The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground (1969)

This is the Velvets' third album and their first without founding member John Cale, who had been replaced by Doug Yule.

I don't recall buying this (but I assume by the usual route - cheap in charity shop / boot fair), nor ever previously listening to it.

It's a much gentler album than the debut (the only other one I know), with all the songs written by Lou Reed. Opener Candy Says is a decent song, although I don't find Doug Yule's delivery convincing, and it's followed by the more upbeat What Goes On, a fairly ordinary listen, After that we get into more orthodox Lou Reed territory, with Some Kinda Love, a minimalist piece, Pale Blue Eyes, one of Reed's finest love songs, ending the first half with Jesus, the harmonies giving it much more of a folk feel than the rest of the album.

The second half kicks off with the joyous Beginning To See The Light, my highpoint on the album, immediately followed by the low point, the limp I'm Set Free. That's The Story Of My Life is bouncy, cheerful (musically, if not lyrically) taking us to the long, ominous Murder Mystery, a repeated climbing theme battling with a simple organ tune overlapping spoken vocals, and competing sung vocals (possibly the whole band?) delivering a moody climax to the album, apart from Mo Tucker's only VU lead vocal (until I'm Sticking With You was released in the mid 1980s) on the throwaway After Hours.

I wasn't expecting much from this album, especially given John Cale's absence, but I've been very pleasantly surprised. It's a great piece of 1960s psychedelia with a lot to enjoy.

Link to album tracks

4* - a surprisingly good third album from this seminal New York band