The Velvet Forum

I was mooching around on Youtube and came across this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU2UNyDoN_M

Uploaded in 2014 and "claiming" to be the audio from the Upbeat TV appearance. Only 677 views since then (and no comments).

Yet another misrepresented copy of one of the Gymnasium recordings I thought, but then I listened to it - it is clearly not one of those. If it's a fake it's a bloody good one to my ears:
audience noise at the beginning and end
it really does sound like Lou singing
subtly/believably different lyrics and guitar solo
2 guitars audible, but no discernable bass or drums
"TV recording-like" buzz and distortion

An odd thing is that it does not appear in the uploader's "upload history" - every other upload by him is politically related. Not a single other music-related item.

So what do you think? Have I missed a discussion about this before? If this is a fake it's the best one I have ever heard.

This is what AI can do. We will watch VU gigs based on few concert photographs soon

Doesn't sound anything like a TV studio recording to me. Lou is singing at the top of his lungs, and that show for the most part did not feature fully live performances. If it wasn't completely lip-synched, then the singer may sing and the rest of the band pantomimed their instruments.

This sounds like a 100% live performance.

but if it's a live performance where is it from?

they didn't have a studio recording to mime to for Upbeat....

FWIW i think it's a real live version and there's a reasonable chance it could be the fabled Upbeat tape. At least we know that they performed it on the show and it was taped, by Tony Conrad and maybe also by Jamie Klimek or someone from that scene in Cleveland, as his band Mirrors did a semi-cover retitled Hands In My Pockets in the 70s. But inconveniently their interpretation doesn't sound much like the mystery version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki-2gk9CEoo, and I sort of remember some report of the performance being a really wild version of the song, which this isn't, particularly. Hmmm. Mystery indeed!

This is just a guess, but it sounds to me like it could be a demo/prototype version of the song. He could have recorded it in one of the lofts as an electric demo? He mumbles a few lines which I doubt he would have done on TV. Is it two guitars or just one? He says “he now speadfreak” instead of “hey now baby” which is a pretty cool alternative lyric. Very cool version whatever it is.

I've been listening to VU recordings for 40+ years and I am 100% confident I've never heard this before. I think there are 2 guitars playing during the solo section, and the bass could be just buried?

Wow. Clearly nothing we have heard before. This was uploaded in 2014! If so, why have we not heard it before?

Sterling Morrison said that there is a studio version with vocals, but the audience at the end suggests that this is not it. And also the studio version has tape damage.

I could easily accept that this is from Upbeat. Another leak from Cale or Conrad before he passed away?

It's weird that this should show up the year we are getting some new VU release(s).

I think it has got tape damage. Is there any chance this could be the missing studio version? (Why it would have an audience added I have no idea though)

I think if this was a studio recording we'd he hearing the bass and drums