Velvets' Albums Ranked...

Just to state the obvious, there are no weak horses here ~ all are essential. I LOVE White Light/White Heat. But you backed me into a corner

 

White Light was always tbe dark horse mysterious one. Loaded doesn't even sound like the previous three, but it's had more plays than the others.
Rightful pecking order should read.

Loaded
VU
VU & Nico
WL/WH

 

Been on the look out for Velvet Underground mugs. Anybody got any ?

 

VU & Nico
s/t
Loaded
White Light

VU and the 69 live album are pretty essential too

 

I don't know exactly how to rank 4 albums so different from one another. Love all four. Would probably rank Loaded last. The other three would change from minute to minute.

 

1st - VU & Nico
2nd - VU
3rd - Loaded
4th - White Light/White Heat

 

Self Titled (3rd album)
VU (the "fourth album")
VU/Nico
WL/WH
Loaded

 

Nico
White Light White Heat
Loaded
Self-titled

 

for decades WL/WH would have been # 1 hands down more recent the 3rd album seems like my fave.
so right now it is
the velvet underground-lou as a maturing songwriter
WL/WH-raw experimental and some of the best electric guitar ever recorded
loaded/ and nico-kind of a tie. again i dig the maturing lou reed and his songwriting(no surprise i am a big big fan of his
solo work) and The VU are one of my favorite bands topped only but the kinks (until 1976 but not after) with the Fall a close 3rd. and nico just never felt coherent to me for some reason.it was i think bascially the songs lou had written up until then and they just didn't flow well as an album. i do love nico's chelsea girl and maybe more than any of the actual albums by the VU. the VU and nico is kinda like sgt pepper in that it is held in high regard but does not quite jell.
oh and i also love cale and his solo output. maybe as important as anyone in contemporary music if you consider his production work and his classical/soundtrack releases.