For me the greatest thing about the VU is the way that absolutely every song they did is better than the finest track on any other album before or after.
The VU is the holy grail of bands-they reached the peak and no band has come even light years near to that. That's why they remain so relevant, and 35 years later the work is as fresh and important as it ever was.
You have so many different aspects within the work of the Velvet Underground:
1) Firstly you have the incredible historic importance of the VU as part of the Warhol scene and epitomizing the cool of New York in the 60's
2) Then you have the soft, nursery rhyme type simplicity in those timeless songs like Femme Fatale and Sunday Morning where they show that the most basic of songs when crafted properly, can stand above anything else no matter how complex
3) Further you have the amazing collaboration of minds with John Cale's background from the avante guarde allowing the VU to define the principles of noise, feedback and sonic overload as typified by the WLWH record which singlehandedly spawned a host of bastard offspring, from Grunge to Sonic Youth
4) Then you have the literary importance of Lou Reed, the original Rock Poet, who took his rich literary heritage and with it created within Rock n Roll a medium for a serious message for adults, writing the first songs with a true poetic resonance, be it Heroin or Pale Blue Eyes
5) Then you have the fact that the riffs and chord progressions for songs like Sister Ray, Rock n Roll, and most obviously Sweet Jane, are the most memorable rock n roll riffs that you could ever imagine, and have their rightful place in rock history for that reason also
The point here being that the true beauty of the Velvet Underground is that every second of every moment of every stray bootleg is absolute sublime perfection. Take the 1969 album and take the track 'Over You'...well its on no records, it doesn't have a studio version, and barely anyone (apart from us guys of course) has ever even heard of it, yet it is as stunning a 3 minute aural passage as anything I have ever heard ("I'm just like a bell again, you know I'm starting to ring again")...
The fact is that the VU deliver on every possible level, demonstrating a potential within contemporary music that has never been fulfilled outside of their work. And that is also why I couldn't bear to take part in those polls, I couldn't even get past round 1! I mean I could never even choose between 'Melody Laughter' and 'Over You' and 'Temptation inside your Heart' and 'Sad Song (Demo)', let alone between 'Heroin and 'Femme Fatale'!
Yes, there is only one Velvet Underground. Man I swear I'd give the whole thing up for the VU.
Femme Fatale??
I kind of agree with Doctor Bob, choosing between VU songs is a bit like betraying a good friend. But then again, I have to admit I don't listen to It's Just Too Much from the PSAS box set very often...
Among the softer songs, Sunday Morning and I'm Set Free have always been near the peak in my opinion - matched only by Here She Comes Now, which is number 1. That song is really so fragile - it sounds the way it does, but had it been recorded five minutes later, maybe it would have sounded completely different.
But regardless of which song you prefer, I think they all represent the "pale beauty and unspeakable horror" that is so deceptively attractive. That, together with the strange built-in drone that is evident in almost all songs, is what got me into the VU many years ago.
Among the softer songs, Sunday Morning and I'm Set Free have always been near the peak in my opinion - matched only by Here She Comes Now, which is number 1. That song is really so fragile - it sounds the way it does, but had it been recorded five minutes later, maybe it would have sounded completely different.
But regardless of which song you prefer, I think they all represent the "pale beauty and unspeakable horror" that is so deceptively attractive. That, together with the strange built-in drone that is evident in almost all songs, is what got me into the VU many years ago.
Hey I'm new here blah blah. Anyway, I love Femme Fatale but there are plenty of songs I would rate above it by VU. For example, Heroin, Who Loves The Sun, The Gift, Sweet Jane and Sunday Morning. However, Femme Fatale is pretty representative of TVU&N album, sound-wise, in that the non-distorted-but-still-ever-so-strange sound that contrasts with the overdriven WL/WH and Loaded and even VU.
Well, folks, I REALLY screwed up! Goes to show what happens when one sits on the internet too long and too late - guess I was waaay too tired THAT night! How embarrassing - I didn't intend to write "Femme fatale" - I meant "VENUS IN FURS"!!!!!! What I intended to say was, I was surprised that more attention wasn't given to "Venus In Furs". UG. Sorry. Long week.