#98: The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

Emily: Even though I had never listened to the Velvet Underground before today, I had one connection set in my head about the band, and that connection was to Andy Warhol. I didn’t know the music, but I knew the banana. Perhaps one of Warhol’s best-known works, the original cover of Velvet Underground & Nico features a banana stylized with the faces of the band. It’s no ordinary drawing, however. This picture peels away to reveal, what else, but a naked banana. I’m sure it wasn’t meant this way, but this cover art reflects how I listened to this album. Not knowing what to expect, I approached this album with an open mind. I enjoyed the first few tracks but didn’t really delve too much into their meaning. However, as I progressed through the album, I became a much more active listener – as if a layer were peeling away. Although clearly I couldn’t detect every nuance of the music and every detail of the lyrics, the meaning and emotion was there for me. Unlike a banana, however, I’m sure there are more layers that I haven’t discovered to the Velvet Underground – and I look forward to exploring them.

Favorite Tracks: I’m Waiting for the Man; Femme Fatale; Heroin

Zack: According to Wikipedia, The Velvet Underground invented edgy music. While I have my doubts as to the truthiness (shout-out to Colbert, of course) of that statement, an emotion accompanied by my surprise that Microsoft Word didn’t even flinch at my use of the word “truthiness,” I can see where they would get that idea. Even just a cursory listen of this album creates the impression that there was some darkness in them there lyrics. Sometimes, it’s a line about making someone kiss your leather boots that sticks out. Other times, it’s the repeated references to heroin in a song arranged to mimic the mind of a speed junkie in a song titled with levels of subtlety comparable to that of Perez Hilton (hint: the song title begins with the letter “H” and ends with “eroin”). That song, mind you, is absolutely superb. The way it accelerates to simulate the rush of injection and then decelerates as if that fix is wearing off is sheer brilliance. While I would definitely point to Heroine as the high point of the album (pun definitely intended) there is no low point to speak of. Every song, whether sung by Nico or Lou Reed, is a beautiful composition. Even Sunday Morning, a song specifically written to be a radio-friendly single, is surprisingly good, despite the contrast with the rest of the harsher, more experimental tracks. The Velvet Underground & Nico is often pointed to as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time, and one that every single person should definitely listen to before they kick the bucket.
Favorite Tracks: Heroin; Venus is Furs; European Son