OFF: Velvet Underwear

K Henderson henderson.120 at OSU.EDU
Wed Oct 10 13:25:42 EDT 2001


>>Velvet Underground - Final V.U. - $40.00
>
>NB There is no Lou Reed on this set!  It consists entirely of the post-
>Reed, Doug Yule/Willie Alexander version of the band!  You have been
>warned!

As I was just discussing with Doug off-line, I don't really know what the
post-Reed Yule-fronted VU was like.  I only know the 'hits' from Loaded
(Sweet Jane, Rock and Roll) that were Reed songs, and I know nothing of the
album 'Squeeze' that was recorded under mysterious conditions in the UK by
just Yule and some questionable contributions from session musicians,
including (or not) Ian Paice of Deep Purple.  Has anyone ever heard this
album?  I guess it's pretty steep to get an original vinyl, and no CD
releases have apparently been produced.

>(Has anyone heard anything about the box set that's supposed to
>come out soon from Robert Quine's tape collection ... supposedly it will
>contain some high-quality never-booted live recordings?)

Review from Alternative Press...

V.U. Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes
Rating: 9 out of 10
Synopsis: A rare portrait of one of rock's most important and influential groups

Perhaps more remarkable than the music on this 3-CD set are the
circumstances under which it was recorded.  In 1969, the V.U. were, at best,
marginally popular - that anyone thought to bootleg them at all is stunning.
Guitarist Robert Quine - who later co-founded Richard Hell & the Voidoids
and recorded with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Matthew Sweet and others - was a
devoted fan.  Quine started taping VU live and eventually became friendly
with the band; he soon found himself getting on the guest list for every gig
and being asked to play back tunes from previous sets for Lou Reed & Co. so
they could check out their own performances.  Amazingly, Quine even had the
foresight to dump onto reel-to-reel tapes what he considered to be the
strongest peformances from his original cassettes.  Those four hours
comprise what is now known as 'The Quine Tapes.'

These recordings were captured at three different venues - a large hall, a
small club and a basketball gym.  The sound is variable, but on the whole
decent enough.  But the performances more than make up for any technical
shortcomings - the band are in fine form throughout, whether they're working
out tunes for Loaded (which they would record soon after) or extending old
favorites into new, jaz-influenced rave-ups, as heard on the extended
workings of songs like "White Light/White Heat" and "I'm Waiting for the
Man."  "Sister Ray" appears once on each disc, with the shortest version
clocking in at 24 minutes - each take is an epic adventure.  These
performances provide a rare portrait of one of rock's most important and
influential groups.
(Polydor/UME)
Todd Hutlock

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Methinks if you had a choice, you'd go with this boxset over the Cap'n Trip
one, at least as a start.

Grakkl (FAA)

ObCD: Sabalon Glitz - Ufonic (does this band still exist? Any other recordings?)



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