"The Velvet Underground & Nico"

Ranking: #13

Original Release Date:  12 March 1967

Genre: Psychedelic Rock

This was the debut album for The Velvet Underground, which they developed during their work in 1966 with Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour. At Warhol's urging, they included the vocals of German singer, Nico, in their recording of certain songs on the album. Let's set the stage - the bulk of the recording was done in April 1966. It was pretty boring month in what was an overall dramatic year - "The Sound of Music" won at the Oscars. Historically, the tide was turning regarding support for the Vietnam War, as protests sprung up more frequently in the United States and across the other parts of the world. The hemlines for the iconic '60s mini-skirt hit the upper thigh, causing mothers everywhere to clutch their pearls in horror. And Star Trek made it's debut in September of 1966, amidst a smattering of American and Soviet successes in the race to space. The airwaves were being dominated by the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones. In the face of all this talent, both at home and abroad, the Velvet Underground - with their proto-punk sound and songs that veered a bit too deeply into controversial topics - were fairly unknown. When "The Velvet Underground & Nico" was released, literally no one cared. Their debut album would initially only sell about 30,000 copies - nowhere near platinum (or even gold) status - but this album is cited as a major influence in the emergence of more experimental sub-genres that came in later eras.

The content of this album was, at the time, explosively controversial. It covers drug abuse, prostitution, BDSM (the song, "Venus in Furs," was inspired the iconic 19th century novel about sado-masochism), and other forms of sexual deviancy. Lou Reed, the chief songwriter, was inspired by the poetry and works of Beat generation writers, such as Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs. He felt that combining the dark subject matter in their works with the rawness inherent in music was "obvious." The music on the album varies from song to song. Some songs tend towards the folk music, others are more obviously rock-based. The band wanted to experiment with the range they could get from their instruments, to create a truly unique sound. John Cale played viola on "Venus in Furs" and "Black Angel's Death Song." In the latter, you can really hear the effect of his style of detuning and distorting the notes to get a distinct quality. On other songs, the guitars were often tuned in different ways, including Reed's invention of "Ostrich Tuning" in which all the strings are tuned to the same note. Combine that with Nico's deep crooning and Reed's sing-song chanting, and you've got an album that is somewhat of a mess but also deeply interesting to listen to. The final song, "European Son," ends with what essentially a 5-minute jam session that slowly devolves into chaos. An assault to the senses, but in a good way. I'd like to think Lou Reed would consider that a compliment.

Later albums would be more organized and orchestrated, but the Velvet Underground's debut reflected the culture it was born into. A nation trying to reclaim its voice in the midst of a Civil Rights movement and an unpopular war. A music scene dominated by overseas pop-rock, where everything seemed happy, even when it wasn't. And a future that was ripe with possibilities as we got closer and closer to reaching the moon. America was a hot mess during the '60s, much like this album. But the events that occurred during those years shaped the country for decades to follow.

I am tired, I am weary

I could sleep for a thousand years

A thousand dreams that would awake me

Different colors made of tears

Astrologically speaking, 12 March 1967 was a fairly good day. The Sun was in Pisces, which is fitting since a good portion of the album is chill and dreamy sounding. Mercury was retrograde, which could explain why critics at the time didn't get the album, but it's cited retroactively being influential. That tends to happen in charts where Mercury is Retrograde - the person or event's underlying messages aren't understood clearly but become more powerful as time goes on. There are a lot of Aries placements in this chart as well - Aries is the sign of individuality and those with key placements in Aries tend to blaze a trail wherever they go. The final thing I will point out about this album's chart is that multiple planets/points were in opposition and conjunction. The Sun was opposite Uranus - an individual with this aspect would be considered a free-spirited person who believes they are immune to the rules. Uranus was conjunct Pluto, a generational aspect that indicates a shifting global environment away from the status quo. Pluto was also conjunct the Midheaven, another placement which would indicate the potential to be powerful and influential. Interesting.

The song featured to day from the album will be "Venus in Furs," to showcase the creative use of the viola. It also embodies the exact blend of irreverent lyrics and hazy, psychedelic melody that defined the Velvet Underground. Enjoy!

"Venus in Furs" Video