Best of the 70's: Loaded by The Velvet Underground

Coming in at number 38 at the Best of the 70's list is this 1970 release and swansong from The Velvet Underground.  Like The Doors I think of these guys as a 60's phenomenon so it's odd to think of them on a best of the 70's list. 

This was their first album on a major label and they specifically made it as mainstream as possible.  It's a collection of ten fairly straightforward pop songs, with the big standout being "Sweet Jane."

These guys were hugely influential on the music to follow and I think the main reason is that they knew how to construct pop songs.  Yes they made experimental music, but they always were able to construct pop songs and here they really flex their pop muscles.  I think when you get down the road to bands like The Pixies you find that they understand you can use noise, you can use odd tempos, you can use whatever means you want to produce the sound you want, but you have to fit it around a good melody in order to achieve success, and I think they get that because that's what The Velvet Underground did.

If you want to own some Velvet Underground but aren't too crazy about experimental rock then this is the album for you.

Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 3 out of 5 stars for Pretty Good.