So why is The Velvet Underground on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
As the best 1,000 albums ever storms into the Top 200 (exciting!), I’ve recently The Velvet Underground may well be the band for which my opinion shifted the most in a positive direction during the lengthy research phase for this here best 1,000 albums ever project.
Their 1969 self-titled album, The Velvet Underground, surprised me with its combination of catchy, jangly pop and warm and immersive psychedelic vibes.
The self-titled album, The Velvet Underground, from 1969 is a bit softer and more subtle than other TVU material, as Mark Deming from All Music notes:
After testing the limits of how musically and thematically challenging rock could be on Velvet Underground & Nico and White Light/White Heat, this 1969 release sounded spare, quiet, and contemplative, as if the previous albums documented some manic, speed-fueled party and this was the subdued morning after.
The most famous song on The Velvet Underground is the achingly beautiful “Pale Blue Eyes.” It also happens to be featured in one of my all-time favorite movies that most people have never seen (and possibly haven’t heard of), Adventureland (also see: the Adventureland sound track is #241 of the best 1,000 albums ever).
“Candy Says,” the album opener, is gentle, sweet, and wonderful.
If I had to name a personal favorite on The Velvet Underground, it’s undoubtedly the jangling and catchy for days, “Beginning To See The Light.” I’ve had work sessions where I just throw this one on repeat – it never gets old for me.
And “What Goes On” is in the upper tier of psychedelic rock songs ever produced. That organ sound alone is spectacular.
Some stats & info about The Velvet Underground
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Art Rock, New York Bands, Psychedelic Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #143
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Velvet Underground released? 1969
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #192 out of 1,000
The Velvet Underground on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Velvet Underground that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Well, I’m beginning to see the light.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.