News archives

Midnight Beat has just released the sequel to their bootleg A Walk With The Velvet Underground 5-CD box set. A Walk With The Velvet Underground - Volume 2 is a 3-CD set, including a 64-page reproduction of Andy Warhol's Index book. Most of the material here is (once again...) reboot of previously circulating recordings (Max's Kansas City outtakes, Reed/Nico's "Bedroom Rehearsal", film soundtracks... etc). The bonus is the inclusion of a multimedia track on third CD which offers 2 original Andy Warhol's movies.

See bootleg box sets page for complete tracklists.

John Cale will do a concert next year in Rotterdam. The concert will be on January 16 in the Nighttown club. John will be solo. Ticketsale has started, price is 27,50 dutch guilders. Information: Nighhttown, West Kruiskade 28, Rotterdam, phone 010-4361210.

Banging On My Drums
Midnight Beat MB CD 132/33, 1997, Luxembourg

Disc One: 1. Sweet Jane (7'31) / 2. Rock And Roll Heart (2'58) / 3. I Wanna Be Black (8'25) / 4. Rock And Roll / You Keep Me Hanging On (10'52) / 5. Walk On The Wild Side (9'56) / 6. Shooting Star / 7. Satellite Of Love (11'16) / 8. Coney Island Baby (7'30) / 9. Banging On My Drums (3'54) / 10. You Can Dance (3'53).

1-9 : January 11, 1977, Aubrey, Canada / 10 : April 26, 1975, Felt Forum, NYC.

Disc Two: 1. Dirt/Oh Jim (14'43) / 2. You Better Get Off That Dance (4'36) / 3. Shooting Star (5'14) / 4. Such A Pretty Face (5'03) / 5. We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together (3'53) / 6. Gimme Gimme Some Good Times (4'37) / 7. Street Hassle (13'41) / 8. Ride Sally Ride (3'46) / 9. Charley's Girl (4'17) / 10. White Light/White Heat (3'03) / 11. It's Too Late Mama (4'41) / 12. Complete The Story Now (3'05).

1-7 : May 2, 1977, Groningen, Holland / 8-11 : July 7, 1975, Perth, Australia / 12 : April 26, 1975, Felt Forum, NYC.

Leave Me Alone
Midnight Beat MB CD 134/35, 1997, Luxembourg

Disc One : 1. Introduction/Jam (9'44) / 2. Sweet Jane (5'00) / 3. Coney Island Baby (7'50) / 4. I Believe In Love (3'06) / 5. Lisa Says (7'14) / 6. Kicks (7'43) / 7. She's My Best Friend (6'44) / 8. Waiting For My Man (9'23) / 9. Sheltered Life (2'13) / 10. The Kids (5'45) / 11. Claim To Fame (3'11) / 12. Vicious Circle (3'32).

1-3 : November 16, 1976, Albany, NY / 4-12 : October 23, 1976, Akron, NY.

Disc Two : 1. Walk On The Wild Side (5'06) / 2. Rock And Roll Heart (3'43) / 3. Charley's Girl (5'43) / 4. Kill Your Sons (5'00) / 5. Satellite Of Love (5'18) / 6. How Do You Think It Feels (5'18) / 7. You Wear It So Well (4'53) / 8. Oh Jim (8'18) / 9. Berlin (6'27) / 10. Ladies Pay (3'48) / 11. Heroin (9'58) / 12. Leave Me Alone (5'21).

1-11 : October 23, 1976, Akron, NY / 12 : March 8, 1975, Christ Church, New Zealand.

The Kropotkins with Moe Tucker on drums recorded an album and Moe says: "I am thrilled with it! The music is very different--not out and out rock, but touches of blues, backwoods, fun. Its really very interesting and I LOVE the singer-Lorette Velvette. She's really such an interesting singer!! I keep using the word interesting, but I cant think of another more appropriate one. We hope to interest someone in putting it out, but if not I hope we'll do it ourselves."

This weekend Moe will pick up her new cd's. She will start filling orders next Monday.

[Source: Taj Moe Hal, courtesy of Paul Kremer]

Finally Sister Ray Enterprises, the official Lou Reed web site designed by The Speared Peanut Design Studio. This magnificent page features news, projects, timeline, discography, and links.

Latest news, courtesy of Speared Peanut:

Lou received a "Heroes Award" from the NY chapter of NARAS (the grammy people) along with Chuck D, Carly Simon and Arif Mardin. This occurred on Wed. Dec. 3rd at Laura Belle a restaurant in NYC.

On January 15th, 5 of Lou's photos will be part of a "Blind Spot Magazine" exhibit at the Soho Triad Gallery, NYC. Jan. 15th is the opening. Not sure how long it runs but will get further information as the date draws closer.

This Friday, Dec. 12. Lou and Mike Rathke will be performing 2 songs at the Bottom Line in honor of Vin Scelsa a well known and long time DJ with WNEW-FM. Some of the other performers will be South Side Johnny, Ronnie Spector, Joey Ramone, Marshall Crenshaw, Jules Shear, Jill Sobule...There are 2 shows 7:30PM & 10:30. Lou is only at the 1st show.

Perfect Day, the album: BMG/Camden 74321 523752. Includes: Rock And Roll Heart, Perfect Day, Coney Island Baby, Men Of Good Fortune, How Do You Speak To An Angel, Downtown Dirt, Real Good Time Together, Vicious Circle, A Gift, Think It Over, My Friend George, Legendary Hearts, The Last Shot, Leave Me Alone, Temporary Thing, The Gun, Sad Song, and Growing Up In Public.

Perfect Day, the single: Chrysalis 7243 8 85083 2 2. Includes three versions of Perfect Day: the first track sung by male and female, the second only by the males, the third only by the females.

John Cale is to contribute a track to a forthcoming CD tribute to the wonderful 60's British group The Bonzo Dog Band. The Bonzos' drummer, "Legs" Larry Smith, is an old friend of John's, and John has even written a song about him (Legs Larry at Television Centre). For more info on the tribute (no release date in sight though), see The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.

[Source: Jim Laasko]

Members of the Velvet Underground are currently discussing the likelyhood of an "official bootleg" series with PolyGram records. Bill Levenson hinted at such a project around the time of the Peel Slowly and See box (Billboard 8/95) but the project was put on hold indefinitely. Levenson was prompted to resurrect the idea when alerted to the existence of several original source reels of live VU shows.

The project is still in its earliest stages but efforts are being made to locate other source recordings. There is a very real interest to gear the project towards the die-hard VU fan. To this end, fan input regarding which shows to include/exclude in the series will be considered. Anyone wishing to comment, suggest, or point to possible source recordings please contact Sal Mercuri (fiercepup@erols.com).

Today's issue of french weekly magazine Les Inrockuptibles (no. 128, Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 1997) features a brief but nice article about Moe Tucker and her two forthcoming CDs. It comes with a beautiful photograph of you by Renaud Monfourny.

November 19st issue of french daily newspaper Libération includes a review by Olivier Séguret of Nico Icon, a documentary by Susan Ofteringer, with John Cale and Paul Morrissey. The 72-minute video is now out in France on Les Films du Paradoxe.

Also the same issue features an article by Olivier Séguret, Avec Mekas et Scorsese, le cinéma américain se fait coffrets, about the release of Jonas Mekas film Walden as a 2 videos & book box set, on Light Cone Video. This film includes some rare VU footage at Delmonico's Hotel in January 1966, and music recorded at The Dom during Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable in April 1966.

Record Collector #219, November 1997, UK, features a one-page article/interview with John Cale. Rock's Prince of Wales has scored the latest welsh-flavoured movie House Of America. The film soundtrack CD is available on Premier Soundtracks (7243 832179 3 0).

Also John Cale is recording the music of Nico, a ballet based on Nico's life, by The Scapino Ballet Company. This ballet was premiered in Rotterdam last October. The music is a classical piece written for strings, guitar and drums. So the record will be out in February.

Long-term John is working on an opera based on Mata Hari.

I was fortunate to attend the performance of Time Rocker this past Saturday evening. Since tickets had gone on sale - 2 months ago I tried to pick the performance date that I had thought Lou might show up to. My accuracy was amazing. Not only did he sit 15 rows in front of us but came to the back of the Opera House and stood there awhile and engaged in a few conversations with obvious personal friends of his. Clearly he was in good spirits that night as he greeted and kissed friends as they approached. And in a public setting such as BAM, he seemed to make himself very approachable. A large of people attending the show most likely don't own any of Lou's or the Velvets music and were there just for the cultural aspects of the play, but as a fan I thought it was pretty exciting seeing him walk amongst us commoners. Also having heard him perform at the Supper Club and listening to a boot of it for the past 2 months, made hearing these songs all the more intense, especially since the majority of the people had never heard any of these songs before. As he was about to walk back to his seat I walked up to him and was in the middle of requesting he sign the cassette cover to the Supper Club boot I showed him, (he look down at it for a second), but one of his friends walked up to him, hugged him and led him backstage before I could finish my sentence. I know he is not one to normally do autographs but I thought this was a special circumstance. Maybe his friend walking him away lessened the probably that he would have blew me off for making such a pedestrian request. I guess I'll never know.

My disappointment of not completing our chance encounter was quickly overcome at the end of the performance. When the theater company had come out to take their curtain call various members had walked out to resounding applause. After a few minutes of applauding this fine cast a remarkable thing happened. The cast escorted Lou, Robert Wilson and David Pinckney on stage for their round of applause and then exited. A moment later Lou came back out holding a microphone and with the band jumped into a kick-ass version of Into The Divine. My shock was soon turned into excitement as I realized catching Lou at such a spontaneous moment was rare and precious.

I highly recommend seeing Time Rocker to anyone, whether they are Lou Reed fans or not, based on the brilliant direction and design by Robert Wilson, this play is visually stunning. The cast of the Thalia are talented and extremely entertaining, the band smokes; Mike Rathke's musical production is unmistakable and of course the music lyrics by Lou are pure genius. The play has received outstanding critical acclaim so far in NYC. Too bad it's considered too avant guarde for Broadway - them a larger audience could experience this evening of unadulterated magic. Congratulations Mr. Reed, you have arrived.

Lou performed Future Farmers of America, a song written for Time Rocker, with Mike Rathke on guitar and Fernando Saunders on bass.

"Moe Tucker records four more of her favorite girl-group hits from the '60s for new release..."

Check out Addicted To Noise, the on-line rock & roll magazine for full article.

Greatest musical moments album Live on Letterman - Music from the Late Show (Reprise/WEA) from David Letterman's talk show includes Sweet Jane performed by Lou Reed, Mike Rathke (guitar), Greg Cohen (bass) and Danny Frankel (drums), on January 5, 1994.

CD, Reprise 9362-46827-2. Out on November 14, 1997.

Moe Tucker's I'm Sticking With You/Afterhours CD single and Girl Group CDEP will be available on the first week of December.

Click here to order now!

Check out Answering the Call of the Wild, an article by Andrew Essex, on The New York Times on the web.

[Source: Karen Hagglund]

Moe's new EP and single (see below) are in the pressing plant and are supposed to be ready to pick up the day before thanksgiving. Also Moe is going to New York to play and record with The Kropotkins on November 17th.

[Source: Mark Rowan]

The cover version of Lou Reed's song Perfect Day, initially recorded for a BBC ad will be available as a benefit single released on November 21st in UK. This version features Lou himself, David Bowie, and a bunch of "rock 'n' roll stars"...

[Source: Les Inrockuptibles, no. 124, October 29, 1997]

Moe's Girl Group EP (with Be My Baby, Da Doo Ron Ron, The He Kissed Me, and To Know Him Is To Love Him) was finished just before Moe leaved for the tour with Magnet. Also finished new versions of Sticking With You and Afterhours for a single. Those gems should be ready for sale within a month.

By the way have a look at the new October 21st 'issue' of The Taj Moe Hal Gazette.

[Source: Taj Moe Hal]

A new book has just been published. It is called The Velvet Underground Companion: Four Decades of Commentary edited by Albin Zak III, published by Schirmer Books (Simon & Schuster).

It is a rather large (300 + pages) collection of articles and essays gathered from many different sources over the past 30 years. The 'meat' is a newly translated version of the classic Feedback: The Legend of the Velvet Underground by Ignacio Julia. This was originally published as beautifully illustrated book in Spain, 1986 and is based on lengthy, in-depth interviews with Sterling Morrison. The book is actually a companion to an equally excellent Catalonian TV documentary of the same name. The original edition of this book included a live VU flexi of Sister Ray and an English translation. Ignacio told me that he was very unhappy with the translation (as was Sterling) so it's great that he did it himself this time.

There are many other interesting articles and interviews in the VU Companion and a large, though somewhat outdated discography. It is a very handy book and a must for us fans.

[Source: Sal Mercuri]

Scapino Rotterdam presents the new full-length production by choreographer and artistic director Ed Wubbe, with music composed by John Cale and performed live by an ensemble with two string quartets and pop musicians.

World Première: 4 october 1997, Rotterdamse Schouwburg
Period: october/november 1997 and january/february 1998

See Scapino Ballet Rotterdam web site for additional information.

[Source: Chris Van Tuyll]

Pop' art artist Roy Lichtenstein died in New York monday; he was 73 years old.

He was the designer of one of the most famous Velvet Underground poster for the EPI gig at The Trip in Los Angeles, 1966.

In October Garageland from New Zealand is releasing the new single Feel Alright, recorded in their current hometown of London & mixed by John Cale and also featuring some righteous piano-thumping by the Velvet Underground legend. Garageland played a storming set at the Reading festival and will tour the UK & US in the next couple of months. Last Exit To Garageland is finally out in both those countries in 3 weeks. The group currently have an EP collection out on Discordant called Special Comeback which is available in New Zealand through Flying In on import.

See also Flying Nun website.

[Source: Steve Pearson]

Making Of Velvet Underground And Nico, a new CD-sized hardback book by Glen Marks is due out on January 26, 1998.

Also the deluxe 180 gm pressing of Loaded, with original artwork and heavy duty sleeve will be released in October.

Lou Reed article by William Ham on issue 38 of Lollipop, a music and entertainment magazine.

New book by Billy Name, Dave Hickey, Collier Schorr. Billy Name was the principal photographer of Andy Warhol's Factory. Now, All Tomorrow's Parties reproduces for the first time Billy Name's recently discovered photos of Warhol, his crowd, and the Factory years, images that give the era another dimensions. These color photos with their experimental use of weird color balances and diptych printing are uncannily contemporary. Together with Dave Hickey's essay and Collier Schorr's interview, Billy Name's photos reveal the Factory in all its intimate grunge and glamour. 135 photos, 122 in color.

Hardcover, 144 pages. Published by Distributed Art Pub (Dap).
Publication date: September 1, 1997
Dimensions (in inches): 11.36 x 9 x .74
ISBN: 1881616843

Lou Reed, Bono, David Bowie, Lesley Garrett, Elton John and Tom Jones are among a line-up of top musical talent who have joined forces to reflect the BBC’s ability to serve a diverse range of musical tastes, in a unique performance to be broadcast on television, radio and cinema.

The stars have given their time to collaborate in a special one-off recording of Lou Reed’s classic ballad Perfect Day, singing lines from the song individually rather than in a chorus. The music is inter-cut with images of a garden from sunrise to sunset, prompting reflections and reminders of what makes everyone’s perfect day.

See BBC: Perfect Day for further information.

Magnet's Summer and Winter is being considered for a single release by PC Records.

Today Moe went into the studio and recorded six songs for an upcoming single and a four-song EP. Along with her were the Changelings (who Moe says do the best cover of Sunday Morning), Matt (Magnet's current bass player), and drummer John Sluggett. Some of the songs: Da Doo Ron Ron, To Know Him Is To Love Him, and a new version of And Then He Kissed Me. She also recorded new versions of Afterhours and I'm Sticking with You. Moe says the record will be ready as soon as she has the time to mix it, hopefully before the end of the year.

A small record label is considering rereleasing Charlie Pickett's Route 33, on which Moe played drums and percussion.

[Source: Mark Rowan, Sal Mercuri]

Interview with Moe Tucker on Flagpole magazine online with lots of interesting news including the issue of previously unreleased VU live material.

Copy repros (counterfeit?) of The Velvet Underground & Nico album, supposedly from Japan, currently circulate. Those are exact copies of the original US mono edition with peelable banana, without Eric Emerson. Very well done. The only difference is in fact the 'feel' of the paper of the cover and the matrix number which is V6-5008 (indicating stereo) but should have been V-5008 (mono). Counterfeit copies of The Velvet Underground (third album) with "closet mix" have also surfaced from the same source.

Also a 180 gram virgin vinyl reissue of Loaded in the original package is planned to be released on October 13.

Doug Yule will be in a Boston recording studio in mid-September working with Pete Weiss, who was involved with the Magnet CD, and a band which includes the drummer from the Morphine. Doug will sing and play bass and perhaps guitar too.

[Source: Sal Mercuri]

The Lou Reed Live at Alice Tully Hall project was on hold and the set would not be released until after the new year.

[Source: RCA rep via Sal Mercuri]

A new 5-CD box set called A Walk With The Velvet Underground is now out on bootleg market. This set compiles pre-VU material, soundtracks, demos, acetates, alternate mixes, rehearsals, and some live stuff. Most of the stuff offered here is reboot of previously issued bootleg (and sometimes official...) records but some tracks have previously only been available on tapes and vinyl bootlegs.

Label/Cat. #: Midnight Beat MB CD 115/16/17/18/19, Luxembourg, limited numbered edition of 1000, with 20-page booklet including photographs and liner notes.

See bootleg CD box sets page for complete tracklisting and review.

John Cale will appear (with Michael Stipe, Brian Eno and other artists) on a compilation of erotic poems read with music, produced by californian DJ Liza Richardson.

[Source: Les Inrockuptibles, no. 115, p. 4, France]

9/17 - Hotshots, Douglas, GA
9/18 - Cumberlands, Charleston, SC
9/19 - CRC, Atlanta, GA
9/20 - 40 Watt, Athens, GA
9/23 - Hunter-Gatherer, Columbia, SC
9/24 - Fat City, Charlotte, NC
9/25 - The Mission, Raleigh, NC
9/26 - Tokyo Rose, Charlottesville, NC
9/27 - Iota, Arlington, VA
9/28 - Live on air on WNEW, 102.7, with Vin Scelsa
9/30 - Knitting Factory, New York, NY
10/1 - Nyaginghi Dance Hall, Morgantown, WV
10/2 - 31st Pub, Pittsburgh, PA
10/3 - Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH (with Corduroy Astronauts)
10/4 - Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
10/6 - Second Story, Bloomington, IN
10/7 - Sudsy Malone's, Cincinnati, OH
10/8 - Bernie's Distillery, Columbus, OH

By the way have a look at the new August 23rd 'issue' of The Taj Moe Hal Gazette.

[Source: Taj Moe Hal]

"Lou Reed has spent the past seven years recording for Warner Music Group labels (Sire, Warner Bros.) and a recent deal should find him celebrating a 10 year anniversary with Warner execs. The legendary leader of the Velvet Underground signed a new record deal with Reprise Records on June 26, the same day he performed a rare small venue gig at New York's Supper Club. That gig was filmed for the PBS American Masters series, with the footage possibly going toward an hour-long retrospective on Reed's career slated to air on Apr. 29 of next year. "I've been a fan since I first saw the Velvet Underground, which was even before the first album came out," said Reprise president Howie Klein. "I worked closely with Lou when he came to Sire Records and he had a hit with the song 'Dirty Blvd.' I can't wait to start working with him again. He's one of the most challenging and creative artists I've ever worked with." Klein said Reed played a half-dozen new songs at the Supper Club gig, including one called "Future Farmers of America." For his first Reprise album Reed is thinking about either a retrospective that would include original recordings of earlier material and new versions of older songs, a recording of the music he composed for the Robert Wilson's opera Timerocker, or a collection of new material..."

[Source: Addicted To Noise, the on-line rock & roll magazine]

An association from Nantes (France), Ixer Enterprises, propose a revival of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable directed by Gerard Malanga with Patti Smith and New york DJ Olive. This event - exhibitions, happenings, poetry reading, films - will take place in Nantes from February 27 to March 9, 1998. Information: 02.40.47.09.62.

[Source: Les Inrockuptibles, no. 114, p. 7, France]

William Burroughs died on last Saturday. The most original writer of the "Beat Generation" had have a great influence on Lou Reed. He was also the "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" in the Velvet Underground eponymous song.

The 1979 meeting between Burroughs and Reed is available in Transformer - The Lou Reed Story, Victor Bockris' biography of Lou Reed.

[Source: Libération, August 4, 1997, France]

Moe Tucker has just gone to Atlanta early July to record a few songs for a children's album Not Dogs..Too Simple: A Tale of Kitties. She appears with people like Kevn Kinney, Cindy Wilson. The owner of the record company (Clay Harper) also owns the studio in Atlanta which Moe like to use (Casino). And her old pal Phil Hadaway was there to engineer.

[Source: The Taj Moe Hal Gazette & John Cale mailing list]

French musical cable TV channel will broadcast tonight at 20:30 the show filmed at L'Olympia during 1993 tour.

First issue of It's All Right The Way That You Live is out (limited edition of 100 copies). It is published by the VU fan club formed in Prague and called Walk On The Velvet Underground. They also sell great looking T-shirts and provide an ordering service for some hard to find items.

They can be reached at: Ondrej Klepsa, Na Lanech 35, Praha 4 - Michle, 141 00, Czech Republic.

The Ornette Coleman revival has peaked this week with a remarkable four days of events at New York City's Lincoln Center celebrating the music of the saxophonist seen by many as the trigger for the revolutionary jazz movements of the '60s (...)

Tonight, Coleman's Prime Time -- with an array of dancers and artists -- performs "Tone Dialing," a work that provoked an electrifying audience reaction when it was premiered in 1994 at the San Francisco Jazz Festival--primarily because of the body-piercing done live, onstage, during the performance. Coleman's intention, then and now, has been to find common linkages between musicians, dancers and artists, a linkage that was distorted in San Francisco by the visual impact of the body-piercing. Tonight's program is scheduled to include sword-swallowing, an individual reclining on a bed of nails, as well as the reported participation of singer Lou Reed and performance artist Laurie Anderson. It remains to be seen whether or not this performance will achieve Coleman's expressed desire to have all the performers "embrace the possibilities inherent in a note."

[Source: Coleman's Back With a New 'America' by Don Heckman in Los Angeles Times]

French daily newspaper Libération publish today a report on Lou Reed's appearance at Meltdown Festival in London, with an interview with Lou before The Music of City and Time poetry reading tonight in Paris.

"En gala ce week-end à Londres, Lou Reed évoquait son rapport à l'écriture et à la poésie, en prélude à une lecture de ses textes ce soir à l'Odéon."

Lou Reed will be in Paris at Théâtre de l'Odéon on July 7 at 8 PM for The Music of City and Time, a reading of his last poems, texts from Berlin, Legendary Hearts, Nothing But The Thruth, New York, Songs For Drella and Magic And Loss, and also poems by Mallarmé and Baudelaire.

Odéon - Théâtre de l'Europe
1 Place de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris
Location: 01 44 41 36 36, Fnac and Virgin stores.

[Source: Les Inrockuptibles, no. 111, p. 5 & XI, France]

Ad for John Cale's Eat/Kiss Music For The Films by Andy Warhol in Les Inrockuptibles, no. 111, p. 49.

"Les B.O. de "Eat" et "Kiss" d'Andy Warhol. Enregistrées en concert à Lille en 1995 avec Maureen Tucker du Velvet Underground."

Interview with Moe Tucker by James Sullivan published in Bay Area Music from San Francisco CA, June 13, 1997 issue, p. 45-46.

[Source: Aral Sezen]