#315Albums is a list of 315 albums that appear on both the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, as well as the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book, edited by Robert Dimery. At its best, it is a representation of some of the greatest music ever released; at its worst, it is a journey through the history of music that the majority see as important, influential, and/or relevant. If nothing else, these albums are worth experiencing at least once to get a better understanding of music, which is why we are working to complete all #315Albums.


No. 052

“Drowning their songs in guitar fuzz and drone, [The Velvet Underground] made the most extreme disc in their extreme catalog.”

Artist: The Velvet Underground
Album: White Light/White Heat
Released: 1968
Label: Verve
Rolling Stones Ranking: 293

I happened to land on the next Velvet Underground album while using the randomizer just after listening through their debut release, and, unfortunately, this one wasn’t nearly as solid as The Velvet Underground and Nico was. They play around with noise here for the majority of the album, which was my least favorite part of the debut release. There is one song on this album that is literally just two people talking at the same time – not singing, talking – over the music. It’s an experiment that I couldn’t get into. I didn’t hate the album, but it’s definitely at the bottom of my Velvet Underground ranking so far.

Cinefessions’ #315Albums Rating: 40%

Image and quote courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.