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| The Velvet Underground & Nico | 
 enlarge | Artists: The Velvet Underground, Nico
Label: Polydor / Umgd
Category: Music
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $5.27
You Save: $4.71 (47%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $4.61
Avg. Customer Rating:  (264 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1305
Format: Original Recording Reissued, Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.5
MPN: 531250
UPC: 731453125025
EAN: 0731453125025
ASIN: B000002G7C
Publication Date: 1996
Release Date: May 7, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Rock from the other side. May 10, 2007
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
The Velvets had always been different. In the mid sixties, when just about every band in business was trying to be the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, or somewhere in between, the Velvet Underground were doing their own thing. And what a thing it was! Led by swaggering, snarling hipster-junky Lou Reed, this was a band of cultured weirdos and playful freaks. Their music was different from just about everyone else's: It was miles beyond any of the mainstream music of the times- even the height of the Beatles' experimental phase doesn't come close to the otherworldly insanity found here. The band's alien sound is all over the place: Multi-instrumentalist John Cale is a one-man noise factory, drenching songs in his wailing electric viola, pulverizing bass lines, and droning keyboard playing. On drums, Maureen Tucker reduces rock n roll's signiature rhythm to its bare essentials, pounding primal, sensual pulses of pure musical incantation. The partnership of Lou Reed and Sterling Morrisson on guitars is equally jarring- the two play their instruments like a pair of disgruntled folkies, jumping back and fourth between clean lines and ugly distortion, hyperactive rhythms and sky-scraping melodies, crazed strumming and whiplashing fingerpicking. Reed's lyrics and singing are, as you've probably guessed, just as out-of-this-world: He kicks aside the typical boy-meets-girl fare for grimy drug anthems, dark surrealism, back-alley sexuality, and tense paranoia. He delivers these distinctive musings in a choppy, throaty chant that epitomizes detatched cool. Joining the band for this album only is Nico, the icy-voiced German model who lends her distinctive voice to three of the songs on the record. Now, experimentation is all fine and good, but it would be totally worthless if the songs weren't great. After all, there's nothing more pretentious or unpleasent (musically, anyway) than a mess of unlistinable noise that tries to pass itself off as "experimental." Not to worry! The Velvets may be weird, but they've got an impeccable knack for creating great music. It may take a few listens to get used to, but once you've pushed your way past the initial surprise and confusion, you'll find that this is a set of highly original, fantastically listenable, outta-this world rock 'n' roll.
"Heroin" sums this up quite succinctly: The song builds from a pretty, delicate, yet slightly unsettling guitar strum. Lou plays the deranged folk singer, intoning his emotionally ambiguous lyric over the song's glowing chords. From there, the tune builds in intensity, morving into a galloping nightmare ballad, while Reed's lyric slips back and forth between dreamy self-reflection and nightmarish chaos. Soon, John Cale joins in, pummeling his viola into screeching submission, building the whole thing into a screaming, violent catharsis. "Venus in Furs" is a gloomy, doom-laden death drone, built around a disquieting, stomping rhythm section and a creepy ascending guitar line, over which Lou, chanting like a man in a deep trance, celebrates the joys of masochism. "All Tomorrow's Parties," one of the songs that feature Nico as vocalist, is a regal, decadent epic that features some wonderfully sinewey guitar lines. Nico's voice fits in with the proceedings nicely, arcing over the strange melody with clipped Teutonic precision. Other highlights include "The Black Angel's Death Song," in which Lou spits out a slippery, surreal, stream-of-conciousness ramble over a rumbling, dizzy guitar line and a flailing viola line, as well as the outta hand group improvisation "European Son." "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "There She Goes Again" reveal the band's debt to traditional rock and R&B- the former is a pummeling, piano driven blues-rock churner, while the latter is a souring slice of greasy proto-blue-eyed soul that kicks off with a musical allusion to Marvin Gaye (listen to his "Hitch Hike"). But even those two songs are plenty subversive- Lou Reed's lyrics are unsentimental evocations of the seedier aspects of urban life, relating tales of back-street drug deals and the kind of girl your mother warned you about. Reed is particularly good on "Waiting for the Man," as he moans, chants, and struts his way through a set of lyrics that casually narrates the joys and bitter pains of drug addiction with equal parts foolish optimism and complete self-loathing. Similarly, "Run Run Run" builds off of a pummeling rock backbeat, mixing in bursts of jagged guitar noise and violent lyricl poetry. "Femme Fatalle" and "I'll Be Your Mirror," Nico's other two contributions to the album, prove that the Velvets could make beautiful music if they wanted to- along with the eerily gorgeous album oppener "Sunday Morning," these songs are airy, otherworldly ballads that still manage to convey an amazing ammount of tension and discomfort.
As a whole, the Velvet Underground's debut is a brilliant album, a set of pop songs the likes of which you've never heard. It may have flown over the heads of listeners back in 1967, but its still managed to inspire countless musicians and musical movements. Influence aside, it's still a fantastic listen, a rock n roll album that'll blow your mind with every spin. Get it now.
The record that happened April 14, 2007
14 out of 19 found this review helpful
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO is longer running than most records of its era and loaded with interesting, exciting, and beautiful yet strange songs. Also the content is odd for its time, or any time, but I think the "homosexual" perception was grafted on post-facto ("I'm Waiting For The Man" is of course actually sung "I'm waiting for MY man. . .") and though long perceived as "gay" because of certain references, such as the narrator's lack of interest in black girls instead of his purpose in being up town ("Oh no sir!") It sounded "queer," but it's queer only in the sense that Lou Reed is waiting for his drug dealer "...he's always late" who gives him "sweet taste." Our narrator then swiftly exits, presumably to consume his drugs. I think Reed's later admissions of juvenile homosexuality, drug use, and a kind of artistic bisexuality lead to over-interpretation of the lyrics on this most challenging of VELVET UNDERGROUND records. That being said, this record, a low-seller in its day, is unique, endlessly listenable, and tuneful. The long stated commentary about "drone" and "buzz" is fair, particularly on tracks "Heroin," "European Son" and my own favorite, "The Black Angel's Death Song." But, this record is much more than a Punk predecessor, Andy Warhol bank rolled project, or Art Rock oddity. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO remains one of the most important, intriguing, and unusual of records in the Rock catalog and a must for students of modern music.
Brilliant debut, one of the most perfect in rock history... April 13, 2007
6 out of 10 found this review helpful
The Velvet Underground only put out 4 albums (5 if you include the Doug Yule only Squeeze album, which most of us Velvet fans don't), but everyone was a masterpiece, and the journey commenced right here. This is my favorite VU album. It is adventurous, eclectic, tuneful, scary, moving, and assaulting, a true work of art. There isn't one throwaway track (in fact, the Velvets never wasted a track on any album). Sunday Morning begins the album beautifully. I love the drug songs Waiting for the Man and Heroin. Venus in Furs is sad and powerful, and All Tomorrow's Parties is scary and hypnotic (with Nico's best vocal). The Black Angel's Death Song is pure, avant garde Cale, and European Son predates the sonic assault we were going to get on White Light/White Heat. You think that the Velvet Underground would have choked after making such a fine debut album, but they followed it up with 3 masterpieces. How many bands only made a handful of albums and yet have had such a lasting impact? The MC5 is the only other band that comes to mind. This is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I listen to it once a week. Lou, John, Mo, Sterling, and Nico rule.
Wading through the Taboos of Yesteryear March 28, 2007
To start out, a paraphrase of an old theory is a must: "The best bands are so out of their time that they are figureheads for the future." This statement applies to the experimental band, The Velvet Underground, and for their debut album, " The Velvet Underground & Nico:" an artistic statement that defies even modern conventions as a timeless, trailblazing landmark that arrived almost unnoticed by anyone at its onset, as if it held the impact of a feather's quiet fall. However, as the years went by, its influence grew so obvious, that this now noticed impact felt like a sledgehammer to the face, but only in a good way. As this is an album that may not seem as "shocking" as it once was in this time of "shock-rockers" and grindcore death metal, yet with its modern themes of youthful anguish, including those about sex and drugs, The Velvet Underground feels more modern than it ever has and spearheaded nearly every un-mainstream sub genre style and tactic-- including, but not just limited to: punk, goth, glam, garage, and, indie rock-- as they also featured a style of shot-forth self evaluation, in which the lyrics carried themes that many of the Vietnam-era youth could relate to; as well as the current youth of America, through VU's quest to "find themselves," something that all humans go through.
Being in touch with your inner self is shown as the primary aspect of their themes, through the honesty to themselves, done with an eloquent sense of lyrical sentiment in that their debut speaks of every facet of rebellion through its sense of non-conformity to adult norms in any era to this day, from: heartbreak, break ups, kinky sex, drug deals, damnation, isolation, hard drug trip outs, death, and fate-- it is in these themes that a heavy slice of social-political nostalgia shows the importance of rock & roll as a highly artistic avenue of freedom of speech, and a major influencer in many people's lives. This spirited sentiment about the importance of art would carry on their first four albums, and be encapsulated on the song, "Rock & Roll," off their last great album, "Loaded," an album that is also their most mainstream, as well. This debut starts out like a relic of some forgotten memory held in your brain for all of mortality, with a quiet, soothing song, called Sunday Morning. This song: a nostalgic, rhythm-and-blues mood piece, with singer/guitarist/songwriter Lou Reed's mournfully delicate, and poetic chime-- like a voice of an angel recalling memories of a happy, and long lost life-- makes the album carry the coating of its era. Yet while delving into these lyrics of despair, you will find a simmering and aggressive force, that like the rest of the songs, carry a translucent, perfected beauty in both instrument sonics, vocals, and lyrics; as if chiseled out of diamonds, and carrying a priceless value.
The next song, I'm Waiting for the Man, carries themes that will carry the counter culture of rock and roll for many years to come. The song, about acquiring drugs, never gives any nomenclature to what exactly it is talking about, that's true, but with lyrics that seem like the character of the song is strung out, with "twenty-six dollars" in his hand, its pretty obvious what Reed's trying to convey. The lyrics grow increasingly aware of the taboos of the rock industry back then, and quickly do shed any of the "beating around the bush" metaphors, and hints that many other bands used to hide what they were really saying. Take the forth song, Venus in Furs, a piece about S & M, with lyrics that are poignantly written, as well as disturbing at the same time, such as: "Whiplash girl-child in the dark.../Strike down mistress and cure his heart./...Taste the whip in love not given lightly/ Taste the whip, now bleed for me: " these are lyric lines that are blunt and forceful, like a hacksaw to the "polite" politics of the time, and a cannonball to the industry, creating a resonating tidal wave for years to come.
Experimental it is: the sonics are structured not just out of Lou Reed's/ Sterlings Morrison's trancelike guitar, but also John Cale's hemorrhaging electric viola and bass, Maureen Tuckers sensuous beat patterns, and of course, Nico's choric singing voice, with its hint of hoarseness. Nico is in many ways the center piece of the album, even if it is often questioned about her actual input to its construction, but there is no denying that she is immensely talented, such as in the song Tomorrow's Parties, in which Nico gives a voluptuous performance, amiss the truculent and perfectly strewn about instrumentals that counteract to give an ominous emotion of sympathy for the poverty-stricken girl in the song that is stuck going to a party with "a blackened shroud, a hand-me-down gown/ Of rags and silks-- a costume fit for one who sits and cries." Special notice also goes to Cale-- a musical genius. Cale gives the songs their infinite beauty, like in the song, Heroin, with his frantic and systematic deep viola spirals into calamity, perfectly giving the listener state of mind of a junkie`s trip out. Though it is often argued that if this song is indeed pro-hard drug, the lyrics, such as: "Heroin, be the death of me/ Heroin, it's my wife, and it's my life, ha-ha..." are, at the same time, beautiful in its construction, emotional in its sentiment, and a reflection of the time period, and those to this day. Simply, it's not a truism, and that is what makes it purely artistic, influential, and one of the best songs of all time. Period.
The Velvet Underground gives you all this and more on this electrifyingly, and perfected cacophony debut wrecking ball into the heart of societal mores, still breaking barriers in the world of rock, an art form that does indeed save souls.
***** (Out of 5)
AMG Review February 23, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
One would be hard pressed to name a rock album whose influence has been as broad and pervasive as The Velvet Underground and Nico. While it reportedly took over a decade for the album's sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what's most surprising about this album is its diversity. Here, the Velvets dipped their toes into dreamy pop ("Sunday Morning"), tough garage rock ("Waiting for the Man"), stripped-down R&B ("There She Goes Again"), and understated love songs ("I'll Be Your Mirror") when they weren't busy creating sounds without pop precedent. Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of drugs and kinky sex (then risky stuff in film and literature, let alone "teen music") always received the most press attention, but the music Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker played was as radical as the words they accompanied. The bracing discord of "European Son," the troubling beauty of "All Tomorrow's Parties," and the expressive dynamics of "Heroin," all remain as compelling as the day they were recorded. While the significance of Nico's contributions have been debated over the years, she meshes with the band's outlook in that she hardly sounds like a typical rock vocalist, and if Andy Warhol's presence as producer was primarily a matter of signing the checks, his notoriety allowed The Velvet Underground to record their material without compromise, which would have been impossible under most other circumstances. Few rock albums are as important as The Velvet Underground and Nico, and fewer still have lost so little of their power to surprise and intrigue more than 30 years after first hitting the racks. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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