[Edit 2019.08.11: It's been nine years and somehow this is still
one of my most popular posts. In the meantime, a few new reissues and
archival releases have been released, and I've tracked down a few
other stray versions I hadn't been able to find before. I've expanded
my original commentary below to include those options and
updated the playlist to account for my new preferences. The
new commentary is in italics and in brackets like this paragraph.]
Anyone who has listened
through the standard canonical works of the Velvet Underground will
probably notice the vast differences in sound between each of the
albums (and each member's solo output). Perhaps the most glaring, but
least obviously explicable, is the shift from melodic, sparse,
subdued work of The Velvet Underground
and the direct pop-rock of Loaded.
A bit of research reveals that the band was beginning to stall in
mid-1969 after The Velvet Underground
was released and their label, MGM/Verve, dropped them for being too
subversive. Supposedly, they were not allowed to take their masters
with them, so the album they had been working on was lost and had to
be restarted from scratch. On top of that, by the time that Loaded
was recorded for a new label,
Atlantic, original member Moe Tucker was absent due to pregnancy and
her unique drumming style was replaced by a more traditional approach
from a set of revolving drummers.
What
happened to the missing songs and the so-called "lost"
fourth album? Many of the songs were re-recorded by Lou Reed for his
early solo records, but the original recordings remained unreleased
until the 80s and later. The first insinuation to the public that any
such material existed came in 1974 with the release of 1969:
Velvet Underground Live, which
includes several hitherto unreleased songs and strikingly different
early versions of several Loaded
tracks, albeit in the form of live performances recorded with modest
quality. Finally, a compilation of the best of the band's forgotten
outtakes was released in 1985 as VU,
and Another View
followed the next year with another set of unreleased tracks. Between
them, they include fourteen tracks from the lost album (and five from
1967-1968, when founding member John Cale was still present). The
Peel Slowly and See
box set from 1995 and the "Fully Loaded" reissue of Loaded
from 1997 include several
additional songs from this era, and The Quine Tapes,
an "authorized bootleg" of live material from 1969
(released in 2001) also provides some interesting perspectives on
much of this material.
[All of the "lost
album" tracks from VU
and Another View were
re-released on the the 2014 Super Deluxe reissue of The
Velvet Underground, albeit in varying edits and mixes.
Similarly, all but one of the bonus tracks from the 1997 "Fully
Loaded" reissue of Loaded
were re-released on the corresponding 2015 Super Deluxe reissue,
although some were re-edited or remixed, and three new alternate
mixes appeared for the first time (as far as I can tell): an even
longer "Sweet Jane", "Cool It Down", and
"Lonesome Cowboy Bill". The one missing song is the demo of
"Satellite of Love"; instead the version from Peel
Slowly and See was included. And finally, all of the songs
from 1969 recorded at
the Matrix were re-released on The
Complete Matrix Tapes (2015), which contains the full sets
from both nights in surprisingly high quality. The 2014 reissue of The Velvet Underground contains a selection of the same songs in similar fidelity, but since it is entirely redundant, I won't mention that detail again. Note that the The
Quine Tapes include additional shows from the Matrix and
other venues, so most of the material released there is still
unique.]
The
problem is that there is no single
place to get a cohesive idea of what this lost album would have
sounded like. The Velvet Underground Web Page
suggests a version that essentially just sequences the fourteen
tracks from VU and
Another View. (They
suggest using Peel Slowly and See
over the VU versions
where applicable, but I think this is irrelevant, as the versions are
identical.) That works, but then there are additional problems. How
do we really know that those were the only songs from that period to
be considered for the band's next album? How do we know that those
are the versions that the band deemed best? The band re-recorded some
of the songs for Loaded
but still left them off the finished product, and there are live
versions of several additional songs that either cannot be found
elsewhere or that sound completely different. Perhaps some of this
material should be considered as well.
Thus,
I have compiled an arbitrary assemblage of songs that I deem as the
best single-disc compilation of the "lost album" era. Many
decisions must be made when constructing such a collection. I
generally chose the best quality recording available, and thus live
versions are only used when a studio version does not exist. The live
versions are often fantastic in their own right, but in live
performances the band would extend their songs often to two or three
times their standard length. In compiling material for a single
compact disc, brevity becomes preferred. I chose to remove any songs
that ended up on Loaded
to prevent redundancy, although any material later re-recorded by Lou
Reed in his solo career I consider fair game, since Reed's versions
are usually substantially different in terms of style, production,
and arrangement. And of course, I generally only included songs I
rather like, and so the few that I do not failed to make the cut. So,
here is my version of the Velvet's "lost album":
01.
We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together (Another
View
version) [Upgrade:
The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
02.
Foggy Notion (VU
version)
03.
Countess from Hong Kong (demo version from Peel
Slowly and See box set)
04.
Coney Island Steeplechase (Another
View
version) [Upgrade:
The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
05.
Andy's Chest (VU
version)
[or The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
06.
I'm Sticking with You (outtake
version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[Upgrade:
Loaded
2015
reissue version]
07.
I Can't Stand It (VU
version)
[or The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
08.
It's Just Too Much (live 1969.09.19 in Dallas, Texas, from the Peel
Slowly and See box set)
09.
Over You (live
1969.11.25 at The Matrix, San Francisco, California, from The
Quine Tapes)
[Replacement:
The
Complete Matrix Tapes
version from disc 1]
10.
One of These Days (VU
version)
[Upgrade: The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
11.
She's My Best Friend (VU
version)
12.
Lisa Says (VU version)
[or The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
13.
I Love You (outtake version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue
version]
14.
Ride into the Sun (demo
version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[Replacement:
acetate demo version from What
Goes On]
15.
Ocean (outtake version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue
version]
And
because that still leaves room for more on a standard 80-minute CD,
here are some extra tracks that don't quite make the first cut but
are still quite good:
16.
Ride into the Sun (instrumental
version from Another View)
[Replacement:
demo/outtake
version from the 1997 or 2015 reissue of Loaded]
17.
Love Makes You Feel Ten Feet Tall (demo version from the 1997 reissue
of Loaded)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue
version]
18.
Sad Song (demo
version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[Upgrade: Loaded
2015 reissue
version]
19.
Satellite of Love (demo version from Peel Slowly and See
box set) [or Loaded
2015 reissue version]
20.
Rock & Roll (early version from Another View)
[or The
Velvet Underground 2014
reissue version]
21.
Sweet Jane (Live
1969.11.27
at The
Matrix, San
Francisco, California, from 1969: Velvet
Underground Live)
[Replacement:
The
Complete Matrix Tapes
version from disc 1]
Much
like my revisionist Get Back compilation
that I devised earlier this year, I'd like to explain my choices, in
terms of what I included, what I excluded, what versions I chose, and
why I picked this track ordering. Here goes!
01. We're Gonna Have
a Real Good Time Together (Another
View version) [Upgrade:
The Velvet Underground
2014 reissue version]
Never originally
released in a studio version, the general public first heard this on
the 1969 live album, released
in 1974. Patti Smith began opening her concerts in 1974 (and for
several years afterward) with a great version of this song with her
own additional lyrics. Lou Reed eventually released a studio version
in 1978 on Street Hassle,
but that version is full of tremolo and other effects and totally
lacks the powerful drive of the Velvets version. The outtake heard on
Another View has the
same energy as the live versions but was recorded in much higher
fidelity. When the Velvets reunited for a tour in 1993, they opened
their shows with this song, and in that tradition, I think it makes a
perfect opener. [A new mix appears on the 2014 reissue of
The Velvet Underground,
which is ever so slightly superior to the Another
View version. There are also four great-sounding live
versions on The Complete Matrix
Tapes. The first one is the same take from 1969
but in far better quality, and it's just about
as good as the studio version. There's also an acetate
demo version that has only appeared on bootlegs such as Searchin'
for My Mainline (1993), but it is inferior to the other
versions.]
02. Foggy Notion (VU
version)
The live versions
available on the Quine Tapes
are interesting (especially the medley with "Sister Ray"
recorded at Washington University in St. Louis!) but the audio
quality suffers terribly. The outtake from VU
rocks and captures some of the solid extended jamming that makes this
song stand out. [The same version appears on the 2014
reissue of The Velvet
Underground, but with an extra brief intro. I don't think
the intro adds anything, so the VU
version is still marginally preferable.]
03. Countess from
Hong Kong (demo version from Peel Slowly and See
box set)
A beautiful piece
unavailable anywhere else. It sounds more like an outtake from The
Velvet Underground, but it was
supposedly recorded during the "lost album" era.
04. Coney Island
Steeplechase (Another View
version) [Upgrade: The
Velvet Underground 2014 reissue version]
This isn't a
particularly awesome song, but it does have a great charm, and if
you've ever gone to Coney Island, you'll know how perfect the lyrics
are. There are no other versions. [A new mix appears on the
2014 reissue of The Velvet
Underground, and it's an upgrade, most notably with
clearer vocals.]
05. Andy's Chest (VU
version) [or The
Velvet Underground 2014 reissue version]
A truly weird song, but
I kind of like it, and it fits with some of the other slightly
deranged pop songs like the previous and following tracks. Reed's
solo version from Transformer
is quite good, but the Velvets version is more bouncy and strange
compared to Reed's more direct rock. (But hearing Bowie
doing the background vocals is cool!) [The same version
appears on the 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground.]
06. I'm Sticking
with You (outtake version from the 1997 reissue of
Loaded)
[Upgrade:
Loaded
2015
reissue version]
This song is incredibly
cute and I love the arrangement. Sung mostly by Moe Tucker, the
ending where she jumps back behind the drumset is great. This is
particularly cool in the live take from the Quine Tapes,
but that version is too lo-fi and isn't as good of a take overall. VU
also has a version, but the arrangement is too simple and the
performance less impassioned. I recommend editing out the studio
chatter at the beginning of the Loaded
outtake version. [The same recording appears
on the 2015 reissue of Loaded,
but in a new mix without the annoying intro, so it's an upgrade.
The 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground also has the same version as VU.]
07. I Can't Stand It
(VU version) [or The
Velvet Underground 2014 reissue version]
This song
isn't great, but the guitarwork, particularly the noisy solo near the
end, is good. The theme of weird lyrics continues here. The Quine
Tapes and 1969
both feature live versions of this song with extended jams, but both
are too unfocused and lo-fi. Reed released a version on his first
solo album, but it is too overdone and lacks the awesome solo. The VU
version captures the best of the solo without going on for too long.
[A new mix appears on the 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground, but I can't detect any
substantial differences. The
Complete Matrix Tapes
have a much better-sounding version of the same recording from
1969 as well as a
second, slightly shorter (but still lengthy) version.]
08. It's Just Too
Much (live 1969.09.19 in Dallas, Texas, from the Peel
Slowly and See box set)
Just like the previous
track, this song isn't the best, but the guitarwork is nice. The live
versions from the Quine Tapes
and 1969 are good, but
are lo-fi and meander a bit too much. The 1969
version is featured in a medley with "Sweet Bonnie Brown",
but there just isn't much there with that song. Since no studio
version exists, the live version from Peel Slowly and See
seems to match the best quality with a concise take. [The
Complete Matrix Tapes
have a much better-sounding version of the same recording from
1969, but I still
prefer the shorter, tighter Peel
Slowly and See version.]
09. Over You (live
1969.11.25 at The Matrix, San Francisco, California, from The
Quine Tapes)
[Replacement:
The
Complete Matrix Tapes
version from disc 1]
A simple but good song,
it is also only available in a live form. The version from 1969
is comparable to the Quine Tapes
version, but the latter features a slightly better performance and
less noise. [The
Complete Matrix Tapes
have a much better-sounding version of the same recording from
1969 as well as a
second, slower, longer version. The vast improvement in quality of
the first version leads me to prefer it above even the Quine
Tapes version.]
10. One of These
Days (VU
version) [Upgrade: The
Velvet Underground 2014 reissue version]
The country feel of
this song makes it feel very much like a few songs that ended up on
Loaded. It is unavailable
elsewhere. [A new mix appears on the 2014 reissue of
The Velvet Underground,
and with a slightly longer outro, it's an
upgrade.]
11. She's My Best
Friend (VU version)
I like this song a lot,
and this is the only version. [The same version, but with a
longer outro, appears on the 2014 reissue of
The Velvet Underground, but I actually still prefer the
VU version, as the only extra bit is some weird screaming.
I also previously failed to mention the Lou Reed
version from Coney Island Baby
(1975), which is actually quite good. There's even a version with
Doug Yule from the same era on the 2006 reissue.]
12. Lisa Says (VU
version) [or The
Velvet Underground 2014 reissue version]
A bit slow and
dramatic, but it works. The 1969
live version is really good but also really long, while the VU
version is cleaner and more to the point. Reed did a version for his
first solo album, but it suffers from overproduction and
overdramaticism. [A new mix appears on the 2014
reissue of The Velvet
Underground, but I can't detect any substantial
differences. The Complete
Matrix Tapes have a much better-sounding version of
the same recording from 1969.]
13. I Love You
(outtake version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue version]
A really pretty song,
and the outtake version is rather loose but still strong. The emotion
is much stronger than the demo version also included with the Loaded
reissue, and that version suffers from sparseness and apparent
incompleteness. Reed's version from his first solo record is good but
totally different, based mostly around acoustic guitars. [The
2015 reissue of Loaded
includes both of the same versions.]
14. Ride into the
Sun (demo version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[Replacement: acetate demo version from What
Goes On]
This is a really cool
song, and it's hard to pick the best version. I think the demo from
the Loaded reissue is best,
since the organ and vocal parts are so good. The instrumental version
from Another View is
almost as good; it features awesome guitarwork but has a very
different feel, but the lack of vocals puts it squarely in second
place. The Quine Tapes
include a cool version, but it is way too long and too lo-fi. Reed
also did a version for his first solo album, and it has some good
parts, but it is far more rock-oriented and a bit too overproduced
and overblown. [A new mix of the
Another View version
appears on the 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground with a slightly longer outro, and the
demo from the 1997 Loaded
reissue also appears on the 2015 reissue, albeit labeled as
an outtake. However, my current favorite version is the
acetate demo released on What
Goes On (1993) that features vocals over an arrangement
closer to the instrumental version from Another
View. It's the best of both worlds despite
the lo-fi sound and the loose
performance. There's also yet another acetate demo
version that has only appeared on bootlegs such as Searchin'
for My Mainline, but it's just a more guitar-oriented
arrangement that otherwise sounds similar to the Loaded
demo/outtake.]
15. Ocean (outtake
version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue version]
This is probably my
favorite Velvets song, and it makes a perfect dramatic closer. There
are several versions, but the outtake
version from the Loaded
reissue has tons of great guitar and organ parts, and the ominous
feel and slow tempo totally work in its favor. The demo version from
the same reissue is also good, but just not as full and complete.
(Supposedly John Cale guested on the organ for that version, but
that's unconfirmed and the outtake version has a better organ sound
anyway.) The VU
version is also good, but the drumming is too cymbals-heavy, and the
organ is far inferior. 1969
also has a good live version, but it's just too long and lo-fi.
Reed's version from his first solo album is good but more directly
rock-oriented and lacking many good parts. [The Loaded
outtake and demo versions both appear on the 2015 reissue; the VU
version also appears on the 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground; and the live 1969
version also appears on The
Complete Matrix Tapes in superior quality.]
And now for the "bonus
tracks". They were all re-recorded and released on either Loaded
or one of Reed's first solo albums, and although these versions are
interesting, they just don't quite make the cut.
16. Ride into the
Sun (instrumental
version from Another View)
[Replacement: demo/outtake
version from the 1997 or 2015 reissue of Loaded]
As I said above, this
is a really great version. It's extremely pretty but just doesn't
quite beat the demo version. [Since I replaced the Loaded
outtake/demo version above with a version that sounds similar to the
instrumental Another View
version but with vocals, it probably would make sense to use the
Loaded outtake/demo
version here.]
17. Love Makes You
Feel Ten Feet Tall (demo version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue version]
This song is pretty
good but not awesome, but has a different, slower, and more
drone-like feel that Reed's later solo version from his first album.
[This demo also appears in a new mix on the 2015 reissue of
Loaded, but I can't
detect any substantial differences.]
18. Sad Song (demo
version from the 1997 reissue of Loaded)
[Upgrade:
Loaded
2015
reissue version]
Also not particularly
awesome, but this version is far more focused and direct than Reed's
overblown, overproduced, and overextended version from his first solo
album. [This demo also appears on the 2015 reissue of Loaded,
but without the brief, unnecessary intro, so it's an upgrade.]
19. Satellite of
Love (demo version from Peel
Slowly and See box set)
[or Loaded
2015 reissue version]
The demo from Peel
Slowly and See is just barely
better than the alternate demo from the Loaded
reissue; this version is simply a better take (and lacks the studio
chatter at the start). The Velvets'
version might not top Reed's classic version from Transformer,
but it is an interesting alternate version. [As mentioned
above, the same demo from Peel
Slowly and See was released on the 2015 reissue of Loaded.]
20. Rock & Roll
(early version from Another View)
[or The
Velvet Underground 2014 reissue version]
This is a nice
alternate version, although it doesn't beat the Loaded
version. This version has a very different feel – it's far more
drone-like, and the verses almost sound like the
Beatles'
"Tomorrow Never Knows". The demo from the Loaded
reissue and the live versions
from 1969 and The
Quine Tapes are good but aren't
as interesting (and are too lo-fi). This track is generally
considered part of the "lost album" in full right
(particularly by the Velvet Underground Web Page
as mentioned above), but I think it's better to focus on material
that didn't appear on Loaded.
[The Another View
version also appears on the 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground, just as the demo and alternate mix from
the 1997 reissue of Loaded
appear on the 2015 reissue, and the 1969
version appears on The Complete
Matrix Tapes in far superior quality.]
21. Sweet Jane (Live
1969.11.27
at
The Matrix,
San Francisco, California, from 1969: Velvet Underground Live)
[Replacement:
The
Complete Matrix Tapes
version from disc 1]
This is a really cool
early version, and although it could never beat the full-length
version from Loaded, this one
does feature different lyrics and a much more laid-back style. The
early version from the Loaded
reissue is somewhat similar, but the annoying cowbell is just too
distracting. [The 1969
version appears in better quality on The
Complete Matrix Tapes, but there's another even better,
longer, and wilder version on the first disc that is my new favorite
of the early versions. The early version from the 1997 reissue of
Loaded reappears on
the 2015 reissue in a new mix, but that cowbell still ruins it.]
And
that's all! There are a few notable exclusions that I'd like to point
out. The most significant is probably "Ferryboat Bill",
which appears on Another View
and is often considered a necessary part of the "lost album",
but frankly, the song is too weird and nonsensical and just plain not
good. "Follow the Leader", released as a 17-minute jam on
The Quine Tapes, is
just too long and unfocused to consider. The version Reed later did
for Rock and Roll Heart
in 1976 is superior. "I'm Gonna Move Right In" from Another
View is a contender, but that
version is an instrumental and not that interesting. Bootlegged live
versions from 1968 with vocals aren't that much better. "Oh Gin"
and "Walk and Talk", both found as demos on the Loaded
reissue, are not bad, but also not that great. They may be less
overproduced and more focused than Reed's solo versions from his
first album (where they were renamed "Oh Jim" and "Walk
and Talk It", respectively), but that doesn't actually make them
better. ["Ferryboat Bill" and "I'm Gonna
Move Right In" both appear on the 2014 reissue of The
Velvet Underground. "Oh Gin" and "Walk and
Talk" both appear on the 2015 reissue of Loaded,
but without the unnecessary intros, so the new versions are slightly
preferable.]
There
are also early versions of several additional tracks from Loaded
available on the 1997 reissue (and extended early versions of "New
Age" can be found on 1969
and The Quine Tapes),
but none of them are all that particularly different than the final
incarnations, with the possible exception of "I Found a Reason".
Presented as a demo, it is done in a sort of country style with
harmonica and Moe Tucker on drums. It's still just not interesting
enough to make the cut. The only other tracks that I'm aware of that
could possibly be included are the unreleased songs from 1967 and
1968 with John Cale that can be found on VU
and Another View.
However, since they were almost certainly not considered to be a part
of the "lost album" that the other songs on those albums
reconstructed, they do not really deserve to be a part of this
discussion, no matter how good they may be. [The same
version of "New Age" also appears on The
Complete Matrix Tapes in much better quality, and all five
of the 1967/68 outtakes with Cale from VU
and Another View were
re-released on the 2013 reissue of White
Light/White Heat, although some were subtly remixed.]
As
I've said before, I don't feel comfortable in breaking copyright laws
to upload my mix for public download, but if you own the albums, it
should be really easy to put this together on your own. If you have
constructed your own version, please let me know! I'd love to hear
some other ideas.