VU : Matrix Tapes : 4 x CD Set

[TheWarmth]

Kind of annoying that they put a number of these tracks on last year's 6 x CD Velvet Underground box, but I'll probably still be buying this.

http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archive ... sed-oct-30


Detroit Metro Times
Tough Mudder

Blogs
News
Arts & Culture
Food & Drink
Music
Film
Slideshows
Calendar
Best Of
Giveaways

Pinnacle
City Slang
Email
Print
More Sharing ServicesShare
Thursday, September 10, 2015
City Slang
Velvet Underground's full 4CD set of 'Matrix Tapes' to finally be released Oct. 30
Posted By Mike McGonigal on Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 10:31 AM
the-velvet-underground.jpeg

We learned today from the website Music Tap that the Velvet Underground record we've been waiting for years for is set for release at the end of next month, on October 30, on Polydor! Finally we get to hear all the Matrix Tapes, professional quality live recordings made in 1969 when the band had a small residency at a club in San Francisco called the Matrix. Does this mean that we might sell the super deluxe 6CD version of the third album which we bought last year largely to hear the version of "Sister Ray" posted below, or probably not listen to 1969 Live, or the Bob Quine box, or various bootlegs, ever again? Maybe. No word on whether a vinyl version is in the works.
Why are these newly restored recordings such a big deal? Let's steal this bit from expert Richie Unterberger, off his list of the best unheard VU (where this is #9):

Live at the Matrix in San Francisco, November-December 1969: Though Velvet Underground recordings (and great ones) at the Matrix in November form the bulk of the classic album 1969 Velvet Underground Live, it's been confirmed that about four hours of unissued material from their performances at the club this fall exist. It's known that 42 such songs survive on half-inch, four-track tape. Among them are versions of a few tunes not to appear on 1969 Velvet Underground Live, including three of "There She Goes Again," two of both "Venus in Furs" and "After Hours," and one apiece of "The Black Angel's Death Song," "I'm Set Free," and "Sister Ray." There are also additional, as-yet-unreleased Matrix versions of most of the songs that do make it onto 1969 Velvet Underground Live, including no less than four of "Heroin," and more than one of a few of the others.

Two-to-three-minute excerpts of nine of these tracks and a seven-minute excerpt of "Sister Ray"—all starting at the beginning of the songs, and fading out mid-performance—that have leaked into circulation verify that the sound quality on these recordings is outstanding, and notably (though not hugely) superior to the tapes used on 1969 Velvet Underground Live. Of even more interest, the performances themselves are good-to-superb, including a version of the rarely-heard "There She Goes Again" with noticeably more jagged rhythm guitar than the studio cut; "I'm Set Free" with magnificent Reed lead vocals; a really slowed-down "I'm Waiting for the Man" with great curling blues guitar riffing, and a cool interjection of ominously stroked chords right after the white boy's asked what he's doing uptown; and a "Sister Ray" that starts off super-slow and bluesy, but just keeps accelerating in rhythm and intensity until the tape cruelly cuts off. If not quite as novel, the other excerpts—including "Ocean," "Some Kinda Love" (introduced as "an alcoholic's dream"), "The Black Angel's Death Song," "After Hours," and two versions of "Venus in Furs"—likewise make the Velvet Underground fan yearn for the day when these tapes can be released.

In addition, seven unreleased performances from rehearsals taped by Robert Quine in November at the Matrix and/or another San Francisco venue (the Family Dog) have leaked into circulation. These have fairly good sound quality, comparable to tracks officially issued on The Quine Tapes. One standout is an "It's All Too Much" that starts off in a bluesier, slower state than its more frenetic 1969 Velvet Underground Live version, but picks up the pace after a few dramatic door-shutting percussive/power chord slams, as if the band's impatient to kick it into higher gear. And Lou's deadpan aside to Morrison at the beginning of the instrumental break—"rock on, Sterl," a la Ringo Starr's exhortation to George Harrison to "rock on George, one time for me" in the Beatles' "Honey Don't"—is probably the highlight of the whole batch.


FULL TRACK LIST HERE
Velvet Underground, The Matrix Tapes
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)

[BzaInSpace]

Agreed Paul.

I'm wondering if it's because Lou Reed is now dead that the industry seemingly has carte blanche to release and reissue VU material as it likes?

I've heard about this sorta-legendary show for a while, although I didn't realize that the The Velvet Underground set from last year only had an abridged version of the recorded shows...

In saying that, the 'Super Deluxe' 6 CD set of that record is a thing of beauty and joy and a beautiful package: disc 4 made my year with it's true mix of the 1969 'lost album' - but they could easily have skipped the entirely superfluous pseudo-mono disc for more live shit, IMO!

I notice too that the upcoming Loaded set only contains an edited single disc of the Live At Max's Kansas City show (Lou's last VU gig), although it has been available since 2004 as a decent remastered double CD - the source being a mono audience recording.

I suspect having that and the Fully Loaded set would be adequate, but I'm easily led by the promise of a fresh remaster, particularly of a true classic such as Loaded...

Edit: just read back and it's a 4 disc set in total! Woah... I'm sold.

[The Dr]

A new biography of late Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed delves into the musician's alleged history of domestic abuse.

The book, titled Notes from the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed, focus on Reed's "creative process, his mental health problems, his bisexuality, his three marriages, and his addictions to drugs and alcohol".

Author Howard Sounes, who has previously penned books on Bob Dylan and Amy Winehouse, describes Reed as a "monster" based on interviews with 140 of the musician's friends, peers and associates about his life.

"I loved his music, but you have to go where the story goes," Sounes told The Daily Beast. "The obituaries were a bit too kind, he was really a very unpleasant man. A monster really; I think truly the word monster is applicable."

Bettye Kronstad, who married Reed in 1973, alleges in the book: "He would, like, pin you up against a wall. Tussle you. Hit you... shake you... And then one time he actually gave me a black eye."

An old school friend, Allan Hyman also claims to have witnessed Reed striking a former girlfriend. "She would say something. He’d get pissed off at what she said and smash her around the back of the head," Hyman claimed. "[My wife said,] ‘Lou, if you continue to hit her, you have to leave.’ And then he smacks her in the back of the head. So she said, ‘Get out!’"

The book also quotes Reed as saying "I don’t like ni**ers like Donna Summer," while also describing Bob Dylan as a "pretentious kike".

NME has approached Lou Reed's estate for a response.


Notes from the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed will be published on October 22.
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/lou-reed/88989# ... HVvRLfb.99

[TheWarmth]

I had decided that I wasn't going to buy this, despite what I said in my initial post. Then, today someone directed me to Importcds.com and, after a 10% off coupon, was able to secure a copy for under $40. Couldn't resist. So, I'll report back. I already know I love the tracks from the VU 3rd Box, so I'm guessing this set is going to be pretty badass.

[BzaInSpace]

Cool!

Have you heard the ReLoaded edition yet? PM if not. It sounds wicked in Mono. Not even gotten to the live discs yet...

[Aquarian-Time]

I have the Loaded box set (Have the other 3 so this was always going to happen), the live stuff is not a patch on last years stuff. Disc 4 which is a cleaned up and full version (i think) Max's @ Kansas City is pretty good and perfectly listenable.Disc 5 is dreadful and regardless of what people think about having these things as snapshots in time and history blah blah, you cant get away from the fact the quality is awful, cant hear Lou at all, just think of those shocking bootleg tapes in the 80's and then downgrade them further.
The album stuff is great, but then we knew that anyway.Not listened to the dvd stuff yet on disc 6