Customer Reviews

Velvet Underground / Nico [Limited Edition Peelable Banana Cover Art]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So much has been said and written about this album since its release in March 1967, that a review of the material is irrelevant, and commentary pointless. Inarguably, it is one of the most influential LPs of all time. So let's look instead at what this *release* of "The Velvet Underground and Nico" IS.

Over the years, the Velvet Underground catalog has begun to get the overhaul it has always deserved, and this Deluxe Edition set is another example of that. If the "Peel Slowly And See" Box Set and the "Fully Loaded Edition" of "Loaded" appeal to you, you'll find this indispensable.

Why both the mono *and* stereo versions of the LP? Differences in the mixes, my friends. Some subtle, some more immediately evident. The casual listener might not spot the differences immediately, but track to track comparisons between the two will be instructive to the faithful. The mono version has been deemed collectable enough to be bootlegged in the past, so it is fitting that it be legitimately released for the completist collectors among us. For what it's worth,I found the mono versions of the singles excessive, as the stereo versions are to be found on the "Peel Slowly And See..." box set, HOWEVER, the tracks from Nico's "Chelsea Girl" were penned by Velvets Cale, Morrison & Reed, who also perform on these tracks. As such, they deserve to be included in the band's output *somewhere*, and as they chronologically follow the 1st LP, it makes sense that they be included here--they're certainly as strong musical numbers as anything else on these CDs.

If you're a Velvet Underground fan (as I've been for well over two decades), you've already bought this CD, perhaps, like me, several times, between the initial release, the remaster, the box set, the 24K Gold Edition. If you have that level of dedication, TRUST ME, you won't feel cheated when you get this baby home, BUT it's not ONLY for completists--more casual fans will find, I'd predict, that they'll have a greater appreciation for this LP, and the ones that follow it because of the breadth of this CD, the liner notes, and lyrics--it truly is "The Deluxe Edition."

It's nice to have the stereo and mono version in one package. But the compilers completely screwed up by adding along with disc one (consisting of the stereo version most people already have), Nico tracks from "Chelsea Girls" that most people already have. No doubt, CD 2 is an essential product to put on the market, so I may sound nitpicking here. But they should've either have sold disc 2 separately or, ideally, to make the double package with the stereo version (of which this is the third time I'm purchasing it) worth it, as a double CD with long overdue tracks long available on bootleg (but deprived from people who adhere to distribution laws as myself): the song "Chelsea Girl"'s demo with Lou Reed on guitar (with the proper dose of feedback), or the complete "Melody Laughter" (which has already been earlier compromised on the VU box set by being edited down to make room for these same Nico tracks). Let's get it straight, folks: Most people interested in this band have already long owned a copy of Nico's "Chelsea Girl" (and prefer the complete version). I know I'm essentially repeating what [another] reviewer said (of which "The Nothing Song" is unknown to me), but that's why I'm saying it. I suggest a new trend involving CD compilations: Let people who care compile them, (please)! a-hem.

Sure it makes more logocial sense to simply buy the 'standard' version, its cheaper and you get what is really important, the music. I purchased the 'Deluxe Edition' because it was there in the record store and they didn't have the regular version. I paid more than twice what the standard edition cost (as I found out later at another record store), and yet somehow I don't feel cheated. Part of that i'm sure is the fact that the songs, unique, raw, powerful and like nothing I'd ever heard before, despite being into 'indy' bands supposedly heavily influenced by them. When "The Velvet Undergroud & Nico" was first released in '67, Andy Warhol, the 'producer' and 'manager' of the band, had previously mutated 'The Velvet Underound' into an art show production. The whole thing was wrapped up in Warhols packaging. From the peelable bannana to the stage show he had set up around it. So in a way this 'Deluxe Edition' somewhat caputures a fraction of what purchasing this album back in March 1967 might have been like.

The inclusion of a dual 'mono' mix of the albums seems a waste, which would have been better used if it contained outtakes, b-sides or other bits from the era. Though the Nico tracks included here are all from Chelsea girl and seem somewhat of a pointless inclusion I guess the general idea was to show what was being introduced in that era. The best thing however is the liner notes and CD packaging, which do as something to the asthetic feeling of the album.

Now to the music. The intense sounds and gritty realism of this album are bone chilling. Nothing else quite sounds like 'Velvet Underground'. Claimed by so many as an influence, from the cathartic and somber "Swans" to the lo-fi pop sound scapes of "Yo La Tengo", yet none come within a mile of replacting the genius and beauty of what Lou Reed and John Cale did back then. Soft, yet dark, melodic, yet dissonant. Essentially done by the band themselves the production is perhaps the best ever. Its raw without being incompotent, stripped down while still managing to seamlessly stitch together the musics layers.

Despite the bands annoyance at her having been thrust upon them, the 'Nico' songs are beautiful, and surreal. "All Tomorrow's Parties" sad cynicism and shuddering rythmic pummeling are beyond mere words. However its the Reed sung tracks, 'Heroin', 'Venus In Furs' and 'European Son' which really elevate this to a higher plane. Epic and desolate they invade the mind them shatter it.

Eventually whatever edition you get it doesn't matter. Just find the album and listen to it or you might well regret it.

hey there. i'll come at this one from a different direction, and that is as part of the deluxe series ... i have many, if not all of the 'deluxe' sets and i found this one, in particular to be a disappointment.

yeah, they kept andy's banana sticker (and made it better by making it vinyl instead of paper) and the package itself is up to standard, but as many people have pointed out here already, the mono and stereo differences are really for purists only ... for the casual listener, or even a fairly hardcore musicologist, the stereo/mono differences just seem like overkill ... if you're used to the differences between the stereo and mono in the beach boys or the beatles, you'll be very disappointed with what's been done here.

comparing this to, say, the wailers 'catch a fire' deluxe set, there's simply no comparison. the original jamaican versions vs. the north american releases are stark and striking. here it's mostly just subtle and, to my ear, boring. you're definitely, definitely not getting your money's worth by paying for the extra disc. if you need to get everything by the band, well, you've already bought it anyway ... but if you lie merely in the 'strongly interested in the band' region, save yourself a few bucks and get the single disc version of the album.

thanks for reading.

It is what a deluxe edition should be. Nice slip case. Real cool package. A 20-page booklet with all the lyrics. ALthough i don't see the point of having the stereo version, mono version and Nico's solo songs from the Chelsea Girls album in the same cd set, Velvet Underground / Nico deserves to have a deluxe edition just because of the classic songs like All Tomorrow's Parties, Sunday Morning, Venus In Furs and I'll Be Your Mirror. To tell you the truth, i think i'll still stick to the original remastered cd as it has a better flow than this kind of cd set with bonus songs, but this deluxe edition is obviously essential to every hardcore velvet fan. If you're a casual listener, buy the original remastered cd. If you're a velvet fan, buy this one. BTW, White light/white heat is even a more exciting album than this one. Don't ever miss it thanks

OK, let me start off by saying that I am indeed a VU fan and do not write this to bash the band, I just want to warn those who are unsuspecting and think that this package is actually "deluxe", because it's not. This album is essentially the original release, some Nico songs thrown in and the un-edited version of the album. This may sound like a lot of great stuff, but pay attention. The Nico songs can be bought seperately, they are not exclusive to this release. But the real problem is that the second disc sounds so identically similar to the original that it defeats its own purpose. I've listened to the discs with headphones on and there are differences, but they are so small and slight that even the most devoted fan probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference in a blind taste test. If you are trully a completionist and want every VU release, by all means knock yourself out, but if you already own the original don't waste your money. Finally, if you don't own the original or the deluxe, definitely by the original, it is one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated rock n roll albums of all time.

This is one of the greatest albums of the 1960's, hands down. That said, this re-issue is an interesting idea, but it's definitely not going to please everyone. The mono mix of this album is superior and closer to what the band intended, but the differences are not dramatic and it's really the kind of thing that only a record-nerd like myself would care about. Buying this is certainly easier than trying to track down a mono copy of the record, that's for sure. It's only for a die-hard fan, and pointing out that it's easier for the casual fan to simply buy the single cd is beyond obvious. There are several albums from this era where the mono mix is noticably different and/or superior. The most striking instance is the first Pink Floyd album "Piper at the Gates of Dawn." No one ever listens to me about this, but the difference between the stereo and mono mix of that album is like night and day, seriously. And the mono is so much better, I mean so much better, that the fact that only the stereo is commercially available is an autrocity. (Will someone please re-issue the mono mix of this album on cd like they did here with the Velvets). Any record-geek will tell you that Sgt. Pepper and The White Album are superior, or at least noticably different in mono. But the mono mix of this album is superior, but not dramatically so, and the original "closet" mix of the Velvets third album is more strikingly different than the mono mix of this album, and can be found as apart of the 5 CD Velvets box set. I think this was a noble effort that is easy to trash, because it's not worth it to most people to spend the extra money. I think it's probably the case that there aren't enough existing outtakes to make a 2cd set like the "Fully Loaded" version of the Velvets final album. The Nico solo stuff is not out of place either, as the Velvets were her band for these tracks so, in many respects, it's comparable to Femme Fetale, etc. Bottomline, the mono mix of this album was in demand. I'm happy to finally get a copy, especially on CD. I think this re-issue was a welcome one, but again, it's geared toward a completist. Personally, I bought my copy used on amazon for roughly the same amount of money that people are selling the single cd. If the difference is like 50 cents, please. Spend the extra money and get the two-disc set, why not. If it's twice the amount for the two-disc and you've never owned this album, obviously go for the single disc.

Nothing else is really close. I bought this when I was 15 not really aware of what I was getting into and now all these years later I still can't live without it. I'm not going to pretend to review it, every second the Velvets with Cale recorded is utterly essential. If I could only keep one record it would be this.
This particular edition is the best out there, if you don't have it you really should, the mono mix is really fantastic, closer to white light/white heat I suppose.
The Chelsea girl tracks are good, but don't belong here. Much better would have been legit remasters of "Melody Laughter" and "The Nothing Song" in their entirety, plus some of the EPI performances. They have been bootlegs for way too long, like the first three Kraftwerk records, it's just insane that such beautiful music has never been officially released on C.D. in complete form.
Still, the music is without equal, the box looks great, the entire presentation is flawless, a bargain at it's price.

i love the original cd but the second cd is the same than the first,should be like Loaded (fourth lp of Velvets) in his version " fully loaded edition" two disc with alternate and different versions of the same songs