The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) (2 Viewers)

For sure. Cornu mentioned in his excellent post that Warhol probably didn't have much influence on the VU's music per se but you can see why he was interested in them. He was all about breaking down the distinction between museum-style "high art" and popular culture.
His industrial approach to art makes a lot of sense when you consider the sleeve art.
 
One of those albums that just looms large in the indie rock universe. It's reputation precedes it, to say the least. Before I heard it I was expecting something a lot more abrasive, parts of some songs are. There's a lot of Bob Dylan in the VU mix. For an album that's almost 50 years old, parts of it still sound very contemporary. A testament to it's influence. Not one of my favourite albums, but really good.

1 -Sunday Morning
Ahhhh...what a pretty song. So many bands have copied the blissed out feel of this. I like the extra reverb that comes in @ 1:05.

2 -I'm Waiting for the Man
It might suffer from over exposure, but I love it still. Plenty of Bob in the vocals. The music, apart from the guitar fills is relentlessly basic. Nice little bass fills on the outro.

3 -Femme Fatale
Another beautiful song. Slight, but nice. Nico wasn't much of a singer, but her vocals really suit this. If I've learnt anything about the world it's that if you've got the looks everything else can be forgiven.

4 -Venus in Furs
I can't listen to this and not think of Suds & Soda by Deus, it should be the other way around. It still sounds weird, in a cool droney way. I like it, although I'd be more into M&M's than S&M.

5 -Run Run Run
The first really weak track. Very bluesy....in an indie white boy sort of way. Nothing wrong with that.

6 -All Tomorrow's Parties
This sounds like late 60's british folk rock. I love to hear Sandy Denny sing this. Is that a 12 string electric? Very eight miles high.

7 -Heroin
Love this. We all know heroin is awful shit, but this accentuates the positive, the honeymoon period of heroin addiction.

8 -There She Goes Again
Pure 60's pop...which I love. Great vocal from Lou. It could do without the speed up part. There's a suggestion of a nice guitar solo.

9 -I'll Be Your Mirror
Was Nico a woman? Probably a 40 a day woman. Another pleasant throwaway song. I really like the title.

10 -The Black Angel's Death Song
A bit of a tuneless dirge. I can picture someone grabbing that violin and smashing it over Cale's head.

11 -European Son
I like the cyclic bass line, but it ends up going nowhere. I love a bit of noise and chaos, just keep it short, (there's about 8 minutes of it here) I'm sure they were trying to emulate indian ragas at the end but it becomes tedious.
 
What was Beethoven's favourite fruit?

BAN-AN-AN-AAAAAS!!

andy-warhol-banana1.jpg
 
I think artists & musicians that put on this forced shallowness. That seem driven by money & vacuous consumerism tend to rub people up the wrong way. It definitely annoys me, whether it's Warhol or Jeff Koons. It's probably the reason I don't like most hip hop and it's definitely the reason I hate Gene Simmons...apart from the fact that his band (sorry his "brand") are shit.
 
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Got up to halfway through track 10 on a bus journey until rural-ish Ireland decided having the Internet was too fancy so I haven't heard the second half of that or European Son in years. Was really glad to listen to the album again. So jarring though, flipping between singers and styles. I think the track ordering might be wrong too. If lou reed was so ahead of his time he should have realised this and that putting run x3 on this (or anything) was a terrible mistake. And he should have kept back There She Goes Again for use instead of Lonesome Cowboy Bill or some other ropey track on Loaded. Or else at least have the foresight to save it up until the posthumous VU compilation. Otherwise 10/10
 
Surprising how many people admit to disliking music they've never listened to on the basis of their perception of the 'fanbase' - which in itself is a very weird concept in relation to a 50 year old album by a dead guy.

WTF really?? This is all anyone ever fucking does. What rock have you been living under?


Also, Run, Run, Run is great. One of the best songs on this thing!
 
I also dislike people describing the music in a music-journalist-y way. I can hear it for myself, thank you very much. I am interested in how the music affects you on an emotional/physical level, and why you think it does that

that is what music journalism is supposed to talk about tbh
 
that is what music journalism is supposed to talk about tbh

I'm not so sure about that. That's only one way in which to talk about a piece of music (or any kind of art). Granted, it's a pretty common one, particularly with respect to sound, but it can lead to some of the worse music writing imaginable, stuff that just disappears down the subjective rabbit-hole - "it's all about my feelings and what it means to me!"
 
I'm not so sure about that. That's only one way in which to talk about a piece of music (or any kind of art). Granted, it's a pretty common one, particularly with respect to sound, but it can lead to some of the worse music writing imaginable, stuff that just disappears down the subjective rabbit-hole - "it's all about my feelings and what it means to me!"
Well ok, music writing like all writing can be done in pretty much any way possible as long as it works. Like all writing you don't always have to like it all. I was just being a bit over the top because egg had set it up that writing personally was somehow in opposition to "music journalism".
 
@Lili Marlene there's a style of music writing that I despise that consists mainly of cool-sounding descriptions of the music that you used to get a lot in NME and Hot Press and the like. That's what I meant, I coulda described it better I spose.

FWIW I also find the academic-style discussions of music incredibly tedious, but if ye enjoy them then more power to ye
 
@Lili Marlene there's a style of music writing that I despise that consists mainly of cool-sounding descriptions of the music that you used to get a lot in NME and Hot Press and the like. That's what I meant, I coulda described it better I spose.

Ah, I think know what you mean. The current pitchfork writing is mainly like that imho. Their writers mainly seem to be writing in a really anonymous style where you can't tell one from the other. It irks me.
 

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