13. Velvet UndergroundWhite Light, White Heat

I chose the Velvet Underground as I remember buying White Light, White Heat at the same time as I bought the first Dinosaur Jr. record. I had enough money to buy two records, and I had heard it before so I bought it at the same time as that Dinosaur album, figuring I would get something new and something old. It’s another great example of how it’s OK to mistreat your instruments, it’s OK to make feedback, and it’s ok to make really weird noise that doesn’t have to go anywhere. You hear it later on, in loads of other people’s music, the inspiration that record had. When I was listening to Loop and Spacemen 3 this was the perfect way to see where those bands were coming from. The Velvet Underground as a band were just a beautiful band, and Lou Reed was a great songwriter. This in some way I hope has sunk in for me too.