The Velvet Underground

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!

It was good

It was solid, but not their best work

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

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.

je suis déjà en mood dodo là je vais juste dormir

After the relentless ferocity of White Light/White Heat they tone it down a bit to produce this. What goes on is one of my favourite songs and Candy Says is a surprisingly lovely thing about a trans woman. Sure, they veer off into 60s Psychedelia nonsense with The Murder Mystery. But that aside, this is a solid album.

Highlights: Candy Says, What Goes On, Pale Blue Eyes and After Hours. 3.1

Det var jo ganske OK. Har nok ikkje noko mot å høyre på det, men usikker på om eg gjer det igjen.

Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus and another one where it says "its all in your mind". great to sing along without knowing the lyrics

SOS groovy, I love it- candy says The others are alright

Solid album, "The Murder Mystery" was interesting, I really liked the instrumentals and the two people talking at once. Nothing too memorable per say.

Rather enjoyable listening. Not at all what I expected.

Not a bad option for a Good Friday.

Psst..hey, budding music cognoscente. You're fine with the Velvet Underground's greatest hits. They'll pluck "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Beginning to See the Light" from this album, which works. If what we'll very loosely call "hits" hook you, then take a deep dive into the albums. You may also discover, like I did long ago, that a little Lou Reed goes a long way.

was alright liked 2 songs

It was a very quiet album

After that last Velvet Underground album with the Banana on the cover was so bad I rated it a Zero, I didn't have high hopes for this one. It's a completely different album. Gone are the discordant noises for noise sake. In it are some delightful melodies. It's not great, but it's good, delightful tunes. I particularly liked the last track "After Hours", and will be adding it to the playlist.

Not terrible. Some of it was kinda cool. Not all that interesting, though.

Non particolarmente entusiasmante.

Pretty solid, but sometimes I get annoyed by Lou Reeds lyrics

Was alright, sleepy in places, but there are not enough drugs in the world to make The Murder Mystery good

3 This Velvet album is not easy listening; it’s not that easy to digest considering the time it was released… it hasn’t aged badly, however it wasn’t their peak.

ax ti xalarotikh kai glukia melodia μου θυμιζει και λιγο καντρι.. δεν ειναι του γουστου μου, αλλα πολλα τσιλ βαιμπζ που εκτιμω..απλα δεν ειμαι αρκετα αμερικανα για να το νιωσω νταξ το παλε πμλου αιζ πικ δε λεω σε ηρεμει τοσο που αρχιζεις να κατουριεσε τοπ 5 πιο τσιλ αλμπουμ φορ σορ ΤΙ?? ΠΑΙΔΙΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΠΑΝΤΡΕΜΕΝΗ !!!!!ΣΟΚ .... δε επιασα για τι μιλαει μονο κατι ματια και μετα ακουω οτι είναι παντρεμενη και γιαυτο στο επομενο τρακ το γυρναει στη θρησκεια λογικο και ριλαιταμπλε ελπιζω να μην κοιμηθω μεχρι να τελειωσει (ειμαι κοντα) ααα οκ ξυπνησα αρχισε το begining to see the light murder mistery endiaferon μα καλα ποιο είναι αυτο το κοριστάκι στο τελος ?????/ γκοογκλαρα και τελικα είχε 2 γυναικες η μπαντα.. η μια γερμανιδα ναζι και η αλλη ρεπουμπλικανη οκ δικιο είχε ο μπρο για το ξεπουλημα με το 75$

Inoffensive and vaguely soothing

Pas de fous convaincu surtout par la voix et le kiff de Jésus 🙄

The Velvet Underground never became very successful but the band was influential. The last two tracks on the album were typical of the style of the late 1960s, but overall the music here was different than that typically heard then. I never listened to a Velvet Underground album before, so I’m glad to have the opportunity. It’s well done but not quite four stars.

I always mix them up with the movie 'Velvet Goldmine'. Both seem a little bit overrated. (Wiki assures me the two aren't unrelated, so this isn't the biggest bungle of mine.) This is very mellow. Kinda like Nick Drake maybe. Oh, just kidding, that's only like half of the songs. The rest has more pep and also more guitar. Supposedly the organ riff in 'What Goes On' is used in 'Once in a Lifetime', but I guess it isn't that memorable, because I wouldn't have clocked it. This is fine. Not offensive but I'm not very excited about it. Highlights: 'I'm Set Free', 'After Hours' Lowlight: 'The Murder Mystery' (although I do like when there are multiple singers)

Album before Loaded, loved it, you could tell they were ahead of their time. Each ear had different vocals from Lou and one other male spitting verse …songs were folky compared to the electric hit laden Loaded. It made me go back and listen to their first album and then 72’s effort. Terrific addition for my ears!

I enjoyed this way more than expected. I knew of the velvet underground but had not actually heard anything other then pale blue eyes.

Ruhiger als das bekannte Album mit dem Bananen Cover, in 2. Hälfte wieder mehr rockig, 1. Hälfte aber ganz nett

Not sure it's quite four stars, but enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Good

Shambly and moody, with some dark spots and beautiful melodies

Leppoisaa, ihan kivaa, vähän levotonta. Vähän jotain beatlesvibaa ehkä löytyy!

Honestly I don’t get a lot of the hype around this group. The songs weren’t bad by any means - far from it. I just found it a bit forgettable. I’ve rated many albums on here high even if they had no big hits. But this underground rock just isn’t my jam, and without big songs to back it up, this one just falls into the mix of other good-not-great albums.

not my fav, a bit too psychedelic in parts

Veryyy calm music, like jazz for sleepping vibe a little, okay, next song is different, more energetic, something like the beatles, really long songs (8:54), a little bit weird and confusing, but kind of funny

i like this one but its a little bland for me

Nice, kinda relaxing.

Always knew the Velvet Underground and understood their place in rock history and their large influence over genres like punk but this was my first time listening to them and it was fine. I enjoyed some of the songs such as "Some Kind of Love" and "Pale Blue Eyes" but the overall experience didn't move the needle above a 3/5 for me so thats what it gets.

It was fine - except for The Murder Mystery which was weird - but kind of too folk for my tastes. I did enjoy some of the guitar work however.

Thought it was ok all sounded a bit the same

Kinda weird

락밴드인줄 알았는데 되게 컨트리스러운 느낌

nice background music

it's nice fav song: Candy Says

This was a nice listen this morning with my coffee. I had only heard Pale Blue Eyes before. It's not quite as experimental and noisy as the Nico record, a bit more mellow overall and production a bit cleaner. But it didn't excite me as much. I like Candy Says.

Toujours aussi bizarre, dans le bon sens du terme ! Il faudra que je me repenche sérieusement dessus.

I enjoyed a few of the songs, an easy listen.

I didn’t previously know this album. Having now heard it, the absence of John Cale’s abrasiveness from the band is quickly apparent. I prefer the harder, more urgent Velvet Underground sound of their first couple of albums, as opposed to these lyrically reflective and largely mainstream-sounding Lou Reed efforts. There are some highlights, though. Some Kinda Love is really good. Doug Yule’s bass-playing on Beginning To See The Light is fabulous. The Murder Mystery has an interesting structure, including simultaneous-but-different spoken word tracks. And, having heard After Hours for the first time, I feel I know what Edwyn Collins was listening to on repeat before writing and recording the first Orange Juice album. All in all, though, I found this album more worthy than exciting, and I don’t think I’ll be revisiting it soon.

I don’t have anything to say about this album. It’s fine and mostly unremarkable.

I know the famous one with Nico, so really wasn't expecting this. There was a couple of standout moments but it was slightly to folksy for me to be able to enjoy it as a complete project. I did really like 'Pale Blue Eyes' though.

not much to say about this apart from that it was nice

3.3

Pretty chill, enjoyable 3.5

Good mix of groove and softer tunes. It was a good listen- nothing revolutionary, but a nice groove while you’re working. “The Murder Mystery” is conceptually a really cool song… unfortunately, when it’s your second day at a law office and you’re trying to parse legalese, it’s not the easiest task ever when you have two separate guys talking in two separate ears LOL… but super cool the way that song plays with time. Overall, if this album was their “safer record” in response to their previous more experimental album, I kind of just want to give that one a listen!

Nice and good, especially for its time. The Murder Mystery is proof that Sonic Youth never did anything new or interesting.

Classic album, but lets be honest here. This lp is really hit and miss.

I found some pieces interesting, some boring

very soft start. nice vocal harmonies what goes on--now we're rocking. a little bit doorsy some kinda love--what? pale blue eyes--i dunno jesus--jesus song counter: 2 beginning to see the light--breakfast at night? wine in the morning? i'm set free--is this by any chance connected to the last song? the murder mystery--love the organ. vocals are weird. getting doors vibes throughout--which is probably accurate since they were contemporaries. honestly for some reason i think of that sound--organ, certain style of vocal harmonies, etc.--as more british than american. i dunno, 3.x/5. tbd how i'll round it.

I especially enjoyed the murder, mystery and pale blue eyes!

It was good what we did yesterday, And I’d do it once again. The fact that you are married Only proves you’re my best friend. (Pale Blue Eyes)

It was fine.

I like this one okay. 3 stars

Good easy listening music.

A nice, low temp, easy listen

good vibe but no that good

Some of this I liked a lot, some of it I do not

This just SOUNDS like 1969 - for better or for worse. I didn't hate it but expected more due to years of hearing their name. Without Warhol's name would they be as relevant today? Favorite song: What Goes On

Acceptable. Beginning To See The Light The Murder Mystery After Hours Candy Says Those songs left the most impression on me. I might venture out and listen to more, but only time will tell.

I've already visited White Light / White Heat, and this is the follow-up, and also a reaction to the previous album. John Cale, who wanted to keep doing all sorts of crazy stuff, was ditched, as Lou wanted to create an album that the public would like. It didn't work, as their self-titled effort failed to chart at all. But it's gained a lot of critical praise in the years since. Part of me understands why, there are quite a few nice, melodic songs on here. "Candy Says" is a touching song about Candy Darling, a transvestite in Lou Reed's orbit, with insightful lyrics and a wonderful singing performance by Doug Yule. "What Goes On," "Pale Blue Eyes," "Beginning to See the Light" and "I'm Set Free" are all amiable listens. For me, there's nothing that really sparks excitement (and the nine-minute "Murder Mystery" is a giant skip, although the sections with Reed and Mo Tucker singing are alright) but overall, it's a nice listen. This exercise isn't going to include the Velvet Underground's fourth album, Loaded, so I'll mention it here as it's a contender for my favorite album of theirs. I think it features some of Reed's best pop songwriting, melded to the Velvets distinctive eclecticism. The three opening songs "Who Loves The Sun," "Sweet Jane," "Rock & Roll" and the raucous closer "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" are among my favorite songs of theirs. A criminally overlooked album, even by the Velvets themselves. When they re-united in 1993, the only songs from it they included in their set list were "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll."

The stuff I like gets canceled about by the weird.

Ich war schon darauf eingestellt, hier wieder zu schreiben, dass ich Lou Reeds Stimme nicht mag und, dass das deswegen mit The Velvet Underground und mir eh nie was werden wird. Aber hier komme ich mit dem Gesang gut zurecht. Bin überrascht, vielleicht hat das die Band für mich "unlocked".

норм но переслушивать буду редко. Афтер аурс вообще зачетная

yeah that cover looks like it came straight up from the underground. as for the music. not my cup of tea I fear. it's too nothingburger of an album

very easy to listen to, feels almost dreamlike pretty weird vibes but in a good way i like it did not know what was going on for the entirety of murder mystery