POO: VU worst song

Better to choose a good group that wrote some genuinely tried-but- failed BAD songs, say Pavement "Major Leagues" etc.

"if epiphany's terror reduced you to shame / choose again"

doesn't get much better than that. just think of it as an opiated sea shanty.

On the other hand, I could never stand "Who Loves the Sun" or "The Murder Mystery."

The worst Velvets song is "European Son," which starts out good but gets more and more pointless as it goes along.

Is this some kind of alternate US title of this song that I'm not aware of?

anyway..yeah..European Son....haven't listened to it the whole way through since 1988.

Worst VU song is probably the one about coyotes on the meaningless reunion live album. So bad that I cannot even conjure its name.

'Black Angel's Death Song' and 'European Son' are fantastic, tho' - it's not always abt the fuckin' 'tunes' - it's abt the drones too!

It's called "Coyote".

As far as I'm concerned, any song by them not called "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "White Light/White Heat", "The Gift", "Lady Gadiva's Operation", "I Heard Her Call My Name", "What Goes On", "New Age", "Foggy Notion", "Temptation Inside Your Heart", "Hey Mr. Rain" "The Ocean", or "Guess I'm Falling In Love" is equally scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Jesus, nearly half of those I actually like are studio out-takes.

Motorcycle Boy did a cover of a Velvets song? The same Motorcycle boy that was ex-Shop Assistants singer? How much would that be my DREAM song?!?!? Details, please...

The Velvet Underground & Nico - "European Son" - bad attempt at free jazz, and it doesn't rock either
White Light/White Heat - I love every minute of this record, but "Here She Comes Now" is probably least best
The Velvet Underground - "Pale Blue Eyes" - Sterling Morrison didn't like this dull relationship song, nor do I
Loaded - "I Found a Reason" - don't dislike this, but I prefer the folk-rock "demo" version
VU - "Temptation Inside Your Heart" - weak joke song
Another View - "Ferryboat Bill" - even weaker joke song

I’ve never heard anything after Loaded, but I pretty-much adore every song, period, and can’t stand much solo Lou

Worst song for me is Black Angel Death Song, or European Son

Sterling Morrison didn't like this dull relationship song, nor do I

He hated it so much that he created one of the greatest guitar parts and most beautiful solos of all time for it

That bass line in European Son, though.

(xp) Indeed, it was Lou singing a song about an old girlfriend that Sterling objected to ... an old girlfriend of Lou's, in case of confusion!

Shelley! Did Sterl say “I can’t stand it!” to Lou?

I don't think there's any Velvets song I dislike. I probably like "The Murder Mystery" the least, mainly because it overstays its welcome.

And tylerw otm re: Sterl's part on "Pale Blue Eyes."

I’m honestly not sure there’s a “bad song” on those six albums (“Ferryboat Bill” is obv no “What Goes On,” but I still like it).

Love "Ferryboat Bill". There's a fairly dull bluesy instrumental on "Another View".

Loaded - "I Found a Reason" - don't dislike this, but I prefer the folk-rock "demo" version

wow this is good. and very welcome. maybe an unpopular opinion, but "I Found a Reason" is the only VU song i don't like.

I'm guessing it doesn't count, but "Move Right In" off "Another VU" is a long instrumental backing track without vocals that goes nowhere at moderate speed.

Black Angel's Death Song is my favourite track on VU&N! I love how twisted and compact it is, and I love the textures on it too, the screeching viola and hisses of steam are really satisfying to my ears

The copy of VU & Nico I started out with, and had for decades, was a dub of a cassette that was sequenced differently from the LP (as was often the case with pre-recorded cassettes), so “Black Angel’s Death Song” is the second song (“Waiting For The Man” is second-to-last). I thought the sequencing was pretty daring: you got us feelin’ groovy with “Sunday Morning,” then suddenly you hit us with “oh, we also do this screechy, frantically wordy stuff.” It’s the only way I can hear the album. The correct sequencing feels wrong to me.

There's nothing that I hate.

Black Angel's Death Song is annoying.
Run Run Run is harsh.
Move Right In is unfinished.
I'm not always in the mood for Sister Ray.

But The Gift is just dull, and the one I most often want to skip. The extreme left/right stereo makes the voice too prominent and abandons the music to the background. That said, if it were mono with both tracks centered, I would probably be fine with it.

You’re in luck there is a mono mix!

https://www.discogs.com/release/2363684-The-Velvet-Underground-White-LightWhite-Heat

"Train Round the Bend" has always stood out to me as exceptionally bad, and I'm always surprised it never comes up in discussions of worst/least-favorite VU songs. Plodding, tuneless but not in a fun droning way, brutally dumb lyrics and possibly the most irritating vocal performance of Lou's career. The rare occasions when I can get all the way through it are never without laughter. Incredible to me that it made the final album when compared to the stuff from those sessions that didnt make it.

possibly the most irritating vocal performance of Lou's career.

I take it you've never heard the 1993 live reunion album?

"Train Round the Bend" rocks

Black Angel's Death Song and European Son are top 10 most-played VU for me.

Listening to Live MCMXCIII rn, never heard it before except Venus in Furs which was on the Dunlop tyres advert single.

"Train Round the Bend" rocks

True. That guitar sound is awesome. As for the lyrics, the idea of Lou Reed being a farmer and planting stuff is obviously intentionally ridiculous.

It's admittedly hard for me to be objective about Loaded... I got into the album (via the Fully Loaded Edition) after I had moved across the country (from NYC to a quiet suburb) for grad school; realized I wasn't meant to be there; and had to work through the fear & uncertainty of bailing, going somewhere else, trying something new.

The running theme in Loaded, about picking yourself up and taking your own path – as particularly expressed in "Head Held High" and (yes) "Train Round the Bend" – really spoke to me at that moment, and the album resonated with my life in a way that albums usually don't for me (plus, it's just so damn good!).

("I Found a Reason" makes it explicit – "I do believe / If you don't like things you leave..."). Maybe corny, but it's sure what I needed in that moment.

thanks for articulating what i like about loaded so well, it's absolutely a "gotta move on" record, explains why it always sounds great on the road!

xxxp as someone who grew up in a small town in the country but from young childhood always wanted to get out and move to London, the line "I'm sick of looking at trees, take me to the city!" always struck home.

cosign Loaded as a great road album. yeah i mean i dig the sentiment of "Train" fine but have always found it hysterical and kind of embarrassing that he's literally just yelling "I'M TIRED of the COUNTREEEEEE! I'm sick of TREEEEES! Take me to the CITYYYYYY!!" Like he might as well be hollering "Velvet Underground SONGGGGG! Lou REEEEED!! New York CITYYYYY!!" It makes the adlibs on "Temptation Inside Your Heart" sound carefully crafted by comparison.

You’re in luck there is a mono mix!

https://www.discogs.com/release/2363684-The-Velvet-Underground-White-LightWhite-Heat

― Crabber B. Munson (Boring, Maryland), Monday, June 19, 2023 2:18 PM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah, I've got that one. And despite what Lester Bangs says, it's been played to bits and it still sounds great

It's gotta be "Hey Mr Rain" the most vapid Dylan pastiche ever.

yeah but the viola

one of moe's best grooves, too

love hey mr rain

He hated it so much that he created one of the greatest guitar parts and most beautiful solos of all time for it

Playing a blues solo over the major key chord changes shows he was trying to mix some lemon in with the sugar.

"hey mr rain" is one of my fave velvets songs ever lol

also no fair calling it the most vapid dylan pastiche ever when "prominent men" exists

that's my pick, by the way, for "worst velvets song"