of the three Velvet Underground albums on the list. it's still fairly good and The Murder Mystery is wonderfully strange, though. After Hours is seriously top-tier. takes me back to the painful, painful, *painful* spring semester of my freshman college year. the ONLY time weird 60s stereo panning helped the vibe. deserves to be one of the 1001? yeah

I've really only listened to Velvet Underground and Nico album so wasn't sure what to expect. I enjoyed this one, I don't think it's mind blowing but it is very enjoyable.

I was once in a band that was desperate to be The Velvet Underground. As a drummer, it was fairly boring. Years later, however, I can listen to this and enjoy it a lot more than I used to.

Sure, I guess. I thought I'd dislike this given my general distaste for TVU but it wasn't a terrible listen.

I don't hate this as much as I've hated the other Lou Reed albums I've listened to as part of this project. A lot of that is because much of this album is sung by people other than Lou Reed - that is, people who can actually sing. It's still not something I'd put on by choice, but I wouldn't ask someone to turn it off...which is an improvement over the previous albums.

Velvet Underground has one of the biggest gaps between quality of name and quality of music.

It's okay

*Interesting listen but not too into this band.

Yeah

Repeat listen

Le iba a poner 4 estrellas cuando iba por la mitad, después no se que pasó. Me gusta en general el sonido de las bandas así por eso me gustó, pero al terminarlo me quedé medio perdida. Tenía potencial

c'est pas trop trop mal en vrai, j'aime bien

not bad, feeling pretty niche

Overall a decent album. 6/10. I liked the lyrics and the dynamics of the album. But songs were a bit repetitive and often lacked that hook. But not bad Overall.