THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO | THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO
This 1967 album holds the DNA of all modern music and remains a celebrated work of art. Even 50 years later the album still feels pure and influential, as it planted the seeds for everything from punk to goth to indie.
There are certain albums that are romanticized through the years for creating a peerless cool that set the standard to strive for. Nearly every wannabe post 70’s rock star found a copy of this album at some point and feel a life-changing surge. The album was name checked from greats such as Michael Stipe and Kurt Cobain as being essentially influential to their own musical output. The loose and unintentional sound is something all aspiring artists strive to achieve, which is rarely genuinely achieved by most bands.
The Andy Warhol created cover cements its iconic place in time as a slice of NYC hipster underground history. The beautiful and gentle “Femme Fatale” breezes past with gorgeous melody and still somehow feels at home next to the sexy drone-dirge of “Venus and Furs” and bluesy addition-laden “Run Run Run.”
The album is cohesive in it’s own right, all gelled together by Reed’s love for drugs and his dead-pan it-is-what-it-is production. While it’s adulation over the years is warranted, the album itself is not a clean sweet of amazingness. It’s certainly powerful for what it accomplished in 1967, but it remains among many as more “cool’ than “great”.
The album feels druggy and gritty, shadowy and underproduced. It’s impact on music remains obvious but personal revelation with it’s genius remains a subjective experience. And that in itself is the kind of intent Reed had in mind for much of his output. You either get it, or you don’t.
This cocktail is built around the banana liquor which directly personifies the iconic Warhol image on the cover. The rum adds the addictive sweetness of Reed’s favourite drug while the scotch creates the smoky and gritty atmosphere surrounding the album. Sherry, syrup, and bitters round out all the flavours to build a PLEASURABLE yet unusual drinking experience to match the album’s hate it or love persona.
