Loaded (1970) was the fourth and final studio album by the Velvet Underground (until VU and Another View, both of which consist of material recorded before the Loaded sessions, were released in 1985 and 1986 respectively). Like the first three, it's a surprise. The sound of the album is more conventional, due largely to a more conventional rhythm section - Doug Yule had replaced John Cale on bass, and Maureen Tucker was on pregnancy leave. The album's title came from Reed, who correctly felt that the album was "loaded with hits". "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll" are both among the greatest rock songs, and "Head Held High" is up there too, in my opinion. There are several examples of the kind of melancholy that it seem like only The Velvets can portray, as well: "New Age", "I Found a Reason", "Sweet Nuthin'" and "Who Loves the Sun" are all beautiful heart-breakers.

Loaded also contains several references to doo-wop, the form of fifties rhythm and blues that uses vocals as instrumentation, which was where Reed's rock interest began. It brought to mind a great line in "Down at the Arcade" from New Sensations, his brilliant 1984 solo album: "It's rooted in the fifties, but its heart's in 1984". Substitute 1984 for whatever year you're living in at the moment and you have a pretty good description of this timeless band.

The Velvet Underground (1969), the group's third album, was a big departure from their previous work. John Cale had left the band at this point, and no time was wasted in getting his replacement, Doug Yule, into the game: he sings the opening track, the majestic "Candy Says", the song that sets the stage for the rest of the album. It incorporates themes and images concerned with loneliness, disappointment, moral decision-making and transcendence. The chord progression is both very unusual and very natural (not an easy combination to achieve): D/ F# minor/ F major/ B7/ E minor/ A7/ D/ A. The F major chord, which occurs between "...says" and "I've come to hate my body" provides a highly chromatic moment that gives the melody a strong feeling of direction - which continues throughout the song. The sound of the album, which also takes its cue from the first track, is completely counter to White Light/White Heat. Here, the band was looking for beauty - and they found it. The lyrics, the melodies, the playing, the instrumentation (which features a lot of acoustic guitar) and above all, the honesty - beautiful is the only word for it. It is without question one of the greatest rock albums ever made, and it never entered Billboard's Top 200. (As was written on a sticker on one of Joe Strummer's guitars: "Ignore Alien Orders".)