“Standing On A Corner” . . . The Velvet Underground’s Loaded

One of my favorite albums of all time was released 53 years ago this week. That would be Loaded by The Velvet Underground. I was first exposed to the record by my brother who bought it based on a review in The Village Voice when it first came out in 1970. We had just moved from Brooklyn to Co-Op City in the Bronx and I was definitely not feeling it. This record, among others, helped me get through a long, shitty Winter.

Loaded was the final album Lou Reed recorded as a member of The Velvet Underground. Multi-instrumentalist John Cale had left before the third The Velvet Underground album and drummer Moe Tucker was on maternity leave. It is interesting to note that Lou Reed said, “Loaded didn’t have Maureen on it, and that’s a lot of people’s favorite Velvet Underground record so we can’t get too lost in the mystique of The Velvet Underground… It’s still called a Velvet Underground record. But what it really is, is something else.” Another factor in Loaded being “something else” was the the increased presence of multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule. Yule’s lead vocals were featured on four songs: “Who Loves the Sun”, “New Age,” “Lonesome Cowboy Bill,” and “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’.” Yule also handled all of the bass, piano and organ duties, and also recorded several lead guitar tracks. The guitar solos on “Rock and Roll,” “Cool it Down,” “Head Held High” and “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” were all played by Yule. Still, Loaded featured Lou Reed’s two best known songs, “Sweet Jane” and “Rock and Roll”, songs that are certified classics.

The Velvet Underground – Sweet Jane (Original Album Version)

Rock And Roll (Full Length Version)

Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (2015 Remastered)

A great album that is well worth your time to check out.