White Light/White Heat

THE VELVET UNDERGOUND Released Turbulent Album ‘WHITE HEAT/WHITE LIGHT’ 50 Years Ago Today

Posted on by JL

Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…

30 January 2018

BAND: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

ALBUM: WHITE LIGHT / WHITE HEAT

RELEASED: 30 January 1968 – 50 years ago – their second and final LP with John Cale

ROLLING STONE says: “Of all of The Velvet Underground’s officially released studio and live albums, ‘White Light/White Heat’ is by far the noisiest and most difficult. “No one listened to it,” said Lou Reed of the LP in 2013, just a few months before his death. “But there it is forever – the quintessence of articulated punk. And no one goes near it.” The album’s ugly and aggressive sound was an intentional reaction against the flower-power vibe of the “Summer of Love”. Though generally thought to be about methamphetamine, “White Light/White Heat” may also have been partly inspired by Lou Reed’s interest in metaphysics. With its needle-pinning assault of overdriven instruments, and lyrics about methamphetamine abuse (the title track), botched medical procedures (“Lady Godiva’s Operation”), grisly violence (“The Gift”), cries from beyond the grave (“I Heard Her Call My Name”) and heroin-dealing drag queens (“Sister Ray”), White Light/White Heat was all about pushing the boundaries of sound and taste.”

TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: Experimental noise adventure or ‘arty farty’ shit, or both?
I don’t know, I wasn’t there, but I don’t care. Put this pandemonium on your headphones, turn up the volume and you’ll experience the sound of the foreplay, orgasm and after-sex madness of Apocalypse Now’. Special, indeed. Legend goes that producer Tom Wilson spent more time chasing women than actually overseeing the album. I just think he was kicked out of the studio by the band itself who just didn’t want anybody other than themselves in there, already enough big ego’s to start with. Anyway, about 2203 bands were influenced by this pitch-black havoc trip. I’m quite sure Lou Reed‘s idea for ‘Metal Music Machine‘ popped up right there and then…

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THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: Website – Facebook – Discography

10 Memorable Albums Turning 50 in 2018!…

Posted on by JL

When I went back in time to find out which outstanding
longplayers still sound spectacular today after 50 years I
was really surprised that some of them actually turn fifty
as you hear their influences daily in 21st century music.
Here’s my selection. Ten classics! Ten stunning survivors!…

1/ ‘ASTRAL WEEKS’ by VAN MORRISON
Rolling Stone wrote: “Van Morrison never sounded more warm and ecstatic,
more sensual and vulnerable, than on his enigmatically beautiful solo debut”
Released:  29 November 1968
Listen: here

2/ ‘BEGGARS BANQUET’ by THE ROLLING STONES
Time Magazine: “England’s most subversive
roisterers since Fagin’s gang in Oliver Twist”
Released: 6 December 1968
Listen: here

3/ ‘THE KINKS ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY’ by THE KINKS
Rolling Stone: “Each new hearing is a combined joy of renewal and discovery”
Released: 22 November 1968
Listen: here

4/ ‘WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT’ by THE VELVET UNDERGOUND
All Music wrote: “It’s easily the least accessible of VU’s studio albums, but anyone
wanting to hear their guitar-mauling tribal frenzy straight with no chaser will love it.”
Released: 30 January 1968
Listen: here

5/ ‘GRIS-GRIS’ by DR.JOHN
Rolling Stone: “A swamp-funk classic. ‘Gris-Gris’ blends
New Orleans R&B, voodoo chants and chemical inspiration.”
Released: 22 January 1968
Listen: here

6/ ‘THE BEATLES / THE WHITE ALBUM’ by THE BEATLES
All Music wrote: “None of it sounds like it was meant to share album space together,
but somehow The Beatles create its own style and sound through its mess.”
Released: 22 November 1968
Listen: here

7/ ‘OGDENS’ NUT GONE FLAKE’ by THE SMALL FACES
All Music wrote: “The ballsiest-sounding piece of
full-length psychedelia to come out of England in 1968”
Released: 24 May 1968
Listen: here

8/ ‘DANCE TO THE MUSIC’ by SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE
Rolling Stone: “Overall the album is uneven, but its highs are intense,
prolonged and ecstatic. Seductive melodies and horn lines tickle your mind.”
Released: 27 April 1968
Listen: here

9/ ‘ELECTRIC LADYLAND’ by JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
All Music: “Jimi Hendrix takes his funk and psychedelic sounds to the absolute limit.”
Released: 16 October 1968
Listen: here

10/ ‘MUSIC FROM BIG PINK’ by THE BAND
Rolling Stone: “The rustic beauty of The Band’s music and the drama of their own
reflections on family and obligations made ‘Big Pink’ an instant homespun classic.”
Released: 1 July 1968
Listen: here