Originally Published on Mar. 12, 2017
The Song of the Day is:
The Velvet Underground – “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'”
From the album Loaded (1970)
After three groundbreaking raw albums, The Velvet Underground aimed for the radio on their fourth. They didn’t overwhelmingly achieve that goal, but they did create another classic album. Featuring a less edgy (refrained from sex and drugs), more polished and popular sound, Loaded delivered some of the bands strongest songs. “Rock & Roll”, “Who Loves The Sun” and the perpetually revisited “Sweet Jane” have all endured as a few of the band’s best songs. To say the band was in transition at this point would be an understatement, John Cale had left, drummer Maureen Tucker was on maternity leave, which left Sterling Morrison and bandleader Lou Reed who was setting his sights on going solo. New recruit Doug Yule was a welcome addition to the band, and he sung lead on four Loaded songs, including “Nuthin”. This song is a hard luck tale, delivered wistfully and featuring classic Lou Reed street characters. This, the last song on Loaded, it acts as a coda for the classic lineup. In a sour final note, Yule, the singer of this song and non-original member, would be the only member of the band to return for the last “Velvet Underground” album, Squeeze.
Hear Today, Grown Tomorrow 