VU live bests

[peppergomez]

For my money the definitive Heroin live recording is April '68 La Cave. I prefer it to the studio version on the album.

[simonm]

ok, here are mine for 1st LP

Sunday Morning:
Max's standard LP version with intro

I'm Waiting For The Man:
Gymnasium

Femme Fatale: n/a

Venus In Furs:
my fave version is the loud early '66 snippet of this song with the vocals low in the mix, though it's not the whole song - the one at the start of this vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynx2Y_OHNnw - maybe this is the Feb '66 TV broadcast? can't remember (1:08 of footage, re-edited by Jed Parker with Venus In Furs as soundtrack, available as bonus to Lou Reed - Rock & Roll Heart DVD.)
If we're talking complete songs: Poor Richard's

Run Run Run:
Gymnasium

All Tomorrow's Parties: n/a

Heroin:
La Cave, April 1968

There She Goes Again:
Nico vocal version from Factory rehearsals

I'll Be Your Mirror: n/a

Black Angel's Death Song:
The Matrix, San Francisco, 11-23-69 - Quine Tapes CD disc 3

European Son:
February 6, 1966 Filmmakers' Cinematheque, New York, New York
Audio: from Andy Warhol's tapes

[iaredatsun]

For my money the definitive Heroin live recording is April '68 La Cave. I prefer it to the studio version on the album.

Yes this one is great. I just couldn't remember it when I made my list.

[iaredatsun]

Sunday Morning: None, as I would not want to mix up eras.
What's this mean?

Venus In Furs: A hybrid of Poor Richards 66 into Valleydale 66
Hybrid?

Heroin: all of Poor Richards weirdly segeuing into the Factory 66 and the Valleydale 66 versions
??

There She Goes Again: Factory, 1966
How is that “live”?

European Son: Cinematheque 66
Where does one find that set — might I know it by a different name?

Sunday Morning: None, as I would not want to mix up eras.
What's this mean?

I'd rather have a live album from all the same line-up. And I'm not keen on how the Yule era group played the Cale era material.

Venus In Furs: A hybrid of Poor Richards 66 into Valleydale 66
Hybrid?

I had it in my head that the Poor Richard's songs were incomplete. But above simonm says Venus In Furs is complete so then I'd use that.

Heroin: all of Poor Richards weirdly segeuing into the Factory 66 and the Valleydale 66 versions
??

I forgot the April '68 Heroin when I wrote the list. But the Cale version is so fascinating and worth having. So is it possible to join the two together? Probably too artificial an intent for the purpose at hand though.

There She Goes Again: Factory, 1966
How is that “live”?

Because it's played live in the factory.

European Son: Cinematheque 66
Where does one find that set — might I know it by a different name?

I lazily copied the venue from this CD entry which has it along with the Factory stuff. Of course it's the material that was released to this forum those many years ago
https://www.discogs.com/release/1286745 ... hol-Museum
6th Feb 66 Uptight performance at Cinematheque

[searchin4mymainline]

I'm Waiting For The Man: My favourite live version of this only exists in my head. On the original "Velvet Underground 1966" LP boot of Valleydale Ballroom, Columbus OH, November 4, 1966, the track now known as "The Nothing Song" fades out around the 25 minute mark just as it sounds like it's about to segue into a killer version of I'm Waiting For The Man, and for years I was convinced that it was. I know I wasn't the only one either. So when I eventually heard the whole unfaded thing on later boots, that was something of a disappointment! Given that I can't have that imaginary version, I think I'm gonna go for something quite different, which is the very laid back version from The Matrix, November 27, 1969, on The Quine Tapes - Disc 3, because it is so different and I like the feel of it, and the lyrical improvisations.

[threechordwonder]

I'd rather have a live album from all the same line-up.

I also toyed with this idea but there's not much Nico or Cale material available, Sister Ray changed with every performance so choosing the best is difficult and Loaded didn't feature Moe. So my brilliant idea was just a foggy notion.

[threechordwonder]

I'd rather have a live album from all the same line-up.

I also toyed with this idea but there's not much Nico or Cale material available, Sister Ray changed beyond all recognition in the Yule era and Loaded didn't feature Moe. So my brilliant idea was just a foggy notion.

[threechordwonder]

Whoops! Edit problems ...

[iaredatsun]

I'd rather have a live album from all the same line-up.

I also toyed with this idea but there's not much Nico or Cale material available, Sister Ray changed with every performance so choosing the best is difficult and Loaded didn't feature Moe. So my brilliant idea was just a foggy notion.

I’d certainly relax my position for Loaded

[searchin4mymainline]

Femme Fatale: Really not one of my favourite VU songs. I think I have to go for November 4, 1966, Valley Dale Ballroom, because that's the only live recording we have of Nico singing it. Shame the recording quality on the Banana album songs from that gig doesn't seem to be as good as on the long instrumental improvisations. What's up with that?