Much
less celebrated than their
famous banana covered debut, Loaded
is often dismissed by die hard Velvet fans as not sounding like The Velvet
Underground, which ironically is not necessarily a bad thing for many
listeners! Indeed by the release of
this, their fourth album in late 1970, mentor Andy Warhol and his out of tune
chanteuse Nico had both moved on, and drummer Moe Tucker was on maternity
leave. John Cale, responsible for much of the band’s avant-garde edge with his
electric viola thrashings, had also left following musical differences with Lou
Reed who was now ready to write pop songs in response to the new record
company’s request for an album “loaded” with hits.
She's got the power, to love me by the hour.
The change in style is evident immediately on Who Loves the Sun which is so
reminiscent of the hippie pop coming out of California in the late 60s (and
ironically the complete antithesis of early Velvet Underground) that somewhere
there must be undiscovered kaleidoscope video footage of the band performing
this single in flower shirts standing on round podiums. The next three songs roll into each other
almost indistinguishably; each a classic of efficient straight forward rock
with infectious hooks and great lyrics: Sweet
Jane (arguably Reed’s greatest ever song); Rock and Roll (“her life was saved by Rock and Roll!”); and Cool it Down (“she’s got the power, to
love me by the hour!”). The first half ends with the anthemic New Age that builds gradually to a
thrilling singalong climax:
Something’s got a hold of me, but I don’t know what.
The power subsides slightly on “side two” with the country
rocker Lonesome Cowboy Bill, a pretty
ballad I Found a Reason, and Train Round the Bend which is more
characteristic of the Velvets’ earlier sound with Reed yearning for a return to
the neon lights of the city. Again the half ends with a stadium-like anthem,
the beautiful epic Oh! Sweet Nuthin’
with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule’s lovely bass lines, and his brother
Billy’s scatter gun drumming.
What is most evident throughout Loaded, and in contrast with the more primitive quality of their
earlier (albeit more influential) recordings, is this band can really play. But
despite containing some of Reed’s greatest compositions the hits did not
materialise. Frustrated by elusive commercial success the leader of one of the
most decadent bands in history bailed out and went home to live with his
parents, before re-emerging a couple of years later to solo superstardom.