The Velvet Underground & Nico is not an album for the faint of heart, nor the weak of ear. It is an avant-garde monument that scoffs at the mainstream, proudly standing its ground on the edges of conventional music. It is the sonic equivalent of Dadaism, meant to be confounding, challenging, and ultimately, rewarding.
Listening to this album on vinyl is akin to reading Joyce's 'Ulysses' in its original print. The warm hiss of the needle, the ritual of flipping the record, it's all part of the experience. Each dissonant chord in 'European Son', Nico's icy delivery in 'Femme Fatale', and the relentless drone of 'Heroin' are best appreciated in this format.
Venture to stream this album and you're merely a tourist, gawking at the fringes of the musical avant-garde. But embrace it on vinyl, and you, dear reader, become part of the art. As Lou Reed himself would say, it's the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something. Choose wisely.