The Velvet Underground and Nico sounds terrible

Cafe Society
1

I’m not talking about the actual music- the songs are excellent, but the sound quality. Just listen to Femme Fatale.
It didn’t bother me when I had downloaded it because I figured they were just low quality mp3’s, but I bought it back in January and really noticed the sound.
Does it need remastering, or has it always been like that?

The cd I have is from 1996 I think. Oh, and the liner notes in it are terrible. They talk about the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, which really doesn’t have much to do with the album.

2

I have the same CD from 1990 and it still sounds great. (Aside from the intentional noisy parts, like the other-side-of-the-bridge-violin-jerking-off part in Heroin).

I suppose downloading one song from iTunes would be the ultimate quality test…

3

I guess I should try downloading it.

The worst part is in Femme Fatale, when Nico’s voice gets sort of distorted. It sounds even worse in the car (which gets terrible sound).

4

The thing you have to remember is that you can’t compare the recording quality itself to modern recordings (god forbid) or even big label contemporary recordings. Most of the record was more or less self produced, and then when it came to mixing, there’s the usual sixties distinction between mono (which the band put their effort into) and stereo (which was done more as an afterthought).

Even with mono, there seem to be different versions of the mono that have come out over the years. The best sounding version I’ve ever heard is the yellow label mono promo I have a tape from. The drum sound on that is just outrageously loud and good, and the guitars are over the top. Also, the vocals aren’t too loud (a problem with some of the CD editions). Someone should use that version and do a good CD pirate/reissue.

As for the distortion, well … some of us like distortion, even on the quieter songs. I’d rather it noisy than all cleaned up (like they tried to with the first CD edition - the one with the album title on the front cover).

5

I don’t know; I’ve got it on the boxed set (“Peel Slowly And See”) and the Deluxe Edition 2-CD reissue (with the mono and stereo versions), and those both sound fine to me. “Peel Slowly And See” was released in '95, so I imagine they probably used the same mixes for the '96 album, but I’ve never noticed anything wrong with the sound quality.

Speaking of remastering, the one band I wish they’d do a complete remastering of is Husker Du. Probably the best band with the worst-sounding albums of anyone I can think of.

6

You think the first one sounds bad? Try “White Light/White Heat,” especially “Sister Ray.”

7

I agree, but at least 1/2 the problem is the instruments and amps they used. Just awful…

8

I was about to come in here with guns blazing because I thought you insulted my precious VU.

But yeah, some of the sound quality ain’t so hot. Nevertheless, I love it.

9

In fairness, Nico always sounded terrible.

10

Yea, she had that deep, German thing going. I never much cared for it.

But the Velvet Underground was a great band. My favorite song is What Goes On. IMO it’s the ultimate crank-it-up song.

11

I’ve always wondered about that song. I thought she had some kind of speech impediment, because she pronounced the word clown as if it were ‘clonn’.

12

I still think it doesn’t sound right. I wish I knew how to explain it better.
Nico’s voice sort of blends in with the instruments in some parts. I can live with it most of the time, but in the car it’s really bad.

Hey, while we’re talking about it, is the double disc mono/stereo version really worth it? I could have bought that, but I wasn’t sure. It sounds like the mono version is better than the stereo version, which is what is on the normal cd, right? Is it a big difference? I don’t know much about this type of thing, but I thought the stereo version of Pet Sounds was better than the mono version.
If it’s worth it, I guess I could shell out more cash for the double one.

I love the album, by the way. I gotta go, I’ll talk more about it later.

13

I love her voice, always have. I guess that kind of thing is a matter of opinion.

I think that girl from Evanescence sounds like a dying cat, but people seem to love her. Different strokes, I suppose…

14

She always sounded like a reverse-chipmunk to me.

15

“Femme Fatale” sounds really awful on Spotify (using their highest quality stream). For a second I thought my speakers were blown but switching to a few other challenging songs alleviated those concerns.

16

This is one of my favorite albums, I love it! It sounds so modern like it could have been recorded in 2015, yet it was recorded in the summer of love!

But yea I agree with you it is badly recorded and produced, it is clear they used shitty equipment.

17

Nitpick: actually in 1966, the year before the summer of love (and released in March 1967).

18

Just to clarify: I do love VU, and the rest of the album actually sounds pretty good. That one song is really distorted, though, and not in a cool Sonic Youth type way.

19

I agree - When Nico’s voice get’s to a certain lower note level, it does sound like speaker cones that have separated. It’s not just Spotify though. I think that is the way it is on the record/cd/tape and even 8-track.

20

Yep, as far as the LP is concerned. But mine might be worn out.