The Velvet Underground

See also: Lou Reed

The Velvet Underground made music imbued with the depth and richness of real life, and their work remains among rock's most powerful.

So many bands have just that one thing they do really well, and they can't always stretch out into other realms without losing a bit of what makes them great. But there's so much to love about music. Somehow, VU's got it all. The Velvets' range ensures that there's something in here for any mood that might strike you. Driving down the highway with the windows rolled down? Throw on Loaded for some enervating rock and roll. A late-night conversation with old friends? Maybe the soul-baring melancholy of the third album. Got those blues again and ready to be sonically assaulted? Try the extreme sound palette of White Light/White Heat. You can wake up on Sunday morning listening to the sunbeam instrumental "Ride Into The Sun," a non-album track from the Another View compilation. But if you're walking down 2nd Avenue with headphones on, you might want to go with the steady urban pulse of the group's 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground And Nico.

Because the Velvets were able to accomplish so much in so little time -- six years at the end of the '60s -- their catalog is easily consumed. They only released four records, easy enough to purchase at once (more than one box set includes all four). Yes, there are other places to go -- live albums, two LPs worth of non-album tracks released in the '80s -- but you can hold the Velvets' entire catalog in hand.

Each of the band's four records is a radical, unexpected departure from its predecessor, and each is a rock and roll classic in its own right, offering benchmark songs and timeless inspiration to its listeners. Of course, the group only had its first two albums hit the Billboard charts, and even those with paltry showings. But in retrospect, this lack of any real commercial success made them immune to a lot of common fame-induced pratfalls. During the band's life, none of its members accumulated a great deal of material wealth, they didn't become huge stars, and most importantly, they didn't get stuck in the dangerous mindset of "people will buy our music if it sounds like THIS, so let's keep churning it out." There were no hastily issued follow-up albums to capitalize on chart successes. There was no laughable '80s period. And they dissolved before they put out anything subpar.

The Velvet Underground is the classic rock band for people who really dig music. If they're not your favorite band, odds are that your favorite band was in some way influenced by VU. And if not, you're probably not reading this! Or something like that.

Album reviews

Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes
Polydor (2001)
So Robert Quine has had these tapes in his possession since 1989, and he didn't tell me? The bastard.

Loaded
Atlantic (1970)
Doug Yule, no Mo Tucker, major label censorship, road fatigue, and intra-band quarreling: Loaded was probably the hardest album for the Velvet Underground to make. But the group's farewell notice is yet another magnificent album.

The Velvet Underground (Recommended)
Verve (1969)
The Velvets' third (self-titled) album, released in 1969, saw their style turn 180 degrees, focusing on soft, melodic songs and a living-room comfortability.

White Light/White Heat (Recommended)
Verve (1969)
Entirely abrasive, noisy as hell, almost completely uncommercial -- of course White Light/White Heat is my favorite Velvet Underground album!

Features

The Velvet Underground: The NATN Pantheon
Published December 11, 2006
NATN's Pantheon: A brief history of the artists who make the music that we can't get out of our minds.