i could do 50 songs easy though.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 29 October 2013 22:04 (ten years ago) link
always felt this was underrated gem off an otherwise pretty shitty album:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXHpZq0_F0c
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 29 October 2013 22:52 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBL37MVP3U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIndW6-g7z8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2TejpTmbhU
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 29 October 2013 22:58 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgAqWsv7xMs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqpmZ4w2J-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYbCHKcT5Q0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-ZqAU4zWyE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyDIa8C-V30
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 29 October 2013 23:01 (ten years ago) link
Cale/Conrad/Young/MacLise/Zazeela's Day Of Niagara's going on my ballot.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 13:52 (ten years ago) link
"always felt this was underrated gem off an otherwise pretty shitty album"
i don't like it as much as "ride sally ride", "animal language", "n.y. stars", "kill your sons", "ennui", or "sally can't dance", but "billy" is okay. never liked the sax though. would have been cooler if just lou + guitar.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 14:59 (ten years ago) link
would be v surprised if anyone votes for any of the Pickwick stuff, Albert. well, maybe Why Don't You Smile Now.
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 15:53 (ten years ago) link
the sax on "Billy" is SO 70s singer-songwriter, it's kind of the closest Lou comes to Paul Simon
Sorry, there's just too much stuff to chose from. It's impossible.
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 15:55 (ten years ago) link
What's wrong with having polls with a narrower focus?
Broader focus generally draws more participants. And you get 50 spots on your ballot in this one compared to the usual 20, so how impossible is it really?
― Victor Immature (WilliamC), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 16:09 (ten years ago) link
not enough people care about the solo careers, apparently
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 16:24 (ten years ago) link
I'm curious what the results are going to be but I must say that if the top 25 is all Velvets tunes I'm gonna be kind of bummed
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 16:25 (ten years ago) link
more participants leads to more predictable results
― iatee, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 16:32 (ten years ago) link
haha yeah that's true
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 16:36 (ten years ago) link
"Cycle Annie" has a groove, and Lou's sense of humour..
― Mark G, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 16:43 (ten years ago) link
Though Reed's involvement in it was at best peripheral... TIGER IN MY TANK FTW
― Has talent, needs to figure out how to improve (staggerlee), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 17:16 (ten years ago) link
so how impossible is it really?
As a fan/fanatic, it's impossible
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 17:53 (ten years ago) link
wait so this includes solo john cale too?!yikes
― sweat pea (La Lechera), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 17:56 (ten years ago) link
Big fan of this one. I know it's the big-obvious-rocker on Ecstasy, but I like big obvious rockers, and the guitars and words are so exuberant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z9MoQadD-o
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 17:57 (ten years ago) link
yes this includes solo John Cale
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 17:57 (ten years ago) link
looooove that long held note in "Big Sky," tipsy
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 17:58 (ten years ago) link
Filling in some gaps in my solo listening. Lou Reed album is surprisingly good, but wow, this version of "Lisa Says" is a real stinkeroo.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:11 (ten years ago) link
Wait to hear his singing on "Ocean". Of course I lvoe that album.
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:12 (ten years ago) link
Jesus, typing gone wrong.
man I don't like the debut at all apart from a couple - "Wild Child" is pretty funny
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:13 (ten years ago) link
No love for "I Love You"? "I Can't Stand It"?
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:17 (ten years ago) link
I forget - the only tracks I kept from that album are Wild Child and Ride Into the Sun. the dry, proggy arrangements just grate on me
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:18 (ten years ago) link
I wasn't looking forward to Lou's "I Can't Stand It," since the Velvets' is easily one of my favorite things (and the first song of theirs I heard), but Lou's isn't bad at all.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:19 (ten years ago) link
listening now - ugh those backup singers
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:23 (ten years ago) link
I was talking to ILX's Colonel Poo on the night Lou Reed died and he was saying how disappointed he was when he heard the VU version 'cos he loved Lou's version so much. It's the only song on the album where Clem Cattini's irritating clodhopping drumming actually fits.
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:23 (ten years ago) link
my main memory of the album is how there is absolutely zero reverb on it - every instrument sounds like it was recorded separately in a closet, totally airless
xp
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:24 (ten years ago) link
i wouldn't vote for the gift.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 29 October 2013 17:45 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
love the gift. also love "a gift" from coney island baby
― flopson, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:25 (ten years ago) link
Yes the album is ineptly produced and features a bunch of players who couldn't play rock 'n' roll if their lives depended on it - thank God for Lou and his songs!
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:25 (ten years ago) link
there is not a single song in his catalogue where the solo version is better than the vu version
― iatee, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:26 (ten years ago) link
au contraire! solo version of Sheltered Life is hilarious
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:27 (ten years ago) link
The slower, melancholy solo "Ride Into The Sun" is better than VU version.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:28 (ten years ago) link
I can think of a few - mind you, mostly the fairly ropey demos on the expanded "Loaded"
― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:29 (ten years ago) link
― iatee, Wednesday,
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:30 (ten years ago) link
jazz Lou! flute solo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtxMgZSKGI8
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:31 (ten years ago) link
― iatee, Wednesday, October 30, 2013 2:26 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I'm finding that out (now onto Transformer). I'm really, really glad I heard the Velvets' versions of these first. Although, I can imagine what a revelation it must've been for those familiar with the Lou versions to hear VU for the first time.
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:52 (ten years ago) link
"She's My Best Friend" versions are about equal, to my ears
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 18:56 (ten years ago) link
shakey yr call completely obv (and if you've got ballots where ppl have two different versions of a song on there in different places i guess there's no work around) but i would suggest for tracks where ppl vote for this live version or that live version or the album version or a demo version that you might only allow one vote for the track but if ppl want to specify a specific version they can and then when you roll out the results you note it when you list the totals for that track. basically what they do for remixes on year end polls or w/ a few other artist polls. that way certain tracks don't have their vote watered down or aren't basically competing against themselves. anyhow stoked for this, i'm sure it'll end up velvets top heavy (it should end up velvets top heavy) but i think there will be some great diversity and maybe FACTIONS will emerge. make the rollout as long as possible imo. i mean elton john got a hundred track rollout, would guess you rank the velvets at least equal to elton john. maybe i'm wrong though.
― balls, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 21:47 (ten years ago) link
lol you didn't read the elton rollout thread did you
yr suggestion re: various versions sounds good, was mostly waiting til I see ballots to make that kind of call
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 21:57 (ten years ago) link
I think Sally Can't Dance is actually a really fun, underrated album. I don't actively dislike any of the songs, and I can probably only say that about one other solo Lou LP (Coney Island Baby, my fave). It's a weird record. I like weird touches like the "you can just keep it" thing in "Baby Face." I assume Lou was pretty strung out during the making of that LP.
I dig Lou's "She's My Best Friend," "Love Makes You Feel," and "Oh Jim" more than the VU versions.
― Kent Burt, Thursday, 31 October 2013 01:35 (ten years ago) link
first ballot received! featuring a song I've never even heard of in the number one spot lol.
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 31 October 2013 16:35 (ten years ago) link
Gun vs the gun
― Jesus (wins), Thursday, 31 October 2013 16:41 (ten years ago) link
http://images1.mtv.com/shared/media/images/amg_covers/200/drf500/f514/f51483unkw1.jpg?width=300&height=300&enlarge=false&matte=true&matteColor=black&quality=0.85
― Iago Galdston, Friday, 1 November 2013 00:36 (ten years ago) link
Sally Can't Dance boasts "Kill Your Sons," "Billy," the title track, and "Animal Language." Four more, I might add, than Rock and Roll Heart (his most forgotten album? will anyone defend it?) and Berlin
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 1 November 2013 00:37 (ten years ago) link
okay voting is closed - 43 ballots total received. I'll start a results thread shortly
― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 18 November 2013 17:22 (ten years ago) link
woohoo!
― reckless woo (Z S), Monday, 18 November 2013 17:39 (ten years ago) link
Would be a good idea to link to it:Bimble Says: The Lou Reed Memorial Velvet Underground and Solo Careers Poll RESULTS THREAD
― Bridge of Size (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 18 November 2013 20:10 (ten years ago) link
Stilling chuckling in 2014 at "Put Jerry on your shoulder."
― Can One Hear the Shape of a Ron Decline Bottle? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 5 January 2014 00:02 (ten years ago) link
Pfork article on "Sweet Sister Ray":
http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/309-invisible-hits-sweet-sister-ray/
― sleeve, Wednesday, 16 April 2014 17:54 (ten years ago) link
hey, i wrote that! be gentle with me.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 16 April 2014 17:59 (ten years ago) link
haha missed that! nice work.
― sleeve, Wednesday, 16 April 2014 18:09 (ten years ago) link
uggghhh i haaaate that guy
oh hey tyler
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 16 April 2014 18:11 (ten years ago) link
OK, is this the worst piece of music writing ever?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 16 April 2014 18:12 (ten years ago) link
Nice work Tyler, some of the sounds Lou gets from his guitar on that track are... actually indescibable!
― Eats like Elvis, shits like De Niro (Tom D.), Thursday, 17 April 2014 07:55 (ten years ago) link
thanks! and yeah, some of that guitar/feedback is one of a kind, not really sure what sort of gear he would be using at this point. btw there's one other complete track from that night, which you can grab here: http://ow.ly/vRMJR
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 April 2014 14:50 (ten years ago) link
Let’s also take a minute to consider the following anecdote from Michael Carlucci, who says the Cleveland fan who recorded the ‘Sweet Sister Ray” tape “(left) it in his car. His sister used the car, saw the tape, put it in a cassette player and started recording her friends laughing and being stupid. He wanted to kill her.” That’s why the tape fades out just as “Sister Ray” begins. Also missing is a half-hour version of “Hey Mr. Rain.” Read it and weep!
*weeps*
― sleeve, Thursday, 17 April 2014 14:57 (ten years ago) link
seriously
― waterbabies (waterface), Thursday, 17 April 2014 14:58 (ten years ago) link
Great piece, tylerw! As for the gear, maybe Lou's guitar was the insanely hot-rodded Gretsch Jonathan Richman described in Up-Tight. Other than that, they were probably using Vox amps, but dunno if it was US or UK Vox (huge difference).
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:00 (ten years ago) link
In that Jonathan Richman interview for Lou's birthday earlier this year posted on another thread, he said he was pretty surprised at first to discover that the Velvets didn't use off-brand guitars but the the same makes and models as everyone else.
― When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:13 (ten years ago) link
yeah! also hilarious to hear jonathan talk about how quiet they actually were (at least compared to the volume of bands now). i dunno, i was listening to that guitar amp tape and the dudes sound fucking loud. like, crazy loud. but i guess in terms of actual wattage, they were limited.
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:16 (ten years ago) link
hmm as I think abt that tape anecdote, isn't he talking abt Jamie Klimek of Mirrors? iirc he was the dude who taped all those Cleveland VU shows.
― sleeve, Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:19 (ten years ago) link
(Xp)Truth be told I kind of wanted more detailed anecdotes about his extensive interactions with them but, Jonathan being Jonathan, it was really more about him reiterating how much he loved them and was influenced by them and still can't get over them, which was still something I guess.
― When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:20 (ten years ago) link
xp i believe so, him and mirrors guitarist jim crook. in fact, i found this while i was researching:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVLlSdO539gpretty sure klimek is at least the guy who taped that later La Cave show with Yule. there are rumors of other tapes, but they might just be rumors.
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:21 (ten years ago) link
There was some good stuff about Sterling though: "People talk a lot about Lou Reed, Jonathan, but what they don't realize is that nothing goes on in this band without my say-so."
― When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:23 (ten years ago) link
haha yeah. i thought it was pretty touching when Richman talked about seeing Lou in the 90s -- when Lou said he was proud of him, Jonathan cried! A perfect anecdote. i do think Richman should write a memoir of some kind, though that might be the last thing he'd ever want to do. i don't know, he's an interesting guy!
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 April 2014 15:25 (ten years ago) link
I would buy that instantly.
― ▴▲ ▴TH3CR()$BY$H()W▴▲ ▴ (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 17 April 2014 16:16 (ten years ago) link
me too. even if it was comprised primarily of lists of his favorite organic grocery stores and long ruminations on slack key tunings
― How dare you tarnish the reputation of Turturro's yodel (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, 17 April 2014 16:18 (ten years ago) link
i'd be ok with that. he's just interesting because he really doesn't fit into any narrative that I can think of (even tho he's tangentially related to a lot of different things).
― tylerw, Thursday, 17 April 2014 16:22 (ten years ago) link
At this point if the "real" Jonathan stepped out from behind the persona, it could potentially be hugely disappointing if not horrifying. We've had a long time to get used to the Jim/Iggy split. Cf "Wakefield" if not Flitcraft.
― When I Get To The Borad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 17 April 2014 17:14 (ten years ago) link
The journey kicks off with the band (most likely just Cale, Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison; drummer Maureen Tucker isn’t audible here) chugging steadily, slowly over a spare, spidery riff.
Now unless my ears deceive me, when Cale starts up on organ, you have Lou + Sterling on guitars and there is definitely a bass guitar there too (not bass pedals, as far as I can tell, and I'm not sure Cale played those anyway) so I can only assume Mo was playing bass!
― A frenzied geologist (Tom D.), Tuesday, 22 April 2014 07:56 (ten years ago) link
i thought it was pretty touching when Richman talked about seeing Lou in the 90s -- when Lou said he was proud of him, Jonathan cried!
Hey, he's an emotional guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7mHg0H6sy8
― A frenzied geologist (Tom D.), Tuesday, 22 April 2014 12:20 (ten years ago) link
Wonder if Donald Fagen was around to witness that.
― Kid Creole Meets Señor Coconut at a fIREHOSE Show (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 22 April 2014 14:03 (ten years ago) link
Put Jerry on your shoulder.
― Harper Valley CTA-102 (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 16 September 2018 21:07 (five years ago) link
Andhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slaAGS7f0LU
― Harper Valley CTA-102 (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 16 September 2018 21:10 (five years ago) link
hey it's the hideout!!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Sunday, 16 September 2018 22:55 (five years ago) link