Album: The Velvet Underground & Nico
Artist: The Velvet Underground
Year: 1967
Information: Lou Reed had attended Syracuse University, where he had met Delmore Schwartz, the school's premier poet. Delmore taught poetry at the college and became friends with Reed, who then became his mentor. Fresh out of college, Reed went to write songs for Pickwick Records, where he penned "The Ostrich." Pickwick saw potential in Reed's song, so they assembled a band around him, which is when he met John Cale (he was
a musician in La Monte Young's Theater of Eternal Music, an avant garde ensemble.)
John Cale was at first unimpressed with Reed, but he then found his other songs, which included Heroin, and a partnership started to grow.
Reed and Cale began to form a band which went through different names and different line-ups, until it landed on Reed, Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker. They went by The Velvet Underground, the name they got off a small book they found in the street.
They began to play shows in New York, where they eventually landed a steady gig in a bar. During these shows, they would play a very raucous version of "European Son," which the bar owner expressed a dislike of. When the owner told them not to play the song anymore, they went on stage and finished their set with an blistering, extended version of the song and walked off the stage, knowing that they would no longer have a job.
However, Andy Warhol was in the audience and saw their performance. He found them after the show and told him how he felt about their music and eventually offered to be their producer.
They started recording at Scepter Studios for four days, which Warhol financed. He suggested that they bring in Nico, a German model, to sing on their album. During these sessions, Warhol acted as a producer in the sense that he would let the band do be free and creative in the studio, without having someone to tell them to conform to commercial appeal.
High Points: Every song on this album is consistently groundbreaking and superb.
Low Points: The only song that I'm not absolutely in love with is "I'll Be Your Mirror," but that's not to say it isn't good. It's the least impressive track on an album full of rough cut gems.
Is it Great? So much so.
"Sunday Morning" kicks off the album. Described as a song of induced paranoia and trudging through a heavy hangover from the night before, it's the lightest song on this album (similar to "Who Loves the Sun" on Loaded.) It's a very pop-ish song, which is rare for the Velvets. It's also an odd song to start due to the rest of the album sounding so much different.
The next song is the garage-rock masterpiece, "I'm Waiting for the Man." It tells the tale of a junkie looking for his drug dealer with a total of twenty six dollars. We follow him as he waits for his dealer, is accused of stealing women, crosses streets, and finally reaches a house where he gets his drugs and runs off. The rhythm section, with Maureen-style drumming (no cymbals; Lou thought they "ate up guitar,") John's repeating piano riff, and guitar, all melt together under Reed's plain singing to bring a deeper feeling to the daily process of drug-searching and ultimately creates a fantastic song.
It then moves onto
"Femme Fatale," a more slow, relaxed story of a woman who is pictured as doing what she wants and not belonging to anyone (much different than recent views of women.) She'll make you fall for her, but she won't fall for you. You're just another one of the men written down in her black book ("You're written in her book/You're number 37, have a look") and that's all you'll mean to her.
"Venus in Furs," a song consisting of scandalous sex practices (bondage, submission, etc.) is filled with droning instrumentation that only adds to the mood. John's viola and Lou's ostrich guitar fill the void on this black song.
"Run Run Run" is another great garage rock tune that has a great rock melody and is excellently sung by Reed. The chorus is also great and, once learned, you can't help but sing along. The song also allows for great, improvised solos during a live setting.
"All Tomorrow Parties" has a great intro. It starts with a quiet, building guitar, goes onto a punching drum, and then ends in barrelhouse piano. The repeating piano riff is really the staple of this song about a seemingly poor girl who longs to go to high-class parties, but can only get old, ratty clothing.
The next song, a very legendary one, is "Heroin." The song is another droning one, but soon picks up speed, which the song is notable for. The verses start slowly, but gradually build up, then they begin to slow, which would seem to resemble a heroin high. The lyrics are replete with an understanding of society's views and the health downfalls, but "I just don't care." To listen to this song is to understand it.
"There She Goes Again" is another odd change in pace. After all the downers and seedy songs about sex and drugs, it switches to cheerful. Another song about an independent girl who knows what she wants, she's asking for you once and only once, and if you say "no," she's moving on.
"I'll Be Your Mirror," is, as said above, the least impressive. Although, the lyrics are a prelude to Reed's impending sensitive songs, there's not much special going on in this song. Other than Nico's deadpan lyrics, the music isn't really noteworthy. Although, the ending does have a nice, contrasting harmony to Nico's singing.
"The Black Angel's Death Song" is another great, droning viola song that appears to be an apocalyptic tale spanning America. The lyrics are really well written and the first few lines of the verses all tie together really well and have a tight rhythm.
"European Son" finishes off the album and is an excellent song to do so. The song starts slow and cool with a Chuck Berry riff and Reed's singing. Unexpectedly, you hear a large, ominous sound that breaks into the other side of this song. The sound was created by dragging a chair across the floor and then slamming dishes piled on top of each other. The next six minutes are cacophonous, improvised glory.
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A truly phenomenal album. It's such a better record than Exile on Main St. that it is incomprehensible,but inevitable, that it is six places behind that album. Surely belongs in the top ten.
