Marcin ‘Gurcin’ Hadaś & his ‘Desert Island Album’

A RECORD I would take to a desert island?

An extremely difficult question. In fact, it would be hard to choose even just 10 such albums. Okay, but we have to pick one….first association, first thought?

‘The Velvet Underground & Nico,’ for sure.

From the very first sounds of the dulcimer, I got chills – ‘Sunday Morning’ is such a gem that shocks with its simplicity and power. You can already hear Nico’s hypnotic voice in the background, but about that in a moment.

‘I’m Waiting For My Man’ is a song that I think is classic Lou Reed and could easily be on one of his solo albums later. I love that electric piano at the end!

‘Femme Fetale’ is the first major exposure to Nico’s magnificent voice. It’s beautiful! The next track is a masterpiece for me – ‘Venus in Furs’ is a track that can be analysed a million ways but will always fall into the same place – it’s brilliant. And I got chills again at the chorus. John Cale’s electric violin inspired my daughter to play stringed instruments….

And then we have ‘Run Run Run.’ At first glance and by ear – an ordinary rock’n’roll song from 1967. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is where the departure from what seems normal actually begins!

And then we have the second song with Nico’s voice, ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties”.’ Beautiful. Great piano and Lou’s distinctive guitar complete the look.

The next track ‘Heroin’ seems the most personal. The lyrics are striking when juxtaposed with the music. That’s how I imagine heroin – don’t let your kids play this! Beautiful, but it hurts.

‘There She Goes’ foreshadows the vibe for future Velvets albums. Great track with Lou’s very distinctive guitar and vocals. And Nico returns again with his mesmerizing voice in the song ‘I’ll be Your Mirror’ (and a very distinctive guitar in the background!)

And then the ‘freakout’ begins! ‘The Black Angel’s Death Song’ is a tasty string foretaste of what’s to come.

‘The European Son’ begins innocently enough, like many of the Velvets’ later songs. But with the broken glass, we have the beginning of a madness that continues until the end. Why do I think it’s outstanding? Firstly – certain melodic solutions determined the direction in which punk rock was later born, and at the same time there is a lot of rock’n’roll and beautiful, lyrical melodies.

One of those records that I know by heart, but at the same time, I have the greatest fondness for.

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