Who Plays What - Loaded

[Joe]

Just out of curiousity, has "Head held high" ever been played live? I've never seen it listed anywhere.

[arjan]

What about that distorted sound during some of the "Heavenly Wine and Roses" bridge, and also chugs along during the "Sweet Jane" outro? You know the one I mean? Dunno what it is. Sounds almost like a bass clarinet, but that's obviously not what it really is...

That's Doug's fuzz bass, isn't it? He says so in that Loaded interview on Olivier's site, anyway...

[arjan]

Just out of curiousity, has "Head held high" ever been played live? I've never seen it listed anywhere.

Yes, it has, on these dates (courtesy of Olivier's site):

• May 8-10, 1970, Second Fret, Philadelphia
  Summer 1970, Max's Kansas City rehearsal

Both are available on bootleg.

[Doctor Bob]

That's Doug's fuzz bass, isn't it? He says so in that Loaded interview on Olivier's site, anyway...

Yes of course you're right, that's what it is.

I just didn't realise the Velvets had that kind of bass effect at their disposal so I got confused

[Mark]

HEAD HELD HIGH
Reed - vocal, rhythm guitar
Yule - lead guitar, bass guitar, organ, backing vocal
Morrison - ?
Castanaro - drums

There's also a piano part on HHH, although it's almost buried! It appears in the left channel at the same time as the organ break after the second verse, and stays there for most of the rest of the track. There's a bit more of it on the Fully Loaded mono mix that apparently was removed from the album version altogether - a kind of Jerry Lee Lewis one-note hammering in the first verse and a more bluesy feel in the second verse.

TRAIN ROUND THE BEND
Reed - vocal, rhythm guitar
Yule - lead guitar, piano, bass guitar
Morrison - ?
Barber/Doug Yule/Billy Yule - drums (various overdubs glued together)

There are actually two lead parts on Train Round The Bend - you can hear them more clearly on the Fully Loaded mix as they're helpfully mixed to the left and right channels, although they're definitely both there on the album version. In the Lowdown On Loaded article Doug says he plays the fills (which appear on the Fully Loaded mix in the right hand channel and on the album version over on the left), so maybe that's Sterling playing the more noodly part that's in the left channel on the Fully Loaded version and buried somewhere in with the piano and tremlo on the album?

The Fully Loaded version of Train also has stereo separation on the various drum parts so you can hear there's at least two people on there playing almost the same thing, although who knows what the f*** is going on there!

[Mark]

Forgot the tambourine on "I Found a Reason," too. Sounds like it's being played by a four year old (maybe they brought Ari back...). Also sounds like they tried to mix it out, and failed.

Sesnick?

[Mark]

OH! SWEET NUTHIN'
Doug Yule - vocal, lead guitar, bass guitar
Reed - rhythm guitar
Morrison - ?
Billy Yule - drums

Maybe Sterling is strumming the acoustic that can be heard in the left channel during the quiet coda?

[Mark]

WHO LOVES THE SUN
Yule - vocal, bass guitar
Morrison - lead guitar
Reed - rhythm guitar, backing vocal
Yule or Barber - drums

There's also a piano that comes in on the second chorus. Could be Reed? I notice that he's credited as a piano player on the original album sleeve but isn't mentioned on any of the track breakdowns so far, either here or on Doug's article.

[Mark]

ROCK AND ROLL
Reed - vocal, rhythm guitar, backing vocal
Yule - lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, backing vocal
Morrison - rhythm (and lead?) guitar

Possibly Yule on the first solo, Morrison on second, more melodic one that immediately follows it?

[arjan]

Christ, somebody's been doing some careful listening!

I've just listened to the tracks you mentioned (there's nothing like listening to "Train 'Round the Bend" when you're actually on a train). Here's how I think:

WHO LOVES THE SUN: of course, there's a piano there and if Lou's credited with playing the piano on Loaded, this must be the place, as all the other parts are obviously Doug's (with the possible exception of HHH)

ROCK AND ROLL: With the second solo, I assume you mean that main between-verses lick? I always thought that was Sterling, too. The wilder breaks are Doug trying to emulate Lou (but why didn't Lou play those breaks??)

HEAD HELD HIGH: Obviously I kept forgetting about piano parts when compiling the original list. To my ears, it might be Lou and it might be Doug, there's no telling. The kick-ass combination of Tommy's drums and Lou's overdriven rhythm guitar tore up my laptop soundcard

I FOUND A REASON: Seeing as both Adrian Barber and Doug are accomplished drummers (or at least capable enough to keep the beat), I agree that Sesnick must be the most likely suspect (as in that irritating cowbell on the "Sweet Jane" demo)

TRAIN ROUND THE BEND: What's with the two drummers?! Looks like the Velvets invented the Glitter beat! Anyway, I'm not really sure what part you mean. The left channel part? I thought it was Doug as well, doesn't really sound like Sterling... Also, check the drums at around 1:22 on the alternate mix, sounds like somebody kicked their drum kit through a tea trolley

OH! SWEET NUTHIN': On close listening, the left-channel acoustic guitar is there all through the song (at least at the beginning too), although it's barely audible as it is mixed into the same channel as the drums (first things producers should learn: NEVER mix an acoustic guitar into the same space as the drums). Could very well be Sterling.