The Velvet Underground

A real joy to hear this album for the first time. I had the sensation that I already knew both "I'm Beginning To See The Light" and "Pale Blue Eyes", but I think I only knew them by reputation - since they are part of the template of what became indie rock. There's no Belle and Sebastian without this band. Interesting how even the titles predate the Smiths ("that's the story of my life") and echo the Beatles ("what goes on in your mind?"). In a sense it's a rejection of the motoric experimentation of first couple of albums in favour of the poppier sensibilities of "Loaded". Having lost John Cale they were freer to go for a more commercial angle. And "What Goes On" is a light funk groove - you could imagine this would fit on the radio in 1969. Experimentation isn't totally suppressed, however - "The Murder Mystery" is a sprawling collage of hypnotic doors-y organ mantras, stereophonic spoken word paranoia, proto-Reichian minimalism, and smashed piano fists. The mood shifts finally in the cutesy closer "After Hours" featuring Moe Tucker's naif-jazz vocal, and order is restored. Maybe it's not as packed with classics as Loaded, but still great.

This is nowhere near as experimental or influential as the banana album (like even "The Murder Mystery" is tame compared to "Heroin" or "European Son"), but it still has some extremely good songs on here! My personal favorites are probably "What Goes On" and "I'm Set Free". This is a mid 4

I enjoyed this and I can see the inspiration in a lot of indie bands from the last 20 years. As much as I liked it, there were a couple of songs I found quite forgettable. This is where we should have 1/2 scores. Not quite a 4, but 3 1/2 feels right.

More accessible than their earlier work.

Ahhhhh, an album that should be on this list!

That's an easy Five for me just because of the creativity of the band and their significance for the 10960's cultural scene. I also happen to like the songwriting a lot. Maybe not quite as good as The Velvet Underground and Nico and definitely an easy listening one for the Velvet Underground, but still a true classic.

Very cool and enjoyable album! Favorite Song: After Hours

Perfect album - perfect due to the imperfections.

Very mellow, and far more accessible given what I've heard from both The Velvet Underground And Nico and from Lou Reed's later solo work. Inoffensive and chill listening, but I feel like I was looking for a little bit more grit. A good time nonetheless. 7/10.

I want this to leave a bigger impression on me than what it actually does, it just feels too bland and uninspired. The best track is the last "After Hours" (where Lou doesn't sing), with the exquisite vocals from Maureen the drummer, it could have been in Juno. It would have been fun to hear more of that.

gave up listening to this exact album after Pale Blue Eyes to listen to the rest of their hit songs. tried listening to several but it's just not my style. respect the song writing and storytelling aspect of the songs, but not my vibe.

I really need halves here. This one is odd

Maybe prefer this over the Nico album - great stuff

Interesting

music is love

Same review as the last Velvet Underground album I got: I understand why this album is important but it’s not one I will revisit.

PALE BLUE EYES LA MIGLIORE. MI PIACCIONO LE LORO BALLATE, CHE LASCIANO PIÙ SPAZIO ALLA BELLA VOCE DI LOU REED. LE PARTI PIÙ BOBDYLANEGGIANTI MI FANNO STORCERE IL NASO, COERENTEMENTE CON LE 2 RECENSIONI BOBDYLANICHE CHE HO GIÀ SCRITTO. 3/5

Really good. I was only familiar with their very famous tracks. This is generally less experimental and spiky, and really beautiful.

Simply lovely 4

Has some massive moments

Last two tracks - insane

Täs nyt ei taas sit ollu yhtään mitään.

En tiiä. Ihan jees. Tokavika biisi ol taas semmosta kokeellista keittiöö, joka harvoin lähtee.

Tässähän oli kovia biisejä! Ihan erilaista kamaa kyllä kun mitä kuvittelin.

This is it, perhaps the finest album this band ever made. I know everyone drools over The Velvet Underground & Nico and White Light/White Heat, and while they’re definitely influential, I have to admit I liked them a lot more as a teenager than I do now. In the end, I’m more of a Lou Reed fan than anything else, and this album confirms it. The secret? No Nico since the second album, and now, no John Cale. Bliss! Doug Yule replaced Cale here, and we finally hear what Reed really wanted to make all along: intimate, honest, lo-fi pop/rock with melancholy vibes. The results are great overall. “Pale Blue Eyes” and “Candy Says” (the latter with Yule on vocals) are two of the loveliest, most tender songs Reed ever wrote, and those guitar arpeggios and distant vocals get me every time. There are some moments of noise and dissonance, most of all on the avant-garde “The Murder Mystery” (which gets annoying over the course of its 8+ minutes), and some upbeat rockers like “What Goes On” and “Beginning to See the Light”, but it’s the quiet moments that really hit home. I enjoy the solemnness and secular approach of "Jesus", and that they left Moe Tucker, the weirdest of all of them, take lead vocals on "After Hours". The experimentation is there, though the music is relatively straightforward. There’s not much more to say. Nothing about this album is flashy, and its biggest legacy is its influence on so much of the indie music that came later, which is probably why the band’s hype has only grown over time. So enjoy it for what it is: a blueprint for the greatness Lou Reed would go on to achieve. 4 stars.

I get that The Velvet Underground is highly influential and routinely held up as essential listening. That didn't help me enjoy this album. The music feels relentlessly experimental. The songs don't have hooks, and there's very little emotional payoff to pull me in. Then, after about thirty minutes, comes the audio onslaught known as "The Murder Mystery." If this song had occurred earlier in the album, I might have tolerated it more. Instead, it arrives after the album has established a completely different rhythm. You've got different people saying different things in each ear, and I completely lost the plot. Who am I supposed to pay attention to? Is any of it important? It's just noise, and I can't grasp either side because I keep worrying I'll miss something on the other. By the time it's over, there are only two tracks left to recover before the album ends. I really didn't like anything about this album. Quit mythologizing. My Rating: 1/5

Half listened tbh but very good

Slick pekcers

actually like this one from 1001 albums soothing, relieving, relaxed, soulful altho I am a hard rock kind of guy who doesnt like pink floyd

First off, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground are just divine. I love this band, all of it. Also, it earns full stars for having a song that touches me deeper than any other maybe ever. The meaning making in the music is what truly drives it for me. Not only is it smooth, easy, ... perfectly executed, but lyrically it is next level. For me this is only biased ... a little to be honest, as it IS a wonderful and worthy worthy album and band... NO doubt. But the full truth is that it moves me. These people had to be wonderful human beings and I am just in love.

Some good songs, but none I feel particularly keen on revisiting.

Back when I was in high school, I practically worshiped Lou Reed. But the bloom wore off for me after one too many (and two too many, and more too many) bad albums. I still have a place in my heart for the Velvets, although mostly the two with Cale. This one's pretty good: The Murder Mystery is either the best track or the worst depending on my mood.

Argh! More Yank keech!

A perfect example of a band not losing their soul and heart as they very obviously start edging towards a more accessible and mainstream sound. The rusty, discordant, and abstract nature of their previous record 'White Light/white Heat' just feels so far removed from this one, as if it were released by a completely different band. But if there's one thing that the VU carry through to this album, it's that subtly amateurish, but undeniably charming, cool "New Yorker underground" edge. The mixing is still choppy here, but it's definitely the hardest the band has tried. The songs are relatively simple; Moe Tucker's drumming is still very driving and primitive (especially on the propelling 'What Goes On', the album's driving banger), and Lou Reed's vocals are still never quite on point. Luckily we get Doug Yule on this record, who has a much sweeter and more delicate voice to contrast Reed's more off-kilter one, sort of acting as the John Cale of this record, and he gives a stellar first impression as he sings the opener 'Candy Says'. The character, feel, and soul of the Velvet Underground isn't lost in the more polished nature of this album; that's what's important here. Especially because the crop of songs here is flawless, and lyrically and conceptually, it never waters itself down, something their follow-up (likely purposefully) begins doing. The lyrics here still dive headfirst into some pretty taboo, twisted, and unconventional topics for pop-rock. 'Candy Says' is such an incredible opener, again very warm and contemplative, following a person questioning their identity and not feeling whole in their own skin, very forward-thinking for '69. 'Pale Blue Eyes' with its dreary guitar melody, follows a classic Lou heartbreak tale as he watches and details an old lover go on without him in the most backhanded, bitter way possible. The three-piece from 'Jesus' to 'I'm Set Free' follows the redemption and rehabilitation of a man once lost, maybe by drugs or lack of faith. All three songs have this uplifting feel as you'd imagine, but still remain cautious in the face of the new epiphanies, unsure of what the future holds. I love the climbs on these songs, very euphoric, and 'Beginning To See The Light' has one of my favourite choruses on the record; I've always interpreted it as the monotony of constantly relapsing and never-ending struggle with that very smooth "Here we Go Again...". 'I'm Set Free' has one of my favourite solos of all time; I love how simple it is over the very fuzzy, droning backing instrumentation; that ringing, reverby tone just brings out a very childlike nostalgic feeling from deep within me. And again it has that euphoric rise and is maybe the most optimistic song in this band's discography, a discography with songs like 'Heroin' and 'Lady Godiva's Operation' 'The Murder Mystery' down the line is like VU's attempt at a mysterious organ-driven Doors song. It's admittedly the most incomprehensible and art-schooly thing here, but I've always found it sort of cool if a bit indulgent. I do wholeheartedly believe that the album wouldn't be whole without it; it's just such an odd song to put on this otherwise really accessible record. And it's been talked about to death, but the song 'After Hours' at the end of this was decades ahead of its time, really predicting the twee-pop of the '90s and early '2000s with its minimalist vocal melody and pretty hidden darker meaning under the more cheery and boilerplate melody and strumming. Again, that very human amateurish edge of this song is so infectious; I adore it. It's no question this is another classic Velvet Underground record. It's maybe my least favourite of the first three records, all things considered, but not by a wide margin. In a lot of ways, it's my go-to VU album for easy listening, a super warm, intimate, and generally pretty comforting record put together by some of alternative music's greatest innovators.

Very chilled and relaxed.

Ok

Mmmm it was alright. Kinda slow for my liking which is mirrored in the review. Not my usual vibes but I can see some of the appeal

Two songs were ass

Альбом достаточно хороший, все треки очень приятные по звучанию, я бы сказал хороший пример "классики". Безусловно этот альбом может быть невероятно хорош для тех, кто любит старую музыку 60х-70х и кому нравится такой жанр. Но про себя могу сказать, что это не моё, я уважаю такую музыку, но лично послушал бы скорее что-то современное, экспериментальное по звучанию. Неожиданным был первый трек Candy says , в котором рассказывалось про транс-женщину, испытавшую дисфорию, что очень круто для того времени рассказывать о таких проблемах. Pale blue eyes самый наверное приятный и успокаивающий трек, лавки лавки <3 . Дальше идут довольно веселые треки о освобождении от зависимости, и "я вижу свет". И ТУТ The Murder Mystery - один экспериментальный трек в альбоме, который даже для меня показался через чур экспериментальным, но очень интересная концепция перегрузки 4 разными диалогами в разных ушах. короче альбом хороший, но не мое.

quite a nice album - didn't blow me away but did enjoy listening to it. 3.5 stars.

Good

Interesting and way better than White Heat. Lyrics on point with some great rock musicianship. Now I see how they were considered toe to toe with the Beatles. Songs in the back half dragged a bit though, but still I would not complain at all about putting this on again.

buh buh buh based

Rough, whiny start but it got better. I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually did. Some songs were ok - good chill vibes and melodies/guitar - and others were whiny and annoying. (3)

A bit too heavy for me. Don’t have the brain capacity for this

Very Cool Art. So much emotion in this album. The story of Candy Says is interesting.

I got bored midway

Was good actually

Painfully average rock album

Underwhelmed. I was a bit bored until Murder Mystery, which was.. odd. In my opinion, not Lous finest work.

the Joni Mitchell’s Blue of pale blue

After hours was chill, de rest niksig

I really liked it

It's alright. I never felt the need to skip tracks but it also didn't really do much for be.

Is it just me or did Murder Mystery have Duck Stab vibes...

Was excited for this one because I like the velvet underground so I was somewhat surprised to find that most of the album kind of felt like I was in a car going nowhere. Could use more nico. Still good and I love pale blue eyes very very much it reminds me of living in wisconsin when I first heard that song.. Likelihood that the members of this band lezzed out: hmmmmmmmm!!! I don't know too much about these guys personal lives they seem a bit macho but also I have styled my hair based off of them in the past so I'm giving them a solid 3/5

not my favorite velvet underground album for sure, didn't hit me quite like the banana album and white light white heat do. i think most of the songs just aren't weird enough. still a 4 though, what goes on was my fav

Man, I wish I could articulate why I love whatever album by TVU and Lou Reed i get on here so much. I cannot explain it, there is just this effortless coolness paired with brutal honesty in these songs that works like catnip for me. This is definitely a more polished version of TVU than on their debut with Nico - which makes this a more pleasant listening experience but also makes me miss the chaos and strümpfig-ness of that album. Thankfully The Murder Mystery brings back some of that chaos. At the end of the day, there are many great songs on here. Pale Blue Eyes, Jesus and The Murder Mystery are my personal favorites.

Okay album. Didn’t do a lot for me. I liked the last song though. I am sorry to say the rest was quite mediocre. 2,75/5

Fun, I didn't know they'd ever done anything so quiet

"Pale Blue Eyes" and "After Hours" are classics, and it was nice to discover the rest of this album as well. I respect the experimentalism of "The Murder Mystery" but it went on for much too long. (Reminds me of Dada-ist "simultaneous poems," but enacted in a specifically rock-music way, which is cool!)

(5/7) some good stuff, some weird stuff

I’ve always wanted to like these guys more than I do. Pale Blue Eyes is a great song but a whole album of their sound drones on.

just not for me i don't think, but there can be good songs on a bad album, i'm sure i'll return to a few of these

Upon this listen, I found this album to be slightly weaker than on my original listen. Obviously, 'Candy Says', 'Pale Blue Eyes', 'The Murder Mystery' and 'After Hours; are all phenomenal, but I found that between 'Jesus' and 'That's The Story Of My Life' that there was a solid amount of tracks that I'd consider to just be decent, most notably 'Beginning To See The Light', which I didn't enjoy that much. I think that the amount of brilliant songs outweighs the weaker tracks, and that makes for a REALLY enjoyable album experience, but I think that it could have done with some polishing in the middle.

Like VU, but this is not their best effort

I thought this would be gothier than it was

Pretty boring. Weird mix where everything is super flat and kinda muffled. A couple moments of goodness, but nothing to make it worth listening.

I’ve criminally under-listened to this album and have criminally over-listened to the album with Nico. I’ll spend my life making up to the ghost of Lou by righting the wrong. Pale Blue Eyes might be the best song I’ve heard among the 770 or so albums I’ve listened through so far. Perfect five and beyond.

Not my thing

I feel like I'm supposed to like them, but I just don't. At least not this album. There are some songs here, when listened to on their own, that sound alright to borderline genius. But as a collection of songs making a whole album....? Nope, just nope.

Sure this is fine but what is everyone’s obsession with the velvet underground? What am I missing?

A little bit too pleasant for my liking.

#257 - I thought I knew this album better than I did. I guess I was wrong. There was a lot I remember about this one but others that I completely forgot about. This one is less experimental, quieter overall. I understand John Cale's exit from the band was part of that. Either way, there is something for everyone. Overall, I like this album, and I'd listen to this one again easily. Pale Blue eyes is one of those songs that is good but unlocks once you understand and have felt its lyrics, then it becomes one of the most beautiful songs. Biggest Hit - Pale Blue Eyes Biggest Miss (if I had to choose ) - The Murder Mystery Hidden Gem - I'm Set Free ; it should be noted that After Hours was a strong consideration here

Yes very nice rainy day album. Oscillating between 4.5/5 might be too pitchy for me

Fuckin yes man. Belter for a Sunday walk. Too hope: Candy says What goes on Pale blue eyes Jesus Beginning to see the light I’m set free The story of my life After hours

Une bonne occasion de découvrir un groupe connu dont je ne connaissais presque aucune chanson. Un album rock plutôt mélancolique mais pas que, avec comme highlights "Candy Says", "Pale Blue Eyes" et "I'm Set Free". 3.5/5

Back room underground stuff- Sweet Jane is Lou’s apex.

Just a painfully average rock album

Mediocre album but still pretty good

Ahimè, non mi ha preso molto.

The first 2 VU albums are my favorite, but I've probably listened to this one the most. I got this record for 5 bucks at the Bop Shop when I was in high school and later I discovered it was one of the Lou Reed "closet mix" copies. This really is a perfect album. It's like a call back to Lou Reed's days as a novelty songwriter, but filtered through the Warhol experience. Also (for better or worse), this album basically birthed indie rock.

I’ve listened to The Velvet Underground before. For whatever reason, it never really stands out to me. However, weird stuff like The Murder Mystery track—that’s my jam! Added to my liked list: The Murder Mystery

Nico may have put them on the map and inspired 1,000 bands, but I found this one to be much more interesting and just better overall.

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I really enjoyed it and it clearly super influential but it didn't click for me in the way other albums have.

This is the Velvet Underground’s third album. I am quite familiar with it. It is a good album. Lou Reed’s songwriting is very good on this album. He wrote all the songs. He is a fine pop songwriter. Hi singing is good too. There are quite a few somber songs on this album: Candy says, Pale Blue Eyes and Jesus. They have sparse instrumentation. Also, there are upbeat songs such as What goes on and Beginning to see the light. There is a song that doesn’t fit in: Murder Mystery. It is like their experimental second album. This is a very fine album. Five stars.

3.5

Every indie band you've ever loved wishes they could've made this album.

Rather sleepy album.

It sometimes sounded like Bob Dylan with less complex lyrics. It sometimes sounded like The Dead with less musicianship. And Lou Reed was definitely going through something.

An unusual or perhaps better unexpected Velvet Underground album. It’s all pretty normal and quite folksy. I rather enjoyed the whole thing really, but as always I with this one I was expecting more artful odd.

There's more to say about this than I've had time to write. Review TBC

Cool but i hope the type of the musice u give me be different

I don't really get The Velvet Underground. I feel like I should be blown away by their coolness and inventiveness. But I'm not really.

I enjoyed this one. But is this their best album in my opinion? Not at all. They have far better albums. So: 3/5

The chill velvet underground album. Candy Says is such a weird opening track feels like it starts in the middle. Murder Mystery is appropriately unlistenable so the album gets some VU cred. Pale Blue Eyes great. I guess John Cale was bringing all the darkness?

yes i love this one

a classic, "candy says" is one of my favs

Top 10, top 15 albums all time