![]() The real fun starts with the unreleased, original material. Scratchy, diligently strummed versions of “I’m Waiting for the Man”, “Heroin”, and “Pale Blue Eyes”, with John Cale assisting, nestle uneasily between a Bob Dylan cover and a brace of traditional tunes. Velvets fans will again be getting nonchalantly excited by the tracklisting of this beautifully archived release. When producer and archivist Don Fleming finally plucked up the courage to open the notarized envelope and load the tape onto a reel-to-reel, he was greeted with a collection of material that swings from the inconsequential to the essential. Well, that worked pretty well, as it remained intact and forgotten until his death in 2013. In an attempt to copyright his songs, Lou sent a tape to himself, intending to keep it dated and unopened, which he could use to challenge anyone who might try to plagiarize his work. Words and Music, May 1965 is the same, but more so. How postmodern is that?ĭiehard fans of ol’ laughin’ Lou threw their Ray-Bans in the air with glee in 1995 when a small handful of pre- Velvet Underground demos were appended to the Peel Slowly and See boxed set. Yep, the Dark Prince of alternative rock once practiced his fingerpicking chops on a tune approximately a thousand light years away from, say, “I’m Waiting for the Man”, which also features on the album. Track 13 on Words and Music, May 1965, a collection of lo-fi demos recorded by Lou Reed in the mid-1960s, is an earnest version of “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore”. Leading lyric: “Away from the big city / Where a man cannot be free / Of all the evils of this town / And of himself and those around”įollow us on Vero for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our Editors and high-profile talent.Here’s one to file in the “just when you think you’ve heard everything” section. By the end, it's likely you're sat in a trance, compelled by “Heroin's” self-destructive nature. Another drug song shouldn't come as much surprise given his known leaning towards gritty subjects, but there's no upbeat side to this song – there's a high, sure, but it feels caliginous, both through the production and Reed's lyrical delivery. Lou Reed wrote it while studying at Syracuse University, so he would have been around the age of 18. “Heroin” is creative, but it's also authentic. Leading lyric: “She said money is like us in time / It lies, but can't stand up / Down for you is up” Though we do love Lou Reed for his unrestrained approach to sounding shocking subjects, this intimate revelation lingers in the mind for a long time. This is one of the very few songs by The Velvet Underground that you can simply take as it is: serenading, soothing and a hip version of a lullaby. You can hear that sensitivity through its chord progressions, played by Tucker on a soft tambourine and Morrison with a mellow guitar. There's a timeless charm to this song, centred around love, and serving as proof of Lou Reed's most innocent and confessional composition. Its release came at a point when the band had addressed pretty much every abstract topic imaginable, so here their recordings felt a bit more comfortable. “Pale Blue Eyes” sits on side A of The Velvet Underground's third album. One reason this song sits at number two in our ranking? That looming D-minor chord that comes at the end of the third line on each verse. It's difficult to forget about the doomed consequences these kind of songs had for their career, but as clever as ever, this song saw Reed's jerky, rock-based arrangements with stylistic and quirky lines. Reed once explained the title as a dig at the record company that was pushing for commercial success – triggering an album that was loaded with hits. “Sweet Jane”, in short, was a call for some form of societal understanding, regardless of how one dresses. So far, so fun, right? Evidently, but this was The Velvet Underground, so it had a bit of a heavier meaning than that. There's judgement, but Reed then turns it around and laughs as he notes himself to be donned in his own rock-based costume. Sweet Jane is sensational: relating the appearance of Jack and Jane who Lou Reed spots on the street, it takes to assessing them based on their differing forms of dress. Loaded contained some absolutely brilliant songs, but they were a big move away from the band's original (and arguably more authentic) repertoire.
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