"Peel Slowly And See" by THE VELVET UNDERGROUND – All Four of Their Studio Albums - "The Velvet Underground And Nico" (1967), "White Light/White Heat" (1968), "The Velvet Underground" (1969) and "Loaded" (1970) - featuring Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen 'Mo' Tucker, Nico and Doug Yule (October 1995 UK Polydor/Chronicles 5CD Compilation Long Box Set (6" x 12") with 74 Remastered Tracks (25 Previously Unreleased) and an 88-Page Booklet - Bob Ludwig, Dan Hersch, Dan Kincaid and Joseph M. Palmaccio Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Falling In And Out of Grace..."

 

I remember when this re-peelable 5CD brute used to turn up in second-hand record shops with alarming regularity - always with its sticker curled or plain knackered (truly a sin). But in May 2022, maybe now not so much. And speaking of much to linger on (pale blue eyes anyone as one of the most gorgeous songs ever written, or certainly by Lou Reed anyway) - let's get to the details and what Candy says (she's always sayin' sumthin' that Candy)...

 

UK released October 1995 - "Peel Slowly And See" by THE VELVET UNDERGROUND on Polydor/Chronicles 527 887-2 (Barcode 731452788726) is a 5CD Long Box Set (6" x 12") of 74 Remastered Tracks (25 Previously Unreleased). It comes with a Re-Peelable Banana Sticker on the front lid (mimicking their debut album of 1967), an 88-page illustrated booklet with essays, rare photos, repro'd memorabilia and text involvement from all members of the band - Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker, Nico and Doug Yule. It plays out as follows: 

 

CD1 "The Velvet Underground Demo Tape, July 1965" (78:12 minutes):

1. Venus In Furs (Demo, 15:33 minutes) 

2. Prominent Men (Demo, 4:53 minutes)

3. Heroin (Demo, 13:34 minutes)

4. I'm Waiting For The Man (9:50 minutes)

5. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (15:50 minutes) 

6. Tomorrow's Parties (18:26 minutes)

Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison - recorded live at John Cale's Ludlow Street loft apartment in Mono - all Previously Unreleased

 

CD2: "The Velvet Underground And Nico" (78:06 minutes):

1. All Tomorrow's Parties (Mono Single Version) 

July 1966 US Debut 45-single on Verve VK-10422 in Mono, A-side 

 

2. Sunday Morning [Side 1]

3. I'm Waiting For The Man 

4. Femme Fatale 

5. Venus In Furs 

6. Run Run Run 

7. All Tomorrow's Parties 

8. Heroin 

9. There She Goes Again 

10. I'll Be Your Mirror 

11. The Black Angel's Death Song 

12. European Son

Tracks 2 to 12 are their debut album "The Velvet Underground And Nico" - released March 1967 in the USA on Verve V-5008 (Mono) and V6-5008 (Stereo) - November 1967 in the UK on Verve SVLP 9184 - the STEREO MIX is used here

NOTES: 

The MONO MIX is available on the June 2002 Deluxe Edition reissue, CD2. 

NICO sings lead vocals on "Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "I'll Be Your Mirror" - Lou Reed on all others

 

13. Melody Laughter (Live, 10:43 minutes)

Recorded 4 November 1966 at the Valleydale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio and is edited down from a 30-minute performance - Previously Unreleased

 

14. It Was A Pleasure Then (8:02 minutes)

15. Chelsea Girls (7:24 minutes)

Tracks 14 to 15 are from "Nico: Chelsea Girl"- the solo debut album by NICO released October 1967 on Verve V6-5032 (Stereo) and finally released in the UK in September 1971 on MGM Select 2353 025 (Stereo) 

 

CD3: "White Light/White Heat" (74:15 minutes):

1. There Is No Reason (Demo, 2:12 minutes)

2. Sheltered Life (Demo, 2:52 minutes)

3. It's All Right (The Way That You Live) (Demo, 2:48 minutes)

4. I'm Not too Sorry (Now That You're Gone) (Demo, 2:17 minutes)

5. Here She Comes Now (Demo, 2:46 minutes)

Tracks 1 to 5 are The Velvet Underground Demo Acetate, recorded early 1967 in Mono at John Cale's Ludlow Street loft apartment in Manhattan, NYC - Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen 'Mo' Tucker - all 5 tracks Previously Unreleased 

 

6. Guess I'm Falling In Love (Live, 4:40 minutes)

7. Booker T. (Live, 6:30 minutes)

Tracks 6 and 7 recorded live April 1967 at the Gymnasium, NYC - Previously Unreleased 

 

8. White Light/White Heat [Side 1]

9. The Gift 

10. Lady Godiva's Operation 

11. Here She Comes Now [Side 2]

12. I Heard Her Call My Name 

13. Sister Ray 

Tracks 8 to 13 are their second studio album "White Light/White Heat" - released January 1968 in the USA on Verve V-5046 (Mono) and V6-5046 (Stereo) - the STEREO MIX is used here

 

14. Stephanie Says (2:49 minutes)

15. Temptation Inside Your Heart (2:30 minutes) 

Tracks 14 and 15 are from the post compilation album "VU" - released February 1985 on Verve 823 721-2 – Previously Unreleased at the time

 

16. Hey Mr. Rain (Version One) 

Track 16 take from the post compilation album "Another View" - released July 1986 on Verve 829 405-2 - Previously Unreleased at the time

 

CD4: "The Velvet Underground" (75:41 minutes)

1. What Goes On (Live, 5:34 minutes)

Track 1 recorded live 2 October 1968 at La Cave, Cleveland, Ohio, Previously Unreleased

 

2. Candy Says [Side 1]

3. What Goes On

4. Some Kinda Love

5. Pale Blue Eyes

6. Jesus

7. Beginning To See The Light [Side 2]

8. I'm Set Free

9. That's The Story Of My Life

10. The Murder Mystery

11. After Hours

Tracks 2 to 11 are their third studio album "The Velvet Underground" - released March 1969 in the USA on MGM Records SE-4617 and April 1969 on MGM Records CS 8108 in STEREO (reissued November 1971 in the UK on MGM Select 2353 022 with different artwork). The album was recorded Nov/Dec 1968 at the T.T.G. Studios in Hollywood, California. 

 

NOTE: The 1995 "Peel Slowly And See" 5CD Box Set Version of their third studio album "The Velvet Underground" is known as the Closet Mix - a mix that was ok'd by Lou Reed on original American LPs and is therefore restored as such here. This was done for the 1995 box because mixes from the 80ts onward - including even the 45th Anniversary CD from 2014 - all contain what's become known as the Val Valentin Mix which upped the brightness of many instruments, making the album more poppy. I personally prefer the quieter (even more sedate) Closet Mix. See separate review for The Val Valentin Mix...

 

12. Foggy Notion

13. I Can't Stand It

14. I'm Sticking With You 

15. One Of These Days 

16. Lisa Says 

Tracks 12 to 16 are from the post compilation album "VU" - released February 1985 on Verve 823 721-2 – Previously Unreleased at the time (October 1969 recordings). "I Can't Stand It" and "Lisa Says" ended up being re-recorded for Lou Reed's debut solo album "Lou Reed" issued June 1972 in the USA on RCA Victor LSP-4701. 

 

17. It's Just Too Much (Live) - recorded 28 Oct 1969 at The End of Cole Ave., Dallas Texas - Previously Unreleased

 

18. Countess From Hong Kong (Demo) - recorded late 1969, Previously Unreleased

 

CD5: "Loaded" (76:24 minutes): 

1. Who Loves The Sun [Side 1]

2. Sweet Jane [Previously Unreleased Full Length Version, 4:06 minutes]

3. Rock And Roll 

4. Cool It Down

5. New Age [Previously Unreleased Full Length Version, 5:07 minutes]

6. Head Held High 

7. Lonesome Cowboy Bill

8. I Found A Reason 

9. Train Round The Bend 

10. Oh Sweet Nuthin'  

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 3rd studio album "Loaded" - released September 1970 in the USA on Cotillion SD 9034 and April 1971 in the UK on Atlantic 2400 111. Produced by GEOFFREY HASLAM, SHEL KAGAN and THE VELVET UNDERGROUND – the album didn't chart in either country. 

 

11. Satellite Of Love 

12. Walk And Talk 

13. Oh Gin 

14. Sad Song 

15. Ocean 

16. Ride Into The Sun 

Tracks 11 to 16 and Track 19 are "Loaded" outtakes. "Satellite Of Love" would be used on his second solo LP "Transformer" in 1972, "Sad Song" would be revisited with orchestration on his third solo album "Berlin" in 1973 while "Ocean" and "Ride Into The Sun" would be re-worked for the "Lou Reed" debut solo LP (also in 1972).

 

17. Some Kinda Love (Live) 

18. I'll Be Your Mirror (Live)

Tracks 17 and 18 recorded live 23 August 1970 at Max's Kansas City, New York. 

Track 17 is Previously Unreleased

Track 18 first appeared May 1972 on the US LP "Live At Max's Kansas City" on Cotillion SD 9500   

 

19. I Love You (see Tracks 11 to 16)

 

Quite apart from the gimmicky and hard-to-keep-from-getting-knackered Banana Peel sticker (aping their famous Andy Warhol artwork debut) - the first thing that hits you is the 88-page booklet (6" x 12") - a seriously in-depth and beautifully annotated work of art in itself. Produced by BARRY LEVINSON, Essay by DAVID FRICKE and Remasters from a team of four Universal-related Audio Engineers - Bob Ludwig, Dan Hersch, Dan Kincaid and Joseph M. Palmaccio - all names known to collectors - it's an impressive package for damn sure. There's posters, flyers, gig adverts, press reviews and all five of the jewel cases are adorned not with the LP artwork but Mono and Stereo master-tape boxes. Page 55 has a gig poster from December 1969 with Detroit's MC5 as the support act - or Page 65 with its beautiful psych typeset poster for the Hippodrome with Clover and Maya in tow. The card that advertises 'the world's first mod wedding happening' with 'girl-of-the-year' Nico and Andy Warhol for The Carnaby Street Fun Festival. The infamous toilet in Warhol's New York studio hang...and on it goes to credit pages at the end. 

 

It's astonishing (even in 2022) to think that the Velvets never charted any of their four LPs - so by all accounts were an abysmal chart failure. Yet their influence and ethos stretches its tentacles out like a beast. When I worked at Reckless Records in Berwick Street, Soho, London - there was only one album we kept over 100 copies of in new and sealed reissue form - "The Velvet Underground And Nico" - their mind blowing debut. Copies of the US original with the Peelable Banana sleeve still relatively intact go on auction sites for ludicrous sums - The Velvet Underground the very epitome of what cult means. 

 

In truth I cannot abide much of "White Light/White Heat" with its sonic onslaught - but at least the Remaster gives the seriously rough recording the audio bombast its always needed. But I adore the third platter "The Velvet Underground" - so skipping a needless live version of "What Goes On" - I play Tracks 2 to 19 all the way through - hell I even suffer the nine-minute speaker-to-speaker Lou Reed/Doug Yule consciousness reading in "The Murder Mystery". And killer tracks like "Foggy Notion" should have been on an official Velvets LP and not just ended up as a Punk-sounding Sally May curiosity on a post split-up compilation from 1985.      

 

I have to be truthful and say that much of the vaunted Previously Unreleased material is either badly recorded or when it comes to the serious full-on grunge and noise of the "White Light/White Heat" period - excuses for pig outs that are largely unlistenable. But then I go to the five "Loaded" outtakes on Disc 4 and I can't get enough. Love those extended versions of "Sweet Jane" and "New Age" on the seriously underrated "Loaded" album from 1970. "Rock And Roll" too - what a great tune.

The Velvet Underground were and have always been an acquired taste - part genius - part smoke and mirrors - but man those foggy notions put to tunes slaughter me still. Venus In Furs, Shiny Leather, Lisa says, and she would know...