White Light/White Heat - Definition

White Light/White Heat is The Velvet Underground's second album.

Recorded relatively rapidly in a period of a few days in late 1967, the record eschewed the more pop sensibilities of their first record, as well as that record's guest vocalist Nico. Distorted, driven by feedback and roughly recorded, the album became one of the prototypes for the early punk of The Stooges.

It contains unorthodox tracks such as "White Light/White Heat", "Lady Godiva's Operation" and "The Gift", the latter featuring a heavy rock rhythm mixed into one stereo speaker and a Lou Reed short story — laconically narrated by John Cale — in the other. The centrepiece, however, is the lengthy, improvised murder tale "Sister Ray", based on some of Reed's near-perennial concerns — drug abuse, violence, homosexuality and transvestism.

Track Listing

1. White Light/White Heat (2:47)
2. Gift (8:19)
3. Lady Godiva's Operation (4:56)
4. Here She Comes Now (2:04)
5. I Heard Her Call My Name (4:38)
6. Sister Ray (17:27)