The Velvet Underground

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

Not my favourite album by The Velvet Underground but still love Lou Reed’s voice. Feels more commercial than their earlier albums. Have a feeling this will grow on me with further listens but on a first listen it’s only a 3.

paul blue eyes will always have a weird special place in my heart (fuck my ex bf)

Ok but didn't love it as much as the Nico one 3.5 rounded down to 3.

Listenable

- Lou Reed (racist) assaulted women. Another on the boycott list. An article about the biographer of Notes from the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed reads: "During the process of writing the book, which comes out on 22 October, Sounes became aware of Reed’s many disruptive moods, and drew new conclusions about the pioneering musician. 'I loved his music, but you have to go where the story goes,' he told The Daily Beast. 'The obituaries were a bit too kind, he was really a very unpleasant man. A monster really; I think truly the word monster is applicable.'" - I listened to this album a lot before I knew about the above, and it includes a handful of really great songs (e.g., Candy Says, What Goes On, Pale Blue Eyes (beautiful, but too long because it doesn't really go anywhere), Beginning To See The Light, After Hours...) that range from catchy, hazy, and rocking with some well-done distortion. But, mostly hazy - this album is melancholy and slow for the most part. - Thoughtful instrumentation, including, of course, lots of the quintessential jangly heroin-y guitar playing. - Some songs that are very skippable: Some Kinda Love, Jesus, I'm Set Free, That's The Story of My Life... - And can't review this album without saying that I hate The Murder Mystery. So annoying and pretentious. Yes, there are interesting elements to it, but it goes on forever, so it all gets really irritating very quickly. - It's a 3.5 for me, I'll probably round down because there are so many songs that are mid.

The Murder Mystery knocks this down one star

The Good: Who doesn’t like velvet??? The Bad: Of course, if it’s been underground… it’s a little coarse… The Ugly: Album and band name… So yeah, listened to this a couple of times, because I’ve been real behind on my album rating activities… this album was presented to me 2 1/2 months ago, and I still don’t really have anything special to say… So, shoot through the middle and give it a 3*

They have one foot into rock and another into blues. I prefer when they choose one or the other but I feel like the whole industry may have been in transition during their time.

Pretty chill, will have to go back to it some other time to explore what's been done.

Lou Reed vocals tolerable, other vocalists needy; Jesus worship track saved & shared. Who knew VU wrote & performed praise music?!?

Dug the guitar groovyness. Felt subtle, but intriguing. Reed's prose has always been engaging, but can grow tiresome at times (the lyrics are compelling). Enjoyed the weirdness of variety of MURDER MYSTERY.

I want to sit in the back of a bar and have this entire album played while my friends and I reminisce about the past and plan for the future.

Sleepy music from the late 60s with some psychedelic moments that bring you back to the music.

Okay

на самом деле средне, особенно по сравнению с дебютником, но пойдет

I've always heard of Velvet Underground, but I think that the only song I knew was Pale Blue Eyes. I have to admit I was underwhelmed by the album. It seemed like almost all of the songs were pretty similar - low energy sort of strummy vibe. For a band that i always here is super influential, it didn't blow me away. The highlights were Pale Blue Eyes and the funky end to Murder Mystery

Pretty much Raine's review. I can see some stuff to like here, see how this was influential to sort of sad-sack indie rock like Pavement, but the high moments were a little too few and far between.

I must not be getting why this is rated so highly. It's nice softish rock, but not anything special. Pale Blue Eyes is pretty good. Also, what the hell is going on in The Murder Mystery.

5/10. Default sound, default lyrics. The album are not actual nowadays unfortunally. by the way last two songs are not bad. These are the best in the album

meh, not so remarkable

Really wish i could rate 3.5

I had higher expectations for this album, but it still ended up being pretty good. But it is a little too slow and chill for my liking.

Easy listening, love some 60s fags

It was ok. Pale Blue Eyes as the highlight that helped it drag into a 3.

Ikke deres beste album, unødvendig listefyll.

It was pretty good. Nothing really amazed me but would probably listen again. Favorite: Candy Says

Okay, a bit repetitive.

I liked this. It had a very chill vibe and was pretty easy listening, but musically stimulating at the same time. Might revisit.

Ehhhhh, this was a fine album. I don't want to blame oversaturation of this era on this list as the downfall here, but that could be a factor. The biggest thing that stood out to me was the production, the album felt very subdued and crisp, definitely worth listening to in stereo. Other than that... The Murder Mystery stood out? At the end of the day, there's nothing here that I would go out of my way for again, and here at the end of it I'm kind of left just completely disinterested. 2.5, I guess.

Its okay

Bändin kuullut ennen, tätä levyä ei tule aiemmin kuunneltua. Aika lepposaa kuunneltavaa toka vikaa 8 min sekoilua lukuunottamatta. Loppu arvio 3/5.

First vibes Beatles but depressing, latter half trippy

Pale Blue Eyes and Murder Mystery were my favorites on this one. All in all, nothing in this album really screamed 4 to me. I know that this band has some renown to them, but I don't really understand it after a single listen of each of their albums.

Pale Blue Eyes is a pretty beautiful number. Nothing crazy of note stuck out to me on this, until I hit The Murder Mystery. Reminds me of some Doors. Then it just turns into a bad acid trip. This album was perfectly fine. I still don't think I understand the huge draw to Velvet Underground. Maybe I'll revisit them in a few years to see if anything has changed.

Fine

A couple great tunes and some boring ones and then that terrible murder mystery thing. 3/5

An easy listener that tries some interesting ideas but fall short of the mark. After Hours slaps though.

More accessible than the debut, thats for sure.

It's the VU. It's good. It's fine. I wish this list was limited to one album per artist, though. I don't own this particular one on vinyl so listened to the Spotify version. Which sounds horribly in terms of recording quality. Not sure that's part of the original version or not. I do have a soft spot for this one, though, mainly for the closing track sung by their drummer Maureen.

Tres jazzy, album long, precurseur pour l’epoque, n’ont rencontre le succes que dans les annees 70. Rock doux et mélodieux. Pas fan de la voix féminine

Lät bra men, kanske påverkad av hype kring bandet, så kände jag inget högre betyg än såhär under en första lyssning.

Lät bra men kanske lite småtråkigt.

This was ok. I love the song Pale Blue Eyes. I like Lou Reed’s voice.

This albums weird. The whole time I was waiting for it to be charmingly weird but it never was. I like some of the tunes but the whole thing is understated.

Eh

Good

meh

Definitely not something I’d usually enjoy, but this album was a pleasant listen. It’s definitely too sonically mellow and peaceful for my taste. Still, this album managed to keep its atmosphere from being boring while sprinkling in some pretty unique and interesting parts (although not nearly as much as in their debut). 7/10

Some great stuff, some very middling. Pale Blue Eyes is a beautiful love song and always chokes me up. But then murder mystery is 9 minutes of boring and annoying.

My third favorite velvet underground record. A bit more esoteric in my opinion but still pretty great

Mostly boring and repetitive but The Murder Mystery saved the album from a 2 Standouts: - What Goes On - I'm Set Free - The Murder Mystery

An interesting start to the project, to say the least. I can understand why there are mixed feelings about this album, how some people find it bland or uninspiring. The instrumentation doesn't reach out and grab you (except in some of the more experimental tracks, such as "The Murder Mystery"), but there is a depth to the songwriting underneath.

i mean it's good and I can appreciate it, but kinda boring. musically interesting for the time it came out though.

Bra musikk, men ikke så mange bangers. Blir fort litt for rotete for min del

Great album! I never listened to the velvet underground very much but I quite like this one!

Interesting at first

Did not hold our interest

At first I like the slow songs and all the vibe, but then it turned fast and then there's some almost psychedelic 9 min track. Id say non-consistant

I've heard the Velvets classics like Sweet Jane et al and was familiar with Pale Blue Eyes from the REM cover, so I was expecting to like this one a lot and discover some new stuff. I'd say it was a bit of a soft disappointment, Beginning to See the Light was pretty good but I felt most of the album was pretty mid.

I'm a fan of Lou Reed and his approach to lyricism and songwriting. If you listened to the Velvet Underground's songs as instrumentals only, I think most of the time you might think of them as this bright and sunny pop band with beautiful melodies founded in the major scale (the major scale is almost always bright and makes you feel "nice" or "good" when you listen to it as opposed to the minor scales that normally contain more gloomy notes). On the flip side, if you read their lyrics as poetry and separate from its instrumentation, the lyrics can be surreal or twisted. Not dark, per say, but they don't always match their backing tracks. I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's the best way I can describe how I interpret the Velvet Underground.

Not as great as I remember. Interestingly experimental, but they swung too far after White Heat and lost a little electricity and passion. Lou is always great... Probably should be a 4, but I'm feeling 3 right now.

not my style. 3 stars. knew murder mystery from tik tok LOL

Not bad, easy listening and a couple of good ones The Murder Mystery was the highlight. 3/5

Good album, but not my favorite. Very chill vibe. Already had Pale Blue Eyes saved. Listening to this album made me feel like I was driving on country roads in the PNW.

average album vocals seem a bit weak, expected more. overall rating: 3.5/5 favourite tracks: i’m set free, the murder mystery least favourite track: jesus

3/5

It's fine. It's nice. I can hear the bands it influenced. That Murder song is fun. The guitars are way too jangly.

I enjoy Pale Blue Eyes, but this album doesn't come close to their album including Nico.

good, but not really my thing

This feels like a betrayal of my younger self, the teenager from a small town who wanted to be cool and worldly. But I don't think I like the Velvet Underground as much any more. What once felt profound now just seems like the pseudo-intellectual ramblings of a junkie some of the time. And it really annoys me when people don't sing in tune. Perhaps I have become old man shouts at cloud. The album got better as it went on, though. I still think I've gone off art school rock a bit in general, but this was experimental and subversive for its time and about half of it was an enjoyable listen.

Enjoyed this more than I expected going in. Enjoyed this far more than the other album of theirs I listened to.

not terribly familiar with anything beyond their highest played songs. While I didn't hate the record, I feel this was another "you had to be there" albums, that held much more weight 50 years ago. I'd give it a 2.5 if I could.

This was fun, and I like The Velvet Underground generally, but it wasn't like super amazing or whatever.

Something about that guitar tone man, it's eternal

Whilst it doesn’t have the power of the debut album, it does sound like about 90% of the bands I listened to in the 90’s. A blueprint for modern indie

I enjoyed it, but nothing really stood out.

I’m a Lou Reed fan and Pale Blue Eyes is a classic sad song, but the rest of the album is dull and repetitive until it gets weird and unlistenable.

First Velvet Underground project I like 3

Just not my thing ig

No private session used for Spotify. This is a much more approachable album for the Velvet Underground. I listened to it a couple times and should listen to it a couple more.

Not bad but some songs too similar for my liking.

Twas alright.

cute cute album!! i could def get into this band…murder mystery was kinda fun to listen to….maybe just a one time listen tho LMAOO but the album as a whole is great!! 7.5/10

Liked Songs: - Candy Says - What Goes On - Pale Blue Eyes - After Hours

Not my pick for Velvet’s best but a solid album

this was a good one to listen to while working except i really wasn't a fan of the murder mystery. and that's a long one so it's sort of bringing the rating down. i get why pale blue eyes is the most streamed one on here, i liked that one.

A bit more straghtforward than their previous releases, but no John Cale, so it's only so-so.

7/10

I like the pared down sound. Peaceful and prodding. But the album didn't grab my attention so much.

9 Minutenlied ist weird

mid

I just don't get the hype, I really don't. I almost feel kind of bad about it but :/ Some of what's happening on The Murder Mystery is pretty interesting. Pale Blue Eyes is alright. None of it is BAD, really, but it's not the kind of music I listen to and then immediately think "holy shit I need to start a BAND". I'm glad it works so well for some people though

not my cup of tea, non ho ascoltato tutte le canzoni

2. A chill rock album. When you wake up make/drink coffee and get ready and you don't want something loud, energetic(?). When you want to listen to rock but your head hurts.

This is more accessible than both White Light/White Heat and the stupid banana bollocks. That does not make it good.

3.7 if i could

Too religious, but ok

6.9/10 pretty good but lacks that something to make it great

As a beattle fan this album gave me a similar vibe. Pleasantly surprised. 3.7/5

First track is very bass heavy almost to an unpleasant extent which is a shame because it's a nice song. Overall very easy listening. I understand the appeal and the musical significance of this era of music, not something I would really choose. Quite enjoying The Murder Mystery though

This challenging listen is essential to understand so many genres. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground broke through as many walls as they could with this one recording. I'll probably never listen to it again but I am glad I listened to it now.

I liked much of this, but the more avant-garde tracks were unpalatable.

While not a big fan of The Velvet Underground, I certainly recognize the creativity of their music.

For some reason not what I was expecting, but they're v chill, weird quiet stuff with gentle acoustic guitar, etc. Rating lower just because 1 v long song was actively unpleasant to listen to (The Murder Mystery), but otherwise enjoyed if in the mood for that vibe

Not bad. Very listenable but nothing I was super excited about. Kinda like you can just bop your head along and sing along a little

Eh? Sure?

Laid back rock, can tell its age. Somewhat jazzy with the beat. Very Very unique, so far like a 5/10. In my opinion not worth another listen final is like 5.6/10 3/5*

mid

Throughly enjoyed this. I’ve never listened to an entire album of theirs before and I’m glad this one came up, great stuff.

I feel like I’m missing something here with all the high scoring reviews but I didn’t really get into this. It was a chill album but felt slow and listless at times. The closing track was the only one that stood out for me.

Pretty relaxing album from cover to cover. Simple rhythms and meaningful lyrics.

Good but they're better with Nico.

Quite a dreamy feel to the album with Pale Blue eyes the obvious stand out. Beginning to see the light injects a welcome bit of life to the latter part of the album. Enjoyable but by no means a classic

One of those occasions where I was incredibly aware of the artist name, but completely oblivious to the music (at least on this album), and I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't Candy Says, which is sort of 50s high school slow dance. This was a perfectly fine album to have as background music, but only made me properly pay attention to it twice. Pale Blue Eyes was the first occasion, when the lyrics made my brain go "Wait! Whose wife was Lou Reed shagging?!". The second occasion was The Murder Mystery, which was beautifully weird and clearly where The Strokes got all those "just ripping off The Velvet Underground" comments from. Were it not so long, I would say it's my favourite song on the record. A hard one to mark, but I'm settling on 3/5

Pretty good (much better than White Light / White Heat, though that's not saying much), if not a bit light.

Mjukare och mer melodisk, mindre avantgardistisk skulle man kunna säga, än bananskivan. Om det var orsakat av att deras instrument blev stulna eller ej, verkar bero på vilken bandmedlem du lyssnar på. Oavsett. Jag gillar verkligen låtar som Pale blue eyes, Candy says och Beginning to see the light och I’m set free.

Delightfully weird as always, Velvet Underground

I have a bit of a hard time understanding the greatness with Velvet Underground. There is not band that sounds quite like them, I'll give them that. But is that enough to warrant a page in the history book? Overall this was quite and eventless album. No energy. Most songs almost felt like ballads, or something closely resembling that. That can be fine for sure, but it does make the album a bit boring in my opinion. Lou Reed's singing can also get a bit too much after a while. Overall it was decent, but can't say I enjoyed it that much. Weak 3.

I might not be cool enough for The Velvet Underground and it feels like one of those times where even asking myself that question means that it's probably true. Fortunately, by this recored, Lou, Doug, Sterling, and Moe also seemed to question whether they were cool enough for The Velvet Underground. Legend has it that Lou Reed pushed to make this softer/folkier/pop record instead of a more direct follow-up to 1968's White Light / White Heat. Choosing to subvert their own sound is the most punk rock think they could do, and that somehow makes this as proto-punk as their other albums. Sonically, there's nothing avant-garde here except for "The Murder Mystery" and, without the context of the preceding albums, there's not a whole lot to discuss about the record. The band all shared lead vocal duties across the album, so that adds some flavor. They must have felt similarly underwhelmed because they just let this record be self titled instead of bothering to name it. Welp, yawn to the next one! "Candy Says" "What Goes On" "Pale Blue Eyes" (a cult classic!) "The Murder Mystery" "After Hours"

Nice! Some songs were weird. But I liked it

Pretty good

shame there are no half stars but it is what it is

I didn’t really get into this, but kind of see at alternative music in ‘69 instead of the Beatles and such.

At first you’re like “cool” but after gmhslf the album you’re like “ok I get it.”

This is super solid 60s underground rock. Good production value, good songs, lush music. I really like this except for The Murder Mystery, which is a confusing addition.

I do appreciate that this album is very diverse stylistically. The downside being that some songs I enjoy much more than others. The first half of the album felt more like classic rock, but then it felt like the band evolved into something more experimental during the making of the album. I didn’t vibe with a few of the later tracks but it was interesting to see the evolution.

I enjoy their first two albums more, but this one is pretty good as well. 7/10 Favourite track: What Goes On

Decent

Es schwankte von nervig bis echt in Ordnung.

If I took LSD, then I think it would be cool to be listening to this when I did. Sounds a bit like I imagine the trip to be... mellow at the start, a descent into shite at the end (except for the jolly final track).

Not their best

Mueeeeh

It's not bad per se, and miles better than I was anticipating after having experienced some of the material The Velvet Underground released with Nico. It's just ... a little boring. None of the songs were particularly noteworthy. 2.5/5

Read one review that said this is the studio album by The velvet Underground that sounds least like the Velvet Underground. It's interesting that this is the studio album by The Velvet Underground that I've enjoyed the most.

I didn’t really get this one. It’s not bad but it’s just like depressed Beatles imo

3.4/5 Surprisingly good, I expected a different vibe. Jamming out to this while shaving and cutting my hair means that it's solid. Not completely what I'd intentionally listen to, but it fills the role of background music really well.

2,9/5

Well, that was a really fun art rock album. I can completely see why they got hype early and stayed hyped.

Good listen. Influential. Just not enough replay ability to be higher for me

VU really missed John Cale

Every time I listen to the Velvet Underground I feel like I’m not cool enough to listen to the Velvet Underground. This was solid.

Decent folksy/rockly ballad album

(3.5)

Pretty good

Still not quite grasping what the big deal was.

A lot more accessible than I expected - I quite enjoyed it.

This album is like taking a sick day from work because you’re stressed and feeling burnt out. You think it could be worth going and doing some sort of outdoor activity but you looked at your phone when you woke up and saw there was a hit and run not far from your house and it just made you uninspired to get out of bed.

I thought it'd be "cooler"

This is a tough one to rate. I dig it, but not enough to fully give it a 4 star. I can hear this as a predecessor to so many different bands and albums. From Radiohead to Belle and Sebastian to Sonic Youth, I can hear its influence being echoed. I played it a couple times and it stuck with me, but just not enough to land that 4th star. I might come back to it though. 3.75

Not my favorite VU album

pretty pretty good

I don't mind the Velvets, but this was a bit of a dirge if I'm honest, and didn't capture my attention. One listen perhaps isn't enough. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 maybe I should ★★★☆☆ (5/10)

As mellow, dull and boring as fall weather. While you are inside, and dry. With nothing to do. Maybe having a tea. Wait, this actually doesn't sound so bad.

Not bad at all. For 1969 it sure felt like I was listening to the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack but with a splash of the Beatles.

So quirky! I wouldn't go out of my way toto listen to this again but it was a fun time

on the border between forgettable and annoying

Võibolla ei keskendunud piisavalt albumi kuulamise ajal, aga minu jaoks jäid lood enamjaolt väga sarnaseks ja raske on neid eristada. Kõigil on nii sarnane kõla ja pillide balanss. Seega kahju, et midagi konkreetset ei jäänud meelde väga. Tore kuulamine iga ja 2 lugu (Candy Says ja Pale Blue Eyes) jätsin isegi Spotify Liked Songs sekka, aga album tervikuna pole tänapäeva kontekstis väga märkimisväärne. Tugevaim mõte, mis albumis minus tekitas, on see, et ma peaks rohkem ja keskendunumalt sõnu kuulama ning tekitama sellest harjumuse (sest praegu ma reaalselt ei oska sõnu kuulata). Jääb tunne, et kui teha need lood ümber natuke modernsema ja erilisema produga, siis nad jääksid rohkem kõrvu.

I liked the other VU albums I've listened to better.

3.4 2x walking around Bozeman

3.5

OK sans plus.

Ah yes, another Velvet Underground album. I keep getting told how important this band was, and this is the third album from the band in this book. I do enjoy the solo records by members of this band, especially 1919 from John Cale, but I can't help but believe there isn't much on here that justifies its inclusion. I am starting to believe Velvet Underground is considered one of the most important bands ever simply because so many people say they are one of the most important bands ever. For me, including three albums by one band is saying, "This was a great band that consistently put out great albums," and I don't believe that is true for the Velvet Underground. They were influential and deservedly so. There are good songs on the album but if this were by a band not named "Velvet Underground" then I don't know if it would be in the book. My favorite songs were: Candy Says What Goes On Pale Blue Eyes Beginning to See the Light That's the Story of My Life

Classic 60s album, mellow and introspective. It captures the feeling of being an outsider, and finding yourself in situations that hurt you even as they feel comforting in the moment. Very strange and bittersweet space where you know you should move on and better yourself, but struggle to let go. Instrumentation has a very classical, restrained approach, nothing flashy, soft percussion, gentle bass, and delicate guitar strums. Gives the songs a fragile, intimate feeling. I like how the instrumentation is played harder or softer depending on the emotion being expressed in the lyrics, dynamics are used quite well. it’s subtle but it makes difference. Themes revolve around love, gender identity, drug addiction, and anxiety. Everything sound very tender, emotionally heavy and vulnerable. Candy Says is very powerful considering how progressive it was for its time, Pale Blue Eyes is a classic love song mentioning both guilt and repetition like stuck in the loop of an old affair and longing that person, or that feeling? After Hours is the one I relate to most in my personal life especially however.

I feel like this record was ahead of its time. I feel like some of the instrumentation sounds modern. Favourite Track(s): Some Kinda Love, The Murder Mystery Least Favourite Track(s): Jesus

Solid melodic pre-punk that gets a little experimental at times. Liked Songs Added: What Goes On Pale Blue Eyes

Perfekter Soundtrack für Herbsttag mit Nebeldecke...heute der Fall. Beginning to see light gibt Beatles-Vibes und The Murder Mystery macht mich wahnsinnig. Aber lovely ehrlich alles zusammen. Würde die Schallplatte mal auflegen.

Decent album. I just found The Murder Mystery quite messy.

I get it is influential and creative, but as a pure listening experience I can get why nobody cared at Andy Warhol's party in the 60s.

Не мое…

The Velvets ... one of those things that are cool because they're cool, or cool people thought they were cool ... Whatever. I never understood the appeal.

Solid stuff

Ok, pale blue eyes is a great song

It has 3/4 classics but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Very folky in a way, an intersection between that and beat poetry in many ways. Lou could really sing and had a lovely voice.

Stark 3a. Fin musik, unik, före sin tid. Lite för långsam och tråkig för min smak. Inslag av blues. + after hours , pale blue eyes (lyssnat på förut)

Cutesy vibe, for chill atmosphere

I do enjoy the velvet underground, but I prefer the andy Warhol album and lou reed stuff to the Jesusy songs. Warm production fills out the old tape recording sounds, great beach day album where you can tune in an d out of it while listening to the ocean, so you can filter out half the b/s that’s on this one.

There are good songs on here but as an album there are a lot of dull points. Still worth listening to though

The murder mystery + after hours are really good, but what is that Jesus song Overall, simple but good

I can’t put my finger on where I’ve heard some of these songs before. There are some strong tunes here but then there’s also The Murder Mystery… wtf was that?

Though I really am a fan of velvet underground this album never grabbed me as much as their other stuff. It seems a bit tame, which isn't bad but it doesnt give that edge that they usually have.

The Velvet Underground is another case of a band I’ve heard rave reviews for that has been a bit of a let down on this project. Maybe I’m just not getting it and at points there were songs I found myself enjoying, but for the most part it was just a bland listening experience. It’s certainly not a “bad” album by any means, but it just feels “meh”. 3/5

Fairly nice listen

On first listen, a couple songs were nice or interesting I would enjoy again but by today's standards if avant garde meant slightly shit this is a 5.

Rv

After hearing about the Velvet Underground for years and never listening, this was extremely disappointing as a first album. Murder Mystery was the best track by far and the only reason this isn't a 2.

Good

This was okay. I know these guys were like the shit and pioneered some new psychedelic type music but, not that cool. 3 stars.

Good variety - some rogue moments towards the end. 3.

Not their best album. Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, and Beginning To See the Light are the standouts among some snoozers.

this is music to cook to for me. calm, easy to tune in and out to. the lyrics are good and the melodies stick. even when the voice can become grating, the instrumentals are what are really enjoyable to me about this album. liked: candy says, some kinda love, pale blue eyes,

Pretty standard jangly guitar stuff until the end where you can see why they made impact. However, I feel their subsequent albums do the jangly stuff and the experimental stuff better.

Good! But veryyy quiet. 3/5

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.

I was real excited for this, it's music I'm aware of but not familiar with. After a couple of listens, I can understand why it's never come up in conversation. I think this was impressive at its time, but now in 2025 it's soft background rock. Not bad but, nothing particularly amazing in the general scheme of it. I'm not a fan of the switching of vocalists throughout the project, it doesn't seem balanced, feels like a forced foot to be considered creative. Otherwise, the overall production is pretty good. We can hear that Beatles-rock era in the sound while still being a unique effort. "The Murder Mystery" is an amazing piece of work. I wish it had its own album, that'd probably be a 4/5 record. 2.8/5

its alright. Listened to it once and already forgot what it sounded like. Not very memorable for me ig.

6/10

Album is much more straightforward than The Velvet Underground and Nico. I think I like that album more overall; the production on this album being more subdued is fine, but I don't love it. There's some solid tracks here, like What Goes On and Pale Blue Eyes. Lyrically the album is as good as anything else by TVU. There's even a decent prog track here in the form of The Murder Mystery. After Hours is a very sweet album closer. I thing this is an album that's easy to like but hard for me to love.

I quite liked The Velvet Underground. I have already heard this band's collaborative effort with Nico and that album suffered from the issue of the music not being very good and sounding very poorly produced but here, The Velvet Underground have absolutely stepped up their game. The music here is actually really solid with very few hiccups, it reminds me most of a very soft Beatles record. They also brought one of the best aspects about The Velvet Underground & Nico and that being the vocals as they still sound very good. The last album was only able to receive a 2.5 but this album managed to score a whole 3. Best Song: After Hours Worst Song: Jesus

Ispirato

Good but not maybe my first choice.

Feels almost nostalgic but I'm not sure why.

this isn't the banana album 🤔

For how much this group is lauded I suppose I was expecting a little more. I didn't hate the vibe and definitely felt it was fitting the cover but it really did feel like a good chunk of this was just a jam session where they were just throwing out whatever their mood ring was suggesting

While the influence of the Velvet Underground cannot be overstated, I am finding it difficult to marry up that fact with the reality of what I'm listening to. Sure, the big songs on here are good, and maybe a couple of deep cuts I haven't heard before. But the majority of this stuff is repetitive and forgettable. The enjoyment I got from the delightful surprise that is After Hours is massively outweighed by having to sit through stuff like The Murder Mystery. 5/5 for influence, 2/5 for how boring this was outside of the highlights. This album is really carried by 3-4 songs. Highlights: Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, After Hours

I own and like VU & Nico but this is the first album besides that I’ve listened to. It probably needs more than one listen, there were some hallmarks here but I struggled to grasp onto it in the setting I was in.. that being a French campsite. There were good moments but I’ll have to return to this to properly assess.

Pretty good! No strong feelings

Koliko sam mrzila njihov prošli album ovo je čudo neviđeno da mi se dobar dio ovoga ozbiljno sviđa. Ima tu opet i smeća ali dominira neki Creamast vajb. Ovo im je puno bolje išlo.

Mellow and restrained. Not amazing, but pleasant.

Not sure what to say about this! Found most of it dull and nothing much stood out initially although Beginning to See the Light was a welcome cool change and then you get the complete oddball surprise of Murder Mystery?! A very strange song but I surprisingly found I liked it a lot. And then the closer is very sweet and soft. So a mixed bag for sure!

I feel like this album could've been vastly improved upon if the singer just said less. Maybe even nothing.

Look, I think Pale Blue Eyes is one of my favorite songs & I danced to a Velvet Underground song at my wedding…this was sleepy as hell

Pale Blue Eyes slaps.

только что втирала Наташе как людям могут нравиться песни мимо нот, но не мне, не мне… ну хотя бы интересно и не неприятно (не палп). и неожиданно что такой старый альбом

3 stars - pretty good fun!

Good elements, purposefully confused whole.

Не дуже викупаю цей альбом

Album 874 of 1089 The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (1969) Rating : 3 / 5 Hate to sound cliché, but I really expected to like this one more than I did. I’ve enjoyed a lot of what I’ve heard from them before and thought of them as a band I liked, but this listen makes me wonder if maybe I just got caught up in a few standout tracks from elsewhere. It’s certainly listenable - nothing offensive to the ear - and there are some interesting aspects here and there, but nothing really grabbed me or demanded my attention. They saved the best track ("After Hours) for last. “Candy Says” and “Pale Blue Eyes” show flashes of that gentle, reflective side they do well, but overall the album just didn’t land in a memorable way for me. Sometimes “interesting” can go in many directions, and in this case, it never quite took off.

Pale Blue Eyes almost made it a 4, but other than that I felt the album a bit too forgettable.

3.5

Dope wasn’t expecting this. Pretty cool, I enjoyed it

3.2

3.75

never rlly clicked w me but i understand why ppl like it

Non molto da dire, musica da background, ma non per questo è brutta

mi è piaciuto molto, dava molte vibes da elvis presley

This album is such a mixed bag. The highs are pretty good (Im Set Free, Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus...), even thought they are not risky at all, but the lows (The Murder Mystery, Some Kinda Love...) tend to be such disruptures that messess a good amount of the album. The Middle part of the album is pretty good while not being anything amazing while the extremes (start and end) are such a mix of ideas that dont stick and vary crazily in quality. Before ending, just wanna say The Murder Mystery is such a weird experience, but bad weird, and I love experimental music and risky songs but this one just comes out as a vomit of words with barely any coherence to try and make a story while sacrificing the listening experience. Just an awful song Overall, its a 74/100, wont be coming back to listen the album but some songs like Im Set Free or Pale Blue Eyes are coming to my playlists

The Murder Mystery was actually very fun

No es mi album favorito de velvet underground, aun asi , es musica que me gusta