Velvet Underground/YMMV

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  • Broken Base:
    • Some fans just can't stand Nico's voice, but opinion on Nico is polarized even outside VU fandom.
    • There's also the more elitist fans who refuse to listen to anything the band did after Cale's departure.
  • Covered Up: "Sweet Jane" by the Cowboy Junkies, "Rock and Roll" by The Runaways. Thankfully, the songs from before they went Lighter and Softer have made it through countless covers more or less unscathed.
  • Crowning Album of Awesome: The Velvet Underground and Nico. Full stop. (Although others might nominate any of the four albums they made between 1965-1970.)
  • Crowning Moment of Funny: "The Gift" as a whole, notably the in-song "audience"'s reaction.
  • Face of the Band: Lou Reed.
  • Hell Is That Noise:
    • The screeching noises at the climax of "Heroin".
    • The roaring/grinding noise in "European Son" (which was actually John Cale dragging a metal chair across the floor.)
  • Misaimed Fandom: Although Lou Reed may have written and sung songs about heroin, he was actually rather shocked when he heard from fans saying that they started doing the stuff after hearing the song "Heroin."
  • Misblamed: It's not Yule's fault Squeeze exists. It's Steve Sesnick's.
  • Narm: Reed yelling "SHE'S TOO BUSY SUCKING ON MY DING DONG" on "Sister Ray". He does it so much it becomes a sort of Running Gag.
  • Narm Charm: This said, it's still one of the most beloved songs in the band's back catalogue.
  • Seinfeld Is Unfunny: While they are a rather influential band that pioneered the use of feedback, noise, and unorthodox tunings, modern listeners sometimes fail to realize why they were so groundbreaking due to how commonplace those things have become among more modern acts like Sonic Youth. They were also one of the first bands to actually blatantly mention controversial topics drugs, sex, violence, and so on, which are now common themes for songs, but in their time, many record stores actually refused to carry their albums due to the objectionable nature of their lyrics.
  • Vindicated by History: Brian Eno is credited with saying it best: only about a thousand people bought The Velvet Underground & Nico, and all of them started a band.