The Velvet Underground (Album)

The Velvet Underground
Studio album by The Velvet Underground
Publication (s)	March 1969
Label (s)	MGM Records Verve Records
Format (s)	LP , CD , MC
Genre (s)	Pop rock , art rock , folk rock
Title (number)	10
running time	42:56
occupation	Lou Reed - vocals , guitar , piano Doug Yule - bass , organ , vocals Sterling Morrison - guitar , vocals Maureen Tucker - drums , percussion , vocals
production	Lou Reed , Doug Yule , Sterling Morrison , Maureen Tucker
Studio (s)	TTG Studios , Hollywood
chronology White Light / White Heat (1968) The Velvet Underground Loaded (1970)

The Velvet Underground is the third studio album by the American rock band The Velvet Underground and was released in March 1969. On the album of the same name, The Velvet Underground made a change in direction from experimental rock music to accessible pop and folk .

background

Emergence

The Velvet Underground is the first production in which Doug Yule played the part of John Cale . Cale had left the band after a disagreement with Lou Reed . The album was recorded in the autumn of 1968 at TTG Studios in Hollywood and published by MGM's sub-label Verve . After the departure of Cale, the music showed a radical change in sound, was more moderate, more accessible and more audience-friendly. Reed placed less emphasis on experimentation on this album, the more he concentrated on the lyrics. With that, the aura of being an avant-garde band faded a little. Reed was now the only creative head of the band and felt accordingly as the band leader . Nevertheless, he soon got competition in his own house again: The up-and-coming talent Yule, who as a "man for all cases" took over the bass part from John Cale as well as sometimes played second lead guitar and took over the background vocals, made himself indispensable. Despite all the changes to the band concept and stylistic realignment, The Velvet Underground is considered the band's “authentic” album.

The music

The songs on The Velvet Underground impress with their special melancholy beauty. With two exceptions, Andy Warhol's influence and ties to the Factory scene were almost completely cut: The record cover was again designed by Warhol's colleague Billy Name . The opening track Candy Says is about Candy Darling , who was later featured in Lou Reed's world hit Walk on the Wild Side . A novelty for Velvet Underground is the track After Hours , which Moe Tucker sings for the first time . The album was produced by the band itself and mixed in two different stereo mixes: One version came from the sound engineer Val Valentin, the other from Lou Reed, synchronized with a “ closet mix ” by Sterling Morrison. The term " closet mix " (a play on "closed" and "closett") came about because Morrison was of the opinion that Reed's mix had a somewhat cramped, introspective, one-sided sound. In addition, Reed's takes were shorter than Valentin's. For example, while Valentin put the drums and percussion in the middle of the sound, Reed put them on a channel side in the style of many 60s recordings. This becomes noticeable when comparing the two shots of Some Kinda Love : The shot of Valentin is 20 seconds longer and shows a few other differences. The 1985 reissue of the album used the Valentin Mix; other recordings vary. With one exception, the CD productions use the Valentin mix; The 1995 CD box set Peel Slowly And See contains the Lou Reed mix on CD 4.

Track list

All tracks are penned by Lou Reed and arranged by The Velvet Underground.

page 1

1. Candy Says - 4:04
2. What Goes On - 4:55
3. Some Kinda Love - 4:03
4. Pale Blue Eyes - 5:41
5. Jesus - 3:24

Page 2

6. Beginning to See the Light - 4:41
7. I'm Set Free - 4:08
8. That's the Story of My Life - 1:59
9. The Murder Mystery - 8:55
10. After Hours - 2:07

reception

source	rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone

The album received positive reviews. The music magazine Rolling Stone leads the Velvet Underground at number 316 of the 500 best albums of all time . In Pitchfork's selection of the 200 best albums of the 1960s, it ranks 12th. Like its predecessors, The Velvet Underground was included in the 1001 albums You Must Hear Before You Die .

45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

The Velvet Underground: 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition
Box set from The Velvet Underground
Publication (s)	November 24, 2014
Label (s)	Universal Music Group Polydor Records
Format (s)	CD
Title (number)	65
running time	320: 47
production	The Velvet Underground, Bill Levenson, Jaime Feldman, Sal Mercuri
Studio (s)	TTG Studios , Los Angeles The Matrix, San Francisco Record Plant , New York City
chronology White Light / White Heat: 45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (2013) The Velvet Underground: 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Loaded: Re-Loaded 45th Anniversary Edition (2015)

source	rating
Rolling Stone
The Guardian
Pitchfork
Spin

On November 24, 2014, Universal Music and Polydor Records released The Velvet Underground as the “Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition” on six CDs on the occasion of the 45th anniversary . In addition to the three different mixes ( stereo and mono ), the collector's edition also includes concert recordings from November 26th and 27th, 1969 as well as studio recordings of the band's fourth album, which was not yet completed. A book with photos and accompanying texts is also included. On February 24, 2015 an Anniversary Edition was released on LP, which only contains the latest remaster of the album. The new releases were produced by Bill Levenson and Jaime Feldman.

Track list

Disc 1: "The Val Valentin Mix"

1. Candy Says - 4:04
2. What Goes On - 4:54
3. Some Kinda Love - 4:03
4. Pale Blue Eyes - 5:39
5. Jesus - 3:23
6. Beginning To See The Light - 4:40
7. I'm Set Free - 4:04
8. That's the Story of My Life - 2:03
9. The Murder Mystery - 8:54
10. After Hours - 2:07

Disc 2: "The Closet Mix"

1. Candy Says - 4:04
2. What Goes On - 4:35
3. Some Kinda Love - 3:39
4. Pale Blue Eyes - 5:43
5. Jesus - 3:23
6. Beginning To See The Light - 4:44
7. I'm Set Free - 4:04
8. That's the Story of My Life - 2:03
9. The Murder Mystery - 8:54
10. After Hours - 2:10
11. Beginning to See the Light (Alternate "Closet Mix") - 4:44

Disc 3: "Promotional Mono Mix"

1. Candy Says - 4:04
2. What Goes On - 4:35
3. Some Kinda Love - 3:39
4. Pale Blue Eyes - 5:41
5. Jesus - 3:23
6. Beginning to See the Light - 4:47
7. I'm Set Free - 4:05
8. That's the Story of My Life - 2:04
9. The Murder Mystery - 8:55
10. After Hours - 2:11
11. What Goes On (Mono Single) - 2:35
12. Jesus (Mono Single) - 3:20

Disc 4: "1969 Sessions"

1. Foggy Notion (Original 1969 Mix) (Douglas Yule, Hy Weiss, Maureen Tucker, Sterling Morrison) - 6:58
2. One of These Days (New 2014 Mix) - 4:09
3. Lisa Says (New 2014 Mix) - 3:00
4. I'm Sticking With You (Original 1969 Mix) - 2:26
5. Andy's Chest (Original 1969 Mix) - 2:55
6. Coney Island Steeplechase (New 2014 Mix) - 2:32
7. Ocean (Original 1969 Mix) - 5:13
8. I Can't Stand It (New 2014 Mix) - 3:26
9. She's My Best Friend (Original 1969 Mix) - 3:07
10. We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (New 2014 Mix) - 2:55
11. I'm Gonna Move Right In (Original 1969 Mix) (John Cale, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker, Sterling Morrison) - 6:32
12. Ferryboat Bill (Original 1969 Mix) - 2:12
13. Rock & Roll (Original 1969 Mix) - 5:15
14. Ride Into The Sun (New 2014 Mix) (John Cale, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker, Sterling Morrison) - 3:33

Disc 5: "Live at The Matrix November 26 & 27, 1969 (Part 1)"

1. I'm Waiting for the Man - 5:30
2. What Goes On - 4:32
3. Some Kinda Love - 4:04
4. Over You - 3:02
5. We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together - 3:25
6. Beginning to See the Light - 5:33
7. Lisa Says - 6:00
8. Rock & Roll - 6:55
9. Pale Blue Eyes - 6:00
10. I Can't Stand It Anymore - 6:49
11. Venus In Furs - 4:37
12. There She Goes Again - 3:15

Disc 6: "Live at The Matrix November 26 & 27, 1969 (Part 2)"

1. Sister Ray (John Cale, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker, Sterling Morrison) - 36:53
2. Heroin - 8:13
3. White Light / White Heat - 8:42
4. I'm Set Free - 4:46
5. After Hours - 2:55
6. Sweet Jane - 4:17

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Review by Mark Deming on allmusic.com (accessed November 29, 2019)
2. ↑ Review by David Fricke on rollingstone.com (archived) (accessed November 29, 2019)
3. ↑ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time on rollingstone.com (accessed November 29, 2019)
4. ↑ The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s on pitchfork.com (accessed November 29, 2019)
5. ↑ Review by Will Hermes on rollingstone.com (accessed November 29, 2019)
6. ↑ Review by Michael Hann on theguardian.com (accessed November 29, 2019)
7. ↑ Review by Stuart Berman on pitchfork.com (accessed November 29, 2019)
8. ↑ Review by Dan Reilly on spin.com (accessed November 29, 2019)

Web links

• official homepage
• The Velvet Underground at Discogs