The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Velvet Underground & Nico is an essential album in music history. The band’s debut album is experimental and shows the beginnings of several different genres of music. The music is amazing and the lyrics are poetry. An essential album for any collection.

In the early 60s, Elvis, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones proved that rock 'n roll music could be used to make one rich, famous, and adored by millions of screaming girls. In the late 60s, The Velvet Underground proved that it could do the opposite of all of these. In doing so, they would forever inspire those who wanted to form a rock band for all the right reasons. The influence of The Velvet Underground is at least two-fold. On one hand, they inspired bands who wanted to sound like them, from The Stooges to Sonic Youth to The Strokes. On the other hand, they made musicians who didn't necessarily want to sound like them realize that rock music didn't have to be popular music. It could sound however the artist wanted it to. Thanks to The Velvet Underground, there is such a thing as alternative music, and was over two decades before the term for it existed. "The Velvet Underground and Nico" was a permission slip for all of those who heard it to do as they please with music. David Bowie. The Stooges. The MC5. The New York Dolls. Roxy Music. The Modern Lovers. Talking Heads. Television. Blondie. Patti Smith. Pere Ubu. Joy Division. The Feelies. R.E.M. Sonic Youth. Husker Du. The Jesus and Mary Chain. The Pixies. My Bloody Valentine. Spiritualized. The Strokes. Interpol. Included in this list are some of the most influential rock 'n roll artists ever. Would any of them have existed - or been as great as they were - without The Velvet Underground? It seems highly improbable. Simply put, Lou, John, Sterling, and Maureen (and Nico) are to alternative music what John, Paul, George (Harrison and Martin), and Ringo are to popular music. They are the source of almost every sub-genre of music to arise from the ashes of The Beatles. "The Velvet Underground and Nico" is obviously one of the most influential records ever recorded. It demonstrated that rock music could - through dissonance, feedback, and a street-smart vocabulary - be rough on the ears (at least the ones of unsuspecting flower children) and still sound great. It introduced an element that was previously unheard of in popular music, but has since become indespensable in alternative rock: noise. And the presence of Nico on the disc gives her songs the cold, cerebral, detached sound that was so essential to the band. (Nico was included on the record at the insistence of titular producer Andy Warhol, and much to the dismay of the rest of the band. I think that Andy knew what he was doing after all.) Interestingly, this CD starts off in the least threatening manner possible. "Sunday Morning" - with its gentle bells and warm, hazy vocals - could easily have been the type of song that ended up on Rhino's "Nuggets" box set. Taken out of the context of the rest of the album, it could almost qualify as an A.M. (as in the time of day, not the radio format) version of The Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon". However, for the denizens of The Velvet Underground's neighborhood, Sunday morning brings with it the weight of the Saturday night that came before it, which still may not have ended for many of them. Hence, this was a very different Sunday morning than the one had by the inhabitants of The Kinks' cozy village. The remainder of the album describes in grizzly detail the lives of the aforemention denizens. From the drug scores of "I'm Waiting For the Man", to the heartbreaks of "Femme Fatale", to the sado-masochism of "Venus In Furs", the further morning-after exploration of "All Tomorrow's Parties", and the self-explanatory "Heroin", this album opened the basement door to the party going on downstairs from peace and love. Sure, The Velvets sang about sex and drugs like many late 60s bands. However, their view of sex involved leather, belts, whips, and chains. And drugs, instead of providing a blissful high, caused one to be unaware, to just not care, and to be as good as dead. No punches were pulled on this record. But "The Velvet Underground and Nico" is not all gloom. In addition to "Sunday Morning", there is "I'll Be Your Mirror", a heartfelt valentine from the icy voice of Nico. The shared company of these two more tuneful songs with the shrieking feedback and guitar avalances of "Run, Run, Run", "Heroin", and "European Son" makes this CD the most obvious precedent of the loud-quiet-loud dynamic to be heard on albums by - to name just their most influential and biggest-selling offspring - The Pixies and Nirvana. It was the example that allowed The Pixies to put "Tame" and "Here Comes Your Man" on the same record. Lester Bangs, the most influential rock critic of all time, considered The Velvet Underground to be the greatest band that ever existed. To quote Bangs, "Modern music begins with The Velvets, and the implications of what they did seem to go on forever". The interesting thing about this quote is that Bangs died in 1982. He didn't live long enough to realize how right he was. With their debut record, The Velvet Underground began sowing the seeds of a musical empire the geopolitical like of which the British could have only dreamt. The influence of "The Velvet Underground and Nico" is arguably as far-reaching and enduring as that of "Sgt. Pepper". However, there is a crucial difference between the two records. "Sgt. Pepper" sounds dated, no matter how innovative it was in terms of production when it was released. "The Velvet Underground and Nico", which was released two-and-a-half months prior to "Sgt. Pepper" - and even beat "Are You Experienced?" to the stores by a couple of weeks - could have easily been released in 2005 and still have sounded fresh. "The Velvet Underground and Nico" is an unmoved mover. There are no perfectly obvious signs of which artists influenced the album short of the Dylan-esque narration of "The Black Angel's Death Song", which also features a deliciously dissonant viola, rattlesnake-like hisses, and crashes of breaking glass, for which there is no previous example that I know of in popular music. Perhaps my ignorance is doing some of the talking there, but like many of the bands they were to influence, The Velvet Underground was more interested in what could be done than in what already had been. By moving music in directions that it had never gone before, The Velvets took it to places it had never been. (Oh yeah, the riff to "There She Goes Again" was clearly lifted from Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike". Forgot about that.) Like philosophy after Ludwig Wittgenstein, and stand-up comedy after Lenny Bruce, music was never the same after "The Velet Underground and Nico". Take a moment now to re-read the list of artists above. These folks are among the few who bought this record. We all know what they did next, and we can all be grateful. And for those of you who still aren't convinced, this record is not simply an influential critics' favorite. It is one of the best collections of songs released in the 1960s.

The Velvet Underground CD, with that iconic Andy Warhol banana cover, is an absolute gem for music lovers. Listening to this album on CD brings an extra layer of nostalgia and authenticity you just don’t get from streaming (and yes, I'm writing this review in 2024). The sound quality is crisp, and it’s a pleasure to experience the depth of each track the way it was originally intended. Lou Reed’s vocals and John Cale’s genius on the viola and keyboards shine beautifully, and Nico’s haunting voice is just captivating. Each song is a journey, taking you back to the late ’60s in NYC, yet the themes and emotions still feel relevant today. Tracks like “Sunday Morning” and “Heroin” feel as powerful and groundbreaking as ever. This CD is a must-have for fans of rock history, and there’s something genuinely special about hearing these iconic tracks on a physical disc. Highly recommend this album to anyone who appreciates music that dares to push boundaries – a perfect 5-star addition to any collection!

This is one of my favorite albums. The Velvet Underground & Nico has a distinct, unique sound that draws me in, even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I own it on vinyl and this CD purchase pleases me.

A beautiful and stunning reissue. They finally did this one right. A two disc digipack with absolutely fantastic remastering is probably the way to go for most people as it includes the stereo and sessions discs of most interest to a lot of fans. The Super Deluxe is better than the VU Super Deluxe, which wastes two discs on live content from the Matrix live box, in that it has the only known live concert with Nico and her solo album. The sad part is the live disc is absolutely horrid quality. Nothing like the Matrix set in fidelity, and honestly other than a historical document I doubt you will be coming back to it. The live stuff on anything but their Matrix box is of poor quality, and I cannot recommend a purchase of the Super versions for this type of stuff. There are of course single disc versions in plastic cases for those that just want the album. A high-resolution bluray might have put me over the hump for the Super, but I feel like the 2 disc is all anyone really needs along with the Matrix tapes for live material. This is a record I hold dear, and easily of the best records ever made. Nico fits in perfectly with the band, and Femme Fatale, Sunday Morning, and All Tomorrow's Parties are three of my favorite tracks of all time. The rest of the music is just as lovely and memorable. There is absolutely no reason not to pick this up in one of the versions. An essential record in anyone's collection. An innovative and timeless piece.

This is one of those albums that I have read about for years as one of the most influential in rock history, but I had never actually heard. I was familiar with a few live cuts that were featured on Lou Reed's "Rock N Roll Animal" album, and I liked them, but had never given the original recordings a shot. Finally on a whim I decided to pick this up. I can certainly understand that when this album was released in 1967 it was probably groundbreaking stuff. The material here ranges all over the place from dark descriptions of drug use and sado masochism through almost Pink Floyd like pscycadellia and light hearted pop songs. Personally I find that I enjoy the Lou Reed led numbers better than the one's performed by Nico, but even Nico's stuff holds a certain charm that has grown on me with additional listens. Reed's tales from the street are gripping in their intensity with songs like "Waiting For The Man" and especially "Heroin" being two of the most realistic sounding paeans to the drug culture ever written. Neither are pretty songs and reflect the reality of the characters (Lou himself?) leading lives in the gutter. "European Son" is not that different from works that Syd Barrett was writing in England at the same time. "Venus In Furs" explores the darker side of sexuality in the New York underground. The criticisms of this album seem to revolve around the production and the lack of instrumental virtueosity to be found on the disc. True none of the members of The Velvet Underground were going to be hailed as great players on this record. Reed and Cale would improve significantly over the years, but on this early album they were still somewhat limited in what they could pull off musically. The production is not the greatest either, but considering this was recorded in 1967 I think that it is on a par with other lower fi recordings of the day. People hearing this album for the first time today, may not appreciate the influence that it has had over the years, and yes it does sound dated, but for 1967 this was a groundbreaking piece of work and I am glad that I finally picked it up.

I noticed that some reviewers don't like this album and cannot IMAGINE why we who like it think so highly of it. The simple reason I can give is that it is one of the coolest albums ever made. Lou Reed was cool, I mean almost on a level with John Lennon or Bob Dylan. Nico was cool, in an icy, Germanic way. The songs are cool. They are mostly about seedy life on the streets, complete with references to drug use, free sexual behavior, S&M, runaways, and urban isolation. Even a seemingly benign "glittery" ballad like "Sunday Morning" carries a subtle message about the paranoia and anxiety you feel on the morning after, sort of like the Johnny Cash tune "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down". "Sunday Morning" is a beautiful song and sometimes very haunting, staying in my head for days. And, speaking of the music... The rock numbers like "I'm Waiting For The Man", "Run Run Run" and "Heroin" can probably be best described as garage band pre-punk with a hallucinatory tinge. The very dark "Venus In Furs" takes the hallucinatory thing to the limit and has to be heard to grasp what it sounds like. Parts of "Run Run Run" and "All Tomorrow's Parties" instrumentally echo The Byrds' epic track, "Eight Miles High". A few tracks feature doses of feedback and distortion, just in case your mind needs blowing. Conversely, Nico's ballads "Femme Fatale" and "I'll Be Your Mirror" could be sung by any adult contemporary singer with a smooth, pretty voice, but her persona gave them just the right touch of aloofness. I don't know, maybe it's a generational thing. I was a teenager when this album was released, and to me it was the epitome of urban mystique, and the antithesis of sanitized suburbia. I had a sheltered upbringing, and the "dark side" always fascinated me. All I know is, the album was cool to me way back then, and it is still cool to me now.

After listening to the LP, I want to take a shower and go to bed. But, I'm to exhausted for the shower. That's probably a compliment to Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. Nico stares at you in the photo.

Awesome record added to my collection

Chegou perfeito

Amazon lo entregó rapidísimo. Buen producto, edición de lujo, muy cuidada. Tenía mis dudas sobre la calidad del sonido por algunas malas críticas que leí en las reseñas, pero no hay que hacer caso de ellas, soy coleccionista incondicional de vinilos antiguos desde hace 30 años y debo decir que el sonido de este es perfecto, el vinilo es de 180 gramos, tiene muy buen prensado y el sonido es inmejorable. En cuanto a la edición, es genial, con el plátano pelable en la portada, carpeta doble con gran calidad de impresión de las imágenes. Llevaba años deseando adquirir la edición original de 1967, pero eran carísimas, y cuando vi está por solo 25 euros, me decidí a comprarla. En definitiva, estoy satisfecho y recomiendo su compra.

El producto vino en excelentes condiciones. La edición que esperaba con la carátula desplegable es la que me llegó. El sonido es espectacularmente sucio y distorcionado, como originalmente salió a la venta. Ni hablar del álbum en si, es impresionante aún hoy en día. Es algo que no puede faltar en la repisa de cualquier coleccionista musical.

伝説のアルバム｡聴けて嬉しいですね♪CD版はシール剥がせません｡