Re: Getting frustrated listening to The VU
Posted: 08 Dec 2010 23:59
I disagree that "Sister Ray" is flawed as well. It's a stunning, in-your-face burst of r'n'r intensity, and I agree with the poster who also said it provides a certain comfort level after so many listens. "Gripping" is a good description because the whole time it's on it truly doesn't let go. It's sinister, perverse, and awesome. There's never been anything quite like it.
As for the Velvets' jams, that's a great question. Now this sounds crazy, but bear with me---I think there's some similarity between Grateful Dead fans and Velvets fans (perhaps it's fitting that both bands were once called the Warlocks). Just like I can't get behind a lot of the Dead's unambitious jams, I think it's hard to defend the long-windedness of the Nothing Song or the Factory rehearsal (Symphony of Sound) as truly great music. But all of us probably listen to the Dom jam and Nothing Song, 60-minute Factory rehearsal, etc. both to imagine what the scene was like and to enjoy it for its unique brand of Velvets' noise-rock drone experimentation. As for sharing it among non-Velvets freaks, I just don't think it can be done in many cases. The same can be said about the Dead---I just can't embrace the long endless jams like their fans do, but the Dead do have some legitimately good studio and live albums. I'd say all the Velvets' released albums qualify as GREAT music (including the recently remastered Quine Tapes) and should be heard by everyone, but when you get to the long unreleased jams like Sweet Sister Ray, the long drone of Oh Sweet Nuthin' in Philly, Melody Laughter, Run Run Run,What Goes On, etc., it may be just for us. It all deepens the complexity and greatness of their music, revealing the true depth of the band. I love listening to the drawn-out Velvets stuff, truly, but I have to admit it, at times, it puts me in a niche in terms of overarching quality of music. Much like the Dead's music---it can only be loved by a Deadhead.
Why do the Velvets' jams work when they really are great? Pure intensity, the hard-driving unadulterated rock 'n' roll playing makes it seem, even for 30 minutes more like punk catharsis than a jam. To make another insane comparison, as a jam band they're more like James Brown than the Grateful Dead. And for the record, the only live version of Sister Ray that I actually don't enjoy so much is the End Cole Ave. one. They sound pretty off on that one---and that's the only one that's ever been "ruined" for me. And one other misfire for me is the endless, high-pitched keyboards on What Goes On at the Hilltop Festival, although in the recently surfaced Professor masters, I was finally able to enjoy that one more. Otherwise I love everything from the Velvets.
As for the Velvets' jams, that's a great question. Now this sounds crazy, but bear with me---I think there's some similarity between Grateful Dead fans and Velvets fans (perhaps it's fitting that both bands were once called the Warlocks). Just like I can't get behind a lot of the Dead's unambitious jams, I think it's hard to defend the long-windedness of the Nothing Song or the Factory rehearsal (Symphony of Sound) as truly great music. But all of us probably listen to the Dom jam and Nothing Song, 60-minute Factory rehearsal, etc. both to imagine what the scene was like and to enjoy it for its unique brand of Velvets' noise-rock drone experimentation. As for sharing it among non-Velvets freaks, I just don't think it can be done in many cases. The same can be said about the Dead---I just can't embrace the long endless jams like their fans do, but the Dead do have some legitimately good studio and live albums. I'd say all the Velvets' released albums qualify as GREAT music (including the recently remastered Quine Tapes) and should be heard by everyone, but when you get to the long unreleased jams like Sweet Sister Ray, the long drone of Oh Sweet Nuthin' in Philly, Melody Laughter, Run Run Run,What Goes On, etc., it may be just for us. It all deepens the complexity and greatness of their music, revealing the true depth of the band. I love listening to the drawn-out Velvets stuff, truly, but I have to admit it, at times, it puts me in a niche in terms of overarching quality of music. Much like the Dead's music---it can only be loved by a Deadhead.
Why do the Velvets' jams work when they really are great? Pure intensity, the hard-driving unadulterated rock 'n' roll playing makes it seem, even for 30 minutes more like punk catharsis than a jam. To make another insane comparison, as a jam band they're more like James Brown than the Grateful Dead. And for the record, the only live version of Sister Ray that I actually don't enjoy so much is the End Cole Ave. one. They sound pretty off on that one---and that's the only one that's ever been "ruined" for me. And one other misfire for me is the endless, high-pitched keyboards on What Goes On at the Hilltop Festival, although in the recently surfaced Professor masters, I was finally able to enjoy that one more. Otherwise I love everything from the Velvets.