1969: Velvet Underground Live, Vol. 1 [LIVE]

Velvet Underground

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1974
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001FOD
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,650 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #45 in	Music > Rock > Live Albums > Alternative Rock
  #62 in	Music > Alternative Rock > Live Albums > Alternative

• This is item 1 in The Velvet Underground Live, 1969 Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Originally a two-record set, this live recording has been split and released as separate albums, volume 1 and volume 2. No matter, it's an essential document of one of the finest and most innovative rock bands of all time. 1969: Live catches the band at a juncture in their career, still reeling from the departure of John Cale and settling into the addition of multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who would help the band find their rocking heart. Thank god that Maureen Tucker was still around--her inspired, primal drumming makes this recording such a delight. Her quiet thumping on "Lisa Says" is understated and touching, and her timpanic, thunderous rolls on "New Age" are nothing short of awesome. Lou Reed is particularly loose and chatty, more comfortable with his voice as he stretches to hit some tender passages. And the version of "Rock and Roll" here is perhaps the finest of all it's many versions, epic in scope and focused in intensity. --Tod Nelson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Changed my life, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

Even more than "The Velvet Underground and Nico," this album made me a lifelong VU obsessive. I learned to play guitar because of this album. It redefined how I would listen to all music afterward. It makes me ache with regret because I was too young to ever see this band live. It's ample proof of Lou Reed's songwriting genius--and surprisingly revealing evidence that he's not just a nasty, scary human being (despite his efforts the rest of his career to prove he is). It's where you should go to hear the underrated, quiet heroes of the VU: Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker. It's so essential you won't mind the low-fi sound and tape hiss. It's music that makes you glad to be alive. A Top 5 desert island disc. I could go on...

However, as has already been noted often, breaking up the original two-LP set into individual CDs is an injustice. And the cover is one of the all-time eyesores.

But who cares?

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Whatever makes life... bearable... in Texas....", March 23, 2002

By	Clare Quilty (a little pad in hawaii) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a completely fantastic album. Everything about it is just great: the song selections, the groove of the band, Lou Reed's dry, amiable banter ("No one here has school tomorrow?"). It gives the listener about as close a feeling to being at a VU show as, I imagine, we're ever gonna get.

No, the sound isn't Mobile Fidelity 24-bit whatever quality. But that's kind of the point. When you listen to "1969" you're listening to a band that never really got the proper appreciation when they were operating so they never really got properly recorded. We can't have it both ways. But it sounds just fine to me. This is what there is and I'm just thankful it exists at all.

My favorite songs: a chilled out "Waiting for my Man" that's a mellow shadow of the abrasive original but reinforces, not waters down, the point of the song; a smokin' "What Goes On" that transcends its own washing machine drone over 8:55 and becomes a kind of musical locomotive; "Over You," which is sad and beautiful and tender and, in my opinion, just a perfect love song.

My only complaint is not with the music but with the packaging. These are not two separate entities here, but for some reason the record company sells them as such. That may come in handy for those buying music on a budget, but "1969" deserves to be re-packaged as a proper single unit. You wouldn't break up "Exile on Main Street." There isn't a "White Album" volume 1 & 2. Columbia has yet to put out a respectable CD of "Blonde on Blonde" but at least there's not "Blonde 1" and "Blonde 2." "1969" is in a class with all three of those records and should be treated as such.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Live as it should be, Volume 1, April 23, 2002

By	Len Czyzniejewski (Las Vegas, Nv United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ok, I'll join the bandwagon of those mystified why this original double album, which I proudly still own, was broken down into two separate volumes. This now means I have to write two 5-star reviews instead of one, but with this piece of work I'll gladly do it.

I've listened to a lot of double-live albums in my life. Most of them are unlistenable even once. These albums go on and on with extended jams of their songs, and it just gets tedious.

This piece of work work does exactly the same thing, but for some reason mesmerizes me. Maybe it's because the songs were too short in their original recording. Maybe it's because they're so good they can go on forever as far as I'm concerned. Or maybe this band just knows how to play a live set.

I'll go with the last choice here. As influential as The Velvet Underground is famous for being, they add a new dimension to that praise with this album. They hit home run after home run with songs that were good to begin with, but take on majestic status in their live translation. Much of what they do is not that complex, and is almost primitive in it's repetitiveness. But from Buddy Holly to John Lennon to this band, it's turning something simple into something magic that makes it good rock and roll.

If they offered 6 stars, this is one of the few reviews I would give that rating to.