Essentials by the Dozen — The Velvet Underground in 12 Tracks

With respect to The Velvet Underground, if you’ve ever made statements worthy of a solid facepalm, such as “This overrated group basically just made noise, yet critics worship them”, or found yourself listening in on some conversation that had you asking “How in God’s name are they arguably America’s most important band if I’ve never heard a single song from these people?”, then this next list should serve as a good starting point if you wish to expand your knowledge on one of rock’s most important groups.

[NOTE: This list is not a definite top 12 of The Velvet Underground’s all-time greatest songs. Rather, it should be viewed as a strong collection in their catalogue that would essentially allow to have an efficient overview of their entire career. As a Velvet Underground fan myself, I also firmly believe that you should at the very least know every single one of these songs if you ever wish to debate the brilliance of their music. If at the moment you do not, RELAX, SIT BACK & ENJOY THE MAGIC OF ROCK.]

1. Sunday Morning (1966)

In high school, at a time during which my friends and I would endlessly feed on Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Who, Nirvana and other popular bands alike, I wanted nothing to do with a group like The Velvet Underground, spoken about by virtually no other human being I knew. In secondary three, at the age of fifteen, a timid classmate of mine who spent his days gaming in solitude, suggested I give a listen to “Sunday Morning”, the opening track to The Velvet Underground’s highly influential debut album entitled The Velvet Underground & Nico. That night, the dreamlike notes of a celesta and the easygoing sounds of a bassline set against a backdrop of Lou Reed’s hazy poetry unlatched the gates to an invigorating world I did not think possible. To my dismay at the time, I quickly learned that what made The Velvet Underground so great was not necessarily a song like this, but rather the fact that each one of their songs seeked to attempt something entirely different. In that sense, there is no other Velvet Underground song that sounds like “Sunday Morning”, and although there was once a lengthy period in my life during which I wished there was, my mind eventually altered upon ultimately hearing their catalogue in its entirety many years later.

Great Line:

“Watch out, the world’s behind you

There’s always someone around you who will call…

It’s nothing at all”

2. I’ll Be Your Mirror (1966)

Along with the previous entry, “I’ll Be Your Mirror” was released as a single in the year preceding the release of the group’s debut album. This album was a joint collaboration between the band and a German artist named Nico who was asked to sing a few songs with The Velvet Underground at the demand of Andy Warhol, the group’s manager. Along with many people I’ve come to know in my lifetime, my first listening of their debut (done halfheartedly) felt rather disappointing, for I expected all songs to echo the aura of “Sunday Morning”, which was evidently not the case. Having shelved the group and their music for many years, I wound up revisiting them by pure chance at the age of nineteen, while driving alongside the warm shaded parks of Montreal’s Outremont borough. CBC Radio 2 announced that it was time for them to play a love song, and they chose to play “I’ll Be Your Mirror”. Four years of growth must have had some enormous effect on me, for it became amongst the most gorgeous compositions I had ever heard, and it still is to this day; it inexplicably felt as if my ears were listening to its melody for the very first time. Due to Nico having pursued a solo career immediately after the album’s release, the remaining band members, who all adored the tune, would supposedly mimic her vocal style in concert to retain the same feel heard on the record.

Great Line:

“I find it hard to believe you don’t know

The beauty you are

But if you don’t, let me be your eyes

A hand to your darkness so you won’t be afraid”

3. Venus in Furs (1967)

With respect to my initial endeavour to explore The Velvet Underground’s music, this was my very first “Wait, what the hell is going on?”. It is vital to understand that the group ranks amongst the most experimental of all time, even if that implies a vast transitioning from one genre to another with every ensuing song of theirs. “Venus in Furs” is a prime example of this experimentation, for it is constituted of so many classic elements for which the band has come to be known. While half of the instruments do sound somewhat coherent, the other half sound as if the band members are arbitrarily testing out various patterns, and all this is occurring while Lou Reed’s shoddy vocals recite some bizarre verses that repeatedly pound at the brain within which flashes of shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather leave the listener utterly disoriented. The chaotic arrangement of the song is so absorbing that the whole becomes a very gratifying experience by its conclusion.

Great Line:

“I am tired, I am weary

I could sleep for a thousand years

A thousand dreams that would awake me

Different colors made of tears”

4. Heroin (1967)

By far my favourite Velvet Underground track, “Heroin” serves as a spine-chilling expedition that I believe should be ranked along the likes of legendary greats “Stairway to Heaven” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”. One needs to be fully engaged for this one. No background noises. No distractions. There should be but one listener and a celestial seven-minute journey splendidly brought forth by a band so ridiculously innovative, it’s jaw-dropping to know this came out in the year 1967. Shut your eyes and let all pieces of the whole transport you to some distant location in your mind, away from all the nonsense. Never have I taken heroin, nor do I have any particular interest whatsoever to try it, but Reed’s lyrics feel relatable to such a haunting extent on this one, and the composition feels as if it were inexplicably summoned from the hellish depths of the era’s counterculture.

Great Line:

“Heroin, be the death of me

Heroin, it’s my wife and it’s my life

Because a mainline to my vein

Leads to a center in my head

And then I’m better off than dead”

5. White Light/White Heat (1968)

If the first of The Velvet Underground’s four albums is considered the one that fused elements of experimental, psychedelic and art rock in the most ambiguously spectacular of ways, their second album White Light/White Heat was undeniably their noise rock record, and also my least favourite. Being an avid punk fan in my youth, one would think that the protopunk sounds with which the band experimented on White Light/White Heat would prove to be my favourite, but it is personally too abrasive for me to handle. That being said, most Velvet Underground fans will have one album they treasure above the others, and I’ve grown aware of many beloved artists who actually treasure this one most. At first surprised to learn that David Bowie, one of my absolute favourite all-time artists, would regularly play the title track in concert, I swiftly reminded myself that art is in the eyes and ears of the beholder. “White Light/White Heat” is perhaps the one song off their second album I enjoy, and it does sound relatively unorthodox for its time, so credit must be given where credit is due.

Great Line:

“White light goin’, messin’ up my brain

Aw, white light, it’s gonna drive me insane

Aw, white heat, it tickles me down to my toes

Aw, white light, I said now, goodness knows, do it!”

6. Sister Ray (1968)

It feels as if I need to put some sort of disclaimer for this next one. Having given “Sister Ray” multiple chances, I can honestly say that I absolutely detest this song with a passion, but I am adding it to the list for many reasons. For those who do enjoy noise rock and believe The Velvet Underground’s second album to be of most interest, “Sister Ray” might just be your all-time favourite Velvet Underground song. It is an enormous fan favourite, and many critics have singled it out as being the highlight of the album and, possibly, their entire career. As was previously mentioned, art is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, and what is about to be stated is crucial in understanding why a band like The Velvet Underground is so revered after all these years. Due to the band members’ eager tendency to forever juggle a whole range of genres, to dislike one of their music periods should not make listeners abandon the band in its entirety, for I truly believe there to be at least one album in their catalogue that listeners will absolutely adore. Also, just because I don’t particularly like this album, it does not mean I disrespect the band any less. On the contrary, it is absolutely insane to me how skillfully these musicians were able to experiment with different sounds so quickly, and this will be made evident via the next entry on the list. For those who come to appreciate the seventeen-minute phenomenon that is “Sister Ray”, I’m genuinely glad I added it to the list of essentials and have enormous respect for you, for art is subjective, and this might very well likely be your cup of tea.

Great Line:

I feel as if I would be a hypocrite if I added a “Great Line” since I mentioned that this song does nothing to me, but one that always did strike me is Lou Reed’s repetition of someone “too busy sucking on a ding-dong”.

7. Candy Says (1969)

By their third album, the Velvet Underground had lost quite a few members. Singer Nico had left in 1967 to pursue a solo career, manager Andy Warhol was fired before the recording of their second album, and multi-instrumentalist and founding member John Cale was subsequently fired as well, due to creative differences following the release of White Light/White Heat. Cale seemed to be the member who wished to experiment more with that abrasive sound of theirs, while Lou Reed wished to do the total opposite of that. Reed was under the impression that the band should never repeat the same sound twice and that an album like White Light/White Heat was not to be duplicated. The result was the (very originally titled) The Velvet Underground, the group’s third album, an LP that tackled folk rock and exhibited an inordinately soft aura. It is my personal favourite of their four albums, and after having taken a year-long break from the band following my discovery of White Light/White Heat, I am so content I came back for this one. “Candy Says”, sung by Cale’s replacement Doug Yule, serves as the album opener and is a heavenly tune that has us relate to the thoughts and insecurities of a transgender woman. The difference between the second album’s finale “Sister Ray” and this opener song is absolutely astounding.

Great Line:

“What do you think I’d see

If I could walk away from me?”

8. What Goes On (1969)

Another gem off the group’s third album, “What Goes On” is upbeat while maintaining that serenity heard on “Candy Says”. Even those two solos, seemingly aggressive with respect to “Candy Says”, are tame in comparison to most of the band’s work previous to The Velvet Underground. Although the group was still massively under-appreciated by the masses at the time, upon hearing a song like “What Goes On”, it feels as if, at this point in their careers, they were finally willing to enter accessible territory. This entry in the list of essentials acted as the sole single released to promote their third album, but sales remained relatively low, nonetheless.

Great Line:

“Baby, be good, do what you should

You know it will be alright”

9. After Hours (1969)

I quite literally had my jaw drop upon first listening to the closing track of The Velvet Underground. One day in the midst of studying for finals, prior to ever having explored the album in full, I happened to land on a two-minute music video on YouTube entitled “The Velvet Underground — After Hours”. Peaking at my curiosity, the video was watched, and I originally believed to have been pranked. There was no way such a song was released by a group like The Velvet Underground in the year 1969. It seemed impossible to me. “After Hours” is a track that could very well have been released on the soundtrack to the movie Juno, and never would I have questioned its origins. When artists claim to be immensely influenced by The Velvet Underground decades after the band broke up, their reasons for saying so become more and more evident to me. A song like “After Hours” includes practically every element of what makes a great indie rock song from the early 2000’s. The premise is quirky, the melody is both enjoyable and memorable, and the singer is just slightly off-key. Interpreted in the most delicate and innocent of voices by drummer Maureen Tucker, “After Hours” seems ridiculously ahead of its time and is one of my favourites from the group, and this, regardless of its avant-garde characteristic.

Great Line:

“One, two, three

If you close the door

The night could last forever

Leave the sunshine out

And say hello to never”

10. Who Loves the Sun (1970)

We now arrive to the final official Velvet Underground album entitled Loaded. This was Lou Reed’s last attempt with the band to find success with the masses, and so the LP can be seen as their “pop” album, though once again, it failed to chart, nonetheless. Unfortunately, Reed left the band a few months prior to Loaded’s release, after which the original members departed as well, and The Velvet Underground was officially over. “Who Loves the Sun” serves as the opener and is a short amusing tune that, though relatively straightforward in style, still manages to incorporate one odd ten-second segment (just shy of its two-minute mark) that blends rather well with the rest of the song.

Great Line:

“Who loves the sun?

Who cares that it is shining?

Who cares what it does,

Since you broke my heart?”

11. Sweet Jane (1970)

That memorable sunny day during which I happened to hear “I’ll Be Your Mirror” on CBC Radio 2 was a pivotal moment that helped build towards my eventual love for The Velvet Underground for many reasons. Upon meeting up with my then-girlfriend a few hours afterwards, I explained to her how “I’ll Be Your Mirror” might had become the only Velvet Underground song I would ever enjoy. She admitted having never heard of the band (as do most of my friends still today) and wound up researching them at home that very same night. A few hours later, she called me, for she wished to make a bet. She claimed she would convince me of the band’s brilliance with just one song to which she would have me listen. That song was “Sweet Jane”, and after Reed uttered the very first verse “Standing on the corner, suitcase in my haaaaands” through my headphones, I knew she had won. This track never fails to bring upon the widest smile on my face, and I believe it to be the group’s most accessible song. Not only is it convivial in its entirety, but the moments during which the band chants the chorus actually make me chuckle due to the playful cheerful feeling about which it brings. There is one short segment in the song (see “Great Line”) where all members hilariously seem to want to sing the verses louder and more energetic than everyone else, and I just think it amazing that a band is able to achieve something like this while still sounding so fresh and entertaining.

Great Line:

“But anyone who ever had a heart

Oh, they wouldn’t turn around and break it

And anyone who ever played a part

Oh, they wouldn’t turn around and hate it”

12. I Found a Reason (1970)

As I hope is pretty evident by now, it is impossible to entirely understand The Velvet Underground’s music and impact without having fully invested oneself in each of their four albums. “I Found a Reason” slightly slows down the tempo but maintains that “pop” sound Lou Reed endeavored so hard to achieve with the band’s final album Loaded. It is a charming ballad that rightfully deserves its place on this list of essentials and a nice way to close off the catalog, for I believe a decent idea can now be made with respect to the extent of The Velvet Underground’s artistry. If ever any of these four periods in the band’s history proved of interest to you, I highly suggest discovering more of it on your own, for there are certainly other gems to be found that could not all make the list. For art experimentation, their debut is the way to go; for a more abrasive sound, their sophomore effort; for a calm folky execution, their third album; for a pop sound, their final one.

Great Line:

“Oh, I do believe

You are what you perceive

What comes is better than what came before”

BONUS:

1. “I’m Waiting for the Man”

2. “Femme Fatale”

3. “Run Run Run”

4. “Here She Comes Now”

5. “Some Kinda Love”

6. “Pale Blue Eyes”

7. “Beginning to See the Light”

8. “Rock and Roll”

9. “Cool it Down”

10. “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’”

Disclaimer: The original version of this story was published on another platform. Link to original version: https://medium.com/@gabriele_delbusso/essentials-by-the-dozen-the-velvet-underground-in-12-tracks-864c75a05042