Velvet Underground Live Gymnasium rare LP Lou Reed psych fuzz rock 1967 Warhol

$

46

The Velvet Underground -  Live at the Gymnasium.   rare LP issue of lost live sessions.  on Velvet Records.    hard to find and collectible.

"I've got a mountain of V.U. boots, all of various quality. This one, maybe the most well known one too, is still one of the best in terms of sound quality and content. The debut of Sister Ray is definitely a selling point, as is the inclusion of I'm not a Young Man Anymore (sounds like something I'd write). If you don't have this already, it's a no brainer. "

"A Velvet Underground concert LP that only started circulating among collectors and fans 41 years after the recording, and is the only known 1967 live recording of the group. It features one previously released recording (“Guess I’m Falling in Love”, on the Peel Slowly and See set) and one otherwise unavailable song, “I’m Not a Young Man Anymore”.

The “new” song is a decent rocker, in the vein of other early songs like “Run Run Run” and it is a shame there is not a proper studio recording in existence, as it would‘ve worked well on either The Velvet Underground and Nico or White Light/White Heat. “Guess I’m Falling in Love” is the best track here, being a catchy guitar rocker that is much more poppy and friendly than most of the group’s material.

The take of “I’m Waiting for The Man” is passable, and “Run Run Run” is a little more energetic than the studio take, with an interesting improvised section. Finally, the album ends with “Sister Ray” (which was apparently its debut performance) which  doesn’t stray too far from the studio take, being only slightly longer, although Moe Tucker manages some tight, interesting drumming towards the end.

The sound quality is relatively good compared to most sixties live recordings, and although the instrumentation is often quite murky and it is difficult to make out if John Cale is even playing on the recording, the vocals are clear and upfront, which is a pleasant surprise. The sound becomes very muddy and threatens to drop out at points during “I’m Waiting for The Man” and “Run Run Run”, but apart from that the sound maintains its relatively high level of quality.

Overall, this is a good quality show that, while not absolutely essential, is still interesting for its exclusive track and being a good live recording of the group. Live at the Gymnasium should be a good choice for any and all Velvet Underground fans."

"It's the record you never thought you'd hear: A Velvet Underground live recording that doesn't suffer from sound quality comparable to the Mapleson Cylinders!  I'd love to be able to give this five stars based on "I'm Not a Young Man Anymore" alone (seeing someone describe this song as "pretty dull" leaves me flabbergasted, in all honesty; I'd prescribe this song as required listening for every single person on the planet), but it's not a perfect record.  The take of "Guess I'm Falling in Love" is the inferior version used on the Peel Slowly and See box set rather than the one John Cale played on WPIX in 1979 (not that I guess it matters much given that Bob Hund's cover is better than either).  The sound quality, while the best ever for a Velvets boot, still suffers from source recording flaws in parts, particularly on side two.  Speaking of side two, it's simultaneously exciting and disappointing.  This is the first live version of Sister Ray featuring John Cale anyone's ever heard in its entirety (well, since about 1968, at least; it's also worth noting that parts of this version earlier appeared, uncredited, on the Caught Between the Twisted Stars box set), and it is indeed an odd, ripping version of the beast, even featuring the band members switching around instruments towards the end, but there is one aspect of it that can't help but disappoint: There's no organ!  "Sister Ray" without organ is like, I don't know, a day without sunshine, or something!  Still, these are minor nitpicks: Live at the Gymnasium is excellent listening for anyone who isn't dead, and if you are dead, well, this may just be the cure."

"Yeah, not bad, not bad. Sister Ray is pretty interesting, and so is I'm Not a Young Man Anymore, which I've not heard before. Just replaced my CD-R downloaded copy with a real live LP on "Velvet Records," label made to look the 1960s-era black Verve label. Nice to see this make it to the vinyl bins. I love the cover. Back cover is sweet as well, including the Peanuts gang reinvented as Andy Warhol and his band. Too funny!
Sound quality is not bad, considering the year of the performance. The performance is loose and messy, but that's its charm. The band would certainly become more proficient, but for a great document of their early shooting-up-in-the-alley live energy, this is the money."

"WOW! after 37 years of listening to this group this appeared out of nowhere and blew me away RUN RUN RUN
stratospheric if only they had waited a few more months before recording that first LP ha'nt heard the Quine tapes anywhere near as good as this?"


"The Velvet Underground were, and to some extent still are, the ultimate hipster band for ultimate hipsters.  We need some of that in rock music though, some arrogance and some real attitude and not just flash without substance.  What people sometimes miss though is that the Velvet Underground were an ethic much more than anything else.  

The Velvet Underground were also band of fortune.  That is, they were in the right place at the right time to make some waves.  To quote a cliché' spoken by some rich and successful corporate type at my high school graduation, their luck was where preparation met opportunity.  They were a band of decent talent, good intellectual background and an immeasurable vision, grounded by some damn good pop hooks (mixed with enough avant-garde ethic to keep things interesting) that, thankfully for us, they were too smart to develop overly much and wreck the whole ship.  But most of all they just had "it", a certain almost intangible substance that made them what they were, and sets them apart from most of their scions.

Live at the Gymnasium is also a release of fortune.  That is, it reveals itself at a time when the music world needs a good balance of past and present, and a good hit of vision and rebellion.  With all the indie scum bandwagoning the movement and ripping off the creators, it's nice to see something come along that sets the record straight.  Live at the Gymnasium is a release that should cause these new "hipsters" to check themselves and to stop worrying so much about fashion sense, and more about the overall reason for being in a band.  But I doubt that is going to happen, as there's too much money to be made, and there’s probably not enough time in a busy schedule of photo ops and style sessions to really listen to any real good music that is coming out.

While the Velvet Underground were quite aware of fashion and culture and all things hip of the time (insert Warhol reference here)  they were also aware that without a firm hold on the music and a grip on their place in musical history, that they would be just another lost group, and that is why to this day we can relish a find like Gymnasium and see exactly why the VU have stood the test of time and continue to feel fresh and new in an age of refurbished formula shtick propelled by an unawareness of place and an uncaring for true aesthetic.  You see that's why the Velvet Underground and the people that truly get them have a right to feel arrogantly hip.  It's because they understand the entire picture, a fact that has gone unnoticed for way to long by the supposed followers, and a fact that makes them more relevant today than ever before."

"La Velvet en vivo es una catarsis de ruido que incluso hoy retumba los rincones de Nueva York. Es arte en constante choque creativo, en que cada toma hay un arisco sentido de la belleza.

Live at the Gymnasium es una muestra más de aquel arte. La historia ya debe ser conocida: concierto registrado al tiempo de sacar su obra maestra, The Velvet Underground & Nico, la banda suena tan intensa como quedó plasmado en esa maravilla de disco. Cinco temas, 42 minutos de música, y la novedad de la temporada: "I'm Not A Young Man Anymore", canción que sigue la línea de "European Son" o "I'm Waiting for the Man" (la que está presente en el bootleg) es una composición no muy relevante para entender la vida de la banda: un medio tiempo sucio, disonante, brutal pero dentro de lo esperado. Cuento aparte es la bonita "Guess I'm Falling in Love", canción que no recuerdo haber escuchado antes y que me ha cautivado. Es su lado más meloso, uno de los que mejor muestra el talento narrativo y melódico del grupo.  

El resto ya es conocido, mas no menos inspirador: una versión degastadora de "Sister Ray" prueba que 1967 fue un año que cambió la cara del rock en su dimensión básica y descarnada, teniendo a la Velvet Underground como un rodaje elemental. Cosa que ya sabíamos, pero que este bootleg lo recuerda por si la memoria perdía la perspectiva con tanta música nueva tan insustancial como innecesaria."

take note fans of TMoQ, Shadoks, World in Sound, avant psych, etc.


CONDITION: new open copy. in shrink.  shrink has shrunk so cover is a bit "wavy"/  LP is excellent!

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