Anyone dig these guys enough to recommend an album or two for me?

It's a possibility.

Get VU & Nico, listen to it, realize it's not all its cracked up to be, and move on.

I kinda dig Sweet Jane and Heroin.

Yes, and Candy Says and Pale Blue Eyes and Venus In Furs are all great, but the rest of it is pretty meh. Get Transformer instead.

either VU & Nico or their self titled.

they are good, but not as amazing as everyone makes them out to be.

their four albums should be purchased in this order:

the velvet underground
the velvet underground & nico
loaded
white light white heat

if you like whiny female vocals, swap the first two records around; if you like superb noise as much as pop, swap the last two around.

they are other things like VU and such but those are the four albums proper.

p.s. buy transformer

my favourite is their self-titled follower by the nico album

i honestly don't think white light/white heat is all that but sister ray definitely redeems it

No way is Nico whiney. I have heard her called lots of things but I would never imagine that one.

Anyway, VU are all they are cracked up to be. I would go with VU w/ Nico first, but s/t is a good choice too. They are both amazing albums.

Lou Reed, correct? Transformer, I mean?

yes

i wanted to pick a derogatory vocal term and that was the first one to come to mind. what i'm saying is she fucking sucks, but some people are into that.


yes. aka the best album of all time.

wrong.

you're right, abbey road is better. but transformer is certainly up there.

VU are not overrated imo. They are probably among the 3 most influential bands of their generation and that's saying a lot all by itself. Their albums are mostly top material and you can't really go wrong up to Loaded. In fact I think Loaded is a very underrated album, probably because it sounds more commercial and not so close to their typical sound but it has some of my favorite songs that Reed wrote like "Rock N' Roll" and "Sweet Jane" and is unfairly overlooked.

I started with VU & Nico but I'd probably advise you to start with their self-titled.

It takes a lot of effort to refrain from saying something about a certain someones vocals (Bob Dylan) right now. Pot and Kettle...

I can understand if you think her music fucking sucks, but she is still a good singer with a unique voice. Personally, I like her music too, and I think her best-of album is very good as well. Not to mention some of the songs with VU she is featured on are some of thier best tunes.

She's not a good singer but I can get passed it because she worked with great songwriters.

honestly, i'd prefer it if lou reed had sung the stuff nico did. i just think she's loathsome. all i really wanted to say was, if he's getting the nico record, he should be prepared for the possibility that he may not like the tracks she sings on. but clearly plenty of people do, so. just personal opinion, just like i love dylan's voice.

The Velvet Underground were fantastic. Chronologically is the way to go - begin with Velvet Underground & Nico and end it with VU, a collection of tracks that were lost to be rediscovered much later (it's some really strong material).

If you like that, continue with Lou Reed's solo stuff. I happen to prefer Berlin over Transformer, but both are good. His solo career is reputedly hit-'n'-miss though, so watch your step... I've only heard those two + Metal Machine Music myself.

I'm looking into John Cale's solo stuff as well. I've liked Paris 1919, so far.