The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground (1969)
Considering I was born in 1972, all of my associations with 60s albums have nothing to do with the actual 1960s. I heard some of the records on this list as a kid, some in high school, some in college and some in my 30s and 40s.
The Velvet Underground’s self-titled album (which was actually their third release) is very much a college album. I first discovered it during my freshman year at the University of Florida, when I would make runs to the local used CD shop to discover new (and old) music.
I came to this album by way of R.E.M.’s cover of the gorgeous ‘Pale Blue Eyes,’ as delicate a love song as I’d ever heard. The rest of the album has the same hushed elegance of that standout track.
The Velvet Underground was a stark contrast to the band’s first two records, which had a heavier punk-rock sound. Some of these songs are downright cute, such as the closer, ‘After Hours,’ sung with doe-eyed charm by the band’s drummer, Maureen Tucker. But there is an undercurrent of melancholy that permeates the album and lends weight to the simple arrangements.
This is the only Velvet Underground album I own and the only one I’ve ever wanted to own. I could probably make an interesting list of great albums by bands I otherwise don’t really like.
That’s the difference between wrong and right
But, Billy said, Both those words are dead
That’s the story of my life
Meet Me In Montauk 
Although not many lyrics I still see why this song could be appealing. The music in this is really good. It’s the kind of music that would be in the background of a sad scene in a movie. Like I could of seen it being in the descendants in a scene where George Clooney is driving his car or running on a beach.
I’m not familiar with this album at all, but it’s nice to hear Reed “singing.” I wonder if Billy Joel was paying homage to this song when he wrote his same titled song as they sem similar.
Correction: Joel’s song is titled “Famous Last Words,”
I can hear Wilco covering this one. There really is other stuff to hear from VU, certainly its worth having the Best Of disc..