What Velvet Underground album next?
 

I've had The VU & Nico for some time, listened to it a bunch of times, loved it, and I had a couple extra downloads. But now, since I've been listening to them again a lot recently, I need a new album.

So...what, in your opinion, is their best album, excluding The VU & Nico?

Thanks.

Why has Amazon's pictures started to appear with that stupid white boarder? It makes me mad.

(Thanks CHOUT, I really like the song "After Hours")

My vote goes towards White Light/White Heat. I think it might be better then The VU & Nico

loaded

Nice. 3 different answer, in the first 3 responses.

Check it
The self titled album is full of mostly soft, pretty songs with the exeption of a few crazy ones. It's probably the VU album I have listened to the least

think of Loaded as the velvet underground's Dirty. When i say that i mean it was their most commercial album. Not that it's bad. I love it, the songs stray more towards 60s pop then towards chaotic feedback and the works

White Light/White Heat has alot of long songs. (like then 16 minute Sister Ray.) The songs are either filled with distortion or feedback or soft and pretty. There's only 6 tracks, but the album still manages to feel complete to me.

All the albums are good. You sholdnt be dissapointed no matter what you buy

FYI- I dont count that "Squeeze" bullshit as an album

Yeah. I was reading about the VU and I don't like how they ended. John Cale leaves, Maureen Tucker leaves because of pregnancy and that Doug (last name?) guy comes in, and then Lou leaves but they keep the name. I thought that was kind of sad.

Yeah, I thought it was kinda funny.. Anyway, do you have any idea what album you're gonna pick up?

if you want noise, go with WL/WH (even though it includes their prettiest song, Here She Comes Now)

if you want good pop, go with Loaded

I'm not too keen on the s/t.. I think it is rather dull compared to the others. I'll go relisten to it just to see if I'm missing anything.

The self titled has a lot of songs that are looking good right now. At the moment, I'm not looking for more noise. But who knows, I might feel differently tomorrow.

I have Loaded and VU&N. I much prefer the more brash and chatoic VU&N to the soft and pretty things found on Loaded ("Loaded" with hits, as I've been told it was named for). Which isn't to discourage Loaded, I love it... just not as much as I love '...& Nico,' ...y'know?

My vote goes to White Light/White Heat for next and for best both.
I have always found the third album to be a little too sappy and sentimental.

Haha this is no surprise coming from you - no offense intended.
But you can't deny The Murder Mystery!

just get the box set peel slowly and see... because you're going to want them all eventually.

I agree.

white light.

White LightW/hite Heat. Well of course its the best, really, I am finding that I listen to the first one less and less as time goes by. No offense meant of course. I haven't actually obsessed over any of them for a while now, but WLWH gives me great pleasure. It is short and sweet and to the point. Except for that last bit you know? But it's a balance. Really I Heard Her Call My Name, you need that.

cant get too excited about the last two.
i cant fail to leap around with excitement about the first two.
so..... get white light

this is easy: WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT of course, the best album ever! the self-titled third is great also, so you need at least those 3.

Something live. Either 1969 or the Quine tapes.

There are a few interesting bootlegs of them playing at the peak of their powers.I always find out something new about them on here:
http://www.thevelvetforum.tk

its difficult for me to even begin to see the velvets as the same band after cale left.
with the exception of a few songs, the cale velvets were extremely experimental, raw and just amazing. the post cale velvets made some lovely songs and should be seen as a great band in their own right.
maybe you will love both, maybe you will prefer one to the other, but they are very different. just buy all the albums. or buy one and download the rest, cuz even the most harcore music pirate would shudder at the thought of not buying all of those classics.......excpet maybe loaded.

haha.
click on porkys link, and if that is not the worst picture of the velvets ever shot////////////////////////////
why stick that one up at the top of your site?


porky, are there any live boots on that site with cale except the columbus one?
i started to look but theres just too many pages.

I posted a link to a thread on that site by a girl whose father had some seriously rare stuff for upload.

really?
could i have a clue as to where you posted it?

I posted it on a thread that had a rare Velvets photo on it.Can't search it right now but i will when i have more time.

white light/white heat is gonna mess up yr mind.
total gem of an album. vus finest and possibly lous finest work ever... get it now!

I go with s/t and the two 1969 live ones.

white light white heat for sister ray alone. the rest of the album is amazing but that song is so great.

Just get all 3. They're all totally different but equally awesome. You can't go wrong with any of them. But they're all completely essential to any music collection.

Yeah, noise machine is right - if you really like what you heard you might as well get 'em all. The boxset is a worthy purchase.

I really really dig the first(only) vu & nico album. I just love it, nico's voice and the arrangements (i'll be yr mirror) are just sublime.

No VU album comes close to this one for sheer lyrical quality & listenability

HOWEVER

for the next VU album, i recommend WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT

the gift may just be the best song in human history, and will destroy your hopeless pathetic romantic thoughts

then buy nico - chelsea girl

To answer both of your questions...

which album to get next?
Since you got the first one then next you should get the 2nd one.

which is the best excluding the first one?
their 2nd one.

So yeah, get their 2nd one. White Light/White Heat

edit

and wax is right. After Cale left after the 2nd album it's not the same band anymore. The first 2 albums are undeniably great. The rest of them are either you like it or you don't.

the boxset is godly, pick that up. my fave album is their self titled (3rd).

How about this one?


Fall 1971 tour line-up in Amsterdam, from left to right: Moe Tucker, Willie Alexander (who replaced Sterling), Doug Yule and Walter Powers. This photo appeared on cover of dutch magazine Oor #14, 1971. Photo by Bob Lens.

Velvet Underground - Amsterdam Concert House 19.11.71
Download

White Light/White Heat

A list of VU bootleg CD's

There's this somewhat easy to find live thing.

It's mostly green, with a shot of some chick's ass cheeks. There are two volumes. The one that starts with Lou asking the audience if they should play two short sets or one long one is the best. Starts with I'm Waiting. Ends w/ Heroin.

Anyone know what the fuck it's called?

Anyhow, it's my absolute favorite VU recording.

That's called 1969: The Velvet Undergroung Live.

And yes, those are really wonderful. One of the absolute highlights is the 8 minute version of What Goes On. They should've made the album version that long too.