Customer Reviews

The Velvet Underground & Nico [Vinyl]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Velvet Underground is probably one of the most written about bands of all-time. Their influence and genius is well-known so I won't bore the reader with tired truisms about the band. Instead, this review will be very meat-and-potatoes, focusing on the content, and pros and cons of this box set.

"Peel Slowly and See" (1995) is a five disc box set and includes all four Lou Reed era albums that were commercially released while the Velvet Underground was an active band; "The Velvet Underground and Nico," (1967) "White Light/White Heat" (1968) "The Velvet Underground" (1969) and "Loaded" (1970). While the first disc is a collection of demos, disc 2-5 each contain a complete album, with a lot of bonus material. The bonus material includes live cuts, demos, and finished studio tracks that were recorded between the third album "The Velvet Underground" and the fourth and final Lou Reed era album "Loaded," (this material can be found on the "lost" Velvet Underground album "VU" (1985) and its follow-up "Another VU" (1986).

If you are a fan of the Velvet Underground "Peel Slowly and See" is highly recommended. While it would be cheaper to just pick up the four studio albums individually, it is better to spend a little more money on this set and get a ton on bonus songs ($60.00 as opposed to $40.00). The demos are great, as you get an inside look at history being created and it's cool to hear songs as works-in-progress. The live songs sound great and should no doubt please fans of the band. The bonus material, selections from "VU" and "Another VU" stand as some of the band's best recordings and are generally just as good as what's on the first four albums.

While the value of the material on this set is indisputable, the way the box-set is compiled is flawed. Except for "Loaded," each disc does not start with the studio album, which is a bit annoying, but not really a big deal as the tracks of the albums are in order and you can just start the CD where the album begins. The biggest flaw, however, is that this set only contains selections from "VU" and "Another VU." It would have been far more desirable if both albums were included in their entity, so the consumer would have the complete works of the Reed-era available in one place.

It also would have been great if the Velvet Underground's fifth, post-Reed-Morrison-Tucker; now out-of-print album "Squeeze" (1973) had been included. While "Squeeze" has a reputation of being utterly awful, it is still part of the band's history and should be available. I have recently acquired a bootleg CD of "Squeeze" and it's nowhere near as bad as people say it is. While it is nowhere near as brilliant as the band's other work, (it's basically a Doug Yule solo album, Deep Purple's Ian Paice plays drums) it's still pretty cool in its own right and should be available for fans to hear.

One criticism of this set that I don't agree with is that it contains a "closet mix" of the band's third self-titled album, which sounds a bit stuffy compared to the original release. This isn't really a problem though, as the non-"closet mix" is still in-print and readily available. Both versions are worth owning.

Despite a few flaws in the way this set in set-up, it's still most definitely worth owning, as it contains all four albums and a vast array of bonus material.

Here is what I recommend you do:

Buy "Peel Slowly and See," along with "VU," "Another VU" and the non-"closet-mix" of "The Velvet Underground" in order to get a complete collection.

Each V.U. album featured (all the originals are here) is riveting, legendary and seminal, each demanding their own review so I will focus on the extra stuff in this box. I will NOT focus on the countless bootlegs and other material out there that did not make it in this set (I would recommend getting the Quine Tapes, a 3-CD box set full of killer extended renditions of VU classics. Less than great sound quality but worth hearing).

DISC 1: early home demo recordings mostly useful to fans who obsess over the group, but very interesting. "Heroin," great, crucial song that it is, sounds good. These versions are somewhat folksier yet still intense and Lou Reed plays around with different lyrics. Watch out for aborted takes!

"Waiting for the Man" sounds downright Ten Pan Alley. Reed even blows a harp on it. "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" had potential even though the Velvets abandoned it. "Prominent Men" isn`t bad either although it was left behind for better material as well. "Venus in Furs" sounds like a strange tune from the Middle Ages at this stage and it is stunning to hear "All Tomorrow`s Parties" with its folk/country roots laid bare. In addition, it`s a kick to hear John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed interact between takes. One gets the impression that Reed was the man in charge right from these early days.

DISC 2: Starts with a single version of "All Tomorrow`s Parties," but who wouldn't want to savor the longer album version? "Melody Laughter" is a crucial document from an early Exploding Plastic Inevitable performance, which was a traveling extension of Andy Warhol's wild and weird world. It`s only an amateur audience recording, but also one of the coolest things in this box. The music is a meandering journey without a map and quite a bit longer than an old copy I have. 2 tracks from Nico`s solo debut CHELSEA GIRLS are good songs featuring actual Velvets and are thus included.

DISC 3: offers a handful of demos that show more potential but their crude, raw condition renders them a difficult listen. However, the "Here She Comes Now" demo is a dense and hazy alternate version that is worthy of regular listening. The "Guess I`m Falling in Love" live cut offers a nice, loping performance, but I`ll always take the studio version which totally rocks out even with no vocals (and I don`t see why Lou doesn`t just add some to the track now - he`s still a Velvet!) "Booker T" grooves. And in some better, more just parallel world, "Stephanie Says" is a number 1 single and timeless classic around the globe. You probably won`t listen to the weak "Temptation" more than a few times, and I prefer version 2 of "Hey Mr. Rain" (version 1 is featured here) which has distorted guitar parts and a more insistent vocal. The lyrics are kinda lame, but Cale`s viola is trippy.

DISC 4: My favorite Velvet track, "Foggy Notion" is one of their rockin`-est tunes. All the extra-album studio tracks on this disc have been released and are already classics. The 2 live tracks are great and the "Countess From Hong Kong" demo is a lounge-y little beauty punctuated by another rare appearance of Reed on harp.

DISC 5: the mother load of nuggets: 7 studio treasures that haven`t seen daylight before this box came out (unless the liner notes are lying). "Satellite of Love" sounds like a joyous rocker here, despite its soul-eating subject matter - jealousy. In the liner notes Lou beats himself up for using "Winkin, Blinkin and Nod" (it would later become "I`ve been told/that you`ve been bold/with Harry Mark and John" on the daintier TRANSFORMER version). But he should give himself a break because: 1)the names ridicule the men she`s been "bold" with. 2) they could be code words. and 3) they`re funny. It's certainly a funny way to refer to people you've slept with! Yes Lou, naming almost every day of the week in a song IS lame, but it`s appropriate for this song because it illustrates how unfaithful the love interest has been.

"Ocean" may be even more majestic than "All Tomorrow`s Parties" and features a brief return of John Cale that didn't last. "Ride into the Sun" is a beautiful song of quiet longing sung sweetly by Doug Yule. As low as Yule`s stature has sunk in V.U. history, he was undeniably a wizard of melody and that's apparent all over discs 4 and 5.a
In addition, there are 2 more guerrilla recordings. One ended up on LIVE AT MAX'S KANSAS CITY and the other, from the same show, is previously unreleased. Again, crude recording, excellent music. Considering how unpopular the Velvets were during their time, we`re lucky considering how much of their music has survived.

Addendum: The idea of a lost Velvets album is a tantalizing myth for Velvet Heads. For the sheer fun of it, I`ve constructed my own lost V.U. album. I find it to be surprisingly cohesive with unifying themes that weave together and form a narrative, your imagination permitting. In fact, I think my Bizarro Earth Velvet album could be a strong contender for their best! Not sure what to call it though . . . how about:

LOVE`S LABOUR`S LOST VU

Side 1

We`re Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together
Guess I`m Falling in Love (studio version without vocal)
I Can`t Stand It
Lisa Says
Sad Song
Oh Gin
Foggy Notion
Ride into the Sun

Side 2

One of These Days
Hey Mr. Rain (version 2)
Walk It, Talk It
Satellite of Love
Stephanie Says
Ocean
I Love You

Was the Velvet Underground the greatest American band? With all due respect to the other serious contenders (Beach Boys, Creedence, Ramones, Talking Heads, REM, Pavement), you have to go with VU. Their career touches the deepest roots of rock'n'roll and the most nether edges of the avant garde, with equal command. Dion fits into their scheme as much as Warhol. What other band encompasses so much?

Despite a few caveats, this magnificent box set is VU's one-stop shopping place if ever there was one. First, the drawbacks: the band's live recordings are under-represented, tasty out-takes that did appear on earlier compliations have been mysteriously dropped, and Lou Reed has decided to go with the so-called "Closet Mix" of the third album (sorry, Lou, but I gotta disagree with you -- it defintely *isn't* the superior version). That said, this is still a mind-blowing edifice of great American music. We all know that each of the band's four official releases is a masterpiece, and it sure is convenient to get them all in one purchase (especially if, like me, you're replacing old vinyl copies). But what may surprise some folks is how great the previously unreleased material is. These cuts are very generous, accounting for more than half of the set. There are early, VU versions of songs that later turned up on Reed's solo albums, such as "Satellite of Love" and the glorious "Ocean." But there are also crazy little songs, left in the vaults for years, that astonish me with their inventiveness, humor, and detail -- from the bass line on "The Way That You Live" to the viola on "Sheltered Life." The bonus tracks attached to the 'WL/WH' and 'Loaded' disks are so good, in fact, that they threaten to upstage their hosts. Bottom line, folks: Like Dylan's 'Basement Tapes,' the out-takes here transcend the genre and are as essential to VU's legacy as the official releases.

Lou is dedicated enough to promoting his reputation -- he doesn't need any help from me -- but I'll chime in nonetheless: this a great American artist, caught in his (short-lived) prime.

No - there's nothing wrong with the Velvet Underground - one of my absolute favorite groups of all time. But this box set is a big disappointment.

First of all - not much live stuff - and what's included is sketchy and poor quality. There's also nothing included from the album, "Live at Max's Kansas City."

Secondly, the album includes the "closet mix" version of the Velvet Underground's self-titled 3rd album - not the commercially released version you are familiar with. Now let me tell you, Lou Reed may be one of the great songwriters of the 20th century, but he's no producer - its no surprise why the third lp was not released as the closet mix - it does NOT do the album justice. So, if you're buying this boxset in part, to get the 3rd album on disc, you will be disappointed.

Thirdly, why all the missing music?!? This box set as a comprehensive, representative collection of the VU's music is an utter failure. Great songs from other Velvet Underground compilations - "VU," "Another View," etc., - are missing. The first cd - an entire disc of demos of all the songs that are on disc two - is overkill. I've got REAL old VU stuff on vinyl - eg. "Ostrich Song," "Cycle Annie," etc., that is not included either - In other words, the music from the VU's early, formative years is not even represented.

If you're trying to replace all your old vinyl and cassettes of the Velvet Underground, with compact disc - as I was - this box set is NOT for you. Do yourself a favor and avoid the frustration by spending about the same amount of money and instead buying the albums "VU and Nico," "White Light/White Heat," "Velvet Underground," and "Loaded," - then get the two later-released compilations, "Another View," and "VU." NOW you've got all the essential music you need. If you're STILL not satsfied, then get the box set.

It was in the early eighties, the legendary "The Velvet Underground & Nico" has just reached gold status (with a delay of nearly 15 years !). It was perhaps this incident that gave Lou Reed and/or John Cale the idea to start a big reissue campagne: in almost no time they released two compilations of old "Velvet Underground" stuff, followed by a lukewarm Andy Warhol hommage called "Songs for Drella" and a historical reunion tour through europe (with poor results though !). Finally in 1995 this lush box set of 5 CDs called "Peel slowly and see" was released. It is without doubt the great big highlight of the whole V.U. re-release, reissue and reunion circus (who said sell-out ?).

In this box set you will not only find the band's regular studio albums ("V.U. & Nico", "White Light/White Heat", "Velvet Underground" and "Loaded"), there is also lots of other memorable material, such as outtakes, alternative mixes, as well as new mixes, which could only be found on several bootlegs (in poor conditions !) and/or cheap (and unauthorised) compilations. I own a few of them, believe me: if there's a hell below, they all gonna go !

This box set offers much more insight and surprises than any V.U fan could ask for: hear the band in their pre-"Banana record" phase performing rough cuts (or demo versions) of their songs in John Cale's appartement (!) back in 1965. Lou Reed's guitar playing at that time was obviously influenced by folk heroes like Donovan Leitch and, of course, Bob Dylan. Really both funny and interesting to listen to. You can also hear demo versions of such classics as "Heroin", "All tomorrows parties" and "I'm waiting for my man". All in all there are 12 demo versions, several 7" versions, 6 live performances and 7 outtakes from the "Loaded" sessions. Especially the "Loaded" material is worth appreciating: for the very first time, we are finally able to hear the restored versions of "Sweet Jane" and "New Age". "Sweet Jane" is only a few seconds longer, but there's a little cute guitar melody at the end of the song, that gives the whole track a completely new twist. And finally the middle part of "New Age" is also the way Lou Reed intented it. The lines "Something's got a hold on me and I don't know what it is, it's the beginning of a new age" can be heard now for almost one whole minute, giving back the song its main meaning and message. Last not least, the album "Velvet Underground" (their group's 3rd one) is presented here in an alternative and rare "closet mix".

To sum all this up: "Peel slowly and see" is a must, not only for "Velvet Underground" fans. Due to the many new aspects this release offers, it really doesn't matter if you already own all their records or not. I'd also like to recommend this box set very heavily to all those who are interested in music history: This is the real stuff, and here's where you can see were your heroes of today have learned their skills, and I think in a time, when bands like "The Strokes" (which is really a brilliant band) are able again to move the crowd, there should be a new audience for this kind of music as well. So buy it, love it and when it comes to the time you feel like doing it, PEEL THE BANANA !

P.S.: Santa Claus is coming to town: there is another brandnew box-set of V.U. stuff called "The final Velvet Underground" containing stuff from the band's latest period (with, among others, Moe Tucker, Doug Yule and Billy Yule), and there's also another CD set of various live recordings of the original V.U. line-up. Well, I guess it's all your choice, what will finally appear under your christmas tree. Visit your friends again !

This is without doubt a 5 star CD-box release - containing all 4 original V.U. albums; at a very fair price. I'm overall very satisfied with the sound; some may find the sound of "White Light / White Heat" a little hard to digest, but that was how the record was made.

Apart from one track, all of the great "lost" album "VU" is also here; but strangely enough there is only one track from the other rarities compilation "Another View".

CD 1 contains early demos of songs from the first album, and these tracks are mostly only historical interest.

The 4 other CDs each contain an original album and plenty of contemporary bonus-tracks.

I had not heard "Loaded" for several years, and both the songs and the sound qulity was a great positive surprise for me. I remembered the materal as much more uneven and the sound quality as pretty dull. The songs are great and the sound quality is fine. Actually the most "poppy" songs like "Who Loves the Sun" ( which I like a lot ), sound pretty similar to the last and underrates V.U. album "Squeeze", and a handful of the best tracks from that album would have made this release even better; even though Lou Reed is not playing on them.

I would have liked to have the original CD covers instead of these "tape" covers, and though the 86 pages book has many interesting historical facts and photos, I would have loved to have more information about each particular track; who plays the leads etc.

There's so much to say about the Velvet Underground that I could scarcely begin to do them justice here. In many ways, the music speaks for itself, and rather than providing a rambling review where I dissect highs and lows of each album, I'm going to take a minute to discuss the band, the music, the set and its selections, and why every rock fan should own this.

The Velvet Underground began as a cross between the pop sensibilities of Lou Reed (guitar, vocal) and the avant-garde leanings of John Cale (viola, piano, organ, bass, vocal), filtered between both of their loves of rock and roll. Augmented by guitarist/bassist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, the band set about constructing clever rock songs featuring dubious layers of noise. But most important to them in many ways was Reed's confessional, direct, and honest lyrics delivered in his sing-speak style. The band put out two albums, "The Velvet Underground and Nico", augmented by European singer Nico who was provided to the band by then manager Andy Warhol, and dirty rock slab "White Light/White Heat" before Reed fired Cale. The band abruptly changed direction, adding pianist/organist/bassist/vocalist Doug Yule, and first exploring rock with romantic leanings ("The Velvet Underground") and putting out one of the great rock albums of their era ("Loaded") before Reed abdicated. This set covers all those albums (ignoring "Squeeze", the Doug Yule-led Velvets record), and includes a host of additional material.

The music covers endless ground, it manages both to be pioneering and brilliant at the same time, a difficult balance to strike. There's easily a dozen songs on here that would individually put Reed in the upper echelon of songwriters, but his level of consistency at this point is nothing less than stunning, from the churning "Heroin" on their debut to the compulsive "Sweet Jane" on the last album, there's no shortage of great material.

The boxed set augments this with alternate takes, leftovers (some previously released), live tracks, and a set of demoes from before the first album. Much of this stuff is valuable for its historical value rather than its real value, but its all quite nice to have. There's always more that could have been, but this is a nice set, although I'd recommend coming back to the first disc after listening to the rest as, while its stunningly intriguing, it can be stunningly boring.

This comes with an extensive book with a detailed essay about the band and its history and a peelable banana like the first album's LP had.

So why should everyone have this? Why would I recommend this to someone who hasn't even heard the band? It's simply because the Velvet Underground are as good as it gets, either for experimental or straight rock. And their albums still amaze and influence people all over. I can't imagine anyone would regret this, fans will nitpick the track selection, complain about what's not here, but the truth is, it's all essential, and it's mostly all superb, and even when it's not, it's at least interesting.

Please Note, this box set is for dedicated fans of the Velvets. If you are just getting introduced to the group, you should try one of their greatest hits collections or studio albums.

Peel Slowly is about as comprehensive a collection of demos, outtakes and studio tracks as you will find. In this 5 disc box you get all 4 of their albums (VU & Nico, VU, White Light... and Loaded") as well as a ton of extras. Some of the outtakes are hysterical... letting you listen in on Lou Reed's prissy tirades when Waiting For The Man doesnt sound how he wants it. Plus, a lot of the bonus material is of interest to fans of the group who would be interested in hearing less refined versions of the bands more polished songs.

The book is informative, and would be of great interest to fans, but frankly, I wouldnt buy the box for the book alone.

So if you feel the Velvets are a band you really like, and could get into even further, check this out. If not, your money could probably be better spent in other ways.

If you like Velvet Underground this is the one to get. Even the demos are interesting. The only gripe I have is the covers of the individual cds, they should have used the original covers.

First, it must be said that the Velvet Underground is quite possibly the best band ever. They have done more for music than all the bands alive today combined. Next, I think that everyone should own a copy of this boxed set or at least the ablum the Velvet Underground and Nico. Some people may argue that a box set should collect all of the music from an artist or group(really, it's imposible in most cases). This boxed set does a great job collecting most of the essetial VU works. It's not complete by any means, but is still great.

I bought this after picking up a copy of VU and Nico, which I fell in love with. The set comes in a box(duh) with the famous peelable bannana included, which is just plain cool by any standards. The book included is detailed and well laid out. The binding, however, was rather bad and I needed to fix ti with wood glue. Lyrics would have been a nice touch.

The first disc is early demos. Don't bother listening to it untill after you've fallen in love with the other ablums, you just won't appriciate it at first. Many songs have alternate lyrics and different approaches musically. Prominent Men is one of my favorite VU songs ever. Bob Dylan would love this song I think. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams is a little rough but also good.

The second disc is the legendary VU and Nico album. The added Nico tracks are more of a distraction than anything. The single of All Tomorrows Parties seems to have been pointlessly added. Other than that the ablum is still one of the greatest ever.

Third is White Light/White Heat. Much more abrasive than the first album. Many great extra songs like Guess I'm Falling in Love and Stephanie Says. Sister Ray is a classic song(17 and a half minutes of great musicainship). A good mix of early demos too.

The fourth self titled ablum is my favorite VU album ever. It is also the mellowest. Still, it must be one of the most beautiful musical works I've ever heard. Every song is wonderful. Pale Blue Eyes leaves me speechless. The extra tracks are quite good to, such as Sticking With You.

Loaded is another great album but by this point I wasn't surprised. It has extended versions of Sweet Jane and New Age. Many great extra tracks like Ocean and Ride into the Sun.

One complaint is that the set is a bit sparse on live recordings but you can supliment it with Live 1969 or the Quinn bootlegs among others. So with out further hesitation, BUY THIS SET NOW!!!
You won't regret it.