Richie Unterberger on the making of White Light/White Heat*

[iaredatsun]

I looked at this via an apple book download. Fortunately there is an updates section at the back, with the updates listed over three or so sides. Be nice if there were page numbers for each update but you can find them them fairly quickly by remembering the year and section title and then scrolling crazily back and forth through the iBook.

Lots of details and snippets that will keep any VU fan occupied for an hour.

My favourite is that Nico once approached Mayo Thompson (Red Krayola) in 1967 with an idea they could work together, perhaps. She later contacted The Red Krayola'S Fred Barthelme in NY too.

There are updates that deal with the Lou archive, but strangely no mention of the LA studio '3rd album' session with Cale from July '68.

[Kill Mick]

There are updates that deal with the Lou archive, but strangely no mention of the LA studio '3rd album' session with Cale from July '68.

What session is that? Must have passed me by - do we have a track listing? The May '68 "Hey Mr Rain" session is the last one I know of with John.

[iaredatsun]

There are updates that deal with the Lou archive, but strangely no mention of the LA studio '3rd album' session with Cale from July '68.

What session is that? Must have passed me by - do we have a track listing? The May '68 "Hey Mr Rain" session is the last one I know of with John.

Supposedly these are listed in the LR Archive. I can't remember how to get into the archive db to double-check.

1968 July 5
Jesus
Pale Blue Eyes
Beginning To See The Light
Story Of My Life
If You Close the Door [After Hours]

[searchin4mymainline]

Supposedly these are listed in the LR Archive. I can't remember how to get into the archive db to double-check.

1968 July 5
Jesus
Pale Blue Eyes
Beginning To See The Light
Story Of My Life
If You Close the Door [After Hours]

It's here http://archives.nypl.org/mus/24078#c1534990

XII - 4/68 [Velvet Underground] 1968 July 5
Jesus
Pale Blue Eyes
Beginning To See The Light
Story Of My Life
If You Close the Door [After Hours]

The July 5 is a bit odd, but I suspect that XII - 4/68 could possibly be meant to be 4th December 68, with 12 written in Roman numerals for some reason, or even possibly 4th November 68 if II is an 11. Those dates would tie in with the 3rd album recording dates.

[iaredatsun]

Supposedly these are listed in the LR Archive. I can't remember how to get into the archive db to double-check.

1968 July 5
Jesus
Pale Blue Eyes
Beginning To See The Light
Story Of My Life
If You Close the Door [After Hours]

It's here http://archives.nypl.org/mus/24078#c1534990

XII - 4/68 [Velvet Underground] 1968 July 5
Jesus
Pale Blue Eyes
Beginning To See The Light
Story Of My Life
If You Close the Door [After Hours]

The July 5 is a bit odd, but I suspect that XII - 4/68 could possibly be meant to be 4th December 68, with 12 written in Roman numerals for some reason, or even possibly 4th November 68 if II is an 11. Those dates would tie in with the 3rd album recording dates.

But July 5 1968 ties in with their west coast dates. For example, it was at this time they played San Diego and LA.

[searchin4mymainline]

But July 5 1968 ties in with their west coast dates. For example, it was at this time they played San Diego and LA.

There isn't a reference to the west coast (or anywhere else) in the archive listing for the tape though?

[iaredatsun]

But July 5 1968 ties in with their west coast dates. For example, it was at this time they played San Diego and LA.

There isn't a reference to the west coast (or anywhere else) in the archive listing for the tape though?

None of the tapes have locations. But if July 68 is correct then they would have been on the West Coast.

Who knows? The text in the entry/on the tape could be incorrect. It could be a typo. I don't quite see why anyone would write the month in roman numerals followed by '4/68' – and then add July 68 afterwards (which is where all the dates are on those entries)? 'XII' could just be a tape number. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. I think I have raised my own hopes too high and now just assume (rightly or wrongly) that it is a Cale era recording. But Alfredo does say they recorded Ocean with Cale back in May.

It's been so long now and no one has been to hear those tapes - which were added to public access after the last person who reported here went to the archive.

[searchin4mymainline]

Who knows? The text in the entry/on the tape could be incorrect. It could be a typo. I don't quite see why anyone would write the month in roman numerals followed by '4/68' – and then add July 68 afterwards (which is where all the dates are on those entries)? 'XII' could just be a tape number. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. I think I have raised my own hopes too high and now just assume (rightly or wrongly) that it is a Cale era recording. But Alfredo does say they recorded Ocean with Cale back in May.

Here's another hypothesis. The II refers to side 2 of the record as it presumably does in this entry:

Side II - Final Moe Feb 24, Except for Murder Mystery [Velvet Underground] 1968-1969
Beginning To See The Light
I'm Set Free
That's The Story Of My Life
After Hours

The tape might represent an early idea for track running order for side 2, perhaps. I'd love it if you were right about a Cale studio session, but I think there's too little to go on here, and the database entries could easily be misleading. For example Feb 24 in the above is obviously not the date of a studio recording session in 68 or 69, and I've no idea what "Final Moe" is meant to mean!

[iaredatsun]

Who knows? The text in the entry/on the tape could be incorrect. It could be a typo. I don't quite see why anyone would write the month in roman numerals followed by '4/68' – and then add July 68 afterwards (which is where all the dates are on those entries)? 'XII' could just be a tape number. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. I think I have raised my own hopes too high and now just assume (rightly or wrongly) that it is a Cale era recording. But Alfredo does say they recorded Ocean with Cale back in May.

Here's another hypothesis. The II refers to side 2 of the record as it presumably does in this entry:

Side II - Final Moe Feb 24, Except for Murder Mystery [Velvet Underground] 1968-1969
Beginning To See The Light
I'm Set Free
That's The Story Of My Life
After Hours

The tape might represent an early idea for track running order for side 2, perhaps. I'd love it if you were right about a Cale studio session, but I think there's too little to go on here, and the database entries could easily be misleading. For example Feb 24 in the above is obviously not the date of a studio recording session in 68 or 69, and I've no idea what "Final Moe" is meant to mean!

I think the most convincing thing is the similarity between the songs on the 'july 68' tape and the other 3rd album sessions tape in the LR archive. Yes. I think you are right. At least I can now stop hoping for more Cale recordings!

[hkmartin]

It's been so long now and no one has been to hear those tapes - which were added to public access after the last person who reported here went to the archive.

I was the person who reported from the archive in April last year, and, as far as I can tell, this tape still isn't available to the public. The way it worked is that you accessed the archive by clicking on the blue link. If you click on the link and you're not in the library, you get redirected to a page telling you that you need to be in the library to access the archive. But if you are in the library and logged in, that's the link that gets you to the archive.

If there is no blue link, there is no way to get to the archive, even if you're in the library. For this particular tape, there was no link then (which was quite a disappointment to me), and there's no link now.