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[andalucia]

Didn't want to completely derail the jough's-musical-education thread, but I'm very interested to hear Loaded defended as the best Velvet Underground album.

Apologies to those who care less about this sort of thing than I do.

[Limmo]

Strictly talking out my ass here, but I think the reason Loaded tops many people's lists is that it is the only VU record that never went out of print.  
"Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll" got a reasonable amount of classic rock airplay, so Cotillion always made sure you could get that album on "nice-price" vinyl.  So I think a lot of people connected with the Velvets for the first time with that album, and first impressions stick.

I first became interested in the Velvets through R.E.M.'s cover of "There She Goes Again," the B-side of the "So. Central Rain" 45.  I wanted to hear the original, which in 1984 meant going to one of those record-collector conventions at a Holiday Inn.  I found a reasonably good copy of Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground featuring Nico for eight bucks.  

R.E.M. were my gateway drug for the Replacements, too.

ETA: the link

[jough]

Yeah, I first heard about the VU around 1988 when R.E.M. released "Dead Letter Office."

For many years after that my favourite album was the first one, "The Velvet Underground and Nico."  Then I went through a phase where I was sure that "White Light / White Heat" was the best.  But in the past few years it's been "Loaded" that I return to more often, and for the slow burners like "Oh Sweet Nuthin'" and "I Found a Reason" than for the hits like "Sweet Jane" or "Sunday Morning" (although I still admit an irrational love for "Rock & Roll").

"New Age" still works for me, and I even love the ludicrous "Lonesome Cowboy Bill."  It's just about the most perfect album ever made, whereas the other albums all have a track or two that you can skip over.

Also, Lou was starting to come out in front a little more and Loaded is a lot more sure of itself than the earlier records.  And it was the influence for Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" album (hell, Bowie even directly quotes VU lyrics in a few of the songs on Ziggy).  

Also, the cover is great, although of course not as good as the banana on the cover of the first album.

[miles]

and for the slow burners like "Oh Sweet Nuthin'" and "I Found a Reason"

Is Oh Sweet Nuthin the song about the Browns? I have to admit I have never owned Loaded so I get the titles mixed up and it's been a while since I have heard it.  Built to Spill reworked the lyrics a bit (if my memory serves me) for the song Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup.  I love both songs, though of course I love BtS' more.  Nowhere Nothin' Fuckup...well, it's just beautiful.

[Bozack]

Yeah, I dunno, I just am absolutely in love with every song on the album. It's one of the only albums where, over the last few years, I've gone through phases of listening constantly to every song.

[starlight]

I've only got The Velvet Underground & Nico.  when I first heard it, I just thought 'wtf?' inbetween yawns of boredom.  a few more listens and I thought it was alright, but I didn't feel the need to purchase anymore albums.  not sure what that says, but yes, I like the banana.

[andalucia]

The way I see it is, it's pretty clear which of the two scenarios is going to result in a better album:
1)  Andy Warhol saying "Hey, guys, you make an album.  I'll be standing around being Andy Warhol."
2)  An exec that'd just signed the band to a major label telling them to cut out the sex and drugs and focus on making an album "loaded with hits".

I just find Loaded boring as hell, and embarassing to listen to from the band I consider the all-time best.  I also just think it's audacious to call it a Velvet Underground album at all when Cale and Tucker don't even play on it.  I'd sooner listen to the VU without Lou Reed than without them.

[Nabubrush]

The only VU album I ever had was "White Light/White Heat" and I listened to it a few times, and it wasn't what they were supposed to sound like as I imagined them in my brain, so I gave up. I always thought that they should sound very threatening and frightening.

[slink]

The only VU album I ever had was "White Light/White Heat" and I listened to it a few times, and it wasn't what they were supposed to sound like as I imagined them in my brain, so I gave up. I always thought that they should sound very threatening and frightening.

Not done a lot of heroin then, eh?

Not that I have... Just...

[Nabubrush]

Well, I guess an analogy would be the Grateful Dead. I can remember being a little kid and not knwoing anything about the Dead, and thinking they must be like Black Sabbath. They ought to be really scary. And then it's all "Uncle John's Band" and everybody's happy. Why couldn't they have called it Grandpa Jerry's Jug Band and Bluegrass Revue?

[AugustWest]

Why couldn't they have called it Grandpa Jerry's Jug Band and Bluegrass Revue?

Ah, but then it would have been less enigmatic.