White Light White Heat - The Velvet Underground

Free from the patronage of renound pop artist Andy Warhol and the vocals of Nico (the German droner Warhol forced upon the group during the recording of their debut), the Velvet Underground were free to do what they do best, spew visceral waves of guitar feedback and crashingly raw lyrics onto a record some call the first ever punk album, and what an album. Six tracks in length, White Light White Heat is a blistering assault on the ears, bombarding the listener with tales of manslaughter, drug abuse, orgies and operations gone horribly wrong. The album is as much an endurance test as anything else, as it gets ...

This album is a masterpiece and it is waiting to be rediscovered. It is noisy and totally punk rock. Yet it was made in 1968. The Velvet Underground are one of the greatest and most influential bands ever. Lou Reed and John Cale are perhaps the greatest musicians and songwriters ever. I adore this band because not many people have actually heard them. I was having a debate with a university pal recently and he was arguing that the Beatles were the most influential band ever. I tried to explain that whilst the Beatles may have been influential to Brit Pop music like Oasis, The Velvet's influenced most genres and created Punk Rock and alternative rock. The ...

The Velvet Underground - even the name carries its own, very surreal connotations of decadence and luxurious, secret sin. Blackness of heart and blackness of sight and a very, very weird approach - a total lack of any regard for what was acceptable or nice or commercial - like a sleazy set of alternative comics revelling in the anarchy their material produced - the question was not ‘is it any good?’, or ‘is it interesting?’, but more ‘how far can we go?’ Hush hush, whisper who dares, Lou Reed and Cale are saying their prayers…. Think of this lot in your nursery, looking after your kids, teaching them the ...