For their third album, the self-titled THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, Lou Reed got rid of both producer Andy Warhol and art-rocker John Cale. And the result is a surprisingly melodic collection of soft ballads, thoughtful lyrics, and flashes of flat-out fun rock and roll that echos the sound of the band's previous recordings without actually repeating it in any discernable way.

This is the Velvet Underground's most accessible album, the one that most people first experience and find easiest to enjoy. After opening with the meloncholy "Candy Says," a song suggested by the musings of transexual Candy Darling, the band ramps up into a go-go beat with slightly mid-eastern guitar twists for my personal favorite on the album, "What Goes On"--and then settles into a series of equally memorable cuts that range from the soft beauty of "Pale Blue Eyes" to the mantra-like "Jesus" to the good time "Beginning to See the Light." Whether upbeat or meloncholy, Lou Reed's unique style of talk-singing imparts a chant-like quality to the entire album, and although he has sometimes equaled these vocals in later work, he has never really bested them. Of course, the Velvets wouldn't be the Velvets without out at least one truly far-out-down-right-weird selection, and they offer it with "The Murder Mystery," a collage of conversation-like speech and lanquid singing that changes rhythms from moment to moment and which challenges the listener to sort out the individual voices and words. And then the album wraps up with an unlikely 1930-ish tune, "Afterhours," sung by drummer Maureen Tucker--and her completely unaffected, non-singer and off-key voice has surprising unstudied charm, rather like that of a school girl unaware that she is being recorded.

Even straight-laced pop fans will likely enjoy this particular album--and as such it is the perfect place for the uninitiated to begin a journey into The Velvet Underground. Everything about it is beautifully done, and it is a welcome twist to the band's earlier, much edgier sound. Strongly recommended, especially for first-timers.

This fantastic album is the exact opposite of "White Light/White Heat": where "WL/WH" was loud, this one is quiet; where "WL/WH" was bold, this album is beautiful; where "WL/WH" was an undisputed masterpiece, this album is...um, also an undisputed masterpiece. (Damn, that was going so well...).

The Velvet Underground were such a great band they probably could have made even third-rate material sound interesting. Fortunately, they were never faced with this challenge. During his days with VU, Lou Reed was on one of the all-time great songwriting tears; and nowhere is this more obvious than on the band's eponymous third album. For the ballads alone, Reed's work here is staggering -- "Pale Blue Eyes," "I'm Set Free," "Candy Says," "Jesus." Throw in the two delirious rockers "What Goes On" and "Beginning to See the Light" and the undefinable but wonderful "Some Kind of Love," and you begin wondering which devil Reed made his pact with. No joke, folks: Lou has come up with a batch of songs here as uniformly strong as 'Blood on the Tracks' or 'Plastic Ono Band.' I can't give any higher praise than that.

This is one of my favorite all time albums. This compares with great albums like Let It Bleed by the Stones and Tommy by the Who.

Candy Says: This slow enchanting song that opens the album really is a beautiful piece of music. The guitar melody is very kind on the ears and they lyrics really stand out. Lou Reed was at the top of his game here.

What Goes On: This track I don't particularly love or hate. Its got a nice guitar solo but I just never took to it like many other VU fans.

Some Kinda Love: Really good groove tune here. Almost a country twang to it but of course in Velvet Underground fashion. That's a thing I've always loved about the VU is their knack for getting great tone out of their guitars. Nice job by Reed and Morrison.

Pale Blue Eyes: Greatest song ever written. Wonderful melody and some really deep lyrics. It's too beautiful for words. The line "Down for you is up." really hits home to the self destructive tendency in relationships.

Jesus: For a follow up to Pale Blue Eyes this track is pretty outstanding. Not even about Jesus really. Even an atheist like me can dig this VU gem.

Beginning To See The Light: I've loved this song from the first guitar notes. Everyone in the band is probably at their peak here. Kinda like a better What Goes On.

I'm Set Free: Just gets better and better. A lot of slow ones on here. This is a song that skipping it is not an option. Again, great guitar melodies all throughout.

That's The Story Of My Life: For a song thats a minute fifty-six seconds I think its pretty decent. Not really a deep ballad or up beat track its just sorta its own thing. Just adds to the color of the album.

The Murder Mystery: If you can pick out every line spoken in this song my hats off to you. Doesn't seem to make sense at first but towards the end when the piano kicks in it pulls the whole thing together. A truely original song that no other group has created before or since.

After Hours: Mo Tucker's somewhat child like voice makes this track. An oddity on the album but nonetheless it just seems to fit. You may hate it at first but it will grow on you.

That wraps up this review but I'd like to say again this is a damn good album, its just too band nobody really understood the band its first go-around. I've always loved the VU's guitar sound and particularly Reeds lyrics that only someone who went through the kind of stuff he did as a young man can write (Good thing electro-shock therapy has since been put away with).

After the noise fury and hedonistic characters introduced in their first two albums, Lou Reed & Co. take a wide left turn on this graceful classic. This is an album of fantastic breadth with some of Reed's finest writing ever. The quiet beauty that surrounds songs like "I'm Set Free" shows that the Velvet Underground could perform just about any type of song. The rhythm-guitar on "What Goes On" is simply awesome. "Beginning to See the Light" is joyous. Other tunes demonstrate the group's vulnerability. The bookend songs, "Candy Says" and "Afterhours" are heart-breaking. "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Jesus," perhaps the best songs on the album, are soul-wrenching. Though this may not be their best album, it is my personal favourite and my recommendation for those unfamiliar with the group.