So that Velvet Underground acetate.

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My friend Warren found it, and it's just now going up for auction. There's a story in this weekend's most recent Globe and Mail about it, including a photograph of him in his bedroom. Me and my other friend were discussing it, and we think that given that it's the very first recording of the band ever, it's perishable, and that it's never, ever been released, the starting bid should be way, way more than $40,000. Apparently they based the pricing on an acetate of Dylan's Blonde on Blonde that was sold in 1992, but that wasn't "unreleased" material...

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

is yr buddy Warren dropping a retroactive couple G's to those who sold it to him?

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, it was a square deal - 75 cents!

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

just wondering. but did those who sold it to him ever hear about all this business or do they probably not know about it.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

He bought it at a street sale in NYC, and didn't know what he had until he brought it back to Montreal... This was in 2002, as far as I know, he either doesn't know the people or haven't contacted them - good question, though.

I believe the original owner responsible for it was John Cale, but I don't think it was his street sale.

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I read that article pretty interesting. He's expected to make back over 5.3 million percent profit. Ridiculous.

― Tokyo Ghost Stories (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

and I thought I was a smart guy for snatching up some old Tool out of print LP for 8 bucks and selling it for 120 on ebay.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

holy fuck.

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

what's on it, a rehearsal session or a live show or something?

(hopefully it's not like that first disc of the box set. no-one needs any more early versions of "all tomorrow's parties" ever again after that!)

― haitch (haitch), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Incidentally, he does this great zine - lots of articles on old Southern soul and R&B and stuff. His last issue had an article on early Aaron Neville and what a bad-ass he was.

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:33 (twenty-one years ago)

15 minute acoustic versions of heroin

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

It was recorded in New York at their "first studio session at Scepter Studios in New York in late April, 1966" - "nine songs by the Velvets that the group, which was formed in November, 1965, later re-recorded or remixed in California, then released in March, 1967."

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

here's the article

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Has he played this acetate?

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

the article says that he has as they talk about how the mix sounds...

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, played it once and recorded it onto a CD-R, I believe...

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:38 (twenty-one years ago)

wait! you know this guy. Can you hook a brother up with a CD-R copy?

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

in exchange I'll burn you a copy of the new R.E.M. or something!

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

i wonder how that would affect the street value

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha - I'll ask him for one - the CD-R copy has his voice coming in every 45 seconds or something, though, so no one can boot it.

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/goldkicks/nostalgia/radioberlin.jpg

He's in the background, plugging his ears.

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)

better yet, can you put some or all of it on YSI ???

― Amon (eman), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll ask him about it!

― Jay Watts III (jaywatts), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:53 (twenty-one years ago)

dude-voice over the music or not, that would be awesome.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i'd be down for a copy. want some rare kiwi stuff in exchange?

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

exactly. (the voice-over should be "i'm rich beeyatch!")

thx!

― Amon (eman), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost or xxpost

― Amon (eman), Monday, 30 May 2005 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

he should've got Lou to do a Missy-style "THIS IS... A LOU REED... EXCLUSIVE" on every track

― haitch (haitch), Monday, 30 May 2005 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Or a Madonna-style "What the fuck are you doing?"

― nickn (nickn), Monday, 30 May 2005 04:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I just hope that whoever buys this priceless piece of culture releases it to the masses. If not, your friend should make another (real) copy, and fast. I can't stand the idea of some collector scum hoarding this til they die.

― sleeve (sleeve), Monday, 30 May 2005 04:11 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost - hahaha, i forgot about that madonna one. "what the fuck are you doing? my music sucks these days and isn't even worth downloading for free! blah blah kabbalah blah"

― Amon (eman), Monday, 30 May 2005 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

HI CAN WE HAVE OUR MP3S OF THIS NOW?????????????

― modern impatient music consumer (eman), Thursday, 14 July 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

YES PLEASE

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 14 July 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)

how much did it end up going for?

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 14 July 2005 23:54 (twenty years ago)

so when do you suppose the regular folks like you and me will hear this acetate? was the buyer a record company or what? if there are mp3s, hook us up. SERIOUSLY.

― tylerw, Friday, 15 July 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

I'm amazed that people spend large amounts of money for things like this.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 15 July 2005 01:56 (twenty years ago)

I would shoot myself in the foot to hear this. or better yet, i would have gay sex with ziggy marley to hear this.

― That One Guy (That One Guy), Friday, 15 July 2005 02:14 (twenty years ago)

Shoo, I've owned the Velvets box for ten years, and I've never even listened to the demo reel (first disc) once!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 15 July 2005 06:08 (twenty years ago)

And I just bought the 'The Times They Are A-Changin'' remaster yesterday and haven't played that either! Fuck a folk music!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 15 July 2005 06:09 (twenty years ago)

And I just bought a Velvet Underground acetate! Fuck those trousers!

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 July 2005 07:32 (twenty years ago)

(The last post was a fib)

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 July 2005 07:32 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it was just some crappy old master-tape of unreleased and forgotten 1965/66 Pink Floyd demos, you got wasn't it Mark?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 15 July 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

ise a king bee hunny...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 July 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

Not to mention "Lucy Leave", "Flamingo", and that full 327 minute extended version of "Interstellar Overdrive".

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 15 July 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Well, I dunno about "Flamingo" but I think I have the first two on bootCD.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 July 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

Search: Interstellar Overdrive (the Alternative Masters '66 - '68)

[NB: I haven't got / heard it, so don't blame me if it turns out to be a typo of "Flaming"].

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 15 July 2005 13:44 (twenty years ago)

heh, well I wouldn't know either way...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 July 2005 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Shoo, I've owned the Velvets box for ten years, and I've never even listened to the demo reel (first disc) once!

You're missing out, seriously. The first disc is awesome. The two previously unreleased songs, "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" and especially "Prominent Men", are really good songs. And the strange, English-ballad version of "Venus in Furs" is also excellent. But I think the absolute best thing on it is the country-fried version "Waiting for the Man" which is described by David Fricke in the liner notes as sounding like Hank Williams trying to score a fix.

Seriously, it's a great fucking disc, not just a novelty thing. I highly suggest that all VU fans check it out, because it's awesome.

― Vestigial Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Friday, 15 July 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

Oh I agree, but more than one version of each is overkill...

(and I speak as one with that Stooges box)

Although the "THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S RIGHT!!!" from a teenage lou is classic...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 15 July 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

Oh I agree, but more than one version of each is overkill...

Maybe-- but again, it collects the whole tape. To condense it would have been to release a disc that was contoured as a rarities album rather than a historical document, which I'm not sure does service to showing the songs' evolutions. The 'voyeurism' element is crucial to the success of the disc as well, where you can hear Lou yelling "fucking shit!" when he messes up. Unedited, it is particularly raw and unadulterated. While this does make it a historical document, it happens to have excellent versions of these songs on it. I'm not complaining. It's easy enough to skip tracks, or burn a new disc excising unwanted material.

― Vestigial Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Friday, 15 July 2005 15:44 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

This acetate was recently torrented on the Dime, although the master is apparently from Mo Tucker's copy and NOT the garage sale one. It's scratchy as hell and actually skips at several points. The songs ("Heroin", "Venus In Furs", and "Waiting...") sound extremely similar to the released versions although a bit slower and more stoned. As somebody who has a ton of Velvets boot stuff, I would advise folks out there who are dying to hear it that it doesn't sound like much of a big deal to my ears.

― sleeve (sleeve), Friday, 9 December 2005 03:02 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

Does the dude who found the acetate now live in Virginia and have the license plate "VU FINDR"?

― PB, Tuesday, 3 January 2006 21:15 (twenty years ago)

Hahaha - I'll ask him for one - the CD-R copy has his voice coming in every 45 seconds or something, though, so no one can boot it.

As if I missed my chance: Jim Carrol saying, "what is that? a tuinal? Oh my god, I've gotta hide - look who's over there."

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 02:50 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

It's annoying not to be able to find the most recent thread about this when it was offered on ebay. I think Scott Seward started the thread, but even adding his name to the search didn't help me. I sure would like to be able to find that thread.

Anyway, I actually got round to listening to this the other night and it kindof put me in a trance, without being on any substances. Especially the Heroin version. Cause it's like...you're so used to these songs being done ONE way, and then you hear very subtly that you're not hearing the same old thing and it's kindof wild sometimes.

― Bimble, Sunday, 24 June 2007 07:46 (nineteen years ago)

I think that other thread was on the sandbox?

― Edward III, Sunday, 24 June 2007 18:42 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I think it all happened during the sandbox days.

― Johnny Fever, Sunday, 24 June 2007 19:34 (nineteen years ago)

Oh so *that* explains it! Thanks! :)

― Bimble, Sunday, 24 June 2007 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

nine years pass...

relly good version fo sunday morning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI7x2LBDzlY

― Violet Jax (Violet Jynx), Thursday, 25 May 2017 18:59 (nine years ago)

five years pass...

https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2022/11/09/warhol-museum-master-tracks-velvet-underground-debut/stories/202211090082

― sleeve, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:24 (three years ago)

I saw that yesterday; it's pretty cool, but I'm unclear on the history of the masters for this album. These are mono masters, and seem to have some unreleased or unheard takes? Was there a stereo master for this album with the same material? Have there been any reissues of this album that claimed to be derived from the master tapes? Is this extra material really unheard?

― akm, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:35 (three years ago)

I'm guessing the abysmal nerds of the Hoffman forums can answer this

― akm, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:35 (three years ago)

aiui these are the Sceptre acetate recordings, but in master tape quality

― sleeve, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:37 (three years ago)

not the ones in the link above: "The Andy Warhol Museum announced Wednesday that it had discovered and digitized rare master tapes of the Velvet Underground’s seminal 1967 debut album “The Velvet Underground & Nico” from Verve Records."

― akm, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:38 (three years ago)

unless the reporting on this is a complete mess which I wouldn't be surprised to learn

― akm, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:39 (three years ago)

it's the Scepter acetate — "Although an acetate version, which was made from these master tapes, was released for the 45th anniversary of the album, it is of a different sonic quality, given the generation loss inherent in an analog copy."

That said, some of the Scepter sessions on that 45th anniversary set are from a "tape source" so I don't know if this will be a marked improvement.

― tylerw, Friday, 11 November 2022 16:41 (three years ago)

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