 "The Great Lost Velvet Underground Album" | 2009-08-13 |
| - Reviewed By wperkins@onramp.net |
None of the Velvet Underground's first three albums on the Verve label sold well. Their debut peaked at #171 on the charts; the next two didn't even make it that high. For years, rumors persisted of a fourth album of material recorded while the band was still under contract to Verve, but nothing ever came of it. (The band's final album, _Loaded_, was released on Warner Brothers in 1970).
Then in 1985, shortly after Verve remastered and released the groups first three albums, the tapes for _VU_ were discovered; the album's release was accompanied by triumphant reviews. "Foggy Notion" combines Reed's bizarre lyrics with a rock solid rhythm section; Mo Tucker is in rare form here, laying out a metronome beat that just will not die. "Ocean" hypnotizes the listener with its rolling cymbals and dreamy vocals, while the opening track, "I Can't Stand It," paints a hilariously accurate picture of what it means to live among bohemians-from-hell. While most bands change their sound over the years, the Velvets recast themselves with each new release. _VU_ is no exception; the album's ballads, such as "Stephanie Says" and "She's My Best Friend," combine Reed's wry sense of humor with energetic arrangements. Closing the album is a soft duet between Reed and Mo Tucker, "I'm Sticking With You." While many of these songs were later recorded by Lou Reed on his solo albums, these arrangements are vastly superior.
It's rare that a good album is released fifteen years after a band breaks up, but that's exactly what happened here. Brian Eno once joked that only a handful of people ever bought a Velvet Underground album, but those who did went on to start their own band. You may like the Velvet's, you may dislike them, but it's impossible to be neutral. |
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| "great album" | 2007-10-16 |
| - Reviewed By pingameister |
| this is probably my favorite vu record. the band's songs are more melodic and less experimental noiscapes that characterized the content of their first two records. the modern lover's first album is very influenced by the vu music recorded in this era. i like the vu's music from this period. |
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| "A fantastic out takes collection." | 2007-05-23 |
| - Reviewed By mr105601 |
In 1969, the Velvet Underground parted ways with Verve Records (which, along with its parent ocmpany MGM, had released their first three albums) and signed with Atlantic, recording and releasing 1970's Loaded. Before switcihng labels, however, the group had recorded several songs for what was to be their fourth Verve album. None of those songs followed the group to Atlantic, and for years they languished in MGM's vaults. Then, in the 80s, as the Velvets' posthumous legend grew and the group's albums began to be re-released on vinyl and CD, the folks over at MGM released 10 of those "lost tracks" as VU (others surfaced on Another View). The songs, recorded between 1968 and 1969, are in a similar vein to the band's gentle, melodic third album. With the exception of "Stephanie Says" and "Temptation Inside Your Heart" (which feature our old friend John Cale), these songs were recorded with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, as well as de-facto leader Lou Reed, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker.
But enough about that. You're probably here because you wanna know if it's a good album. It is- as a matter of fact, it's fantastic, easily as good as any of their "official" releases. For one thing, the disc shows Reed's growth as a lyricist: "Lisa Says" is one of his most heartrendingly beautiful compositions (and he's written a lot of beautiful songs), full of quiet yearning and subdued passion. "Stephanie Says" and "She's My Best Friend" are similar, although slightly more dreamy and surreal. All three songs are also musically superb, full of lilting melodies and twisting guitar lines. The jolting "I Can't Stand It" is one of the group's finest rockers, and "Ocean" is one of their dreamiest, most ethereal explorations. "Andy's Chest" and "I'm Sticking With You" are lightweight (almost childish) but undeniably fun, with gently playful melodies and lyrics. "Temptation Inside Your Heart" is a bouncy rocker with some great vocal asides from Reed, and "One of these Days" is a pleasently weird electric-country vamp. Best of all is "Foggy Notion," which is simply one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time: It's a rollicking, raving fist-pumper with some wonderfully weightless guitars, a storming pulse of rhythm, and some of the greatest sleazily exuberant sing-along lyrics ever. Dancde to it or die.
If you've never listened to the Velvets before, you may want to start elsewhere, but if you're a fan of the group, this is an invaluable aritfact of the later period Velvet Underground that is worth every penny. Happy listening! |
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 "The Fifth Essential Velvet Underground Album" | 2007-02-07 |
| - Reviewed By gcleary8 |
This collection captures the Velvet Underground halfway between their amazing third album (self-titled) and their more commercial-sounding final album (Loaded). Actually, there are two songs here--"Stephanie Says" and "Temptation Inside Your Heart"--that were recorded in February 1968, when John Cale was still in the band, though the others all date from May through October 1969. It is freely admitted in the liner notes that this is not the "Great Lost Velvet Underground Album." However, the songs do flow together nicely, and most of them are very good.
At least three tracks are instant classics: "I Can't Stand It," "Foggy Notion," and "Stephanie Says." A couple others--"Lisa Says" and "Ocean"--are almost as good. Only one song here, "One of These Days," sounds like it would've been a good fit for "Loaded," as it has that country-blues feel that the band was getting into at the time. There are two songs in this collection that were not included in the "Peel Slowly and See" box set, and I have to admit that they picked the best two to omit: "Andy's Chest" works much better on Reed's campy "Transformer" album, and "She's My Best Friend" is sort of a throwaway.
Still, this is a fairly solid release. At one time I owned the second album of Velvet Underground outtakes, "Another View," and I was so unimpressed that I sold it back. But this one definitely belongs in your collection if you already own the four official studio albums that were released during the band's lifetime. |
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| "(3.5 stars) The first six songs would've been welcome on any VU album" | 2006-12-18 |
| - Reviewed By radioactiveman12 |
| The last four, not so much. It's too bad that the Velvets were dropped from their label while working on their aborted fourth album, since half of this (which collects that material) and half of Loaded could've easily been VU's best effort. Take rockers I Can't Stand It and Foggy Notion (with great guitar from Sterling Morrison, an underrated guitarist), add a couple of lovely ballads (Lisa Says; She's My Best Friend; Stephanie Says; the Ocean), and you've got pure gold, right? Side two isn't as good: Andy's Chest is goofy, but better heard on Lou Reed's Transformer album; I'm Sticking with You is a half-serious sendup that veers dangerously close to self-parody; Temptation Inside Your Heart is weak; One of These Days is too. But the best songs on this disc make it a near must-have. |
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 "The best band of the '60s have an '80s production on this album." | 2006-08-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A56WNOU1X85FL |
I bought this album on cassette a week or so ago. This is what I think about it right now (opinions subject to change, of course):
1. I Can't Stand It: Over-rated song.
2. Stephanie Says: All right, but not fantastic.
3. She's My Best Friend: Not interesting.
4. Lisa Says: There's a better version of this song (same music but with totally different verses of lyrics, and an excellent 'song-within-a-song' that sounds musically based upon "That's The Story Of My Life" from the band's awesome self-titled third album) on the first volume of the band's two-volume "1969 Live". This version is quite poor to my ears.
[By the way, why does Lou Reed make so many songs about girls? Especially on this album, the first four tracks are like girls-only. Rather alienating, I gotta say, as a male fan of the band who listens to them partly for their abilities to salve certain sores caused by WOMEN.]
5. Ocean: This is pretty good, but I recall hearing a much better version somewhere else. On the second, rarities disc of the 2-CD"ReLOADED", I think.
And that concludes Side A on my cassette tape.
Side B, on the other hand, has ALL GOOD SONGS: "Foggy Notion", "Temptation Inside Your Heart", "One of These Days", "Andy's Chest" and "I'm Sticking With You". I like/love 'em all.
There's a bit of silliness here and there, especially on the absurdist "Andy's Chest" track which doesn't seem to mention anything about Andy Warhol in its lyrics.
So that's it. Except two more unrelated things:
(1) I'm a Velvet Underground fan. I love their second and third albums, and find spots of greatness on both their first album (w/ Nico) and their fourth & last album "Loaded". I also bought the first volume of "1969 Live" recently and it has some GREAT stuff on that one.
(2)(a) A big problem I have with this "VU" album/compilation is its production. I am not familiar with Bill Levenson's production work (he's the guy who took the original masters from '68 and '69 and oversaw new production/mixing of them in 1984) but I DO know that his engineer/mixer Michael Barbiero has an AWFUL '80s-cock-rock-like sound that he puts onto things. (Think "Higher Ground" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which he may have engineered for all I know; I know he has worked with that band in the past.)
(2)(b) Even Michael Barbiero can't ruin the appeal of these songs, of course, (and it's more of a problem, I think, on the first 4 songs than on the rest of the album) but I just wanna warn fans who are, as I am, fans of the band's rawer, more modest and honest self-productions that this album is DIFFERENT from albums like "White Light/White Light" and "The Velvet Underground" in terms of sound/production. |
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