The Velvet Underground

This Universal EU compilation -- despite the title, that's what it is -- essentially breaks down the Velvet Underground's work into phases over its two discs. Disc one features the original Velvets with Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker with Nico (the band that recorded the famous Andy Warhol Banana Peel album); the rest of disc one comes from White Light/White Heat. Disc two is more of a hodgepodge made up of cuts from the self-titled album and Loaded. These are both post-Cale efforts. Doug Yule was brought in to replace him and the rest is history. The compelling argument for not including live tracks from the Live at Max's Kansas City double set, and assembling only studio material instead, is essentially how fundamentally the nature of the band changed after Reed assumed undisputed leadership. Disc one and disc two, while full of great songs, differ radically in approach, and it's compelling to hear them side by side. The violence, experimentalism, and utter chaos on disc one are replaced on disc two by Reed's love for early doo wop and rock & roll melody and his burgeoning gift for storytelling -- in other words, Reed's ambitious journey toward the songwriter he has become. There isn't anything new or unreleased here, and it's not complete by any means, but it is a killer mix set that portrays the band in a historical sense for its entire run. The sound is also top-notch. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide