VU & Nico Recording Sessions

For discussion of all aspects of the New York legends.
threechordwonder
Head held high
Posts: 344
Joined: 05 Aug 2008 22:27
Location: Hmpshire, UK

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by threechordwonder »

Sheila Klein wrote: 28 May 2022 20:56 What page is that picture on?
Phil, I don't think the pictures discussed in the post are actually in the Uptight book - I had a decent look and couldn't find Norman Dolph anywhere, and he is not mentioned on the credits page (whereas everyone else in the book gets a line or two).

There's a passport photo of Tony Conrad on page 20 though, if it helps your other recent post.
Mark
Head held high
Posts: 1213
Joined: 15 May 2004 21:13
Contact:

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by Mark »

The photo with Dolph is on p20 of the Peel Slowly & See box set book. I'm sure it's in plenty of other places too.
8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Mark
Head held high
Posts: 1213
Joined: 15 May 2004 21:13
Contact:

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by Mark »

8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Sheila Klein
Head held high
Posts: 734
Joined: 15 Feb 2010 20:16

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by Sheila Klein »

Thanks for that, I don't recall having seen that photo before. In solo-career interviews Cale and Reed had both described the Banana album studio in terms that led one to believe it was a piece of crap -- beneath sub-standard. But they also claimed that the real "producer" (Dolph) was merely a moonlighting shoe salesman, so we shouldn't take their comments at face value.

With all the session images we now have the studio looks to have been a perfectly suitable professional space, albeit one that was undergoing some rehab work at the time. This leads me to believe that Dolph either selected Scepter because that work allowed him to get it at a discounted rate, or that he'd selected it for whatever reasons and didn't realize it was in the midst of repairs.

Dolph's an intriguing figure, and one deserving of further research. Among his other accomplishments, he was the co-writer of a big summertime Top 40 hit in 1974, "Life Is A Rock But The Radio Rolled Me" by a studio group (led by bubblegum king Joey Levine) called Reunion. Annoying as hell, but ya can't have everything.
lurid
Head held high
Posts: 662
Joined: 05 May 2004 23:56

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by lurid »

There seem to be 2 different sets of photos of the band recording in 1966. There is the set you have all been talking about, with Nico, which it has been confirmed were taken in April 1966 at the Scepter Studios. But I have seen a contact sheet of pics by Stephen Shore - the band are in a different recording studio, Nico is not there, and Lou, John and Sterling all have obviously shorter hair (and different clothes) than the Scepter shots. Does anyone know when/where they were taken?
User avatar
camforrester
On the wild side
Posts: 109
Joined: 18 Apr 2021 00:02
Contact:

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by camforrester »

Could that have been at Mayfair studios when they were recording Sunday Morning?
There is also a picture of Moe at Scepter on page 37 of the Peel Slowly And See booklet, shown sitting at her drums with baffles around her, wearing a jumper and light jeans, same as in the other photo where she's in the background while the others are recording their harmonies.
I completely forgot it existed until I had a flick through a few weeks ago having not opened the box for years (and as such didn't include in my documentary, doh!).
I would upload a copy but the picture button just inserts text that says Image :S ?
User avatar
bleach
Head held high
Posts: 870
Joined: 23 Apr 2004 17:21
Location: The Wild Mild SW-UK

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by bleach »

Image

Image
User avatar
camforrester
On the wild side
Posts: 109
Joined: 18 Apr 2021 00:02
Contact:

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by camforrester »

That's the one, thanks Bleach.
There are even more shots from this session that were included in Todd Haynes' documentary, including a really cool one of Lou & Sterl with their guitars tuning up to the piano, one of Lou playing his Gretsch alone and another eating a sandwich or something...I screen-shotted them and have them on my hard drive but my MacBook has finally bit the dust so I don't have access to anything at the moment :cry:
lurid
Head held high
Posts: 662
Joined: 05 May 2004 23:56

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by lurid »

it could be. I seem to be unable to upload pictures here, but one of the Stephen Shore pics I am talking about is in the book "The Velvet Years - Warhol's Factory 1965-67" on page 67. (Or maybe I'm wrong about it being a studio? But it looks like one to me.)

camforrester wrote: 05 Jun 2022 12:51 Could that have been at Mayfair studios when they were recording Sunday Morning?
There is also a picture of Moe at Scepter on page 37 of the Peel Slowly And See booklet, shown sitting at her drums with baffles around her, wearing a jumper and light jeans, same as in the other photo where she's in the background while the others are recording their harmonies.
I completely forgot it existed until I had a flick through a few weeks ago having not opened the box for years (and as such didn't include in my documentary, doh!).
I would upload a copy but the picture button just inserts text that says Image :S ?
Sheila Klein
Head held high
Posts: 734
Joined: 15 Feb 2010 20:16

Re: VU & Nico Recording Sessions

Post by Sheila Klein »

Lou in shades in the studio -- what a fiend! If you look at his eyes in the second shot in the top row, I think you'll see why he was hiding them.
Post Reply