Loaded review

Loaded is the 4th album by The Velvet Underground, and the last to feature any of its founding members. Lou Reed, disillusioned with the band and it's distance from the more experimental music the group started out with, left the group shortly afterwards. This album is supposed to be more commercial, but despite this change in direction it was still critically acclaimed.

Tracks:

1. Who Loves the Sun: 7/10 perfectly pleasant and pretty catchy, though considerably less impressive than some of the earlier and more experimental stuff.

2. Sweet Jane: 7/10 a Velvet Underground song which gets a lot of airplay, it is a shame that one of the most well-known VU songs is one which doesn't represent the band at their best due to its simplicity, but it's undeniably a good mix of the VU's arty experimentation and a more commercial sound. 

3. Rock & Roll: 8/10 the right mixture of art and entertainment.

4. Cool it Down: 7/10 repetitive but pretty enjoyable and despite its more commercial sound it doesn't feel like the band has lost its identity.

5. New Age: 7/10 quite good, if a bit empty.

6. Head Held High: 5/10 while it is catchy, this doesn't feel like The Velvet Underground at all. It feels like some generic, derivative rock band playing vaguely Velvet Underground-type baselines.

7. Lonesome Cowboy Bill: 4/10 a painfully forgettable song featuring one of the blandest song characters of them all.

8. I Found a Reason: 7/10 quiet in a good way with some nice harmonies, but again a bit flat.

9. Train Round the Bend: 6/10 the baseline sounds more like the band in their earlier albums, but where's all the nihilism and insanity?

10. Oh! Sweet Nuthin': 7/10 while overlong, this feels more like The Velvet Underground and is a more effective and interesting song.

Best song: Rock & Roll
Worst song: Lonesome Cowboy Bill

Summary: Quite clearly the beginning of the end for The Velvet Underground. I'm not the biggest VU fan, but I admire them. While I've given many of their songs a 7, it's usually been a high 7. I like the experimental nature of their music, even if it isn't always that enjoyable to listen to. By jettisoning that, this feels like VU in name only, and quickly devolves into ruthlessly forgettable formula. It's too well played and exceeds expectations of what may have been a complete disaster too much for the album to be written off, but it's critical acclaim is bemusing. Maybe stick to the first 3 albums.




Final rating: 6/10