The Velvet Underground & Nico [Cardboard Sleeve] [Limited Release]

This album almost defies logic; it's not meant to be pleasant sounding and so any attempt to clean up this album seems almost sacrilegious and yet this album has inspired great musicians such as David Bowie (heck the whole punk rock genre) and even David Sylvian's Japan has done a very interesting rendition of "All Tomorrow's Parties" the original version here being my favorite track. If you had to translate avant-garde to music however, this album is what it would sound like. The late great artist Andy Warhol did the album cover and apparently produced the album as well. Like all sonic works of art, the only way to listen to this properly is to just experience the album allowing every note to slowly sink in with your eyes closed. From the almost innocent nursery-rhymish opener, "Sunday Morning" to the cacophony of the last track, "European Son", with gems like "Heroin" and "All Tomorrow's Parties" in between add the Dylan-esque spoofs of "There She Goes Again" and "I'm Waiting for the Man" and you have with the album design both a visual and sonic work of art. The sound quality isn't better than the older cds you have as this hasn't been remastered and hence only the 2 stars.