The Velvet Underground

by The Velvet Underground

Overview

Upon first release, the Velvet Underground's self-titled third album must have surprised their fans nearly as much as their first two albums shocked the few mainstream music fans who heard them. After testing the limits of how musically and thematically challenging rock could be on Velvet Underground & Nico and White Light/White Heat, this 1969 release sounded spare, quiet, and contemplative, as if the previous albums documented some manic, speed-fueled party and this was the subdued morning after. (The album's relative calm has often been attributed to the departure of the band's most committed avant-gardist, John Cale, in the fall of 1968; the arrival of new bassist Doug Yule; and the theft of the band's amplifiers shortly before they began recording.) But Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of the demimonde is as keen here as on any album he ever made, while displaying a warmth and compassion he sometimes denied his characters. "Candy Says," "Pale Blue Eyes," and "I'm Set Free" may be more muted in approach than what the band had done in the past, but "What Goes On" and "Beginning to See the Light" made it clear the VU still loved rock & roll, and "The Murder Mystery" (which mixes and matches four separate poetic narratives) is as brave and uncompromising as anything on White Light/White Heat. This album sounds less like the Velvet Underground than any of their studio albums, but it's as personal, honest, and moving as anything Lou Reed ever committed to tape. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	05/07/1996
Label:	Polydor / Motown / Universal / Verve
UPC:	0731453125223

Tracks

1. Candy Says
2. What Goes On
3. Some Kinda Love
4. Pale Blue Eyes
5. Jesus
6. Beginning to See the Light
7. I'm Set Free
8. That's the Story of My Life
9. The Murder Mystery
10. After Hours

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Velvet Underground   Primary Artist
Doug Yule   Bass,Organ,Vocals,Keyboards,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Lou Reed   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Moe Tucker   Vocals,Percussion
Sterling Morrison   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Nico   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Kevin Reeves   Mastering,Mixing Engineer,Mixing
Andrew Skurow   Tape Research
Doug Yule   Composer,Photography
Ringo Starr   Composer
John Cale   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Lou Reed   Mixing,Composer
Hy Weiss   Composer
Val Valentin   Mixing,Engineer
Nanci Griffith   Composer
Moe Tucker   Composer
Gary Kellgren   Engineer
Sterling Morrison   Composer
Bill Levenson   Remastering Supervisor
Mark Gordon   Composer
Vartan   Art Direction
The Velvet Underground   Arranger,Producer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Meire Murakami   Design
Billy Name   Photography
Tardon Feathered   Mixing
Jaime Feldman   Remastering Supervisor
Peter Abram   Engineer,Recording
Sal Mercuri   Archivist,Production Assistant
Dick Smith   Art Direction
Monique McGuffin Newman   Production Manager
Dan Rose   Product Manager
Alfredo Garcia Crego   Photo Research
Lau Buur Nielsen   Photo Research
Olivier Landemaine   Photo Research
Steve Beck   Photo Research