pitchfork is dumb (#34985859340293849494 in a series.)

Venus in Furs is amazing. for some reason ive never really been impressed with "Black Angel Death Song" or "European Son" for that matter.

VU+N is great and the highs are insanely high but i feel like there is some filler here that WL/WH or VU doesn't have.

The bass run at the top of "European Son" = all-time

I have tried multiple times to get into Velvet Underground and... I can't. Most of the music on VU&N sounds like a bunch of people who can't play their instruments entertaining themselves while high to me; while it might be fun for others to go along on the ride, to me it just sounds self-indulgent and insular. There is a permanent, omnipresent wall between me and the music they're making and I don't think at this point they'll ever connect with me.

Venus in Furs is amazing. for some reason ive never really been impressed with "Black Angel Death Song" or "European Son" for that matter.

These are basically my three favourite songs on the album.

DJP, try this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969:_The_Velvet_Underground_Live

The fact that VU&N is at #3 on the RYM charts is still astounding to me, it's such a polarizing album

The fact that Madvillian is in the Top 100 on the RYM charts is still evidence that you should probably not give too much thought into the opinions of the type of people that populate RYM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaumyfPx3Ao

― frogbs, Wednesday, August 23, 2017 10:03 AM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The fact that VU&N is at #3 on the RYM charts is still astounding to me, it's such a polarizing album

The fact that it's below a shitty Radiohead album is the true puzzler

oh don't get me wrong the RYM charts are mostly trash but still

I would guess the RYM 60s chart is pretty close to the P4K one. Not too much prog, metal or video game music back in the 60s.

lol I just looked at that RYM chart, that there is enormous trash

oh god, I just got to Wanda Jackson's Fujiyama Mama. this is hilarious and awesome but so wrong.

The Matrix Tapes might be my favorite VU now actually

"Most of the music on VU&N sounds like a bunch of people who can't play their instruments entertaining themselves while high to me;"

Sunday Morning, Femme Fatale, All Tomorrow's Parties, There She Goes Again, and I'll Be Your Mirror sound like this to you?

All of those songs under three minutes long too except for All Tomorrow's Parties. But I guess you can be self-indulgent and insular in two minute pop rock songs.

"I have tried multiple times to get into Velvet Underground and... I can't."

Not even Loaded? Such a great well-made rock album with lots of awesome harmonies and melodies for choir fans.

Or the third album, which is lovely.

My guitar teacher plays in a band that covers a different act each month, perfectly replicating the studio versions of the songs. Steely Dan to the Band to the Replacements, Smiths, Neil Young, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Prince, etc.. It's usually pretty packed but he told me the smallest crowd they ever had was for the night they did the Velvet Underground.

yeah but everyone in that crowd went and started their own cover band

lol

ha

VU&N is a predictable pick for #1 but I'm not going to complain, that and the 3rd album are the two VU albums I still really enjoy. I definitely get Joan Crawford's point about the lyrics to Venus in Furs but sound-wise it's something else.

Favourite surprising thing about the list as a whole is all the jazz, especially the high placing for Out to Lunch.

Least favourite surprising thing is Sweetheart of the Rodeo placing all the way above Notorious Byrd Brothers (with Younger Than Yesterday nowhere to be seen).

yeah but everyone in that crowd went and started their own cover band

Ha!

sweetheart is better than notorious

I'm not a Gram Parsons fan (bar maybe Gilded Palace of Sin), not that much of a country fan in general. Notorious Byrd Brothers is all-time for me.

i think i just forget that there are people who don't love them. collectively they were so brilliant. and that includes mo. wishing they had a different drummer is like wishing the beatles had a different drummer. she was an integral part of their thing. i'm still so impressed when i hear something by them even after all this time.

i was playing my video game on the ps4 recently and i put on spotify and listened to live stuff for hours and there were so many HOLY SHIT moments. they still make my jaw drop.

No Shangri-Las on that list - no credibility

Mo's drumming on "Foggy Notion" alone!

i think one of the things that's so great about the 1969 live stuff is that it feels like Moe has really developed into this amazingly powerful player, driving the whole thing — still one of the reasons they hold up more than other 60s groups imo.

Shangri-Las are at #49.

I don't know that album though - I just listen to Myrmidons of Melodrama.

I liked that Pitchfork list overall. I kept thinking of people coming across it who hadn't heard a lot of it and how much fun it would be to go through it. And how much they would learn! Fun and learning all around. And I liked all the jazz. I am all for turning people onto great jazz.

60s-70s are easily 90% of my listening and there were still a few new things for me in that list, especially in the 200-40 spots

ah fuck it's early and i'm not thinking jmm, thanks...

myrmidons is one of the best comps out there

i feel like there is some filler here that WL/WH or VU doesn't have.

White Light White Heat has a second side that I think you should familiarize yourself with.

that's the good side.

haha yeah, we're calling "heard her call my name" and "sister ray" filler? ok.

i'm with alfred; every vu album except loaded has been my favorite at one point in time (currently i prefer vu to the other two)

in fact i might've had a delusional second or two where loaded was my fav, first side of that record sounds really lovely on a sunny day

Mo's drumming on "Foggy Notion" alone!

yes so otm! this is maybe my favorite Velvet recording, that rhythm is so punchy, so motorik, you have to love it. this song choogles.

the 60s is still all-time for me. im so glad so much music was produced back then, you could spend a lifetime just looking through it all.

VU and CCR are my two favorite death choogle bands.

"Black Angel's Death Song" sounds like a wheezy noisey Dylan joke. ive never really wanted to hear that song again. "Run Run Run" choogles but i prefer them in Gothic/Romantic/Decadent mode w Nico.

i looked at that list again and i know its good because i only found three things i would take off. i mean there is stuff i don't listen to on there like ray charles and the band but i get why they are there. but only three "really, out of everything in the 60s?" moments while looking at it. lots of stuff i DO listen to a lot.

loaded > s/t imo

VU and CCR are my two favorite death choogle bands.

― scott seward, Wednesday, August 23, 2017 12:21 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes

Run Run Run is so amazing. yeesh. i played it yesterday. still kills me.

i turned rufus on to CCR a couple of weeks ago. he'd never really listened to them. and there was one song playing and i said to him: listen, it's the VU! and he agreed. now i can't remember what song it was. sounded pretty uncanny.

frankly im just glad pet sounds wasnt #1

a lot of stuff on Pendulum could be VU.

loaded > s/t imo

― marcos, Wednesday, August 23, 2017 9:23 AM (four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

nonsense

no it is actually quite true

enjoyed your write-ups btw brad <3 and i had a good time listening to sonny sharrock yesterday