The Velvet Underground & Nico is a 2012 track-for-track cover of the Velvet Underground's debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, by artists affiliated with Castle Face Records. The album was a co-release of Castle Face Records and Universal. Each track is covered, in order, by a different artist, including Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, the Fresh & Onlys, and Warm Soda. The artists were described collectively as "Castle Face and Friends."
Reception and reviews
Before the album's release, three singles from the album received widespread attention: Thee Oh Sees' cover of "European Son", Ty Segall's cover of "Femme Fatale", and Blasted Canyon's cover of "Venus in Furs".
The album received mixed reviews. Consequence of Sound's Paula Mejia marked the album's "underwhelming beginning," while noting that "the majority of the tracks reverberate with awe-inspired shreds of noise, reeling and raw." The Vinyl District's Joseph Neff said the album "provides the problematic tradition of the tribute album with one of its better examples." John Dwyer of the East Bay Express declared there was "plenty of soul to be had" on the album, while noting that "some of the songs sound like flatter, demo-like iterations by the original band."