The Velvet Forum

For reference, here's another Upbeat video with the general 'audience' sound:

https://youtu.be/PzYiq07douU?t=59

Sounds pretty close to the opening of this track to me.

Hello. First time posting. Long time lurker.

Well this is interesting.

A couple of things.

The first post says that this video is not in the upload history. Sounded strange. Actually, It is in the upload history.

https://i.ibb.co/cbmH0nQ/vu-gifil-videos-list.jpg


I enlarged the avatar by 500%. I don't know if that's Lund Peterson but whoever it is, there's a reel to reel nearby. Looks like some expensive equipment. I wonder if he works at a TV station? Does he have video as well?!

https://i.ibb.co/qC99m6G/lundpeterson-ytavatar.jpg


I've contacted people privately on Youtube before (can I have a flac version!), Sometimes you can find an email but not in this case. Somehow we need to contact him. His last upload was 5 days ago. I know that there are a couple of comments on the Velvets video page. Would he be notified of those?

off-topic
is it possible to embed images on this forum? My usual methods don't seem to work.

Wick Pick wrote: ↑16 Apr 2021 23:23

lurid wrote: ↑16 Apr 2021 23:01 But would they play a new/unfinished song on a TV show?

Only if they were the most anti-establishment, anti-everything band in the history of human-kind...

Of course you're correct. That is exactly the sort of thing they would do!

Yep. Remember that the first song on their original acetate they shopped around to record labels was European Son. Haha, you gotta admire how perverse they were in terms of being anti-commercial.

CRJ wrote: ↑17 Apr 2021 01:04 Hello. First time posting. Long time lurker.

Well this is interesting.

A couple of things.

The first post says that this video is not in the upload history. Sounded strange. Actually, It is in the upload history.

https://i.ibb.co/cbmH0nQ/vu-gifil-videos-list.jpg


I enlarged the avatar by 500%. I don't know if that's Lund Peterson but whoever it is, there's a reel to reel nearby. Looks like some expensive equipment. I wonder if he works at a TV station? Does he have video as well?!

https://i.ibb.co/qC99m6G/lundpeterson-ytavatar.jpg


I've contacted people privately on Youtube before (can I have a flac version!), Sometimes you can find an email but not in this case. Somehow we need to contact him. His last upload was 5 days ago. I know that there are a couple of comments on the Velvets video page. Would he be notified of those?

My error re the upload history - i was looking at 7 years ago and must have missed it in the mass of trump-related stuff. It is indeed there. His only music-related upload?

Yes i believe that he will be notified of our comments - i made comments re a Lou Reed upload in the past and the uploader responded to me by email.

It would be tremendously exciting if he has a video to accompany the audio but wouldn't he just have uploaded it?

How have we all missed this since 2014?

Kill Mick wrote: ↑16 Apr 2021 20:11

lurid wrote: ↑16 Apr 2021 19:44 In the "TV appearances" page of Olivier's site it quotes 8th July.

It does, but that's also where the "early 67" quote is from. Unterberger also lists a possible Upbeat performance on 8th Jan, and specifically links it to GIFIL. Maybe this is that performance, but who knows?

I'm a little skeptical about a 3rd Upbeat appearance in January 1967, though I wouldn't rule it out.

This site seems pretty thorough in documenting who was on Upbeat when, and it only lists the appearances in July 1967 and May 1968.
http://ctva.biz/Music/US/Upbeat_03_(1966-67).htm


The January 8 date is definitely wrong, though - Upbeat was on Saturdays, and Jan. 8, 1967 was a Sunday.

Wick Pick wrote: ↑16 Apr 2021 22:45 I too feel like it must be pre-gymnasium. The unfinished lyrics are the biggest clue. Though there is at least one instance of him improvising lyrics to an already finished song, Pale Blue Eyes. But on this performance of GIFIL he’s actually using non-words to fill some lines which to me suggests a brand new and unfinished song.

That is possible, but another explanation is just that Reed fluffed the vocal. Nerves?

another wrote: ↑16 Apr 2021 23:43 For reference, here's another Upbeat video with the general 'audience' sound:

https://youtu.be/PzYiq07douU?t=59

Sounds pretty close to the opening of this track to me.

Yes, very similar, and also sounds like 'canned cheering'.

On balance I really think this is the Upbeat recording it claims to be, and I think it's from Jan 67. I don't think Reed fluffs the vocals at all, I just think the song is still being worked on and the lyrics haven't been finalised. It doesn't even include the "I got (my) fever" line, and the repetition of the "I got my hands in my pockets" line is typical of an unfinished Lou lyric.

But that's just my opinion - hopefully we'll find out for sure one day. Whatever it is, I love it!

Did Lou ever really finish the lyric? The two Gymnasium versions are slightly different after all, and the MCMXCIII one is different again ("nickel dime and a quarter"). Maybe it never really got past a rough outline?

Mark wrote: ↑18 Apr 2021 10:00 Did Lou ever really finish the lyric? The two Gymnasium versions are slightly different after all, and the MCMXCIII one is different again ("nickel dime and a quarter"). Maybe it never really got past a rough outline?

It was obviously finished enough to be recorded for wlwh in Sept 67. I'd like to hear that vocal version, even if it does have tape damage.
Notice also how the Sept 67 instrumental version is faster than any of the other versions we have - i actually prefer the slower pace of the live renditions.