News

The Velvet Underground / 45th anniversary super deluxe edition

By Paul Sinclair

Comments

20

VelvetUnderground

For the third year in a row Universal/Polydor will reissue a Velvet Underground album as a 45th Anniversary super deluxe edition box set.

Having ticked off 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico (in 2012) and White Light/White Heat (2013), the album under the microscope this year is the band’s third album, The Velvet Underground which was originally issued in March 1969.

This record, which presented a new softer side to the band, didn’t feature co-founder John Cale with 21-year old Doug Yule stepping in to fill his shoes.

This new super deluxe set is a generous six-CD package and features two different stereo mixes of the record (including Reed’s own ‘Closet Mix’) and a promotional mono mix. A disc of 1969 sessions on the fourth disc includes 10 previously unreleased mixes including Andy’s Chest which was re-recorded for 1972’s Transformer and Rock & Roll which in a different form featured on the next VU album, Loaded.

Eighteen live tracks (eleven of them unreleased performances) from a two gigs in late 1969 at San Francisco’s The Matrix complete this set. These performances are compiled and mixed from the original 1969 multi-track recordings made by club manager Peter Abram. The final CD only has six tracks on it, but it does include a nearly 37-minute-long Sister Ray!

This will be packaged to be consistent with the previous releases, so it will be a stylish case-bound book. Liner notes are by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke.

The Velvet Underground 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is released on 24 November 2014. Update: new shot of the packaging can be found here.

Tracklisting

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

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

20 Comments

20 thoughts on “The Velvet Underground / 45th anniversary super deluxe edition”

  2. Pingback: The Velvet Underground 45th Anniversary Set [Review]

  3. The matrix tracks are amazing. The 4th LP original 1969 original mixes are excellent too. We want more songs from the matrix tapes (18/42 is frustating)

  5. 3 CD from the Matrix shows and a deluxe edition for the “fourth lost album” with live sets from 1969 (Boston tea Party) would have been a better solution.
    Never mind
    I can’t stand it any more

  6. Pingback: PICTURE: The Velvet Underground 6-disc super deluxe edition | superdeluxeedition

    1. Because there will also be a 50th edition meaning you can buy it again with a badge and a photo!! Haven’t you noticed how these things work?

  9. I was able to snag mp3’s of VU & Nico for about $25 at one point. It’s not the same thing as the cd, but a much more affordable option if you at least want to hear the mono mixes.

  10. Agree on the price; hit the link expecting to see a £100 price in the context of other recent reissues. But its right on the cusp and will probably be a ‘buy’ for me. Anything more and I wouldn’t have bothered ***stares at Setting Suns reissue***

    Paul – Heard anything on The Go-Betweens reissues? Vinyl set announced – wondering if there was anything planned for a straight CD set…especially given some are out of print…

  12. I’m with GHB. Bought the first two, although White Light/White Heat was a little disappointing after the thrill of the first set. The track listing is good, but I was hoping for more live material. Three versions of the album across three discs is pushing things a tad I think. That said, I’m in.

  13. After the recent comments on Amazon’s pricing policy (ie. keeping the price for box sets high until a week or so after the release date) this seems like a good pre-order price (six discs compared to the three-disc White Light:White Heat which I just paid £45 for at what was imho a good price for this second instalment). I have the first two, and am very much looking forward to this one too – they added a depth to the original albums which I really enjoyed and got something from, and the liner notes added further insight into the albums and music by this seminal band.

    1. I read somewhere that the two disc set will include one of the stereo mixes on one disc (not sure which sorry) and then a “best of” the matrix shows on the other disc.

      2. Amazon (USA) has the 2D set with a full track listing: Disc 1 is Valentine mix, Disc 2 is 12 of the Matrix recordings. Not all of the never-before released Matrix tracks make it onto this Disc 2.
        The Closet mix is on the Peel Slowly And See box. The Disc 4 tracks all appear on the 1980s releases VU and Another View, although most are newly mixed here.
        So, unique to the 6D set are the album’s mono version, the mono single sides, some of the Matrix tracks and numerous “2014 mix”es of tracks otherwise available.
        Despite that, I still think the 6D is an excellent release. Sadly for me, each of these Velvet Underground 45th Anniversary re-issues have come out after I got married. So, for the third time, I will dream of the 6D but settle for the 2D.

Leave a Reply