1969: The Velvet Underground Live
. By this time, the band had picked up a sizeable fan base and every now and then a fan would bring along, with consent of the band,
recording equipment to record a set.
Most of the time, this would mean relatively simple hand-held recorders resulting in
lo-fi audience recordings. On two occasions, however, professional equipment was used. On
October 19 in the End of Cole Ave. club,
Dallas, a fan who happened to be a recording engineer brought along his professional gear; and in November at The Matrix in
San Francisco, the band was given permission to use the in-house four-track recording desk.
The band were given two-track mixdown tapes from the recordings for reference, but nothing was done with them until 1974, after the band had dissolved and
Lou Reed had gained
popularity/
notoriety in his own right. According to
bassist Doug Yule, "The release of
1969 Live [...] was started by
Steve Sesnick [former
band manager], who had the tapes and was trying to sell them to get money for himself claiming that he owned the [band] name and the rights to the album. [...] Somehow somebody else got involved and contacted other people in the group and basically Sesnick got done. [Lou Reed's management] took the tapes and said 'It's not yours' and released it" .
The mixdown tapes were submitted to
Mercury Records, who agreed to release a compilation of the best performances as a double album. When
1969 was released, it immediately became subject of a
lawsuit as The Matrix's management had never given permission for their material to be used on a commercial release. The matter was, however,
settled out of court.
The tracks on
1969 are for the most part of good sound quality, resulting from four-track recording equipment being used. Some of the tracks feature light crackling, however, as they were sourced from
acetates, the original tapes having been lost. There is little ambiance or audience sound, however, because no audience
mic was used and so the only ambiance the listener gets is whatever little the vocal and
drums mics picked up. This makes the record sound relatively flat and small and makes it seem that only a handful of people were present.
Musically,
1969 finds the band in top form. Doug Yule,
John Cale's late-1968 replacement, fits well into the band and performances are tight. Highlights are Reed and Morrison's interwoven rhythm guitar play and Yule's
organ parts on "What Goes On" and "Ocean".
At the time of the album's release, three of its songs ("We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together", "Over You", "Sweet Bonnie Brown â€" It's Just Too Much") were previously unreleased in any form, two ("Lisa Says" and "Ocean") were previously only known as
Lou Reed solo songs, and "New Age" and "Sweet Jane" were radically different from the eventual
Loaded studio versions.
All tracks written by Lou Reed.
Vinyl double album
Side 1
# "I'm Waiting for the Man" â€" 7:00# "Lisa Says" â€" 5:46# "What Goes On" â€" 8:47# "Sweet Jane" â€" 3:58
Side 2
# "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" â€" 3:12# "Femme Fatale" â€" 3:01# "New Age" â€" 6:31# "Rock and Roll" â€" 6:00# "Beginning to See the Light" â€" 5:26
Side 3
# "Ocean" â€" 10:46# "Pale Blue Eyes" â€" 5:50# "Heroin" â€" 9:42
Side 4
# "Some Kinda Love" â€" 4:44# "Over You" â€" 2:15# "Sweet Bonnie Brown â€" It's Just Too Much"
medley â€" 7:50# "White Light/White Heat" â€" 8:32# "I'll Be Your Mirror" â€" 2:17
CD edition
†CD edition bonus tracks not on the original vinyl.
Volume 1
# "I'm Waiting for the Man" â€" 7:03# "Lisa Says" â€" 5:52# "What Goes On" â€" 8:55# "Sweet Jane" â€" 4:00# "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" â€" 3:15# "Femme Fatale" â€" 3:04# "New Age" â€" 6:36# "Rock and Roll" â€" 6:06# "Beginning to See the Light" â€" 5:30# "Heroin" â€" 8:14 â€
Volume 2
# "Ocean" â€" 10:55# "Pale Blue Eyes" â€" 5:51# "Heroin" â€" 9:49# "Some Kinda Love" â€" 4:48# "Over You" â€" 2:17# "Sweet Bonnie Brown â€" It's Just Too Much"
medley â€" 7:55# "White Light/White Heat" â€" 8:35# "I Can't Stand It" â€" 7:51 †# "I'll Be Your Mirror" â€" 2:21
The band
*
Lou Reed â€"
vocals,
rhythm guitar*
Sterling Morrison â€" rhythm and
lead guitar,
backing vocals*
Doug Yule â€"
bass guitar,
organ, backing vocals, lead vocal on "I'll Be Your Mirror"
*
Maureen Tucker â€"
percussionTechnical staff
* The Velvet Underground â€"
producers
# Figure derived from the
1969 gig list at
The Velvet Underground Web Page# Quoted from "Head Held High - The Velvet Underground featuring Doug Yule", interview with Yule by
Sal Mercuri, originally published in
What Goes On - The Velvet Underground Fanzine #3, Fall 1994 and
republished at
The Velvet Underground Web Page*
The Velvet Underground Web Page*
Foggy Notion - a Velvet Underground Web Corner
