The Velvet Underground will always be associated with Andy Warhol, but he was only the producer for the first album and had been booted out by Lou Reed for this album. The result is a hugely influential blast of noise and surreal lyricism that didn’t stand a chance of ever being played on the radio. This was also the last Velvet’s album to feature John Cale and his lilting Welsh voice on The Gift is a highlight as he narrates a story of a jealous boyfriend with one hell of a twist at the end.
This album is very much the dark side of the sixties - the heroin binge to Sergeant Pepper’s LSD trip. The use of feedback and distortion in the sound makes for an abrasive experience for anyone wanting a mellow vibe, but in retrospect it really hits the spot, especially on the epic Sister Ray although the repeated references to sucking on his ding-dong make this very much a not safe for work listen!
Ding-dong-tastic!
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