1969: The Velvet Underground Live

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1969: The Velvet Underground Live
Live album by The Velvet Underground
Released	September 1974
Recorded	October–November 1969, Dallas and San Francisco, United States
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	114:43
Label	Mercury Records
Producer(s)	The Velvet Underground
Professional reviews
All Music Guide (5/5) link Robert Christgau (A-) link
The Velvet Underground chronology
Squeeze (1973)	1969: The Velvet Underground Live (1974)	VU (1985)

1969: The Velvet Underground Live is a live album by The Velvet Underground. It was originally released as a double album in September 1974 by Mercury Records. The 1988 CD re-release was issued as two separate single CD volumes.

Contents 1 About the album 2 Track listing 2.1 Vinyl double album 2.1.1 Side one 2.1.2 Side two 2.1.3 Side three 2.1.4 Side four 2.2 CD edition 2.2.1 Volume 1 2.2.2 Volume 2 3 Personnel 3.1 The band 3.2 Technical staff 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] About the album

During 1969, The Velvet Underground extensively toured the United States and Canada, playing well over 70 dates^[1]. 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" ^[2].

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 ambience or audience sound, however, because no audience mic was used and so the only ambience 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 — 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.

[edit] Track listing

All tracks written by Lou Reed.

[edit] Vinyl double album

[edit] Side one

1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" – 7:00
2. "Lisa Says" – 5:46
3. "What Goes On" – 8:47
4. "Sweet Jane" – 3:58

[edit] Side two

1. "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" – 3:12
2. "Femme Fatale" – 3:01
3. "New Age" – 6:31
4. "Rock and Roll" – 6:00
5. "Beginning to See the Light" – 5:26

[edit] Side three

1. "Ocean" – 10:46
2. "Pale Blue Eyes" – 5:50
3. "Heroin" – 9:42

[edit] Side four

1. "Some Kinda Love" – 4:44
2. "Over You" – 2:15
3. "Sweet Bonnie Brown — It's Just Too Much" medley – 7:50
4. "White Light/White Heat" – 8:32
5. "I'll Be Your Mirror" – 2:17

[edit] CD edition

† CD edition bonus tracks not on the original vinyl.

[edit] Volume 1

1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" – 7:03
2. "Lisa Says" – 5:52
3. "What Goes On" – 8:55
4. "Sweet Jane" – 4:00
5. "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" – 3:15
6. "Femme Fatale" – 3:04
7. "New Age" – 6:36
8. "Rock and Roll" – 6:06
9. "Beginning to See the Light" – 5:30
10. "Heroin" – 8:14 †

[edit] Volume 2

1. "Ocean" – 10:55
2. "Pale Blue Eyes" – 5:51
3. "Heroin" – 9:49
4. "Some Kinda Love" – 4:48
5. "Over You" – 2:17
6. "Sweet Bonnie Brown — It's Just Too Much" medley – 7:55
7. "White Light/White Heat" – 8:35
8. "I Can't Stand It" – 7:51 †
9. "I'll Be Your Mirror" – 2:21

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The band

• Lou Reed – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Sterling Morrison – rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals
• Doug Yule – bass guitar, organ, backing vocals, lead vocal on "I'll Be Your Mirror"
• Maureen Tucker – percussion

[edit] Technical staff

• The Velvet Underground – producers

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Figure derived from the 1969 gig list at The Velvet Underground Web Page
2. ^ 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

[edit] External links

• The Velvet Underground Web Page
• Foggy Notion - a Velvet Underground Web Corner

The Velvet Underground
John Cale | Sterling Morrison | Lou Reed | Maureen Tucker | Doug Yule
Willie Alexander | Angus MacLise | Walter Powers
Discography
Studio albums: The Velvet Underground and Nico | White Light/White Heat | The Velvet Underground | Loaded | Squeeze
Live albums: Live at Max's Kansas City | 1969 | Live MCMXCIII | Final V.U. | The Quine Tapes
Box sets and outtake compilations: VU | Another View | What Goes On | Peel Slowly and See
Selected best-of compilations: Rock and Roll | The Very Best of The Velvet Underground | Gold
See also
Chelsea Girl | Exploding Plastic Inevitable | Lou Reed | Nico | Steve Sesnick | Songs for Drella | Andy Warhol | Billy Yule