The Velvet Underground - Loaded [Black Vinyl LP]

Atlantic Records wanted hits, so The Velvet Underground delivered their most accessible album and final statement with Lou Reed. Released November 1970, Loaded was the band's attempt to appease Atlantic's request for an album "loaded with hits." Though neither the album nor its singles charted upon release, Loaded contained two of Reed's most enduring songs and became the band's best-selling studio album. Since 1991, Loaded has sold over 250,000 copies, and Rolling Stone ranked it number 242 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York with Reed, Doug Yule, and Sterling Morrison, Loaded opens with three perfect pop-rock songs. "Who Loves the Sun" sparkles with Beatles-influenced harmonies, while "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll" became rock radio staples and proto-punk anthems. "Cool It Down" channels motorik rhythms, and "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" closes with devastating beauty. The production strips away avant-garde experimentalism in favor of tight arrangements and choruses designed to stick.

This black vinyl LP pressing captures what Paste called "among the best three-song openings on any rock and roll record." Loaded arrived as the Velvet Underground's final album with Lou Reed and marked the end of one of rock's most influential bands. What Atlantic hoped would be a commercial breakthrough became a cult classic that influenced generations of alternative and punk artists.

• Format: LP
• Standout tracks: "Sweet Jane," "Rock & Roll," "Who Loves the Sun," "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'," "New Age"
• Pressing details: Black vinyl
• Genre/style: Rock, Art Rock, Proto-Punk, Pop Rock
• UPC: 081227961350

The Velvet Underground's final album with Lou Reed delivered perfect pop-rock that influenced decades of alternative music.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Who Loves The Sun
2. Sweet Jane
3. Rock & Roll
4. Cool It Down
5. New Age

Side B:

1. Head Held High
2. Lonesome Cowboy Bill
3. I Found A Reason
4. Train Round The Bend
5. Oh Sweet Nuthin'