White Light/White Heat review

The second album from The Velvet Underground, now having parted with Nico and Andy Warhol. Produced by Tom Wilson, this one is heavily based on musical improvisation and once again goes into dark thematic territory, ensuring that commercial success was never on the charts. Still, it has received acclaim retrospectively.

Tracks:

1. White Light/White Heat: 7/10 this fast paced opener is musically a chaotic battleground with overdone, overwhelming notes, chords and beats flying all over the place like a large mob of hyperactive 6 year olds. Therefore, despite the song's headache-inducing nature, it is a testament to the band's skill that it actually works rather well.

2. The Gift: 8/10 the short story is interesting and the instrumental is fairly disciplined by Velvet Underground standards. It's an overlong experiment but there's something strangely hypnotic about it.

3. Lady Godiva's Operation: 7/10 like many Velvet Underground songs, it's quite boring much of the time but it's skilfully constructed, boasts a certain unique charm and is pleasingly ambiguous.

4. Here She Comes Now: 5/10 so simple and straightforward it's genuinely insulting, though interestingly enigmatic.

5. I Heard Her Call My Name: 7/10 2 minutes of confusing lyrics followed by 2 minutes of musical chaos. It's not always compelling, but the experimental and bold nature of the band usually mean marks have to be awarded to them and the song is definitely effective. .

6. Sister Ray: 8/10 true and utter madness. It may not make much sense, but it's an sharp, unrestrained and aggressively powerful combo of wonderfully nonsensical lyrics and marvellous improvisation that incredibly was done all in one take.

Best song: Sister Ray
Worst song: Here She Comes Now

Summary: There are 2 big epics here which are solid 4 star songs. The rest of the album, while full of interesting experimentation, are memorable and interesting but the improvised nature of the music gives the tracks a sense of chaos and disorder. Plus, the music never flows and all the instruments clash together, seemingly in a competition to try and be the loudest. Still, you have to give credit to the band for making this style of music work, and there is something strangely mesmerising much of the time. Overall, perfectly good but not as good as the debut.


Final rating: 7/10