‘The Velvet Underground’ to Get ‘Super Deluxe Reissue’ for 45th Anniversary
The Velvet Underground's self-titled third album will be reissued as a six-disc "super deluxe" set to celebrate its 45th anniversary this fall. The record, which was the group's first without founding violist John Cale and is home to the single "What Goes On" and fan favorites "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Candy Says," will now be the centerpiece of a 65-track set, housed in a case-bound book, with many different mixes of the songs. The reissue will also be available as a single-disc remastered album and as a two-disc deluxe edition, featuring 12 selections from a concert the group played at the San Francisco club the Matrix in 1969.
"We were all feeling good," bassist Doug Yule told Rolling Stone's David Fricke for the release's liner notes. "All we had to do was play, and it showed. That comes out in a band. You get tight, and you get creative."
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The reissue follows deluxe, 45th-anniversary box sets for the group's 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground and Nico, which came out in 2012, and White Light/White Heat, which came out last year.
The first three discs of the super deluxe version each feature an alternate mix of The Velvet Underground. The first is a remastered stereo version of MGM house engineer Luis Pastor "Val" Valentin's original mix. The second is Lou Reed's own "Closet Mix," a term that the group's guitarist Sterling Morrison gave because he thought it sounded like it was recorded in a closet. And the third is the mono mix that appeared on promotional copies of the album, as well as a mono version of the group's "What Goes On" single (also featuring "Jesus").
The fourth disc approximates what the band's fourth album could have been, based around recordings it made at New York City's Record Plant in 1969. Reed eventually re-recorded many of the songs, including "Lisa Says," "I Can't Stand It," "Andy's Chest" and "Rock & Roll," for his solo albums. The disc contains 10 previously unheard mixes of songs, including ones done in 1969 and this year.
The super deluxe edition's two final discs comprise recordings of two concerts the group performed at the Matrix in November 1969. The box set's producer compiled and mixed the recordings from the original multi-track recordings made by club manager Peter Abram. The set includes a 37-minute version of the group's experimental "Sister Ray," from its previous album, 1968's White Light/White Heat, as well as a version of The Velvet Underground and Nico's "There She Goes Again" that interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike."
All of the versions of the reissue will be available on November 24th. It will also be available in mastered for iTunes and HD audio formats.
The Velvet Underground – 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition track list:
Disc One: The Velvet Underground ("The Val Valentin Mix")
1. "Candy Says"
2. "What Goes On"
3. "Some Kinda Love"
4. "Pale Blue Eyes"
5. "Jesus"
6. "Beginning to See the Light"
7. "I'm Set Free"
8. "That's the Story of My Life"
9. "The Murder Mystery"
10. "After Hours"
Disc Two: The Velvet Underground ("The Closet Mix")
1. "Candy Says"
2. "What Goes On"
3. "Some Kinda Love"
4. "Pale Blue Eyes"
5. "Jesus"
6. "Beginning to See the Light"
7. "I'm Set Free"
8. "That's the Story of My Life"
9. "The Murder Mystery"
10. "After Hours"
11. "Beginning to See the Light" (alternate "Closet Mix")
Disc Three: The Velvet Underground ("Promotional Mono Mix")
1. "Candy Says"
2. "What Goes On"
3. "Some Kinda Love"
4. "Pale Blue Eyes"
5. "Jesus"
6. "Beginning to See the Light"
7. "I'm Set Free"
8. "That's the Story of My Life"
9. "The Murder Mystery"
10. "After Hours"
Mono Single released April 1969
11. "What Goes On"
12. "Jesus"
Disc Four: 1969 Sessions
1. "Foggy Notion" (original 1969 mix) +
2. "One of These Days" (new 2014 mix) +
3. "Lisa Says" (new 2014 mix) +
4. "I'm Sticking With You" (original 1969 mix) +
5. "Andy's Chest" (original 1969 mix) +
6. "Coney Island Steeplechase" (new 2014 mix)+
7. "Ocean" (original 1969 mix)
8. "I Can't Stand It" (new 2014 mix) +
9. "She's My Best Friend" (original 1969 mix) +
10. "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" (new 2014 mix) +
11. "I'm Gonna Move Right In" (original 1969 mix)
12. "Ferryboat Bill" (original 1969 mix)
13. "Rock & Roll" (original 1969 mix)
14. "Ride Into the Sun" (new 2014 mix) +
+ previously unreleased mixes
Disc Five: Live at the Matrix
November 26 & 27, 1969 (Part 1)
1. "I'm Waiting for the Man" *
2. "What Goes On" *
3. "Some Kinda Love" **
4. "Over You" *
5. "We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together" *
6. "Beginning to See the Light" **
7. "Lisa Says" **
8. "Rock & Roll" **
9. "Pale Blue Eyes" *
10. "I Can't Stand It Anymore" *
11. "Venus in Furs" *
12. "There She Goes Again" *
Disc Six: Live at the Matrix
November 26 & 27, 1969 (Part 2)
1. "Sister Ray" ***
2. "Heroin" *
3. "White Light/White Heat" **
4. "I'm Set Free" *
5. "After Hours" *
6. "Sweet Jane" **
All mixes previously unreleased.
* previously unreleased performance
** different source mix of this performance appears on 1969: The Velvet Underground Live
*** different source mix of this performance appears on The Quine Tapes box set
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