The Velvet Underground – 1969 Live 2LP

Description

Sadly, outside of a handful of audience tapes of extremely variable fidelity, no one thought to make a live recording ofthe Velvet Undergroundduring their 1967-1968 peak period withJohn CaleproddingLou Reedinto remarkable flights of noise-rock fancy. However, in 1969, aVUfan who was a recording engineer brought a reel-to-reel tape machine to two shows the band played during an engagement at a club in Dallas called The End of Cole Avenue; a few months later, the band played The Matrix in San Francisco, where a tape machine had been installed into the hall’s sound system, and the band was allowed to record their set. Five years later, long afterthe Velvet Undergroundhad collapsed andLou Reed‘s solo career was on the rise, Mercury Records compiled highlights of the Dallas and San Francisco tapes into a two-record set,1969: Velvet Underground Live, and it is without question the best document of this band’s considerable strengths as a live act. While they were a somewhat more sedate band withDoug Yuleon bass rather thanCale, they still had plenty of life left in them at this stage of the game; there are few voyages into the sonic unknown here, butLou ReedandSterling Morrisonhad matured into one of rock’s most potent guitar combinations,Maureen Tuckerwas as distinctive a drummer as anyone who picked up a pair of mallets, and withDoug Yuleat her side, they comprised a truly superb rhythm section. Sounding tight, confident, and passionate on every cut, this set finds the band visiting highlights from all four of their studio albums, as well as a handful of previously unreleased numbers.1969: Velvet Underground Livecaptures the many sides ofVU‘s musical personality with commendable skill, and while it isn’t their best album, it’s one of the best places for a beginner to explore their body of work. -All Music Guide