The Velvet Underground: The Very Best Of

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald Rating: * * * *)

The liner notes to this further compilation of the ever-influential Velvet Underground's better-known moments makes reference to this being required listening for fans of the contemporary likes of the Strokes and the Vines. But it's release is really due to I'm Sticking With You — a ditty sung by drummer Mo Tucker, which wouldn't otherwise get a look in on any VU best-of — being used in a telly ad for a certain brand of car.

That one comes up as the second song after it starts with the inevitable Sweet Jane, while the other 17 songs from the band's four studio albums are logical, if Lou Reed-centric choices, including Waiting For the Man, White Light/White Heat, Heroin, Venus In Furs and Rock and Roll. A tidy collection and not a bad place to start if you've ever wondered why so many think the late 60s group is still considered so important. And useful as a VU album for the car, too.


Label: Universal