Question on Waiting For The Man

tarbaby2 · Post by **tarbaby2** » 23 Feb 2005 21:19

why is it that the album version of Waiting For The Man is so different from the recorded live versions that i've heard?

the album version ends up so hot that the vinyl almost melts off the turntable and yet the live versions are usually much slower.

do any of the live versions come close to the album version?

does anyone have any ideas on this?

Saffie · Post by **Saffie** » 24 Feb 2005 03:18

No, except that most of the Velvets' music varied greatly from album to album, etc. Not only in quality, but lyrics and even mood, message.

alfredovu · Post by **alfredovu** » 24 Feb 2005 10:36

CALE ERA LIVE RECORDINGS ARE PROPABLY THE CLOSER, BUT YOU HAVE TWO ONLY AVAILABLE: COLUMBUS & PHILIP JONHSON´S GLASS HOUSE-CUT TO 1:20

arjan · Post by **arjan** » 24 Feb 2005 10:49

tarbaby2 wrote:do any of the live versions come close to the album version?

The Live MCMXCIII version comes closest, but that's probably because they decided they wanted to reproduce that VU & Nico sound as close as possible (disregarding Cale's new age soundtrack synthesizer intro). The Live at Max take is probably my favourite live version, it's so full of energy yet (thankfully?) lacks the uptight tenseness of the album version. Having said that, nothing can beat/come close to Cale's magnificent piano and bass parts.

Elvis Plebsley · Post by **Elvis Plebsley** » 24 Feb 2005 16:45

While we're on the subject. The first record that I owned with the song on it was the double album compilation "The Story of the Velvet Underground" - I was surprise when I eventually bought the banana album on vinyl that the mix seemed to be a little different. I've now heard the Mono mix so I know that it isn't that one. I gave my copy of the double album away so I can't compare them. If someone has both can you compare them? Then tell me it was just my imagination.

Doctor Bob · Post by **Doctor Bob** » 25 Feb 2005 01:50

Yeah Arjan you're probably right about the Redux '93 version although I never thought of it before because John's vocals are so different from Lou's that it ends up seeming completely different from the banana album version

Cale's synth type intro is pretty weird, I'm not sure Lou was a huge fan of it-I seem to recall reading in 'What's Welsh for Zen' that he deliberately unplugged the keyboard power while John was in the middle of playing it during one of those shows!

Definitely agree with you about the Max's version though, it really is exquisite, and Sterling's phrasing has never been better!

Pig Related · Post by **Pig Related** » 25 Feb 2005 12:11

Doctor Bob wrote:Cale's synth type intro is pretty weird, I'm not sure Lou was a huge fan of it-I seem to recall reading in 'What's Welsh for Zen' that he deliberately unplugged the keyboard power while John was in the middle of playing it during one of those shows!

Did that really happen? That's hilarious. Silly ol' grumpy Lou.

Doctor Bob · Post by **Doctor Bob** » 25 Feb 2005 20:02

Yeah pig there was a lot of bad feeling on that tour, often with hilarious (although cringeworthy) on stage antics like the one I described

For instance on a camcorder bootleg from a show at Wembley Arena, John goes to get his bass to start playing White Light White Heat and Lou just shouts across to him to drop it and start playing Velvet Nursery Rhyme instead, so he has to drop his bass and sit down at the keyboard at Lou's command, contrary to the agreed setlist order

And on the official Redux video at the end before they take a bow you can see Lou putting his arm around John and John is really limp and frozen, like get your arm away from me you asshole

Pig Related · Post by **Pig Related** » 25 Feb 2005 20:04

They would make a great sitcom.

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