The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

When the Velvets recorded this debut, they were best known as the protégés of Andy Warhol (who designed the sleeve), and as a grating, combustive live band. Fueled by drummer Moe Tucker's no-nonsense wham and John Cale's howling viola, some of the straight-up rock & roll and arty noise extravaganzas here bear that out. But before Lou Reed was singing about sadomasochism and drug deals and writing lyrics inspired by his favorite poets, he was a pop songwriter, and this album has some of his prettiest tunes, mostly sung by Nico, the German dark angel who left the band after this disc. Even the sordid rockers are underscored by graceful pop tricks, like the two-chord flutter at the center of the classic "Heroin." --Douglas Wolk

     

• Verve Records - V-5008 (US) LP
• MGM Records - 2315 056 (UK)
• Polydor - 2459 358 (Germany) LP
• Verve Records - V-5008 (US) LP
• Verve Records - V6-5008 (US) LP
• Verve Records - 2485 118 (Netherlands) LP
• Polydor (UK) - SPELP 20 (UK) LP
• Under New Management - VU-1 (Germany) LP
• Verve Records - V6-5008 (US) LP
• Polydor - 2391 323 LP
• Verve Records - MIP-1-9379 (Canada) LP
• Polydor - SPELP 73 (UK) LP
• Polydor - 2459 358 LP
• PolyGram Iberica - 823 290-1 (Spain) LP
• Verve Records - V6-5008 LP
• Verve Records - V-5008 (US) LP
• Polydor - 849 144-1 (Germany) LP

Images from Vinyl Releases of The Velvet Underground & Nico

Tracks

• A1)   Sunday Morning
• A2)   I'm Waiting For The Man
• A3)   Femme Fatale
• A4)   Venus In Furs
• A5)   Run, Run, Run
• A6)   All Tomorrow's Parties
• B1)   Heroin
• B2)   There She Goes Again
• B3)   I'll Be Your Mirror
• B4)   Black Angel's Death Song
• B5)   European Son To Delmore Schwartz

Track listing above is from Verve Records - V-5008 (US) LP

Check out more vinyl records by The Velvet Underground