The Velvet Underground, Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (Picture Disc)

Their debut album brought the New York band to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. The Anglo-Saxon rock press and feuilleton give him a place in the Top-20 of the "greatest", "most influential", "most prophetic", "most revolutionary" albums of all time: from "Rolling Stone" to Spin, Uncut and Mojo to the Guardian. The venerable National Library of the USA (Library of Congress) has included it in its archives. "The Velvet Underground & Nico" even inspired the "Velvet Revolution" in the former Czechoslovakia in 1989

Protected by pop-art godfather Andy Warhol, who designed the world-famous cover, recorded in a morbid New York studio, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" is a bold venture full of lyrical abysses and great sound experiments. When released, the LP was a colossal flop. Even 1967, the year of Jimi Hendrix, the Doors and Frank Zappa, the Velvets were too hard. No one wanted to deal with it in the year of Sergeant Peppers. Only decades later "The Velvet Underground & Nico" was canonized. Without ever exceeding number 171 in the US charts, The Velvet Underground are one of the three most influential rock bands in history. Without their first album Glam-Rock would not have existed, nor would Krautrock and Punk, Gothic, Grunge or Noise-Rock. David Bowie? The Stooges, Can, Roxy Music or The Jesus And Mary Chain? They'd all sound different

The famous quote from Brian Eno sums it up: "Only five thousand people ever bought a Velvet Underground album, but every single one of them started a band."

"When evil came into rock'n'roll, a huge box finally assigned the classic its worthy place in rock history." (music express, November

2012)