The Velvet Underground - 1969 Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed (2 LP)
- LP
- 2 piece(s)
- 1974
- 17 tracks
- 1 uur, 42 min
- proto-punk
1969 Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed
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4.6
Average of 7 reviews
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1969 Velvet Underground Live with Lou Reed - A Game Changer This record was my first encounter with The Velvet Underground, way back in 1974. I've had both the original red label version and the 1975 "buildings" label reissue. I was in my final years of high school, and let me tell you, "rock-n-roll saved my life". This double album is in my "Top Ten" Live Albums of All Time, right alongside The Who - Live at Leeds (1970) & Grateful Dead (skull & roses) (1971). The Velvet Underground without Lou Reed? Not possible. When I first spun this live double-album, I was hooked instantly!!! I'd read a lot about them by 1974 in magazines (Creem, Crawdaddy, Circus, Rolling Stone, etc.), but I'd never owned a Velvet Underground record before this 2LP dropped in 1974. They were as rare as hen's teeth in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas where I grew up. From the very first notes, I knew I was hearing something special - the raw talent of lead guitarist and main vocalist Lou Reed, girl drummer Mo Tucker (Maureen Tucker), the smooth rhythm guitarist Sterling Morrison, and new bass player and organist / keyboard Doug Yule (who'd taken over from the departed old bass player and violinist John Cale). Right from the first track, they were the real deal. It was "pure rock-n-roll", played with joy and energy, way before The Ramones hit the scene a couple of years later. But these live recordings were from October & November of 1969 when The Ramones were probably still playing with marbles. Check out the songs, starting with the first one "Waiting For The Man" - complete with a spoken intro about pro football and staying up late on a school night... a responsible Lou Reed?? hard to believe, but it's right there, preserved in the historic grooves. "What Goes On" - what a groove!!! Doug Yule shines on organ! It should've been on Dick Clark's American Bandstand TV Show! A definite 95 score (at least), perfect for dancing! And I did! "Sweet Jane" - totally different lyrics version, and beautiful in melody, a great 1960s torch song. "Rock and Roll" - another fantastic dance groove song!!! Some of the greatest rock-n-roll songs are on this 2LP, and NOBODY in the world can beat "American rock-n-roll". This is as good as it gets! "Pale Blue Eyes" & "I'll Be Your Mirror" - 2 of the most romantic love songs ever written. "Sweet Bonnie Brown" / "It's Just Too Much" - an uptempo combo of 2 rare ones... Really, all 4 sides are so good I played them 100s of times in the 1970s. Even after I tracked down and bought the original 4 studio albums, I kept coming back to my "ear opening experience" of "1969 Velvet Underground Live with Lou Reed". I still give it a spin today, 45 years later. It still sounds like "authentic rock-n-roll" made by authentic rock-n-roll maestros!
Noticeable sibilance in the left channel for tracks like Ocean, Heroin on what I thought was a Near Mint copy. Has anyone else encountered this problem?
This is an amazing pressing, and I've got the first press too. It'll be handed down to my grown-up kids, right alongside the first press of the Velvet Underground and Nico.
Here's the rewritten review: "Here you'll find all the essential tracks from the Velvet Underground's albums that truly shine. I know that sounds like a strong claim, but these songs are absolute masterpieces. There's not a single track here that will make anyone want to leave the room. You won't find "Black Angel's Death Song" or "European Son," or any of those songs you'd typically listen to alone. Sure, there might be a few tracks that could have been included before "Heroin," like my personal favorite "Free Bird," "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" (which, by the way, the Sand Pebbles absolutely nail on their latest release), but overall, this is a fantastic album. It showcases the Velvet Underground at their best, without the pretentious art-rock, proving they were far more commercial and radio-friendly than people think. "Sweet Jane" is a brilliant, guitar-driven gem. Lou's voice delivers the lyrics with such ease, as if it's the simplest thing in the world. When this song first came out, it was unlike anything we'd ever heard. You can feel Lou's quiet, knowing smile in his voice and playing, aware that he's created something perfect. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" has to be the greatest rock song ever. It builds slowly in intensity, tempo, and lyrics, almost like a cinematic experience. Let's face it, this song is about sex, the act of making love—slow caresses, moans, sighs, longing, aching, just two people together in the moment, savoring the intensity, building to a smooth, understated guitar-driven climax with vibrating, reverberating drums. It's in your head, in your soul, in your outstretched fingers longing for more. Then it ends so quietly, you're left wondering if it ever happened at all. "Rock & Roll" is nearly six minutes of fast-talking jive, backed by a guitar solo that echoes in my mind to this day. The Velvets weren't about smooth harmonies; it was all about the toughness of the dance. There's nothing to complain about on this record. And like all Velvet Underground material, if you're not playing the vinyl, you're missing out. The tracks on 1969 are mostly of good sound quality, recorded with four-track equipment. Some tracks have light crackling, as they were sourced from acetates—the original tapes were lost. The CD release is worse in this regard, as some tracks were sourced from a vinyl copy. There's little ambiance or audience sound, because no audience mic was used, so the only ambiance comes from the vocal and drum mics. This makes the record sound flat and small, like only a handful of people were present. That's why so many people still search for the early first pressing and reject the compact disc versions. If you weren't there during those days, you can't imagine the freedom and access we had to the performers. Coming from Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, the Velvet Underground were just people who played music; they didn't see themselves as stars like musicians do today. They were very touchable. The hardest part for me, being a woman, was that as time went on, people thought we were groupies. I was just into the music and wanted to understand it from those who created it. So I was sincerely lucky in the early days. Review by Jenell Kesler
This is fantastic. This is really good. This is a great pressing that sounds amazing.
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