The Velvet Forum

Greetings All,

This is my first post to the board, I'm glad to have found it!

I've been a VU fan for a while, but am just getting started on a collection of their bootleg recordings.

What is/are your favorite live recordings of VU (bootleg or otherwise?)

Personally, I'm pretty partial to the expanded Live At Max's set (though I know that's a controversial choice, due to the absence of Mo.)

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I think my favourite is the 4 October 68 La Cave show - maybe it's just because it was the first boot I heard (on tape in the early 80s), but the versions of Jesus and Foggy Notion are really great too. The live What Goes On on included on the box set is from this show, you can hear more on the sound pages of Olivier Landemaine's VU site - http://www.geocities.com/landem.geo/vu/lacave1968.html

Out of bootlegs, Live '68 (featuring the La Cave recordings simonm is talking about as well) is the best, hands down. I only wish it had more songs on it with that mix! The official ones (Max's, 1969, Quine Tapes) are all decent too.



LIVE '68
Lurid Records LR 101, Australia, 1983
Matrix #: A-1 - LR.101.A / A-1 - LR.101.B

Side 1: 1. What Goes On (5:30) / 2. Move Right In (2:41) / 3. I Can't Stand It (8:01).
Side 2: 4. Foggy Notion (10:43) / 5. Heroin (6:30).

Sources: 1, 4 : La Cave, Cleveland, Ohio, 2/10/68 / 2, 3 : La Cave, 4/10/68 / 5 : La Cave, 30/4/68.

Notes: "cover design & layout by faust", actually a collage made with the VU at Max's 1970 poster. Great sound quality. Gripping liner notes, probably written by Jamie Klimek, the guy who taped those legandary shows at La Cave. Certainly one of the best Velvet Underground bootleg ever released - definitely essential!. What Goes On is the version which finally appeared on Peel Slowly And See official box set. Reissued as Uptight in 1990 (see below).

I agree with the "live 68" or "problems in urban living" as being one of the greatest live. As far as i'm concerned i would add the January and May '70 shows at the Second Fret (though the sound is not as good as La Cave) and both "sweet sister ray" and the January '69 "sister ray" in La Cave

Gotta add the infamous "Guitar Amp Tape" from the Boston Tea Party, March '69. It's unique in that the taper put his mike too close to Lou's amp, so everything else is subordinate to his guitar. The vocals are distant enough that most of the songs come off almost as instrumentals - you'd think that would be enough to ruin your enjoyment, but no, the band was stompin' that night, and it's a hot, driving slice of Velvet power. This "Sister Ray" is one of the all time classics, if not THE all time classic.

Best overall bootleg for me, though, is "Caught Between The Twisted Stars." 4 discs, mostly live, taken from a variety of different sources.

Sweet Sister Ray

I like End of Cole Avenue the best

Thanks a lot for your responses - now I know which torrents to watch out for.

A lot of great VU and Lou stuff has been posted recently on easytree, but I expect most everyone here already knows about that.

Personally, I love the 12-12-68 Boston Tea Party 25-minute long Sister Ray, and I love the EPI recordings too.

I know this isn't VU, but, I like Lou Reed's Doin' the Things We Want To live recording best. It's two cds, has meterial from his VU albums plus his albums up to Legendary Hearts, and it has argualy his best backing band ever in his solo career. He just cleaned up from drugs and you can tell he's enjoying performing. There is so much controlled vigor that Lou couldn't maintain when he was stoned all the time in the seventies.