The Velvet Forum

I'm curious about what others think about this:

My understanding of a "jam band" is one that takes songs and extends them for over 10-12 minutes: Begin the song - several (many) of improvisation along the originally introduced themes - end the song. Bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish come to mind.

Well, with all the various renditions of Sister Ray, Foggy Notion, Melody Laughter, The Nothing Song, etc. (some clocking almost 40 minutes) do the VU qualify as a "jam band"?

You forgot Symphony of Sound (53 mins.)

tarbaby2 wrote:Well, with all the various renditions of Sister Ray, Foggy Notion, Melody Laughter, The Nothing Song, etc. (some clocking almost 40 minutes) do the VU qualify as a "jam band"?

You know, I've thought about bringing up this exact topic myself. As odd as it sounds, I do consider them something of a jam band - you could also include early Floyd in that unlikely catagory - many's the time I've been listening along to a ten minute White Light or whatever and thought, "This is the best 'jam' music there ever was."

I've shyed away from the jam band genre because of the hippy dippy tie dye trappings, but I don't doubt there's some good music to be found there. Hell, Phish did cover Loaded and the White Album, gotta give 'em points for that...

I've often thought that a lot of their late 60's jams put them perilously close to the jam-band genre.

Yeah I agree with you, even some rehearsals on 'Warhol Tapes' and
'W Museum' are very close to the VU'jams we know (day tripper boon
boon ...)
I love all those jams, but the DOM' Chic Mystique' and 'Nothing Song'
as the perfect way to ending a show,are my best

Chance wrote:Hell, Phish did cover Loaded and the White Album, gotta give 'em points for that...

"Gotta give 'em points"!? I NEVER wanna hear that!

mg196 wrote:I've often thought that a lot of their late 60's jams put them perilously close to the jam-band genre.

??

What's unique about The Velvet Underground - aside from their style - is that they actually put their "jams"* on their studio albums whereas other bands just made them jams in concert.

* 'European Son' and 'Sister Ray'

''european son''

Candy Velvet wrote:What's unique about The Velvet Underground - aside from their style - is that they actually put their "jams"* on their studio albums whereas other bands just made them jams in concert.

* 'European Son' and 'Sister Ray'

Well Candy, when I think of Jams, I think of bands playing songs on and on and on...like 25+ minute "I'm Waiting For My Man" jams and such. I know they have some "studio jams", but I am talking more about noodling around with a song for 20 minutes or more. Sister Ray sometimes approached 45 minutes in some of their live jams!