The Best of the Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed

Lou Reed, Velvet Underground | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 1989)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve/PolyGram Records
• ASIN: B000001FR9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,374 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I'm Waiting For The Man

2. Femme Fatale

3. Run Run Run

4. Heroin

5. All Tomorrow's Parties

6. I'll Be Your Mirror

7. White Light/White Heat

8. Stephanie Says

9. What Goes On

10. Beginning To The Light

11. Pale Blue Eyes

12. I Can't Stand It

13. Lisa Says

14. Sweet Jane

15. Rock And Roll

Editorial Reviews

AUDIO CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great light retro, April 11, 2002

By 

jumpy1 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of the Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed (Audio CD)

If you get this, you'll buy everything else they've done. This album contains some of the most pop-chart-friendly songs in the VU's repertoire. But they are all still great songs from any perspective. Although the version of Heroin sounds different than the one on the Nico album, it's excellent. If you're a die-hard fan I don't see why you'd need this but if you want a great light retro album to play in the car or at work, and you miss the songs of the 60's, you've gotta get this! I understand the negative reviews because the 1st time I listened to it I was hugely disappointed. But after listening a couple more times I realized it's really a great small collection -- not as challenging as they were known for, but thoroughly enjoyable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal Compilation For The Casual VU Fan(4.5), July 25, 2005

By 

Nick Mackler (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of the Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed (Audio CD)

Reading over previous reviews, all the complaints are valid, however I myself being a casual VU fan picked this compilation up, and found it to be an excellent buy. VU is a truly incredible band, and I was very interested to read in the biography how basically everyone who purchased their debut album started their own band or began producing music. Well, now it's time to review some of this great music.

The disc opens with nice rock energizer called I'm Waiting For The Man. A great opener to this disc, with a strong rocking melody. Femme Fatale is a beautiful song, with Nico providing some sensational lyrics. Run, Run, Run offers strong riffs, and also features a blistering guitar solo to finish off. Heroin is considered by many to be VUs best song, and I would agree in a lyrical sense, with incredible songwriting. Also a sensational guitar strum, and a fiercely ugly guitar solo compliment the song greatly. All Tomorrow's Parties has fantastic dynamic aspects to it, and is very underrated. I love the chorus and building piano introduction. White Light/White Heat is a solid rocker, and Stephanie Says is a popular song that many casual fans are familiar with. I'm a huge fan of Beginning To See The Light featuring an awesome chorus. Pale Blue Eyes is a touching ballad, expressing effectively VU's soft(and sometimes dark) side. Sweet Jane is another popular number, a great track to say the least, and the compilation closely on a high note with Rock & Roll.

Overall, I would definitely without question recommend this compilation to any casual fan of the band(like myself), who just wants one album to capture the essence of what this band is about. Although it does strongly favour VUs debut album, it still contains outstanding music, and no casual fan of VU wants to fork over 25-30 extra dollars to buy all their albums seperately.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beginning to See the Light, May 5, 2002

By 

D. O'CONNELL - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of the Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed (Audio CD)

This is a good starting point to the legend that was (and still is) VU. And at a very affordable price! While it has been seen by some as not truly representative of this great band, you can go and buy the boxed set to get true representation! No room for "Venus in Furs", "There She Goes Again" or "I Heard Her Call my Name", but classics like "Heroin", "Waiting for the Man", "What Goes on" and "White Light/White Heat" have to have room made for them somewhere. And, yes, this album will want to make you go out and buy the entire VU back catalogue - their sheer brilliance in sonic experimentation and lyrical craft, not to mention their lasting influence on musicians everywhere from Roxy Music to REM, from Joy Division to Pavement will leave you wanting more - start as you mean to go on...