Velvet Underground Acetate MP3s

By now most music heads have heard the story of Warren Hill picking up the rare acetate of the Velvet Underground's lost Scepter studio sessions on a Chelsea Street for 75 cents, and how it recently turned into E-Bay mania (selling for $25,000 after an aborted first attempt that was ruined by fake high bidders). Here are the Mp3s, in the running order of the acetate (which differs from the order of the actual VU and Nico release). You can hear the marked difference in tracks like "European Son", and while some of these same takes wound up utilized for the Warhol LP, these are rougher mixes. Thanks to Nathaniel Brennan for forwarding along the link from FM Shades. MP3s: European Son, Black Angel's Death Song, All Tomorrow's Parties, I'll Be Your Mirror, Heroin, Femme Fatale, Venus In Furs, I'm Waiting For the Man, Run Run Run.

Comments

[Ed Corcoran]

Is this taken from the actual acetate? Or are these files from the Japanese bootleg that has been floating around for awhile? Those were (apparently) taken from Moe Tucker's copy of the acetate, which is in inferior condition. Same music, just not as good quality.

[Faust Ficker]

THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!

[K]

Oddly enough, I heard this stuff on the radio Sat. Most of the guitar parts are tuned down a full step, but I had fun vamping along with a straight tuning. Here's my results....

----------------------------
Waitin' for the (Oil)Man.
( apologies to Lou and Laurie )

D G D G
I’m waiting for my (oil)man
D G D G
26 billion dollars in my hand
D F#
Up to longitude 035
G
Feel sick and dirty,
A
more dead than alive
D G D G
I’m waiting for my (oil)man

Hey white boy, why you bombin’ our town?
Hey white boy, you chasin’ camels around!
Pardon me sir, it’s furthest from my mind
I’m just lookin for despotic friends of mine
I’m waiting for my (oil)man.

Here he comes, he’s all dressed in white
sandals and, a towel for a hat,
He’s never early, he’s always late
First thing you learn is that you always gotta wait
I’m waiting for my (oil)man

Up to the derrick, pass Dick Cheney on the stairs,
The UN's pinned you, but nobody cares
He’s got the pump, fills your tank with eight,
Then you gotta drive 'cos you got no time to waste
I’m waiting for my (oil)man

Hey Green Boy, don’t you holler, don’t you ball and shout
I’m feeling good, drivin' my SUV about.
I’m feeling good, I'm feeling so fine
Until tomorrow, but that’s just some other time
I’m waiting for my (oil)man

[Richard]

Wait... What, this isn't from the new 365 Days Project? This is a totally independent batch of MP3s?

[will]

This is why Beware the Blog is required reading.

[listener mark caz]

Amazing, really nice.
I continue to be ..amazed.
so much, that I'm at a loss for...words (yeah, those things)

[Parq]

All this and 365 Days too! Now I just gotta find time to listen to all this stuff . . .

[vmh]

Not sure, but unlike "Waiting", "Venus", and "Heroin" (which are all alt. takes), "European Son" seems to be the same "track" (ie same inst. take) with a different vocal take.

Any confirmation?

Also who, in April '66, said "Yeah, European Son, that'd be the perfect lead-off track for the album"?

(ps. cheers for the post)

[fatty jubbo]

you know- I have never owned any Velvet Underground, although familair with it all. The question is- do I download this? Even though I wouldn't expend drive space for the regular version?

[Rufus]

Yes, fatty - clean out some room on the Commodore. Jesus.

[Ed Corcoran]

I just checked, and these mp3s are *not* from the Warren Hill acetate, they are from the Japanese bootleg.

[Norton Zenger]

Nice to see this up here; it's an interesting listen, although I wouldn't rank it as my favorite Velvets bootleg by any means. (That honor would go to the Andy Warhol Museum boot; "Miss Joanie Lee" is a scorcher.) The Velvets-related boot I've been into lately is the Lou Reed Robinson apartment tapes from '70 or '71- two tapes of Lou running through his repertoire of the day in a friend's apartment, one electric, one acoustic. Haven't been able to track down the complete tapes, but excerpts are on various Velvets boot compilations, and it's great stuff, kind of the Velvets equivalent of those old Dylan hotel tapes; his medley of "What Goes On" and "Follow the Leader" is not to be missed. (Yeah, I can go on all day on the topic of Velvets boots. Or pretty much any boots, really.)

Anyway, to Fatty: I wouldn't go to the trouble of downloading it if you wouldn't bother to download the official album. It's different in places, but honestly it's not all _that_ different. I'd say it's mostly worth hearing if you already like the album.

[Cas]

They sound great, but how come when I open them in iTunes the track numbers all say "out of 13"?

[DBD]

Interesting for an historical listen, but hardly the lost treasure the media made it out to be. The alternate tracks were left off the album for a reason it seems.

[Stephen Jones]

If an attempt to digitize these tracks from the acetate occurs it should probably be done with a laser turntable to get a cleaner transfer. Does the Japanese boot have the skips and locks too?

[SillyWilly]

I remember John Cale saying in his autobio that Lou originally sang "I know just where I'm going" on "Heroin" and that he argued with Lou when the line was changed. Nice to finally have evidence of that, and I agree with John--the song is stronger with the original line

[Kieran]

these don't really add that much to the album versions, they're just, not as good, but i suppose it is still nice to see such rare takes, cheers

[Juan]

Aguante la velvet!