The
Velvet Underground were way ahead of the curve in the late 1960s, which helps
explain the modest commercial success during their lifetime. However, the
Velvets’ following grew over time and they were hugely influential after their
demise, becoming a central reference for all the bands that emerged during the
punk and post-punk eras. As Brian Eno famously said, their debut record The Velvet Underground and Nico may have
only sold 30,000 copies in its early years, but "everyone who bought one
of those 30,000 copies started a band". Indeed, their approach to music,
which consisted of adding avant-garde elements to abrasive rock and roll songs,
while an oddity in their time, proved truly groundbreaking. Although my
favorite record by the Velvets is their debut, I choose White Light/White Heat to review because here they take the
experimentation displayed in their first record to new heights. “White
Light/White Heat” starts off the record at fervent pace, with a piano line
reminiscent of the earlier “I’m Waiting for the Man”. “The Gift” combines Lou
Reed’s spoken word piece told in a blank voice by John Cale on the left
speaker, with an entertaining instrumental on the right speaker. In “Lady
Godiva’s Operation”, the British myth is perverted by a tale of a botched
surgery of said legend, accompanied by a very hummable guitar tune. “I Heard
Her Call My Name” heralds the arrival of punk and heavy metal music, where
Reed’s rabid singing is surrounded by a copious amount of distortion. The
record closes with “Sister Ray”, a one-take full-on jam named after Ray Davies
of the Kinks. “Here She Comes Now” stands quietly amidst the frenzy in White Light/White Heat:
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