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VELVET UNDERGROUND THE SAME TITLED THIRD ALBUM VELVET UNDERGROUND - ORIGINAL 1969 MGM RECORDS STEREO LP SE-4617
ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING
ULTRA-RARE YELLOW LABEL PROMO
IN ADDITION, THE PROMOTIONAL STICKER ON THE COVER CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE ITEM AS PROMOTIONAL
RARE ORIGINAL CLOSET MIX
ORIGINAL MGM LABEL, SPECIAL DJ YELLOW LABEL PROMO.
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.
ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER AMERICAN STYLE
CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS
THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING
PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW
Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a recycled image from our previous auction. What you see is what you ll get. GUARANTEED
Upon first release, the Velvet Underground s self-titled third album must have surprised their fans nearly as much as their first two albums shocked the few mainstream music fans who heard them. After testing the limits of how musically and thematically challenging rock could be on Velvet Underground Nico and White Light/White Heat, this 1969 release sounded spare, quiet, and contemplative, as if the previous albums documented some manic, speed-fueled party and this was the subdued morning after. The album s relative calm has often been attributed to the departure of the band s most committed avant-gardist, John Cale, in the fall of 1968 the arrival of new bassist Doug Yule and the theft of the band s amplifiers shortly before they began recording. But Lou Reed s lyrical exploration of the demimonde is as keen here as on any album he ever made, while displaying a warmth and compassion he sometimes denied his characters. Candy Says, Pale Blue Eyes, and I m Set Free may be more muted in approach than what the band had done in the past, but What Goes On and Beginning to See the Light made it clear the VU still loved rock roll, and The Murder Mystery which mixes and matches four separate poetic narratives is as brave and uncompromising as anything on White Light/White Heat. This album sounds less like the Velvet Underground than any of their studio albums, but it s as personal, honest, and moving as anything Lou Reed ever committed to tape.
EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY MARK DEMING, ALL MUSIC GUIDE /ALLMUSIC.COM/
Velvet Underground released this, now legendary 3rd album, to practically no reaction from either critics or the public. It sold miserably and quickly disappeared into great RR black hole. Fast forward into the future - it is now almost forty years later, and what was to have been an obscure effort by a local band not much known outside their native city is being hailed from everyone and anyone as one of the great marvels of Rock n Roll and probably one of 30-or-so best albums ever made. The Velvets third album is truly and honestly one of the most inspiring pieces of music to ever hit my record player. The songs on side A are mostly ballads and what a gorgeous batch of ballads: Candy Says Jesus and Pale Blue Eyes are some of the warmest and most humane songs Lou Reed ever penned - and the songs on B side are either uptempo songs or attempts to make some avant-garde music in the absence of recently departed John Cale. Whatever the concept, it worked even Brian Eno felt compelled to cover What s going on from this album, and he is not the one to lend himself easily to doing covers. The album takes listener through the dark and somewhat contorted Velvets world, in which surreal is real and vice versa. Still, this album has much more in common with reality than their previous efforts and exudes an air of warmth, joy, irony and even a gentle sense of humor, something its predecessor White Light/White Heat sorely missed. Listening to Maureen Tucker take the singing lesson on Afterhours will put a smile on your face. If my memory serves me well, one of the British singers-songwriters or rockers of the punk generation was it Elvis Costello? declared Candy Says his favorite song ever. And hearing it in this, original version will explain why. THE MUSIC: This album was originally released in United States, and was issued as a mix which was selected by Lou Reed himself The so-called Closet Mix . This original mix was later replaced with the so-called Valentine Mix ,one chosen by the Velvets recording company, and which places emphasis on guitars and rhythm instruments. Therefore, two mixes exists: The original Closet Mix was less derivative, less harsh and softer, sweeter than the more aggressive Valentine Mix . The Valentine Mix which was preferred by MGM, Velvet s recording label clearly has its advantages, including the unbelievable clarity and sharpness of sound, particularly guitar solos. There is only one problem with it, though: Vocals, and human voices, which are some of the most critical elements of the album, are pushed into the background and sacrificed to the instruments, particularly the lead guitars. Some of the Jazziest, and most expressive and emotional singing Lou Reed and the rest of the crew ever attempted was, regrettably, either lost or obscured in the process. To hear the singing and the vocals on this album as they were really meant to be heard, this is the version to have - the one and only one.
For its extraordinary contribution to the modern music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship, revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, writers and general public, or for some other innate quality, this album was voted one of top-200 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted by Paul Gambaccini, legendary BBC Radio AR man, surveyed more than 50 top music professionals including Roy Carr, Jonathan Cott, Robert Christgau, Cameron Crowe, Chet Flippo, Ben Fong-Torres, Charlie Gillett, Greil Marcus, Murray the K., Lenny Kaye, Bruce Morrow a/k/a Cousin Brucie , Tim Rice of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita fame , Lisa Robinson, Robert Shelton who wrote liner notes for Bob Dylan s first album , Ed Ward, Joel Whitburn, Pete Wingfield, etc. . For more details, see: Critics Choice: Top-200 albums compiled by Paul Gambaccini, Omnibus Press, Library of Congress Catalog No.7855565 or click here for the complete album listing
MGM S YELLOW LABEL PROMO, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES such as the one we have here were often distributed to the radio stations before the record was released to the public, sometimes as much as four months ahead. These records are generally considered to be the first among equals : the VERY FIRST generation and the VERY FIRST pressings of the particular title a PROTOTYPE and the earliest known official pressing of the record. Of course, in this particular case, this is somewhat of a moot point, since the mono copies of this album were never commercially released.
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CONDITION:
RECORD
IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded we grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight
a WE GRADE THE VINYL AS STRONG VG , JUST A NOTCH BELOW NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions probably just sleeve scuffs inflicted in storage over the years ARE VISIBLE, but they appear fairly insignificant relative to the overall condition of the vinyl, and are only moderately visually distracting. For most part, the vinyl looks impeccable, without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.
b The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording
c The record comes in a poly-lined inner sleeve, which has - apparently with success - shielded the vinyl from the harmful impact of elements over many years
d Yellow Label Promo version of this title is much rarer that a regular, commercially released, version of this title. We estimate that stock copies of this album outnumber promo copies by a ratio of at least 70:1.
