The Velvet Underground – Self-Titled Review

What may turn some people off The Velvet Underground is the very reason the band remains important. Their aggressively frequent innovation is at the forefront of their sound, be it their debut with Nico or the follow-up, heavy art rock noise of White Light / White Heat. For their self-titled effort, the band can be best described as still fighting for a step into the spotlight. The Velvet Underground feels like their most accessible effort while still maintaining the roaring uniqueness of their previous works. They would slip from the latter art scene sound on future releases but maintain a quality on Loaded. Their self-titled work is a delight, and most of their work is, but for different reasons. A mellow sound, a breakdown of the atmosphere which had, at times, overwhelmed the band on previous occasions. Is that to say the band are now working with a toothless sound? Not at all. 

There is still the ahead-of-its-time appeal. Even now, it feels well ahead of the curve. From opener Candy Says, the tribute to a transgender lover so delicately and charmingly delivered by Doug Yule. This is not just a song of separation and romance but a truly grand moment from Lou Reed, who proves he can write with depth, beauty, and layered storytelling styles, which would cement him as one of the great lyricists. At times, he feels better set as a poet than a songwriter. Candy Says is proof enough of that, and the slower tones, the delicate, heartstring-tugging instrumental pieces which come through it are hard not to well up at. A desire for change, be it physical appearance or mental strength, is found in the delivery, and it is the hope that kills you. The Velvet Underground is filled with moments like that, scenarios and experiences which are initially devoid of love.  

But it is those around you, the unsaid desires and unspoken respect, that can provide warmth. That is certainly the case for songs like Some Kinda Love and Pale Blue Eyes, the latter a tremendous standout of the band’s discography. The Velvet Underground find themselves in an always-questioning position. They want to know what goes on in the mind not of their listeners but their detractors. What Goes On highlights this well, a chance to hear the group with a slightly more conventional rock sound. The active choice to provide a sound which could be more accessible than the first two albums, but still maintain an out-there and often volatile feeling is a tremendous moment, a best of both worlds’ entry point for those not quite ready to hear the preceding albums.  

Where major changes were made to the line-up and to the sound The Velvet Underground provide, it feels like coincidence. John Cale may depart the line-up, and Doug Yule may join, but it does not have a tremendous effect on the musical intent, which felt like a Reed-led change irrespective of other members’ hopes. Religion and relationships form the biggest and best songs heard on The Velvet Underground, a sensational A-side and a series of challenging tones on the B-side, which call back to those days when the art rock outfit was sensationalising and creating against expectation. There are moments of brilliance within – I’m Set Free is a giant of a song which receives little attention – but it is the first half of The Velvet Underground which dominates. Rightly so. An album full of thrills, in part because of the continued playing and writing qualities, but also because of these sudden changes.