In 1969 they went out on the road for a few gigs. Once interest began to catch up with the band, Mercury Records released this live album in 1974.
1969 - The Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed (Mercury 1974)
With a butt ugly cover - no pun intended. To quote Nancy Kerrigan - "WHY!!!!"
The music is stunning. But do be forewarned. These are Lo-Fi recordings. Some recorded on a 4 track. Others with a mic in the audience. It doesn't take away from the power.
Some highlights:
What Goes On - a stunning hypnotic peppy guitar jam revolving around repetitive DAG chords. If you're playing guitar with friends, this one is a joy. The rhythm pattern doesn't matter as long as the chord changes are in sync.
New Age - This track appears on the VU's final album Loaded. It's a story of an aging actress and a young fan. The version on Loaded is from the point of view of the young fan. The version here is from the point of view of the actress. Completely different set of lyrics. Can I have your autograph? He said to the fat blonde actress is replaced with Waiting for the phone to ring. Diamond necklace on my shoulder. And so on.
Sweet Jane - Includes the bridge edited out of the album version.
And a few heretofore unreleased songs.
Too bad they didn't take more care with the cover.
The inside includes a promo picture of the band, but they left in John Cale (far right) who had left the band a year before these recordings.
I came across the original photo. The primary focus in Nico, who stopped performing with the band in 1966. They blacked her out for this release, but missed Cale.
Clearly a posed publicity shot. Guitars aren't plugged in. Maureen Tucker didn't play a conventional trap set. Her setup employed a bass drum flipped on its side. She stood while playing. That probably looked too odd for a standard photo.
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