The Very Best of The Velvet Underground

There are Velvet Underground compilation albums with similar titles: The Best of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed (1989) and The Best of The Velvet Underground: The Millennium Collection (2000).

The Very Best of The Velvet Underground is a compilation album by the Velvet Underground. It was released in Europe on March 31, 2003, by Polydor, the record label that oversees the band's Universal Music Group back catalog.

The album was released following a Hyundai television commercial, which featured the band's 1970 recording "I'm Sticking with You" from the "Fully Loaded" edition of Loaded. The version included in this compilation is from the VU album (recorded in 1969, released in 1985), despite a sticker's claim to the contrary on the front cover.

All tracks performed by the Velvet Underground except † The Velvet Underground & Nico. All titles written by Lou Reed except as noted.

The Velvet Underground

• John Cale – viola, bass guitar, keyboards, celesta (3, 5–6, 8–12, 14, 17)
• Sterling Morrison – guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
• Lou Reed – vocals except as noted, guitar, piano
• Maureen Tucker – percussion (2–17), vocals on "I'm Sticking with You"
• Doug Yule – bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, drums, backing vocals (1–2, 4, 7, 13, 15–16, 18)

Additional musicians

• Nico – lead vocals on "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Femme Fatale", backing vocals on "Sunday Morning"

Technical staff

• Andy Warhol – producer
• Tom Wilson – producer
• The Velvet Underground – producers
• Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan and The Velvet Underground – producers