The Very Best of The Velvet Underground

There are Velvet Underground compilation albums with similar titles: The Best of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed (1989) and The Best of The Velvet Underground: The Millennium Collection (2000).

The Very Best of The Velvet Underground
Greatest hits album by the Velvet Underground
Released	March 31, 2003 (2003-03-31)
Recorded	1966–1970, New York City and Hollywood, US
Genre	Rock art rock experimental rock folk rock
Length	74:29
Language	English
Label	Polydor
Producer	Andy Warhol Tom Wilson The Velvet Underground Geoff Haslam Shel Kagan
The Velvet Underground chronology
Squeeze (1973) The Very Best of The Velvet Underground (2003)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]

The Very Best of The Velvet Underground is a compilation album by the Velvet Underground. It was released in Europe on March 31, 2003, by Polydor, the record label that oversees the band's Universal Music Group back catalog.

The album was released following a Hyundai television commercial, which featured the band's 1970 recording "I'm Sticking with You" from the "Fully Loaded" edition of Loaded . The version included in this compilation is from the VU album (recorded in 1969, released in 1985), despite a sticker's claim to the contrary on the front cover.

Track listing

All tracks performed by the Velvet Underground except † The Velvet Underground & Nico. All titles written by Lou Reed except as noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Sweet Jane"		Loaded (1970)	3:55
2.	"I'm Sticking with You" (1969 version)		VU (1985)	3:21
3.	"I'm Waiting for the Man"		The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)	4:37
4.	"What Goes On"		The Velvet Underground (1969)	4:55
5.	"White Light/White Heat"		White Light/White Heat (1968)	2:47
6.	"All Tomorrow's Parties†"		The Velvet Underground & Nico	5:55
7.	"Pale Blue Eyes"		The Velvet Underground	5:41
8.	"Femme Fatale†"		The Velvet Underground & Nico	2:35
9.	"Heroin"		The Velvet Underground & Nico	7:05
10.	"Here She Comes Now"	Lou Reed John Cale Sterling Morrison	White Light/White Heat	2:04
11.	"Stephanie Says"		VU	2:49
12.	"Venus in Furs"		The Velvet Underground & Nico	5:07
13.	"Beginning to See the Light"		The Velvet Underground	4:41
14.	"I Heard Her Call My Name"		White Light/White Heat	4:38
15.	"Some Kinda Love" (alternate take)		The Velvet Underground	3:39
16.	"I Can't Stand It"		VU	3:21
17.	"Sunday Morning†"	Reed Cale	The Velvet Underground & Nico	2:53
18.	"Rock & Roll"		Loaded	4:47
Total length:				75:11

Personnel

The Velvet Underground

• John Cale – viola, bass guitar, keyboards, celesta (3, 5–6, 8–12, 14, 17)
• Sterling Morrison – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
• Lou Reed – vocals except as noted, guitar, piano
• Maureen Tucker – percussion (2–17), vocals on "I'm Sticking with You"
• Doug Yule – bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, drums, backing vocals (1–2, 4, 7, 13, 15–16, 18)

Additional musicians

• Nico – lead vocals on "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Femme Fatale", backing vocals on "Sunday Morning"

Technical staff

• Andy Warhol – producer
• Tom Wilson – producer
• The Velvet Underground – producers
• Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan and The Velvet Underground – producers

References

1. Deming, Mark. The Very Best of The Velvet Underground at AllMusic
2. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.