Holly Woodlawn RIP

Holly Woodlawn - RIP.

New Books of Note: Suicide, Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, Lou Reed & Flexipop!

The season of consumption is fast approaching, so I have some catching up to do. Here are some book of interest that have recently come across my radar, and may interest you.  First up is Suicide: Dream Baby Dream, A New York Story by old Bleecker Bob's running mate, and long time UK journalist, Kris Needs. I'm looking forward to this one as there's only been one prior Suicide bio, and it really sucked. I won't even mention the title here. Read an excerpt from Needs' book, and an interview with him over at the Quietus now.

Next up are a couple that you very well may know about already. We have Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello. The review from the NY Times is tentative but curious, and makes the book sound interesting.

And of course there's Patti Smith's new one, M Train, which the NY Times gushed over. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Smith's but I absolutely loved Just Kids, so I'm looking forward to this one as well.

Dirty Blvd: The Life and Music of Lou Reed, by Aiden Levy, is a brand new title I only found out about by coming across it in my local book shop. After leafing through it, I decided to take a chance on it, and brought it home. I haven't gotten to it, but my hopes remain optimistic. 

Lastly, we have Flexipop! The Book brought to us by the same folks who published the magazine back in the early 80's. It was always a fun magazine as each issue came with an exclusive flexi-disc, and bands like Kajagoogoo sat comfortably next to Infa Riot. It was all over the place, and definitely didn't take anything too seriously. Mail order from their website, and receive a special bonus issue, as well as a brand new flexi-disc with music from Spandau Ballet and Marc Almond. 

Finally, a new Velvet Underground release worth the price of purchase

Courtesy of Music Tap comes word that the end of October will see the release of legendary and oft-bootlegged Matrix Tapes by the Velvet Underground. Unlike many of the bootleg versions, this release should be just about everything from the 1969 run of shows.  

The Matrix Tapes – The Velvet Underground

CD1 – Set One:
01 I’m Waiting For The Man (Version 1) (14:06)
02 What Goes On (Version 1) (8:58)
03 Some Kinda Love (Version 1) (4:59)
04 Heroin (Version 1) (8:13)
05 The Black Angel’s Death Song (6:20)
06 Venus In Furs (Version 1) (4:38)
07 There She Goes Again (Version 1) (3:08)
08 We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (Version 1) (3:16)
09 Over You (Version 1) (2:24)
10 Sweet Jane (Version 1) (5:12)
11 Pale Blue Eyes (6:08)
12 After Hours (Version 1) (2:58)

CD2 – Set Two:
01 I’m Waiting For The Man (Version 2)
02 Venus In Furs (Version 2) (5:16)
03 I Can’t Stand It (Version 1) (7:54)
04 There She Goes Again (Version 2) (2:54)
05 Some Kinda Love (Version 2) (4:12)
06 Over You (Version 2) (3:07)
07 After Hours (Version 2) (2:37)
08 We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (Version 2) (3:42)
09 Sweet Bonnie Brown/Too Much (7:54)
10 Heroin (Version 2) (10:08)
11 White Light/White Heat (Version 1) (9:30)
12 I’m Set Free (4.48)

CD3 – Set Three:
01 We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (Version 3) (3:18)
02 Some Kinda Love (Version 3) (4:40)
03 There She Goes Again (Version 3) (3:02)
04 Heroin (Version 3) (8:34)
05 Ocean (11:03)
06 Sister Ray (37.08)

CD4 – Set Four
01 I’m Waiting For The Man (Version 3) (5:31)
02 What Goes On (Version 2) (4:34)
03 Some Kinda Love (Version 4) (4:46)
04 We’re Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (Version 4) (3:26)
05 Beginning To See The Light (5:42)
06 Lisa Says (6:05)
07 New Age (6:41)
08 Rock And Roll (6.58)
09 I Can’t Stand It (Version 2) (6:54)
10 Heroin (Version 4) (8:18)
11 White Light /White Heat (Version 2) (8:45)
12 Sweet Jane (Version 2) (4:20)

Just Because: The Velvet Underground at the Gymnasium (1967)

Grab it here.

Reqiuem For A Dream: Patti Smith Inducts Lou Reed 4.18.15

If you're reading this in an email, click the headline above to listen to Patti Smith's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction speech for Lou Reed.

The Velvet Underground Map of New York

 The Velvet Underground Map of New York

Just Because: Lou Reed on WPIX in 1979

Loaded: Lou Reed & John Cale at Lou's house in New York, Christmas 1977 - by Kate Simon

Originally surfacing a little over a year ago, I was listening to this wonderful bit of audio ephemera tonight, and then came upon the Soundcloud upload...This guest DJ spot by Lou Reed on WPIX in 1979 is definitely worth a listen - if you've heard it before, or especially if you haven't. There's great music & talk, Lou takes calls, and does what he was great at, i.e. being Lou. John Cale shows up at one point as well. You can skip segment #12 if you're pressed for time as that has nothing to do with Lou's appearance.

You don't really hear people who speak like this any longer. From Lou, to the call in guests, there's a definite NY in the accent as well as some slight neurosis & attitude.

This just in: Velvet Underground Matrix recordings to be included with deluxe reissue of 3rd album

Doom & Gloom From the Tomb reports:

The Velvet Underground :: Matrix Tapes Sampler

Thrilling news for VU heads — apparently a portion of the Velvet Underground’s fabled Matrix Tapes will be part of a deluxe reissue of the band’s self-titled third album, slated for release later this year. The Holy Grail! You can still go check out my write-up and the sampler of tantalizing snippets over on Aquarium Drunkard. Cannot wait to hear this stuff in full. 

Dick Wagner RIP

Dick Wagner - RIP

Found: 33 minutes of The Velvet Undergound at the Boston Tea Party, 1967, in color!

Mind: boggled. Thank you, internet. Here is some color footage of the Velvet Underground live in Boston from 1967. The sound quality pretty much suck, but who cares? If you listen closely you'll be able to make out some of the tunes. According to the uploader this was "directed" by Andy Warhol. I'm not not sure what that means exactly, but this is truly a treasure. Here is the description:

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND IN BOSTON (1967, sound, color, 33 mins. Dir: Andy Warhol):

This newly unearthed film, which Warhol shot during a concert at the Boston Tea Party, features a variety of filmmaking techniques. Sudden in-and-out zooms, sweeping panning shots, in-camera edits that create single frame images and bursts of light like paparazzi flash bulbs going off mirror the kinesthetic experience of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, with its strobe lights, whip dancers, colorful slide shows, multi-screen projections, liberal use of amphetamines, and overpowering sound. 

It is a significant find indeed for fans of the Velvets, being one of only two known films with synchronous sound of the band performing live, and this the only one in color. It's fitting that it was shot at the Boston Tea Party, as the Beantown club became one of the band's favorite, most-played venues, and was where a 16-year-old Jonathan Richman faithfully attended every show and befriended the group. Richman, who would later have his debut recordings produced by John Cale, and later yet record a song about the group, is just possibly seen in the background of this film.

It Was 45 Years Ago Today: The Velvet Underground - The Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA, January 10, 1969

Grab it here

 

1. Heroin (8:25)
2. Move Right In (4:46)
3. I’m Set Free (4:37)
4. Run Run Run (7:49)
5. Waiting For The Man (8:56)
6. What Goes On (4:29)
7. I Can’t Stand It (6:18)
8. Candy Says (4:46)
9. Beginning To See The Light (5:49)
10. White Light/White Heat (5:42)
11. Pale Blue Eyes (6:27)
12. Sister Ray (21:23)

Thanks to Doom & Gloom From the Tomb

Shot By: Christopher Makos

Lou Reed, circa 1977, by Christopher Makos

Lou Reed's Private Memorial, Apollo Theater, NYC 12.16.13

Lou by David Gahr

This past Monday, friends & family of Lou Reed gathered at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for a private, invite-only memorial service. Jim Fouratt was kind enough to tape it, and its an incredible document. 

Jim writes: THIS A IS A LOW RES GOOD AUDIO DOCUMENTATION OF MOST THE PERFORMANCES AT THE Memorial. Includes Laurie Anderson, Mo Tucker, John Cale, Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Paul Simon, Antony, John Zorn, Jenny Muldar, Lenny Kaye, Mark Ribot, Hal Wilner + others. I made it for myself and share it with all LOU fans who were not able to attend. Let me put the memorial into context: In the Buddhist tradition it takes days 49 days for the spirit to leave the body. It is called "bardo." Like Jewish Shiva, Irish wakes and different cultural rituals, it is a time for the living to share stories and simply just sit together to help each other and most importantly help the spirit be fully freed into into the Cosmos, December 16 was the fiftieth day and at the Apollo Theater a celebration of Lou Reed's life and work took place with his friends and family gathered with his wife the artist Laurie Andersen all saying goodbye, good speed Lou.

So far underground you'll get the bends: More Lou Reed than you can shake a stick at

Since he passed away on October 27, there's been an overly abundant supply of Lou Reed content - bootlegs, video, what have you - popping up online. I thought I'd share here some links to a few items that have caught my attention.

Below, Lou gets interviewed by Anthony DeCurtis at the 92nd Street Y in NYC a few years back. I was lucky enough to be there, and I'm glad to see this again. DeCurtis seems a bit nervous at times, but he's good enough to give Lou space & let him finish his thoughts. I'm  sure it wasn't an easy gig. This video, and many others, can be found amongst the treasure trove of content that the 92nd Street Y recently made available here.

Secondly, and always good sources for tasty & choice live recordings, Doom & Gloom From The Tomb, and Aquarium Drunkard, have both have shared some great files from various sources recently. First up, from the Infinite Fool via Doom & Gloom, we have Lou Reed & The Tots - Alice Tully Hall, New York City, NY, January 27, 1973. This is a recording of one of the shows that the poster at the top of this post comes from. 

Then, from Music For Maniacs via Doom & Gloom, we have Pre-VU - an incredible collection of pre-Velvet Undergound recordings that involved Lou to some degree or another. Here's the track listing:

01. Jades - Leave Her for Me
02. Jades - So Blue (time-1002, 1958)
03. Lewis Reed - Merry Go Round (1962)
04. Lewis Reed - Your Love
05. The All Night Workers - Why Don’t You Smile Now
06. The Beachnuts - Cycle Annie (1965)
07. The Beachnuts - I’ve Got A Tiger In My Tank
08. the Hi-Lifes - Soul City (1965)
09. The Primitives - Sneaky Pete
10. The Primitives - The Ostrich
11. The Roughnecks - You’re Driving Me Insane

And then, perhaps the coolest of all, is a recording of Lou guest DJ-ing on the short lived WPIX rock station here in NYC in 1979. As Aquarium Drunkard writes, "Lou is in fine, fighting form here, peppering his commentary with scathing diatribes against Robert Christgau, Rolling Stone magazine, Jimmy Carter and NYC taxi drivers. He even takes some calls — witness the hilarious, surreal moment when Lou “Take No Prisoners” Reed admonishes a caller for using foul language. The music he plays is fantastic, too, with some classic doo wop, tracks from his then-unreleased The Bells LP, and a truly bizarro segue from Al Green to Nico. Lou even comes out in favor of disco.." Download a zipfile of this great show here.

And just for kicks, here are the Velvets doing "I'm Not A Young Man Anymore" which will be included with the forthcoming deluxe issue of White Light/White Heat.

I think thats it for now, but I know there will be more...It always comes back to the rain. And with that, I'll leave you with this classic shot of Lou & John Cale looking all festive back in 1977 as shot by Miss Kate Simon. I originally ran this last Christmas day with Kate's awesome playlist. And by the way, Kate, if you're reading this, don't forget that new Christmas playlist you've promised me this year.

Loaded: Lou Reed & John Cale at Lou's house in New York, Christmas 1977 - by Kate Simon

The Big Read: The story of White Light/White Heat by the Velvet Underground

As you may know, The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat will be getting the deluxe reissue treatment shortly (order here). This morning, Mojo Magazine ran a great article by David Fricke about the album that looks like it may be a new(?) feature for Mojo's website called the Big Read. Anyway, the article is excellent, including great quotes from all concerned, and the layout online is gorgeous. The images contained here are from it, and i thought this a good excuse to run them. Read the article here.

You do what you love, or you get arrested: Lou Reed on sound

 

One of Lou's final interviews, if not his last. Being for a headphone designer, they discuss sound. Any big Lou Reed fan knows how obsessed he was with sound. There are some fantastic quotes in this.

"You do what you love, or you get arrested."

"My father didn't give me shit."

"I sleep with my guitar and my amp."

"I am very emotionally affected by sound. Sounds are the inexplicable. . .There is a sound you hear in your head, it's your nerves, or your blood running. It's kind of amazing to hear that."

"The sound of the wind...the sound of love."

Laurie Anderson's touching farewell to her husband, Lou Reed

"I liked him right away, but I was surprised he didn't have an English accent. For some reason I thought the Velvet Underground were British, and I had only a vague idea what they did. (I know, I know.) I was from a different world. And all the worlds in New York around then – the fashion world, the art world, the literary world, the rock world, the financial world – were pretty provincial. Somewhat disdainful. Not yet wired together."

Read the entire piece here.

Movie of the Week: Lou Reed - Rock & Roll Heart

Rock and Roll Heart traces Lou Reed's career from the formation of the Velvet Underground to rock icon to his more recent artistic endeavors. Includes lots of rare and vintage footage along with interviews with David Bowie, John Cale, Patti Smith, Thurston Moore, David Byrne, Jim Carroll, Maureen Tucker, Suzanne Vega, Dave Stewart and Philip Glass. An excellent documentary (and the only one) about this hugely influential and uncompromising American artist. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders for American Masters and screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998.

Hat tip to Joe Nolan. 

So long, friend: Some brief thoughts on Lou Reed

So long, Lou

Since I heard the news, hours ago now, I've been thinking & thinking, and apart from the (now) short period I was not a music nut, its hard to find any space in my life that he didn't touch. So many memories & so much knowledge, is tied in with him & the Velvets. He was one of those guys that educated his listeners if you were paying attention...I know about Ornette Coleman, Hubert Selby, Little Jimmy Scott, Christopher Isherwood, junkies, hustlers, much art, many artists - everything interesting - directly because of him. The list could be much, much longer.

As well, despite his reputation towards the curmudgeonly, the few times I was in his presence I'm happy to say were nothing but pleasant experiences. A friend on Facebook used the word "avuncular" to describe him which I thought was pretty appropriate. To quote Sasha Frere-Jones in his great piece posted on the New Yorker website today, "His work spans my life and is woven into it, and it is impossible to imagine my own imagination without thinking of the direction in which Reed told me to look...He is everywhere." If you're looking & listening, yes.

He was also, once I was an adult, a musical connection I could make with my father (who is still very much with us at 88). There are two favorites of mine my father has been hip enough to accept my invitation to go see with me - Tom Waits (twice!) and Lou Reed. We saw him at Radio City Music Hall (or perhaps it was the St. James Theater?) together. For the record, my dad liked Lou, but I think he preferred Tom.

At dinner tonight at Robbie's, he brought up the idea a film about Lou's life, and would that be interesting. This was based on the idea that if someone could make a film based on the life of someone like Hunter S. Thompson, they could make one about Lou. I agreed with him, but would like to take that one step further...You could easily make dozens of films based on dozens of his songs. Imagine that? Or a movie based on the Berlin album...that would be a doozy. Having spent his career attempting to set in song the types of characters & stories he loved in literary writers, I think its safe to say he accomplished what he set out to do. I hope he felt that, knew that...

As another friend said, "A little part of a lot of us has left the planet."

Lou Reed RIP

Lou Reed - RIP. 

Its been a while, but I've often feared having to type those words. I hope you're in a better place. Words can't express how grateful I am for your art. Nothing I write here would do your life justice.