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In all honesty, I must confess that I didn't much like this album when I first heard it. For years I had heard about the legendary group but hadn't actually listened to their music. I had only heard Velvet Underground cliches, like, "one of the most influential bands of all-time," "genius," "avant-garde masterpiece," so on and so on.

So I decided to give the Velvet Underground a try and was not initially all that impressed. I think the reason that I was not initially blown-away by this album has to do with what I am used to and expectations. As a kid growing up in the 90s, I am used to instant gratification-albums with excellent production that get straight to-the-point. When I heard "The Velvet Underground and Nico" my initial thoughts were, "this is boring and the production stinks". I really didn't "get it" at first. But, as a younger listener not familiar with the Velvet Underground, I think this is an album that takes time and a few listens to really appreciate.

For me, experiencing this album was like having a few Alabama Slammers. At first you're like, "what's the big deal?" but once it hits you, it hits you.

Once I finally "got it," I find that this album is quite deserving of all the praise it's afforded.

Throughout their career, The Velvet Underground underwent many different personal changes. It was their debut, however, that saw the band at its strongest lineup. The poetic Lou Reed, with his dry flat Dylan-like delivery. John Cale, the most artistic and musically gifted of the bunch. Sterling Morrison, an underrated and underappreciated founder. Maureen Tucker, whose drumming on "Heroin" is indispensable. And finally Nico; the German-born actress/singer who was installed in the band by producer Andy Warhol. Her icy beauty and delivery helped make "The Velvet Underground and Nico" the classic that it is.

With repeated listens, I grew an appreciation for the album's sound and its production. While I initially thought the quality of the recoding was poor-I now feel the low-fi sound gives the album a certain effect, a certain vibe. The low-fi quality makes the songs sound genuine and lived in.

This album serves as a time capsule of the bohemian underbelly of New Your City in the late 60s. It is a chaotic time. While you are bombarded with peace and love and "flower power," there is a sense of disharmony and an annalistic apprehension. Images of Vietnam, conformity and consumerism abound. Struggling artists try to make sense of what they see around them and try to express their struggles and lifestyle. From this atmosphere, from these set of circumstances-"The Velvet Underground and Nico" is born.

I see "The Velvet Underground and Nico" as being the antithesis of another classic album released the same year, Love's "Forever Changes." The two albums seem to contrast each other in every single way possible-themes, location, production, and atmosphere.

"The Velvet Underground and Nico" begins much like a fresh new day for a small child might begin-peaceful, serene. "Sunday Morning" sounds almost like a lullaby. The slightly underwhelming guitar solo towards the middle of the song is the perfect touch.

One of the major themes of the album-drugs-is established right away with "I'm Waiting for the Man." While the song and its lyrics are relatively straight forward, they are also unforgettable. The description of how the deal works is rich in detail. The piano towards the end gives the song a sense of urgency.

The Nico sung "Femme Fatale" is one of the album's highlights. Nico was born to sing this song. She comes across like a black widow. Her icy voice, flat and cold, over the gentle melody is the perfect contrast.

"Venus and Furs" examines the seductive, dark side of human lust and sexuality. While it may seem tame by today's standards, it was most unheard of to have a song about S&M in 1967.

"Run Run Run" sounds a bit like a stripped down version of the Doors "LA Woman" (released four years later). The repetitive strumming riff is almost hypnotic. The distortion towards the end gives the song an almost chaotic impression.

Nico sounds subdued, yet dominant in "All Tomorrows Parties." This mid-paced song takes a few listens to really appreciate. There is a lot musically going on, with guitars overlaying the piano and so on. This number deals with anxiety of the anticipation of what the future will bring.

Without doubt, "Heroin" is the albums highlight. This is one of, if not the best Velvet Underground song ever recorded. It's a masterpiece, pure and simple. It is simply one of the most intense songs ever recorded. The song itself seems to emulate (to some extent) what the user feels like while using heroin. One of the reasons that this song is so intense is it starts out so un-intense. It starts out calm and peaceful, relaxed, and then gets more and more intense as it moves along. The percussion which emulates a heartbeat over the distorted viola just gets more and more extreme, until the climax, to the point of total pandemonium...and then back to relaxation, release. By listening to this song, the listener can see why heroin is so sought after. The world is in chaos with-"all the politicians makin' crazy sounds, and everybody puttin' everybody else down, and all the dead bodies piled up in mounds." The listener starts to understand the lifestyle that these bohemians choose.

After the brilliant "Heroin," the album comes down to earth with the pop-savvy "There She Goes Again" which is a good way for the listener to take a breather after the intense "Heroin". It also helps to keep up the momentum.

The third and final Nico song is the beautiful "I'll Be Your Mirror." Nico comes across as warmer than she did on the other two songs.

"The Black Angels Death Song" is a rather obscure song, whose true meaning I have yet to fully grasp. It's a random catharsis of bedroom poetry. Its off-beat extreme nature gives the album an extra edge.

The album winds down with "European Son." While it starts out relatively straight-forward, it soon takes a left turn. With all the effects (breaking glass etc), it is probably the most avant-garde track on the album. It is also a good way to conclude the album as it leaves a lasting impression.

In conclusion, although it took me a few listens to appreciate "The Velvet Underground and Nico," I know recognize it as the masterpiece that it is. If you are looking for instant gratification, you best look elsewhere. But for a truly magnificent experience, listen to this album-not just once, but several times. Once it clicks and it hits you, you will see why this album is so highly regarded.

The Velvet Underground was little known during its lifetime; now, more than thirty years after the band collapsed, it has a world-wide following--but the band's music still tends to divide listeners. You either get it or you don't. For those who DO get it, this recording, with its Andy Warhol-designed "Peel Slowly and See" cover, is a must-have.

Both Lou Reed and Nico possessed flat sounding voices, and John Cale compensated for this by down-tuning his various stringed instruments--and then the band as a whole down-tuned to Cale's pitch. This creates a slightly off-kilter, droning tone... and the result is a strangely hypnotic, frequently dark, and often unnerving sound that swirls around the songs' street-tough lyrics. At worst, it is at least interesting; at best, it is completely original. Several of the cuts have a distinct pop inflection, but the band subverts them; "Femme Fatale" has a mocking tone, and both "Sunday Morning" and "I'll Be Your Mirror" have a decidedly paranoid quality. But the cuts for which this album is most famous are about as far removed from pop as you can get: the strange exotic stutter of "All Tomorrow's Parties;" the pitch black and street scary tone of "Heroin" and "I'm Waiting For My Man;" and the whip-like accompaniment on the S&M-oriented "Venus In Furs"--all of them frequently imitated but seldom equaled. The most extreme edge of the band is captured in such selections as "The Black Angel's Death Song," a piece so far out that The Velvet Underground were actually fired from a bar gig for playing it one time too many for the management's liking.

If your taste in music runs to bouncy dance music, pop standards, or even what passes for experimental among the top 40--you might want to give The Velvet Underground a miss. On the other hand, if you have an ear tuned to the truly cutting-edge (as in Patti Smith, one of several artists who were heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground), you owe it to yourself to give this band, and this recording in particular, a try. For those who have an ear to hear it, The Velvet Underground is an essential.

Anyone who wants to know where "alternative" music came from should be pointed in this direction. Released in 1967, this album was a good 20 years ahead of its time, and still packs enough punch to blow away today's wanna-be rock bands. It has influenced acts from Talking Heads to Nirvana. In fact, the fall-out left from the impact of this album is still felt today. "Heroin" is famous for its naked honesty of a drug fix, but just as riveting is "Venus in Furs," a twisted, sado-masochistic verse that would make David Lynch drool with envy. Another drug reference song, "I'm Waiting for the Man," with Lou Reed's nervous guitar lick, perfectly captures the moment. Not that this group was all kinky business, though. Reed swipes the intro to Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike" to fuel "There She Goes Again." "Sunday Morning" plays like the calm before the storm with its evocation of the perfect sunrise, while "I'll Be Your Mirror," and "Femme Fatale" are other achingly beautiful songs sung by chanteuse Nico. And John Cale adds his avant-garde flavour to "European Son". Moe Tucker stakes her claim as the greatest under-rated drummer in rock. A tremendous album, and one of the best debuts ever.

Bob Dylan revolutionized the way rock lyrics were written, but the Velvet Underground kicked that door wide open with its debut album. Widely ignored by the record-buying public during the Summer of Love, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" now assumes its rightful throne as the most influential album of 1967. It easily surpasses other landmark albums from that year, such as the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper", the Doors' self-titled album and Jimi Hendrix' "Are You Experienced".

The Velvets' aim was complete shock and awe with this album, which they fully achieved -- and then some. Most counter-cultural music from '67 still featured lyrics saying pretty much the same thing, namely wow-look-at-me-I'm-so-high.

The Velvet Underground, on the other hand, painted the entire picture of drug addiction with masterpieces such as "I'm Waiting For The Man" and "Heroin". These songs covered the highs ("and I feel like Jesus' son") and the unspeakable lows ("Up to Lexington, 125/Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive/I'm waiting for my man") in plain, compelling lyrics.

In a way, they were true reporters covering the streets of New York City, and its effect went beyond the mere risque. It was downright too abrasive for the mainstream, who preferred the Doors' "Break On Through" or Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". "Heroin"? Too much for your average record-buyer.

The music itself is positively creepy, with Lou Reed's flat, nasal delivery or Nico's cold-as-ice vocals over the discordant, amateurish playing and deliberately lo-fi production values. It's almost as if Reed was expressing his own death wish perfectly (he is, after all, a leading member of the "I Can't Believe He's Still Alive" Club, along with Keith Richards and Iggy Pop), in both lyrics and song.

It's not hard to picture this record being played in the Manson Family's hideaway, because what really pops out of this CD, even 39 years later, is the specter of death. It's dated, for sure, so it will take today's listener some time to get into. However, when placed in the context of other late-60s music, it represents nothing less than a true revolution. The Sgt. Peppers of the world have nicely faded away into the pages of Rolling Stone, but "The Velvet Underground & Nico" still resonates unsettlingly today.

Not so fond of Nico's voice, but Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground are awesome!

The Velvet Underground and Nico is an incredible, amazing album. It really will change your life, after hearing it, you can't help but look at music differently (White Light / White Heat is perhaps even more so). Every song on the album is great, and some of them are some of the best rock music ever made.

"Sunday Morning" is a twinkling, light pop song which leads into the bluesy rocker "I'm Waiting for the Man." "Femme Fatale" is one of those classic rock songs, but it is nothing compared to the majestic "Venus in Furs." When people were saying all you need is love, Lou Reed wrote this magnificent song about bondage. It is melodic and beautiful but also dark and eery. "Run Run Run" is another rocking, bluesy song.

The next two songs will leave you stunned. "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a superb song, with Nico lending some of the most beautiful vocals you'll ever hear. "Heroin" is not only the best song about a drug ever made, but also one of the best rock songs ever written. Reed's writing talents really shine, even this early in his career.

"There She Goes Again" is a sweet, poppy song. "I'll Be Your Mirror" is another great song with great vocals by Nico. "The Black Angel's Death Song" is quite dark and very, very good. "European Son" is instrumental chaos that was sort of a prelude to White Light / White Heat and the truly apocalyptic "Sister Ray."

In short - The Velvet Underground and Nico is an album that everyone, no matter what they like, should own. So buy it.

This is a great album which stands next to ones like Dark Side of the Moon and Pet Sounds. I would also like to say that anyone who even tries to compare Lou Reed to 50 Cent, Nico to Beyonce and The Velvet Underground to Velvet Revolver (D.Bernstein)deserves to be shot. That's like comparing Jesus to a hobo.

For an album that is considered to be a hugely influential album, that many artists cite as a huge influence, it may come as a surprise that hear that it actually sold fairly poorly at retail on its initial release. Possibly not surprising when you consider that this was an album built on nihilistic lyrics, Detached cool, and an uncompromising approach to music, that was at odds with the relatively carefree and upbeat albums doing huge business at the time. The core members of "Lou Reed" (Vocals), "John Cale" (bass, viola, and organ), "Sterling Morrison" (Guitar), "Maureen Tucker" (Drums), & "Nico" (Vocalist), were a group of musicans that repelled the idea of making easy accessible, likeable pop songs......instead they wanted to make dark, volatile, druggy, & confrontational songs, that challenged the musical boundaries, and pushed their
music into a troubling, unrelentingly bleakness, wrapped around lyrically consice songs.

Album opener "Sunday Morning" throws you off-guard initially, because of the melodic twinkling of the guitar arrangement, that feels like a dreamy pop song, before the languishing, Lou Reed vocal, intones: "Early dawning, Sunday morning, It's just the wasted years so close behind, Watch out, the world's behind you, There's always someone around you who will call It's nothing at all", and it becomes clear the beneath the light brushed drums and simple straight played guitar chords, there's a Eerie, abrasive growth to the song.

"I'm Waiting for the Man" will be familiar to most, and those that actually know what the songs really about, will know that if you strip away the scuzzy / slightly Distorted bass guitars, & insistent pounding lead guitar, that this, is a song about scoring Drugs from a dealer, with Reeds barely spoken / sung vocals describing waiting for his dealer with : "Here he comes, he's all dressed in black, Beat up shoes and a big straw hat, He's never early, he's always late, First thing you learn is you always gotta wait.....I'm waiting for my man !!", almost surely an eye opener back when it was intially released, but that takes nothing away from he fact that is a incredibly tightly written piece of garage rock music, and one of the albums strongest songs.

"Femme Fatale" is a swinging 60's pop pastiche, with Nico (probably much to the annoyance of Lou Reed), takes central vocalist duties, and the hip-swinging arrangement of a slightly morose sounding track, has Nico singing in a similarly detached delivery as Reed, but here, her contributions give a much needed diversity to the album, as although she sounds slightly aloof from her surroundings, she has a sweet naivety to her voice, and with the other members of the band chiming in with backing vocals/choruses...its a song that despite it sounding morbid, is a song that demonstrates what the Velvet Underground, do so well.....make morbid sounding songs, that leave maximum emotional impact.

"Venus in Furs" (one of my particular faves), starts with a very distinctive looping chiming guitar, and a thumping drum arrangement, and delicate plucked guitar fused with organ, makes for something of a woozy, druggy feel (perfectly in keeping with the band then??), that is rhythmically intoxicating, and has that undeniable catchy 60's jangle sound that, remain's so immediately identifiable, and Reed intoning drearily: "I am tired....I am weary..... I could sleep for a thousand years!!!", probably because of it's distinctive jangle and rhythmic hypnosis.....it feels like a song, that's been tied with a menacing, ominous instrumental. (and all the better for it)

"Run Run Run", is build on a Rolling-stonesy styled riffing, with the howling feedback of the guitar, being instantly gratifying, and arguably one of the best Proto-Punk songs ever made, with bare bones drumming audible in the background and lashings of guitar bursts, sweeping in and out of the mix. Its feels like the song, is going to come crashing down on you like a ton of bricks , literally a ca of distinctive, Distorted guitars, frenetic viola...it's like Punk song fed through the Velvet undergrounds nihilistic drug filter, with Reed yelping: "Marguerita Passion had to get her fix, She wasn't well, she was getting sick, Went to sell her soul, she wasn't high, Didn't know, thinks she could buy it, And she would run, run, run, run, run!!"

"Heroin", is the drug song, by which (most) drug songs should be compared to....lyrically starkly honest: "Cause it makes me feel like I'm a man, When I put a spike into my vein, And I'll tell ya, things aren't quite the same!!!", mixed with small tight guitar lines, open the track, with a rolling drum rhythm, that gradually gets faster & faster and builds until it peaks....and then stops and starts again, with a plucked guitar arrangement over this top of this...Lou Reed adjusts his singing to parallel the increasing tempo, with him chanting: "Heroin, be the death of me, Heroin, it's my wife and it's my life, Because a mainer to my vein, Leads to a centre in my head, And then I'm better off and dead, Because when the smack begins to flow...I really don't care anymore!!!", is a unsettling song to sit thorough, and the sheer nakedness of his delivery makes the impact of this song all the more poigiant. Its a drug anthem that probably didn't become a drug anthem, purely on the fact that it touches a little too close to the bone, to truly be embraced by the mainstream public, but it still remains a truly moving song, even to this day.

"I'll Be your Mirror", again hands over the vocal duties to "Nico", and although she doesn't sound like a traditional rock vocalist, she sounds decidedly jolly in comparsion to some of the songs, before this one. A delightful guitar melody features prominentally on this track, with the subtlest of percussion used, it's like a glistening torch/love song, that although soundly typically detached, still feels reflective with Nico intoning: "I'll be your mirror, Reflect what you are, in case you don't know, I'll be the wind, the rain and the sunset, The light on your door to show that you're home!!", its a song with it's heart in the right place and shows that the Velvet Underground could do heartfelt love songs, should the mood take them.

It seems a shame that for an album that was so influential, and yet proved to be such a modest seller at retail is devastating to hear. Sure the themes of Drugs (a re-occurring theme), loss, Pain, Kinky sex, isolation and social indifference, would have been a tough pill to shallow back then, but the lyrical verbosity, magnificent arrangement & Composition, and expressive dynamics of a band of (largely) dysfunctional individuals, still (to this day) remains a rollercoaster/thrilling ride. Everyone that likes guitar music to any degree, should own a copy of this album, as it's a landmark album, not only for it's own artistic endeavours, but for the wave of similar artists that it spawned & influenced. It is one of the greatest albums ever made, and for those that really want to know what 'The Velvet Underground', were all about, this is unarguably the best place to start (although, I will admit to saying that their fourth album "Loaded", is my personal favourite), anyways....buy, experience and ultimately love this landmark album.

I've read a number of reviews of this record - one thing is clear. This record achieves almost polar reactions from anybody who comes in contact with it. And that which one person praises almost without exception somebody else will despise, and vice versa. Such is the mystery and majesty of the VU.

What really gets me is how many people seem to say how much the Velvets matter or didn't matter or compare them to bands that they supposedly later had an influence upon. If you are comparing the VU to your fill-in-the-name-of-your-favorite "alternative" band of the 80's or "punk" band of the last 25 years, keep in mind these genres were all things that manifested and appeared long after the VU came and went. Would there have been these genres without the VU? Well, that's like asking what would rock music have looked like without the Beatles, or the Stones or the Who, etc. It's ultimately unanswerable. All we can judge is the music for how it speaks to us today and try to keep in mind to some degree we are listening to a piece of rock history or what is left to document it when it was being made. That said, this record is a whale of a lot more fun than some ivory tower museum piece. Lou Reed's sharp lyrics, gift for crafting sturdy understated simple songs craft and his penchant for exploring mature and dark themes was already in bloom here, the first record in his long illustrious career. If you are familiar with his later solo work, it's clear that pretty much sums up the nature of what he contributed here. But what is really shamefully overlooked and slighted (and I think Lou is as much responsible for this myth as much as anybody) is the influence that the other musicians in the band, particularly John Cale, who brought to bear his considerable knowledge of avant garde and classical music with his piano and viola parts and skill as an arranger. These elements contribute considerably to the unique sound of the VU and he is rightly held in much higher regard by those fans that are well informed and familiar with his later work or have read his autobiography "What's Welsh For Zen?" which I can highly recommend. To demonstrate, I must refer to the VU "Peel Slowly and See" box set, which includes this and the other 3 original albums. On that collection, there is a 2 track demo that Cale kept for years that predates this record by almost 2 years where he and Lou Reed and guitarist Sterling Morrison are playing some of the songs in dramatically different arrangements that what ended up here. A great example is "Venus in Furs" - here in its fully realized form it virtually explodes - the searing drone of a single note bowed by Cale on his electric viola, the sparse funereal backbeat of Tucker's tom-tom and Nico's tambourine, the guitars positively slithering underneath this bed of harmonic and rhythmic tension. The sum effect is wholly and totally hypnotic and like nothing anyone's heard before or since. Now, contrast that to how the same song sounds on the earlier demo tape, where it is sung by Cale and probably closer to the way it was originally written or conceived by Reed. There, "Venus" sounds like a pretty folk song and more like a Simon and Garfunkel tune such as "Sounds of Silence" or "Scarborough Fair". So I think people should give the others in the band like Cale and Mo Tucker thier due. They obviously had a bigger hand in constructing a unique and totally modern rock sound and style that, love it or hate it, you must admit is readily identifiable and still has never been truly copied.

I've owned this album for nearly 20 years, discovered it in college when REM was releasing albums of B-side covers of some of these songs. Unlike REM, whose Velvet-influence work like "Murmur" I find has diminished in stature and power for me over the last 20 years, it took me longer to get acquire a taste for the VU and in some cases, I (like so many others) never have been able to appreciate a portion of what they did. "European Son" still seems like filler track to me but the rest of it - after 30+ years - holds up quite well and I suspect that is the mark of a true classic.

WARNING: If you are a progressive or pop rock snob, don't bother with the Velvets. You will laugh at their poor technique and crude improvisational skills. If you are, however, somebody who sees themselves as being able to respond purely and sincerely to music without an agenda to have cleanly articulated flurries of 64th notes at your disposal or only tolerant of some narrow model of perfectly scrubbed choirboy vocal intonation (i.e. you tend to think Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen can't deliver a song - a thoroughly misguided notion I might add), then I think you are in for a treat here.

So, we all know this album has been said to be original, groundbreaking, avant-garde, and ever so influential on "alternative" bands. I first started getting into the Velvet Underground in college, having been electrified by Rock N Roll Animal and read a little of how great the Velvets were. That was also the time when The Sex Pistols rose into prominence, and I remember somebody's commenting that the Velvets were the first punk rockers. But when I listened to this it did not sound like punk at all. Sure, the Velvets were dark and treated disturbing themes, but punk is most of all a sound. Yes, I know, other comparisons are not perfect--heavy metal groups like MC5 and Led Zeppelin had some role too, without sounding EXACTLY like it...but they were heavy hitters, loud crashing music, like on...Rock N Roll Animal. My point is that through and through this is a mellow album, with many pretty songs. Lou's lovely soft ballad "Sunday Morning" and Nico's three beautiful songs, plus "There She Goes Again," are already almost half the material; granted, John Cale does novel stuff with his viola in "Venus in Furs" and "Black Angel's Death Song" and the boring "European Son," but not anything resembling punk, and then there is Lou Reed in "Heroin" (slow some of the way, by definition, right?). Lou's "rockers" -- "Run, Run Run" and "I'm Waiting For The Man"--are repetitive-riff, three-chorders, very rhythmic and not harsh (and excellent songs, much better than punk). Moreover, there is considerable instrumental sparsity, which works well with the slower stuff and the simple verselines overall. Conclusion: No punk--they were just unique. Forget about influences, etc.--I listen to this album, and it is a monument unto itself, at once very beautiful and very darkly imaginative, and one of my ten favorite of all.

Nico's singing? I don't care about those who talk about range, stiffness etc.--I love it. Her voice is very pretty and very rich, and I like her clear pronunciation of the lyrics, which blends well with the simple fluidity of her two beautiful ballads and the best song on the album, "All Tomorrow's Parties." Majesty is achieved, even in the world of Andy Warhol and his events. "I'll Be Your Mirror" has the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard, but suffice it to read these (I'm not going to quote them all): "When you think the night has seen your mind/That inside you're twisted and unkind/Let me stand to show that you are blind/Please put down your hands/'Cause I see you/I'll be your mirror." Then "Femme Fatale" is about just that: "The things she does to please/She's just a little tease." If you don't want to hear this stuff sung to you, move over, I do.

"Venus in Furs" is a novel experiment in S&M, but my favorite Cale moment is "The Black Angel's Death Song." If "I'll Be Your Mirror" has the most beautiful lyrics, those of "Death Song" are the most dark, disturbing, despairing, and even...graphic. Very powerful, and the bizarre twisting sounds of the viola...it is just great, cacophony becomes euphony and pleasure. "There She Goes Again" has another disturbing theme (male domination), but by contrast its music is poppish, upbeaty in tone. And, of course, in "Heroin" Lou shows how imaginative he can be, as the instruments produce a remarkable visualization of the rushes, and Lou's singing is actually the darkhorse here--he knows how to sound drugged out and his vocals are just right at each stage.

The Velvet Underground are one of my favorite groups even tho I think they are a bit overrated. The monotony of "European Son" foretold "Sister Ray," which I do not like. But every other song is so good--in hardly any other album (by anyone) do I rate so many individual songs so highly, and it is amazing what the group accomplished on this debut. Lyrically, yes, let's talk influence--these brilliant lyrics reflected the Velvet's novel dark themes, which had a big contribution for posterity. The music--it is basically very simple, and so, so outstanding. The best came first, but in that way the Velvets are certainly not unique.