10 60s Albums That Shaped Rock
7. The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground were a beautiful mess of a band. Fronted by Lou Reed, this ensemble out of New York hooked up with legendary artist Andy Warhol to produce their first record along with German singer Nico.
The band's sound was a perfect blend between understated beauty and the most abrasive rock the world had ever heard at that point. On one side there would be gorgeous melodies on "Femme Fatale" and "I'll Be Your Mirror." On the other, there were songs like the narcotic diatribe "Heroin" and the masochistic "Venus in Furs."
The main strength running throughout the record is Reed's lyrics. Reed had a knack for writing about sensitive topics like S&M and drug dealing, but had such a level-headed delivery that made you believe every word he said. The songs could stand as pure poetry without accompaniment, but the music enhances the experience to an unforseen level. On songs like "I'm Waiting For the Man," you feel like you're on a dirty street corner watching a drug deal go down before your eyes.
For rock going forward, this record is about as proto-punk as it gets. Without it, modern rock's approach to music and lyrics would look vastly different.