The Very Best of the Velvet Underground

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are Velvet Underground compilation albums with similar titles: The Best of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed (1989) and The Best of The Velvet Underground: The Millennium Collection (2000).
The Very Best of The Velvet Underground
The Very Best of The Velvet Underground cover
Compilation album by The Velvet Underground
Released March 31, 2003
Recorded 1966–1970, New York City and Hollywood, United States
Genre Rock, art rock, experimental rock, folk rock
Length 62:12
Label Universal Music
Producer Andy Warhol, Tom Wilson, The Velvet Underground, Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan
The Velvet Underground chronology
Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes
(2001)		 The Very Best of The Velvet Underground
(2003)		 Gold
(2005)

The Very Best of The Velvet Underground is a compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was released in Europe on March 31, 2003, by Polydor, the record label that oversees the band's Universal Music Group back catalogue.

Contents

[edit] About the album

The album is a regular, balanced best-of compilation that draws from all four canonical studio albums. It is notable for including three songs from White Light/White Heat, usually the compilers' least favourite album due to its uncommercial sound. The Very Best of The Velvet Underground was released on the back of a successful Hyundai television advert, which featured the band's 1970 recording "I'm Sticking with You" off Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition). The version included in this compilation is the 1969 VU take, however, despite the cover sticker's claim to the contrary.

[edit] Track listing

All tracks performed by The Velvet Underground except † The Velvet Underground and Nico. All titles written by Lou Reed except as noted.

  1. "Sweet Jane"
  2. "I'm Sticking with You" (1969 version)
  3. "I'm Waiting for the Man"
  4. "What Goes On"
  5. "White Light/White Heat"
  6. "All Tomorrow's Parties" †
  7. "Pale Blue Eyes"
  8. "Femme Fatale" †
  9. "Heroin"
  10. "Here She Comes Now" (Reed, Cale, Morrison)
  11. "Stephanie Says"
  12. "Venus in Furs"
  13. "Beginning to See the Light"
  14. "I Heard Her Call My Name"
  15. "Some Kinda Love" (alternate take)
  16. "I Can't Stand It"
  17. "Sunday Morning" (Reed, Cale) †
  18. "Rock and Roll"

(1, 18) taken from Loaded; (2, 11, 16) taken from VU; (3, 6, 8-9, 12, 17) taken from The Velvet Underground and Nico; (4, 7, 13, 15) taken from The Velvet Underground; (5, 10, 14) taken from White Light/White Heat.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The band

[edit] Additional musicians

  • Nico – lead vocals on "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Femme Fatale", backing vocals on "Sunday Morning"

[edit] Technical staff

  • Andy Warhol – producer
  • Tom Wilson – producer
  • The Velvet Underground – producers
  • Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan and The Velvet Underground – producers
v • d • e
The Velvet Underground
John Cale · Sterling Morrison · Lou Reed · Maureen Tucker · Doug Yule
Willie Alexander · Angus MacLise · Walter Powers
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Songs
Related articles