Our hats are forever off to Brian Eno, who observed in a 1982 interview that The Velvet Underground’s debut album only sold 30,000 records, but everybody who bought one started a band. Eno was referring to the countless up-and-coming groups who were, at that time, either covering the Velvets’ songs or copping their sound, but there’s a deeper meaning to his observation as well: The Velvet Underground’s music dared you to start thinking differently; to approach your life in a more creative way. To that end, there are some truly transgressive songs in their catalogue, but there are also some of rock’s most beautiful love ballads and celebratory rockers. Since the main VU line-up was only together for less than five years (The Velvet Underground was christened in late 1965; Lou Reed left in August 1970), the 20 best Velvet Underground songs on our list include more than half their core catalogue – which didn’t make it any harder to narrow it down.

In 1993 the original quartet staged a reunion tour that imploded before it ever got to the US, but their double-live album Live MCMXCIII gave a fascinating glimpse of what might have been. There are two particular moments when the magic kicks in: “Hey Mr Rain,” an old outtake stretched to 16 minutes, and “Coyote,” the one new song of the reunion – a mysterious mini-epic and a rare John Cale and Lou Reed co-write.