5. Squeeze: What were you expecting in last place? Still, for this band last place isn't saying that much. They never did a bad album. Squeeze has essentially been disowned by the band's fanbase, but if you listen to it it's not actually the worst thing ever. It's very forgettable, but it's a perfectly nice, reasonably enjoyable record without any bad intentions. It's many, many miles away from what the band did before, but this is a classic example of something being evaluated based on its connections, not its quality. If you call it a Velvet Underground record, it's something of a joke. If you call it a Doug Yule record- as it should have been marketed- you'll likely find completely harmless and fairly pleasant, although as music goes it's forgettable and underdone.
4. Loaded: Despite all the critical acclaim, this one doesn't quite live up to its predecessors. It's an awkward gap between commercial and arthouse. There's nothing wrong with the instrumentals. To be honest, they're pretty catchy. It doesn't quite lose the band's identity, since you can sense some of the more experimental stuff in there. The trouble is, the song-writing takes a massive nose-dive. The subjects are thoroughly uninteresting (Trains going around a bend, a boring cowboy etc.) but when combined with the band's minimalist writing, they become borderline maddening. Overall, this album feels safe and overly quiet much of the time. I've never been fussed about Sweet Jane either. Still, it's a catchy, entertaining record that shows a band doing their best to mix a more commercial sound with their abstract experimentation.
3. The Velvet Underground: With easily the most boring title of the lot, this one is difficult to define. It gets extremely arty much of the time, but is also often enjoyable and less alienating to casual listeners than the first 2 albums. Some of the songs feel like whispers, others pack a serious punch but it's still unmistakably The Velvet Underground. It's not the band at their absolute best. After 2 smashing songs at the beginning the album occasionally gets a little dull. It's an interesting work of musical art which, as well as being enjoyable, still feels like its exploring the avant-garde. Some even like this more than the first 2. I wouldn't agree personally, but perhaps because this doesn't contain as many memorable songs, while in the first 2 there were loads of standouts. Still, this is a solid album and the first VU record not to feel like an extended experiment.
2. White Light/White Heat: This one is insane. It goes full on into chaotic, mad, twisted and delightfully demented territory without ever giving any thought to those minor concepts called coherence, entertainment and sense. The songs are mostly ballistic, noisy and screechy and in all honesty this album perfectly replicates a 40 minute thunderstorm. Filled with power and consistently innovative, this one certainly isn't for everyone. It's occasionally something of a grating record and is more of an experiment than a commercial release. It's unbelievably self-indulgent and does get tedious at times. It's certainly not an album I'd listen to much and it's an acquired taste, but as crazy, stormy and bizarre music which sounds like the gates of hell opening at times, this ain't half-bad. Plus, the final track is stellar.
1. The Velvet Underground & Nico: The obvious choice, but choices are obvious for a reason. Without the sheer blandness of Squeeze, the overly commercial sound of Loaded, the quietness of The Velvet Underground (Album) and the overwhelming loudness of White Light/White Heat, this one is perhaps the band's most complete artistic statement. It's certainly not a masterpiece in my eyes, due to its indulgence and occasional dull moments, but that's probably because The VU aren't really my sort of thing. With moments of touching beauty, overwhelming instrumental madness and shocking innovation, this album fully lives up to its status as one of the most influential albums of them all. This is one album which truly makes the avant-garde a commercial form and sees the band, aided by the superb Nico, at the top of their game.
Thanks for reading.
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