Velvet Underground And Nico, The/The Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground (The)/Nico > Reviews > Peel Back and See

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Superb songs and sounds from seminal sixties band
Disadvantages:	May be too challenging for the more "genteel" ear

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Originally released in the mid sixties, this is the debut of one of the most influential bands of all time. Led by Lou Reed previously a pop composer, with classically trained Welshman John Cale on bass and viola , Sterling Morrison on guitar and unusually featuring a female drummer, Maureen Tucker, who's excellent playing was essential to the bad's sound. This was their debut album, and featured German singer Nico on vocals, although this was her only outing on record with the band.

The Velvet Underground were proteges of Andy Warhol , who designed the cover, which originally featired a yellow banana on a white backround which peeled off to reveal a pink banana. Clever and controversial at the time.

Despite the excellent musicianship within the band their sound varied from the gentle pop of "Sunday Morning" and "Femme Fatale" to the raw extreme noise terror of "The Black Angel's Death Song".

Every member of the band were essential, Nico's pronounced German accent contributing old world exoticism, Cale's searing Viola playing attacking the ears with no mercy in the repeated motif of "Venus in Furs", Reed's excellent songwriting and deadpan monotone vocals an excellent counterpoint to Nico, Sterling Morrison's guitar work filling out the spaces wher required all underpinned by the excellent drumming of Maureen Tucker.

Th album is full of stand out tracks, as well the afformentioned pieces we have the stunning drug song "Heroine", which starts off slowly before building up the another extreme noise crescendo, before starting again. Is this an aural representation of wjhat it does to you? I don't know but they definetly did.

"Waiting for The man" a slow rocker , again about drugs and covered by many others including Bowie and Ian Hunter. "All Tomorrows Parties" features Nico's voice to great effect, this song was covered and sotthed out (ie ruined) by David Sylvian's Japan.

As I've said the sound on this album is raw, the production primitive, but the songs and playing is superb.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you want something challenging and exhilarating and depreesing in equal measures then this is worth listening too. One of the most important albums of the sixties.