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The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground & Nico (Verve)

Richard Goldstein, The Village Voice, 13 April 1967

THE VELVET Underground is not an easy group to like. Some of the cuts on their album are blatant copies: I refer specifically to the progression lifted from the Rolling Stones' 'Hitchhike' in 'There She Goes Again'. The lead vocal on other songs sound distressingly like early Dylan. Some of the material is dull and repetitive. And the last two cuts, 'Black Angel's Death Song' and 'European Son' are pretentious to the point of misery.

Total word count of piece: 205

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