THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO 1st MONO 1967 EAST COAST Torso ANDY WARHOL

$

375

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO. 1ST pressing on Verve East Coast featuring Emerson "lawsuit"sticker on the back cover. Mono version, thick cardboard gatefold sleeve, original Verve inner sleeve.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Matrix / Runout (Side A): V5008 side 1 MG 558 Rev

Matrix / Runout (Side B): V5008 SIDe 2 MG 559

East coast pressing indicated by "Side 1 and Side 2". Thick vinyl in VG condition with several light hairline marks that cause random crackle throughout noticeable in quieter segments. A few periods of light repeating clicks that only last a few rotations. Play tested on my Technics player, excellent audio, punchy and bassy, a bit more crackle on beginning of each side, cleans up and rocks hard later. Crackle not distracting in my opinion, nice player! Engaging the Mono button on my amplifiers. Leans up the crackle significantly.

Cover is G+ wear to edges, places with some paper loss, all seams intact except starting to split at opening about 1/2" on top opening seam, and 1/4" on bottom opening seam. Old water damage has caused staining on bottom 1:4 of cover noticeable on cover and inner gatefold.caused some paper loss on bottom seams, also some paper loss on opening edge of front cover (see photos). Hole cutout on bottom left hand side, banana missing . Lawsuit sticker on back in good shape. original Verve inner sleeve in VG condition.

ABOUT MONO MIXES:

There is a universal consensus that original MONO pressing is by far more interesting, unique, and mind-teasing (almost trippy) than the corresponding STEREO pressing. Because MONO pressings of this album were discontinued only a year later (in mid-1968) while the stereo pressings continued to this day, ORIGINAL mono pressings are zillions of times more desirable and coveted than the stereo pressings.

There is a good reason for this. Not only are the mono mixes more vivid, lively, “ambiental” and wonderfully raw and crude, they are also more revealing: you get to hear – clearly and loudly – the crispy and crunchy guitars, throbbing bass lines, Cale’s industrial-strength piano chomps that would make Cecil Taylor proud, Mo Tucker’s tribal drumming and Nico’s thin, valkyrie-like voice in much more detail, and entirely unburdened and free of channel separation, equalization, echo/reverb and other distractions found on more common stereo mixes. In many ways, the mono mix is like a frozen aural portrait of the group circa 1967: a moment in time preserved in ice, ready to be thawed and served. It is downright scary that a recording made under such primitive circumstances more than 40 years ago can sound this realistic. On some tracks (Sunday Morning comes to mind), the group members will (well, almost, anyway) materialize in your living room! The recording has that eerily lifelike quality or an old 78rpm blues record being brought back to life.

But that’s not all. Not only are these mono mixes “dedicated” mono mixes (not stereo mixdowns),  but AT LEAST TWO songs on the album are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TAKES of the songs. Mono version of ‘European Son’ is DEFINITELY, POSITIVELY a different take, with Lou Reed’s meandering guitar lines charting VERY different solos and paths than on the stereo version. All Tomorrows’ Parties and Run, Run, Run also appears to be different takes.

But whether you revel in the realism of the sound, the vibrant,  life-affirming, crudeness of it, the creative sequencing of the songs or the different mono takes, one thing is certain. The original MONO version of this album is a MASSIVELY DIFFERENT listening experience than a more common stereo. 

Companies, etc.

Record Company – MGM Records

Phonographic Copyright (p) – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.

Copyright (c) – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.

Published By – Three Prong Music

Engineered At – T.T.G. Studios

Manufactured By – MGM Records Division

Credits

Arranged By – The Velvet Underground

Design [Cover] – Acy Lehman

Edited By, Mixed By [Remixed] – David Greene, Gene Radice

Engineer [Director] – Val Valentin

Engineer [Recording] – Omi Haden*

Lead Guitar, Guitar [Ostrich], Vocals [Vocal] – Lou Reed

Painting [Cover Painting Banana] – Andy Warhol

Percussion – Maureen Tucker*

Photography By [Liner Photos By] – Billy Linich, Nat Finkelstein

Photography By [Portraits] – Paul Morrissey (2)

Producer – Andy Warhol

Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar – Sterling Morrison

Supervised By [Edited And Remixed Under The Supervision Of] – Tom Wilson (2)

Viola [Electric], Piano, Bass Guitar – John Cale

Vocals [Chanteuse] – Nico (3)

Written-By – Lou Reed

Notes

This release listing is for the original Mono vinyl (V-5008) that came with the original Stereo (V6-5008) torso sleeve. 

The mismatch was likely due to an overrun of Mono vinyl and the pressing plant. There were some copies that came with a small Mono sticker that covered "Stereo" on the back of the gatefold sleeve. 

Gatefold cover with banana sticker. First pressing with Emerson Torso image upside down on the back cover.

East Coast pressing with labels giving "Side 1" and "Side 2" instead of A & B

"Three Prong Music. All Selections BMI"

"MGM RECORDS - A DIVISION OF METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER, INC. - Made in U.S.A."