10 Classic Rock Albums That Were AHEAD OF THEIR TIME
2. The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground
As the British Invasion first started to sweep across the world, rock was still known as just being in one particular genre. No matter if you were the Kinks or if you were the Dave Clark Five, every single band was placed under the same mantle that Chuck Berry made famous a decade earlier. The action may have been in the UK, but things were getting a lot more dangerous in New York.
Coming out around the same time as the Summer of Love, the Velvet Underground were known as one of the most unprofessional rock groups at the time, with critics calling their debut album subpar and having no place in the rock scene. Upon years of review though, what Lou Reed was starting here was the beginning of alternative rock, indie rock, and punk all rolled into one.
With no regard for anything sounding pretty, every song on here details what it's like to live on the grimy side of the tracks, whether it's putting a spike into your veins on Heroin or the S&M talk throughout Venus in Furs. And if you aren't careful, songs like Sunday Morning and All Tomorrow's Parties may end up melting your heart. The old time rock and roll had had its time at this point. It was time to bring a little bit more art into the conversation.