The Velvet Underground & Nico marks the first studio release by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, made in collaboration with German vocalist Nico. Issued by Verve Records in March 1967, the album was largely recorded the previous year at a Ludlow Street location in New York City during the group’s involvement in Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia tour. Warhol, who also created the album’s distinctive cover art, served as co-producer alongside Tom Wilson.

Musically, the album fuses avant-garde influences with raw, stripped-down, groove-oriented rock. Lou Reed’s songwriting and lead vocals present stark, unfiltered narratives that address topics such as drug addiction, sex work, sadomasochism, and urban experience. Its abrasive style and provocative lyrical content resulted in limited commercial success and deeply divided critics upon release. The record was banned by some retailers, ignored by many radio stations, and rejected by certain publications for advertising.

Over time, The Velvet Underground & Nico came to be recognized as a visionary and highly influential work, appearing on countless lists of the greatest albums ever made. The Observer named it the most influential album in its “50 Albums That Changed Music,” while Pitchfork ranked it as the top album of the 1960s. Often cited as the foundation of art rock, the album has left a lasting imprint on numerous rock and alternative movements, including punk, garage rock, krautrock, post-punk, post-rock, noise rock, shoegaze, gothic rock, art punk, and indie rock.

Today, the album is celebrated as a cornerstone of both rock and pop music history. It was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2006 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance, followed by its inclusion in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008 in recognition of its enduring significance. Despite modest initial sales, the album has since been certified platinum in the United Kingdom, surpassing 300,000 copies sold. In 2023, Billboard placed it at number one on its list of “The 100 Best Album Covers of All Time.”