10 Rock Albums That Went From Hated To Loved

Back in the ‘60s, the Velvet Underground weren’t really known as the most critical friendly band in the world. Despite their debut being heralded as an all time classic these days, there were quite a few critics that lambasted it from the moment they heard it, considering Lou Reed’s ramblings some of the most unprofessional recordings ever made. If you thought that I’m Waiting for the Man sounded unprofessional, you definitely weren’t prepared for what happened on the very next album.

It’s no secret why White Light/White Heat failed though, with the blown out production and jams like Sister Ray being way too much for the casual rock fan to really take in. Lou Reed was always about more than just the notes that are being played, and the overall feel of this record is a lot more sinister than before. Whereas the first album had its share of strange moments like Heroin and Venus in Furs, this is the equivalent of those moments being stretched out for an entire album, from the clipping going on on the title track to the story being told on The Gift.

For as jagged and slapdash as some of the songs may come across, there’s a certain aura surrounding this album that taps into something that’s a lot more primal. If anything, this is probably the closest the Velvets would ever come to making something that could be considered mood music. You just have to be in a very dark place to experience it properly.