Velvet Underground Trainspotting Question

"The Murder Mystery" in mono would seem to defeat the purpose.

it's weird, and kind of awesome, that the Velvet Underground, whose catalog was either OOP or cut-out bin for a good while, has become one of those bands whose stuff can be repackaged & rereleased again & again & again and people will just keep right on buying it

And David Fricke will just keep right on writing about it.
mostly curious about the tracklisting they've cooked up for the 1969 sessions (and whether those mixes are markedly diff from VU and Another View).

the Velvet Underground, whose catalog was either OOP or cut-out bin for a good while

you sure about this? afaik none of the three canonical albums have ever gone out of print, which would also mean that they have never languished in cut-out bins

I thought the 1985 reissue program was the first time the first 3 records were back in print for at least a few years?

technically I don't know. I do know that for several years you used to be able to hit up Rhino, Music Plus, the Wherehouse, Licorice Pizza, and Tower in SoCal and not be able to find anything except the debut & Loaded. And, as we all know, Loaded is a piece of shit and doesn't even count lol

lol
in other news, its sterling morrison's b-day today
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_68orX32dobI/TPRrFdqS3dI/AAAAAAAAC70/NTzHDxIyf5M/s320/SMorrison.jpg

I thought the 1985 reissue program was the first time the first 3 records were back in print for at least a few years?

Nooh.

You always had the choice of New pressings on the red "Polydor" label, or second-hand versions on the old MGM label, for not-too-much-money.

Or, of course, the "verve" editions for a chunka-change.

I do remember a line in The Book of Rock Lists where Lester Bangs complained about Verve/MGM's horrible repackaging of Velvets records; just didn't know what the timeframe was.

First album got the "can't peel" banana
Second one got the "soldiers" front cover
Third album escaped the re-design

There's also the unforgettable
http://991.com/NewGallery/Velvet-Underground-Velvet-Undergroun-361886.jpg

pretty weird. is that an actual warhol design?

I think so, yes. That comp was actually my first ever VU record so I have a soft spot for it. It also seems to be rather rare.

The first three were long out of print, at least in Canada--I bought import copies of the first and Loaded sometime around '78, then spent the next few years going from used store to used store, trying to find reasonably priced copies of #2 and #3. I wrote about this never-ending search once.

I think so, yes. That comp was actually my first ever VU record so I have a soft spot for it. It also seems to be rather rare.

Ditto.

The first Velvets comp I had was a German double from the early 70s, with a green cover with a sort of sub-Roger Dean design on it. It also had tracks from "Chelsea Girl" on it.

The comp with the Warhol cover gets a mention in Julian Cope's "Head on" as both his and Ian McCullough's intro to the Velvets, around 1973.

My copy of Loaded:

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/0a2054f6bb8977ea4a69ad46a602eb82/674127.jpg

I found decent copies of the Verve originals for ~$10 each around 1990 at Rockaway Records of Los Angeles. Actually, now that I think of it my 3rd version may not be original, because when I first heard the closet mix of "Some Kinda Love" I was like "uh...... wtf?!?!!??!"

i got used copies of all the original VU lps in the 90s for fairly cheap -- can't imagine I paid more than $10 for any of them. not that they were in great condition or anything. only half a banana ;_;

just realised that i've never heard the non-closet mix of the 3rd album, is it really that different?
only know i have the closet mix on vinyl cos someone remarked upon it when i played once

on the non-closet version, some kinda love is a totally different (imo superior) take of the song. other differences are negligible to my ears.

here's the non-closet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh-GNnCwHj4
and the closet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc8kMbL7y3o

actually my fave version of that song is probably on live 1969

closet mix is basically just Lou's vocals louder, right? I think I only listened to it a couple times cuz it was on the Peel Slowly box. was not particularly impressed.

wow that's a totally different take of Some Kinda Love huh
totally jarring listen after 20+ years of playing the other version!

I don't think it's a different take...? just a different mix.

pretty sure it's at least a different vocal take. think it might be a different instrumental take altogether too, but i suppose it could just be a different mix.

Didn't know anything about that. I have the closet version. I have no idea what it has to do with a closet.

Lou was in the closet iirc

pretty sure it's at least a different vocal take.

a lot of the inflections/line readings are *really* similar in each version, but I'm not sure

here's what sal mercuri says in his peel slowly review:
The box offers Lou's infamous 'closet mix', which is not better or worse than the more familiar Val Valentin mix, just different. The difference is one between an artist, and an engineer - one works to depict a personal vision, the other turns knobs and manipulates levers competently. As this box is intended to finally honor the band and their vision, it's only fitting that original mix be used. The most obvious variation is the alternate take of 'Some Kinda Love'. In the Valentin version, the take used features jangling guitars and straight ahead vocals typical of the band's live renditions of that song. The closet mix version sounds much more desperate, like Lou was lying on the floor, on the nod, with a microphone placed nearby as he mutters the virtues of all kinds of love.

What I mean is, if the words are identical in the two versions (which is what most of these posts indicate), why is one any more closety than the other?

Okay, sorry--tyler's long post seems to answer that.

sterling morrison coined the "closet mix" -- he said it sounded like it was recorded in a closet. i think he meant it as a compliment though!
since we're VU-ing it today -- here's something i just posted over on ye olde blog: a live show from march 1969. http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/30395247670/endless-revisions-in-honor-of-sterling-morrisons

There are a lot of differences between the two, but I only have the closet mix so I can't really rattle them off. I used to be friends with this guy who owned the Valentin mix who got really agitated when he was at my apartment and I played the closet mix. He basically gave me a live commentary pointing out all of the differences. I specifically remember him ranting about how the closet mix ruined "Jesus".

i just heard the valentin mix first so that's the one i prefer -- but the closet mix is fine too. feel like the drums are a little less prominent in the mix, the vocals are kinda higher above everything else. i mean, i don't care too much, it's an amazing record either way.

though i guess, according to sundazed, i've never really "had" this record.

sterling morrison coined the "closet mix" -- he said it sounded like it was recorded in a closet.

Okay--so it's a metaphorical closet, but also a physical space. I've got it straight. I mean, I get it.

even rarer still is lou's "i'm exploring my sexuality" mix.

same performances different mixes imo. mix is such a huge thing. prefer the weirdo closet mix but it's the one I had back when - the other one they sound like a jangly pop band with a bad singer, not a weird band that can't really be compared to anybody else

I’ve always preferred the closet mixes. They sound more intimate to these ears.

I'm new to ILM but have had suspicions that many of the posters here are as deaf as doorknobs, and reading all the posts that think that the closet mix of "Some Kinda Love" is the same performance as the non-closet mix absolutely confirms it.

Peter G. (aka "il queequeg")

haha! y'all been burned. yeah i think it's a diff performance too.

maybe we can get some real musicians in here to make the final judgement.

okay I A/B'd 'em (hard to sync em up with one being shorter than the other) and yeah they're different, albeit very similar, vocal takes. Dunno about the guitars, the closet mix seems to drop one of the guitar tracks altogether which makes it hard to tell.

yeah, if it's the same performance lou has (surprise!) mixed his guitar wayyyyyyy the hell up. but yeah, there are some different vocal intonations throughout.

Well, for starters, Lou begins the closet mix with "Some kinds of love," where as "love" is singular in the non-closeted version.

Oops, that's "kinds" is singular.

just noticed that the nuns blog is invite only.. anyone know how to get access?

I'm new to ILM but have had suspicions that many of the posters here are as deaf as doorknobs, and reading all the posts that think that the closet mix of "Some Kinda Love" is the same performance as the non-closet mix absolutely confirms it.
Of course they're different performances. I just prefer what are commonly known as the "closet mixes."
Having said that, I am as deaf as a doorknob. I blame that on a Clash show in '82.