10 Perfect Albums That Have Awful Production

When the Velvet Underground were first cutting their teeth in the underground New York scene, they seemed like everything unprofessional about rock and roll. Lou Reed's knack for songwriting may have been intact, but the ramshackle delivery of a song like I'm Waiting for the Man was enough for critics to tear them through the mud whenever they could. Any good song can shine through subpar production though, even if it sounds like it's coming out of a trash can.

While The Velvets' debut record with Nico was already getting blowback for being too unprofessional, the sounds of White Light/White Hear are borderline tough to listen to at times, as the band leans into the ugliness of the production and cranks everything until it distorts. It may have been difficult to take in all at once back in 1969, but what they were hearing then was the beginnings of punk rock, taking the basic structure of rock and roll and turning it into something with a lot more attitude.

Take a look at something like Sister Ray for example. There might be a simple structure behind the actual song, but the 17 minute long jam that weaves in and out of the mix was more than just making noise. It was about capturing the raw energy of rock and roll, and White Light/White Heat is rock in its most primal form.