The Velvet Forum

I think the entire album is part of the "counter-culture." The "culture" that "counter-culture" referred to was mainstream American normality. Keeping that in mind, the VU was the essence of the Counter-Culture.

Now if you asked what is the most "anti-hippie" song off the LP, that's a different story. JMO.

Yeah, I like those Nuggets box too. Like Homme Fatale I'm a huge Captain Beefheart fan
as well as the Byrds and Sly and the Family Stone but I don't have any real links with the Hippie scene
(call it like you want) apart from the VU I love those pre-punks band like the
Sonics,Stooges,Modern Lovers and Kinks
No anti-hippie songs in the first LP: the Velvets were miles away from this minor conflict, way in their
world and in their sound
Like J.Cale once said: "our Viet-Nam was Heroin"

Venus in Furs.

I agree, too - any Nico, as her voice and "feel" was so very different than west coast music, different than American music, in general. That's what I love about the VU - they offer options to me, according to mood. For example, I'm wild about Southern Rock (i.e., Lynryd Skynyrd, etc.), but then there is the VU when I am in mind for them. And everybody in between....the Beach Boys are such fun; and then all the Brit bands....OH, isn't Rock and Roll wonderful?!!

Venus is Furs is the song that you hear when you're walking down a dark street and steam is rising from the sewers. Definately Venus.

Venus in Furs is the song that you hear when you're walking down a dark street and steam is rising from the sewers...

...and you look four floors up the side of a big old brick apartment building to your right, see red light coming from the window from which you hear Venus In Furs being played...

I would say the black angel's death song. If you only take the name of the song: "Black"; "Death". That's far away from anything the hippie culture stands for

GOOD point!!

definitely black angel's death song

Chance wrote:

Technophallus wrote:I never liked the US West Coast "psychedelia" scene but on the other hand I love the UK/London 1967 scene, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn etc...

Me too, although don't forget, Forever Changes is as good as anything by anybody. Surrealistic Pillow isn't bad either.

"Forever Changes" somehow escaped my notice all these years, but it's now on my top-ten list. As good as "Pepper," and better than "Pet Sounds," in my opinion.

As for the topic at hand... I agree with those who are saying there's really no point of comparison. The VU didn't make music to say: "Hey! We're the ANTI-Grateful Dead" - perhaps that's one of the reasons the music is timeless... it stands outside of its own generation. God, how people in California must have HATED that first album ...