The Velvet Underground & Nico. and Andy Warhol. and Vinyl Monday.

I had this record back in 1967. I consider the Velvet Underground as being the sound of NYC in the 60s. I also consider them as one of the "Big Four". The other 3 are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. They all had an enormous influence on the bands that followed them. We went to the Electric Circus back in 1968 in the East Village. It was formerly Andy Warhol's Factory.

hot take! The album is perfect. I’ve never thought of it as abrasive at all personally. Never thought of it as challenging. Just truly great songwriting and groundbreaking innovation. I’ve just always thought of it as perfect.

The Velvets and The Doors are so cool and timeless

I remember buying this a few months back and I told the guy selling it that I really liked Sunday Morning (the only song I'd heard from it before). He described that song as "settling you in for the horror to come", so I nervously laughed and listened to it at home. Only the Velvet Underground can start an album with Sunday Morning and end it with the train-crash, glass-breaking, lion-roaring European Son.

maybe I'm a pervert, but for me the abrasiveness of the album wasn't so much a barrier to the songs as it was actually the thing that made them compelling, drawing me in to try and understand. The songs aren't always comfortable, but they also aren't about being comfortable. I like when the performance and production of a song matches it's subject matter, and, whatever else you can say about the velvets, this album definitely succeeds there.

This is my favorite album of all time. It's a real shame it wasn't appreciated in its time. Great review and happy new year!!!

Black Angel is such a cool song to me! It conjures up the weird wild images I for some reason find comfort in. In fact the more abrasive songs are what I am most compelled by. As much as waiting for the man and heroin are rightfully praised for their groundbreaking nature especially at that time they are the songs that fall short for me. Point is this is one of the most important albums ever made. As important as anything the Beatles ever made in it's own subversive way!

A high school teacher a million years ago (45 actually...) turned me onto Velvet Underground. I knew of Lou Reed, but wasn't old enough to know VU. He also gave me some sage advice that would get him fired and possibly imprisoned today. He told me that the trick to really appreciating such music is to be on the same drugs that the band was using when creating it to get into their head space. After I graduated high school and was 18 years old, I used to go to a local club/concert venue where you needed to be 21 or older to get in. The staff never carded and I saw a good few bands there when I was 18 and 19, Capt. Beefheart among them. In 1979, when I was 19, Lou Reed was booked into that club. I looked up my former teacher in the phone book (remember those, kiddies?) and called him, asking if he'd like to go with me to see Lou Reed. He agreed. I bought two tickets in advance and he met me in front of the club that evening. On that night, the door man was carding EVERYBODY. People who looked to be in their 40s. I guess they were recently caught allowing underaged people in. Before we even got to the door, tickets in hand, I looked at my teacher and said, "I'm sorry. I won't be able to get in. I wouldn't have even tried if I hadn't gotten in so many times before without a snag." He certainly could've gone in but, being a gentleman and a scholar, he didn't leave me hanging. I tried to sell the tickets there. They probably cost $8.00 ech and I would've been happy to get back $5. each. No dice. We got into his Volvo or Renault (I forget, but it was a hip foreign car) and drove to his home, five or seven miles away. After getting on the road, he rolled down his hand-cranked window (remember those, kiddies?) and tossed his ticket out the window, flapping in the air until resting on the asphalt. I felt shitty but, as I said earlier, I wouldn't have tried if I was successful every time before then. We got to his home and he introduced me to his wife. Lovely lady. We all got back in his car and went to a drive-in theater and watched Richard Pryor: Live in Concert.

Music as art: on this album the art is pushed to the front! That is what I love about this album! I believe this is what Lou Reed set out to achieve in his career.

The entirety of alternative rock is on this record. Dream Pop, Jangle Rock, Noise Rock, etc etc etc.

This is the album you play when you need to experience a melancholy tantrum. Don't break stuff.

One of my personal favorite albums of all time

when i first listened to this album, i was left feeling a bit mortified. i was still new to psych/experimental rock at the time and had no idea what i was in for, as i had not heard anything about how this album would sound. your description of it as "holding up a mirror to humanity" is very accurate, which i think is why i was so shocked by it. but though it was hard to experience at first, i believe there should be more albums like this

I peeled the banana off-I thought my older brother was going to kill me.

i'm binging your monday videos... they are such a treat

Love the vid!! And I’m actually home to watch it as soon as it comes out now!

This is my first viewing of Vinyl Mondays. Love it. You’re great.

happy new year Abby and the best for 2023!!! yeaaah such a huge album that is !!! fantastic-a masterpiece !!!!!

i love you for this. great start

Another great review! Thank you for turning us on to other albums we might not have heard!