10 Weirdest Cult Albums You Need To Hear
2. White Light White Heat - The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground will probably go down in history as one of the biggest cult bands in rock and roll. Though they never saw too much mainstream success, their flirtations with darker themes within the confines of rock and roll had an influence on everyone from David Bowie to the Strokes. The band's debut may get lifted up as their best, but if you want a more challenging listen, throw on "White Light/White Heat."
From the word go, this album is messy as all hell, with songs that sound like they're clipping the mics at every turn. Some circles may call this some of the most unprofessional recordings in history, but the band use it to their advantage across the record. While there are more artistic statements like "The Gift," songs like "Here She Comes Now" and "Lady Godiva's Operation" have become classics in the underground community.
Though the album might have a few standalone songs, the mammoth closing track "Sister Ray" is an experience unto itself, with it being nothing but Lou Reed spitting out venomous poetry over 17 minutes of guitar feedback. There's a lot of hard edges to this record, but it's journey from being a horrible album to a classic is one of the biggest underdog stories in music history.