Is anyone else a bit underwhelmed with The Velvet Underground? TVU&N is pretty good, WL/WH has its moments if you are in the right mood, TVU is... alright and then Loaded is just super samey. Also the tinny production can get pretty grating.
>>65110515
No I actually enjoy TVU the most so I can't really relate. There is something about some kind of love that gets to me
TVU has bare chill vibes
loaded has 1 good song (rock n roll) but that one song is also one of their best songs
wlwh is sick noise rock
tvu&n is kinda overhyped but still an extremely good album
>>65110565
TVU has some standout tracks, but I find it difficult to focus on the album as a whole. Lou's vocals never seem to change, almost as if he's singing the same song every time. The chord progressions are usually pretty predictable on a lot of their material as well. I definitely don't dislike them, but damn, I was expecting more I think.
>>65110651
>Lou's vocals never seem to change
That's part of his appeal
>>65110708
I mean, I suppose so. Can you be a bit more specific about how it appeals to you? His voice is by no means bad, I like it, but why sing the same way almost every time? It seems to work better when they made less conventional music like on TVU&N and WL/WH, but less so on the more pop-oriented albums where vocal melody honestly seems to be a bit more important. If you're going to drastically switch up the style, why not the vox too?
It's hard to imagine anyone today listening to the Velvet Underground for the first time and not feeling immense disappointment. The Velvet Underground are unquestionably one of the five most influential bands in history -- or so it is claimed. Me, I have a theory that at least half of the bands who claim to be influenced by the Velvets are lying through their teeth in order to look hip -- just like many critics who sing their praises but never put their records on (Lester Bangs had this story about how every critic he knew had nothing but praise for the VU, but if you went to their house you'd find their albums in pristine condition, with no scratches or any other evidence that the record had gotten out of its shrinkwrap much). The VU are unquestionably the most overrated band in rock history, unless the Sex Pistols count. Yes, they influenced everyone from Yo La Tengo to Vaclav Havel, but so did the Doors and a lot of other '60s bands - most of whom don't put me to sleep like the VU do too often. Essentially the Velvets were an East Coast version of the Doors with a smarter (and better) pretentious drug-addled egotistic singer/songwriter at the helm and a more primitive, less pop (and arguably less interesting) sound. And they didn't have any hits or commercial success, which has a lot to do with why they're so overrated (hey, here's at least one '60s classic rock band that isn't overplayed on the radio). The VU were a good, if inconsistent band, and as even I'm finally forced to admit, revolutionary (but not as much as their contemporaries the Beatles, Hendrix, Beach Boys, Who, Kinks, or maybe even the aforementioned Doors). Lou Reed was (and I say "was" -- have you heard the crap he's foisted on us for the past twenty years?) a decent songwriter.The words were almost good enough for one to forgot how dull and repetitive his song structures are and his obvious musical limitations - good rhythm guitarist, though
>>65110953
i was a huge Lou Reed fan before getting into the VU so I kind of grew accustomed to Lou's more limited later solo voice. He sings best in his time with the VU and has a bit of range compared to just about anything he did after.
And with each album he can kind of sound different, like in some Velvet songs he sounds young and campy, or sometimes a little more gruff and bitter but still somewhat sweet, always enunciating the written lyrics well. As I think he considered the lyrics to be of the utmost of importance in his songs.
>>65111174
Fair enough, some good points there. I appreciate the response.
>>65110515
TVU&N is overrated
WL/WH is their best easily by far
>>65111035
I guess the Burks pasta is surprisingly accurate for how I feel.
John Cale always looks like he never talks
>>65110515
Can't really relate too much. I think TVU&N is great, and WLWH is great as well.
Can't really get into the rest. The moment John Cale left the band I really of lost interest in what they were doing.
>>65111271
>"my feet hurt"
>"Is anyone here classically trained?"
>"I wish I was at home composing hours long avantegarde drone pieces with La Monte Young"
>>65111271
There's a ton of John Cale interviews on YT from over the years. Especially amusing are the ones from the 80s where he's stoned as a mf and just blabbers about random topics.
