Bimble Says: The Lou Reed Memorial Velvet Underground and Solo Careers Poll RESULTS THREAD

Hello. Sorry we were late, but we were just tuning.

Is it going to be one long rollout, or two short rollouts? Some of us have school tomorrow.

Two rollouts, solo material results first (which will be longer, as there are more solo tracks than VU tracks). Pull up your cushions.

79. The Dream Syndicate "Day of Niagara"
2 votes, 50 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE6tq5sK9O4

Cool! Didn't think that'd make it!

78. Lou Reed "The Gun"
3 votes, 53 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDa0lyePf2w

Lou Reed "Families"
3 votes, 58 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJdCqZJWQxI

er that's 77. there

ooooh, this is the part of the rollout i'm anticipating the most. i tried to dig a little bit deeper into the solo catalogs before voting, but i didn't get too far. (i ended up listening to street hassle for the first time the night after voting, whoops). digging "Families" a lot.

yeah that's an amazing song, probably the best on the album. feel like it should've placed higher, a genuinely heartbreaking listen.

ooooh, this is the part of the rollout i'm anticipating the most.
oooooh, same! there's a lot of solo stuff i don't know. anyone who can tell us why they voted for a particular song gets extra points at the end.

76. Nico "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams"
3 votes, 62 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmcVsLIu-rY

excited for this!

excellent nico song! love the arrangement.

I had "Families" really high on my ballot (no. 3) and a couple other people's votes managed to push it into the lower margins here. Ultimately a song's autobiographical nature is usually unrelated to its quality, but so much of Lou's work is tied up in this weird public persona he developed (much like Dylan) that when autobiographical details do pop up they tend to attract extra attention. In the case of this song, there are some obvious raw nerves associated with the subject matter, and Lou's warbly delivery really makes the lines more brutal lines cut deep.

shakey you are going to get so many bonus points at the end

75. Lou Reed "I Want to Boogie With You"
2 votes, 63 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4YN5xEsE90

Looking pretty good for "Disco Mystic."

unfortunately, that one didn't make the 50pt cutoff :(

I might have voted for "I Want to Boogie With You" I had though of it. That saxophone!

wait if the cutoff was 50
and i voted for a solo song as #1
then my #1 has to make it, right? it must be right around the corner, i bet!

74. Lou Reed "I Wanna Be Black"
2 votes, 64 pts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx7mLjdytgM

just FYI I'm going to be posting Take No Prisoners versions of songs that place, not cuz anyone voted for them specifically (nobody did) but because they are awesome and lolzy

I never liked this song anyway. If someone has a defense of it I'm sure it would be interesting to read, but as a crude provocative gesture it's still pretty irritating/racist

also that's a tie with:

74. John Cale "Antarctica Starts Here"
3 votes, 64 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbmo0MfLiBE

xp not going to go way out on a limb defending it, but it does seem to be sung from the point of a view of a "fucked up middle class college student" who doesn't really have any idea what he's talking about.

and hey, there's the first song on my ballot that's shown up so far -- "antarctica"!

should there be a "cold places" VU poll? "antarctica starts here" vs. "stephanie says" vs. "fronzen borderlines"?

I voted for "I wanna be black," as I said I would. The studio version just sounds really weird and cool. I also think it's hilarious, though I can obviously understand how the lyrics can be offensive. I do think the song is making fun of the narrator, not sympathizing with his lol/awful viewpoints.

franzen borderlines

i am not a huge fan of antarctica, but that is one of the best self portrait album covers imo

TIE
73. Nico "Little Sister"
2 votes, 66 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMyeWBTq0dU

John Cale "Sun Blindness Music"
3 votes, 66 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtvTr1b0dvc

"I Wanna Be Black" almost made my ballot.

sweet, I shoulda voted for Sun Blindness

those two are a dreamy tie
i voted for little sister because it's fun to sing

"little sister" is lovely. it is funny how sterling morrison was always like "john and I just wanted to RAGE" and then Cale was writing songs like this.

Wanted to put more from the Inside The Dream Syndicate series on my ballot, but "Sun Blindness Music" is so stunning I couldn't imagine my ballot without it.

72. John Cale "Darling, I Need You"
4 votes, 68 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFEBVcQD_xk

album version not on youtube apparently

rattlesnake and strrrrrrrrrychnine

Lou Reed's "Little Sister" >>>>> Nico's

TIE
71. John Cale "The Soul of Carmen Miranda"
2 votes, 69 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUkROpliwuQ
From the album "Words for the Dying" (album version not on youtube)

Lou Reed "Set the Twilight Reeling"
4 votes, 69 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVcRvrmj0OM

Alfred OTM re: "Little Sister" btw

now we're getting somewhere!

I'm glad someone else voted for carmen miranda

TIE
70. Lou Reed "New Sensations"
2 votes, 75 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxn_B_2XWMs

Lou Reed "A Gift"
2 votes 75 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDLRp8IY8N4

Lou Reed "Caroline Says II"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TOlgGUcWaE
4 votes, 75 pts

"New Sensations" was the newest Lou (but not the newest track) on my ballot.

TIE
69. Lou Reed "Big Sky"
2 votes, 76 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z9MoQadD-o

Lou Reed "The Bells"
6 votes, 76 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP5J_sAqKCs

Nico "Roses in the Snow"
2 uber-goth votes, 75 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOyW36cqu8A

Guys, check out "Big Sky." A hell of a closer on his last regular album.

"The Bells" is a pretty great album which I had never heard much before this year. I would have voted "Families" ("And no, no, no, no, no, I still haven't got married
And no, no, no, there's no grandson planned here for you") if it hadn't slipped my mind but I did vote for "I Want to Boogie with You". 1) I really like the way the lyrics are written so that there are just too many syllables but Lou doesn't care, it's not gonna stop him acting cool here, he'll just say the last 4 words all at once and 2) "she thinks that I'm a flop" always makes me crack up!

68. Lou Reed "Wild Child"
4 votes, 78 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StfsHwWvleM

"It's about a Wild Child, funnily enough"

"Wild Child" is interesting in that it's easily the best song on his debut, plus one of only a few tracks on the album that was not a Velvets' leftover. I would've been totally unaware of it except that it was inexplicably included on a cassette Best Of I had as a teenager. Lyrics are a bit proto-Walk on the Wild Side, but funny instead of elegiac.

Always dug the cover of that record. Nothing shouts "Lou Reed" as much as a little birdie and a Fabergé egg.

67. Lou Reed & John Cale "Smalltown"
5 votes, 79 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6L0UD_zn4A

Shakey if it's not a (street) hassle, could you also provide a merged rundown when this is all over? I like this split rundown - more surprises - but I'd love to see how the solo stuff would have fared against VU in a single poll.

xxp haha, yeah... iirc it was lou's choice, though -- the artist did art for raymond chandler paperbacks or something? are there other Lou Reed solo albums that don't have lou's face on the cover? Legendary Hearts is the only one I can think of...

66. Lou Reed "The Last Shot"
4 votes, 80 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1mlnZFcQz8

could you also provide a merged rundown when this is all over

yes that is easy

I opted to split them out when no solo material made it into the overall top 10.

TS: "Underneath the Bottle" vs "The Last Shot"

Ooh ooh wee...son of a b!

oh ha, i guess lou is on the cover of legendary hearts (in the reflection).

That's such a "lol the 80s" cover

I also think it's hilarious, though I can obviously understand how the lyrics can be offensive. I do think the song is making fun of the narrator, not sympathizing with his lol/awful viewpoints.

there was a piece about snoop, maybe an interview, in either nme or melody maker in the early 90s which opened unironically with "i know what lou reed meant when he sung 'i wanna be black'."

hey two of my picks! I voted for "Darling, I Need You" - mostly on the strength of the awesome BBC session performance from the 70's. also voted for Wild Child because it is great, although I have never heard a version that really lives up to the core of the song. that 1st solo record is recorded so strangely.

Just got here..."Day of Niagara" and "Sun Blindness Music" are two droney pieces that don't do much for me. Not really sure why, with a lot of this stuff you just either get into it or you don't ime.

i am one of the uber goth "roses in the snow" voters
oooh so evocative! love that song. she sounds so medieval!

no more today?

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/31290231/John+Cale.jpg
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/31290211/John+Cale.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UpV74LGYRbU/UnjxJluGFVI/AAAAAAAAF3o/PNZNXZdjjFc/s1600/John+Cale.jpg

sorry had a bunch of work-shit to do

TIE
65. Nico "It Has Not Taken Long"
3 votes, 81 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuWiriChrQs

Nico "Afraid"
2 votes, 81 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqT4ELCNgiA

64. John Cale "Heartbreak Hotel"
5 votes, 83 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewXubUm2-3s

woah only two votes for "Afraid"?

63. John Cale "Pablo Picasso"
3 votes, 84 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXtBsikiY50

bears more than a passing resemblance to the previous entry...

sorry there were three votes for "Afraid" actually. if it makes you feel any better.

ha, i was one of those three. i figured that'd be the one (along with "these days") that'd be the go-to nico song for people who don't really like the uber-goth nico.

that's ok then, I guess xp

QUADRUPLE TIE
62. John Cale & Terry Riley "The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles"
4 votes, 85 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbYqDMvcjQw

John Cale "Amsterdam"
3 votes, 85 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGCu1okRPcA

The Primitives "The Ostrich"
4 votes, 85 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r998weOUiM

John Cale "Sylvia Said"
3 votes, 85 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0eqW7612KU

TIE
61. Lou Reed "What's Good"
4 votes, 88 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jTkTukfjZM

Loe Reed & John Cale "Hello It's Me"
4 votes, 88 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtF_tFDQGKY

TIE
60. Lou Reed "Women"
5 votes, 91 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fafxyFEE_oE

Lou Reed "Make Up"
3 votes, 91 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TFb03PmScY

59. Lou Reed "Charley's Girl"
4 votes, 92 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHYE0D6FjXw

Xp Women love MakeUp!

<3 the charley's girl groove

it's pretty playful for a song about punching a girl's face in

TIE
58. John Cale & Lou Reed "Nobody But You"
3 votes, 93 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnCIxMZ8hY8

Lou Reed & Metallica "Brandenburg Gate"
3 votes, 93 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yQif1hIUuw

57. Lou Reed "Legendary Heart"
4 votes, 95 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15y63U3LM9Y

56. Lou Reed "Hangin' Round"
5 votes, 97 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz74Dj1v3FM

55. Lou Reed & John Cale "Open House"
4 votes, 99 pts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN48QnUZl1Q

allright that's it for today

"The Ostrich" is the one song i was really mad at myself for forgetting to vote for. glad "Brandenburg Gate" made the cut! i mostly only know VU and i guess virtually all of their songs are still to come.

VU song results will be posted separately

haha
i read that as VU song results will be praised separately

but we voted for them together? this is so confusing

I like it. It's a good idea

it's not that complicated. this way I get to list a bunch more solo results, basically. points were allotted using the scale described, then I just separated the resulting list into two lists - one for VU tracks and one for solo stuff. If you were to assume (rightly, as it turns out) that pretty much every VU song was gonna get votes, that meant that 60+ some slots would be taken up by VU material. If I was to do a 100-song results rollout based on that, that would mean that the vast majority of solo material stuff that people voted for wouldn't even place. I suppose I could have made it a 200-song results rollout, with the majority of solo career stuff coming in at the bottom.

But this way is cleaner and more interesting, imho.

k

I was hoping the solo votes wouldn't be swamped, so I appreciate the separate rollouts.

sensible, Solomonic

"Open House" is a very beautiful song.

Just seeing this for the first time. Nice call separating solo and VU.

The Gun wuz robbed!

^^^ don't touch don't touch him

surprised at the strong showing both for various nico and for drella tracks.

also curious if "Caroline Says I" will place, or if people just prefer the incredibly depressing one over the upbeat one with depressing lyrics.

i remember being really taken aback by how graphic "II" is, but now it feels almost too ostentatious in its shock value.

Can't believe I used to listen to a song on the regular where "but she's not afraid to die" is like the most positive sentiment in the entire thing.

It's cool to see the Nico love. I picked up that Frozen Warnings set Rhino UK did used last year and subsequently slept on it. Listening for real over the last few days has been a real eye-opener. The peaks on The Marble Index could've been recorded tomorrow, which (at least in my case) isn't something you necessarily think about when listen to the VU or related material.

A few of my picks have made an entry here: The Gun, The Soul of Carmen Miranda, Pablo Picasso, Hello It's Me, Make Up, Charley's Girl.

I find "Hello It's Me" to be really touching. It may have been late coming, but it's nice to hear Lou own up to being a jerk to Warhol despite loving/owing him so much.

so much of Lou's work is tied up in this weird public persona he developed (much like Dylan) that when autobiographical details do pop up they tend to attract extra attention

^OTM.

"Brandenburg Gate" is not so bad. I've never been that keen on 'Tallica, so it's hard for me to take the project seriously.

Surprised nobody's mentioned one of the all-time great Lou Reed lyrics, from The Last Shot.

"I shot a vein in my neck and I coughed up a quaalude"

^^^ don't touch don't touch him

Tell the lady to lie down

yeah "Hello It's Me" is one of the peaks of Drella; love sappy Lou

dividing the lists was a great idea. hyped for this!

Monitor, monitor, are you paying attention?

We know it's fucking raining out

Sorry for the delay guys, home with sick kid at the moment

Which track did he say that on? Oh wait, I see, sorry.

Get well soon, Shakey Jr

Awwww, we wait for Son of Shakey, no questions asked!

or daughter (sorry for the sexist slip!)

more alliterative than sexist, surely

that's true, was trying to follow up on Shakey Jr.

okay back on track

so "Open House" was actually tied with

Lou Reed "Sad Song"
5 votes, 99 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTrG9z2AWxQ

54. Mo Tucker "Hey Mersh!"
3 votes, 102 pts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V8wAf_fxnY

that's Lou playing guitar on previous entry btw

53. Lou Reed "Underneath the Bottle"
5 vptes, 104 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vsS01qqu08

I voted for "Hey Mersh!" Love the guitars.

52. John Cale & Brian Eno "Spinning Away"
3 votes, 105 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-INeMspNSQ0

feels more like an Eno track to me, not sure what Cale did on it

yeah I took it off my ballot for that reason

it is great though

I included no Eno-Cale tracks for that reason.

xxpost

Cale plays and harmonizes though.

this was one I didn't know prior to the poll

51. John Cale "Perfect"
4 votes, 109

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCaWwCihTeE

spinning away is super amazing but didn't vote for it for the above reasons

wrong way up and songs for drella are both so great

lou reed shoulda done an eno album to complete the set

TIE
50. Lou Reed "My House"
6 votes, 111 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYq2kPjdBDw

Nico "Evening of Light"
4 votes, 111 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWulOZRNnls

I can't really picture Reed tolerating any of Eno's bullshit tbh

this poll has also confirmed my suspicions that the vast majority of Nico's solo career is odious bullshit btw

harsh!

his poll has also confirmed my suspicions that the vast majority of Nico's solo career is odious bullshit btw

― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier

true except for the "odious" part

49. John Cale "Graham Greene"
3 votes, 114 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_g_n_SxVgc

"The Ostrich," what the hell u ppl

true except for the "odious" part

I dunno something about the relentless Teutonic tragedian posing combined with her narcissistic junkie racist personal life (something I would usually be able to divorce from an artist's work) really grates on me. there's an aesthetic there that has some underlying politics that I just cannot get with.

Getting into the really good stuff now. Evening of Light scares the bejeesus out of me.

underlying politics helps make it interesting though! like, this is what sad nazi music could sound like. totally get why that would not appeal

"The Ostrich," what the hell u ppl

― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, November 19, 2013 4:22 PM (6 minutes ago)

Shut up and dance, Granddad.

Lou Reed "The Kids"
5 votes, 115 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY_i-R2ldyA

I was surprised at how few votes Graham Greene got - Paris 1919 gets a lot of love around here and that's definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album but even so it placed lower than I expected.

argh "the Kids" is 48.

obviously

Hey Mersh is definitely a front runner for the most Velvet-y thing an ex-Velvet ever did.

Hi-5 to Alfred and the other Hey Mersh! voter.

high 5!

i thought it'd get more votes -- are there other moe tracks that more people voted for?

okay a few more then I gotta get back to work

Lou Reed & Metallica "Junior Dad"
5 votes, 118 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gwq4C7BaF4

John Cale "Mr. Wilson"
4 votes, 118 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvQFSXyVqDk

I like to think of both of these songs as being about Brian Wilson fwiw.

goddammit forgetting the numbering, me and my old man memory

those are both TIED at no. 47.

TIE

46. Brian Eno & John Cale "Cordoba"
4 votes, 119 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHg7Yad0L9g

Lou Reed "The Bed"
5 votes, 119 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsxhM2g1JRg

45. Lou Reed "Dirty Blvd."
7 votes, 126 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z3TPwOT31g

each bridge in "Mr Wilson" would be the highlight of someone else's career

Rediscovered Mr Wilson after I submitted my ballot. Should have voted for it. Always disarmed by how pretty a lot of Cale's 70 work was.

love mr. wilson

I voted for it!

I believe you anyway!

Weird, I figured "Sad Song" would place above those other Berlin tracks. I love them all, though.

Moe Too Loe

44. Lou Reed "Men of Good Fortune"
5 votes, 127 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ2q-nsiFSw

43. John Cale "Thoughtless Kind"
4 votes, 131 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RePTxqyHb1c

42. John Cale "Guts"
6 votes, 133 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9UAhUQcXHY

sweet song, sweet song, sweet song

41. John Cale "Big White Cloud"
5 votes, 137 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i22duzheznE

"thoughtless kind" has to be one of the more devastating songs cale has ever written. might prefer the live versions, though...

40. Lou Reed "Egg Cream"
6 votes, 141 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoHW-Tk-d-k

I can see digging the lyrics to Thoughtless Kind but the music is inscrutable in its suckitude. sorry.

sb

check this out, shakes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBkWCdGLpLk

"Egg Cream" is terrific, and I don't even know what an egg cream is.

It doesn't have eggs. I learned that from Lou.

Some U Bet's Chocolate Syrup, seltzer water mixed with milk

it's like a soda/milk nyc regional diner drink that is very disappointing

John Stewart defended it against Chicago milkshakes last week, though.

it's no black cow that's for sure

if egg creams were really that good they would have conquered the nation, like bagels, how hard is it to convince americans to drink sugary drinks

should've come up with a better name, an "egg cream" sounds pretty gross

first heard "Egg Cream" in Blue in the Face or Smoke – loved it. Set The Twilight Reeling is such a good guitar-heavy album.

i've always been partial to Cale's contributions to VU but listening to these pull results is the first time i've felt properly motivated to investigate his solo career

I guess none of you read Harriet the Spy, eh? It was her favorite drink.

my daughter and I had egg creams in SF this weekend they were awesome fuck all y'all

my memory may be playing tricks on me, but is the mix on the blue in the face "egg cream" different from the twilight reeling version? like, more guitar heavy or something?

and yeah, some dude, definitely get into Cale, his high points are up there with any of the greats

I'm gonna have to dip into Cale, too. I love the Inside the Dream Syndicate series, but never heard any of his records beyond those.

and now we start getting to the really good stuff

39. Lou Reed "She's My Best Friend"
6 votes, 142 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXkridsKM6s

this is a good (and cheap) place to get going w/ cale - http://www.amazon.com/The-Island-Years-John-Cale/dp/B000001E9K

vu version a billion times better

My dad used to talk about egg creams and they always sounded vile.

I am still hoping for my #1 to show up! It really highlights John Cale's Beach Boys enthusiasm and also features parts of speech. Apparently it is not one of his favorites because I can't find any live clips of it. Also yes, please enjoy the work of John Cale. I learned how to play "Fear is a Man's Best Friend" last week! Great lyrics on that one.

another good entry point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragments_of_a_Rainy_Season xp

38. Nico "It Was a Pleasure Then"
4 votes, 144 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiWchdDYZzk

Island Years is so so so good

really looking forward to these broken-out solo results, thanks Shakey

ooh yeah, fragments is a good call, that is one of the best live albums ever

this is a good (and cheap) place to get going w/ cale - http://www.amazon.com/The-Island-Years-John-Cale/dp/B000001E9K

― tylerw, Wednesday, November 20, 2013 11:53 AM (53 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oooh, neato! Will check that out; thanks!

"It Was A Pleasure Then" was #2 on my ballot. What a fucking journey that song is.

Got The Island Years as one of Columbia House's 99 cent deals in '98.

One of the greatest deals ever, needless to say.

forgot about this one, it is one of cale's weirdest/craziest tunes. never on CD? youtube.com/watch?v=z0KeJ4KBUNo

"It Was a Pleasure Then" tied with

Lou Reed "New York Telephone Conversation"
5 votes, 144 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiWchdDYZzk

37. Lou Reed "Crazy Feeling"
6 votes, 146 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD-ZFQ8_TLc

36. Nico "Janitor of Lunacy"
6 votes, 2 no. 1 votes, 150 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgG3EaOCh_c

35. John Cale "Gideon's Bible"
5 votes, 1 no. 1 vote, 154 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EF0vSV2-TI

34. John Cale "The Endless Plain of Fortune"
4 votes, 173 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0gvn5SM7uM

voted for "New York Telephone Conversation," really caught my ear in my novice skimming of Lou solo albums

33. Lou Reed "Halloween Parade"
8 votes, 179 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_r-IwB8t8

32. John Cale & Terry Riley "Church of Anthrax"
5 votes, 180 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHv7M0o_OL8

Janitor of Lunacy was my number one. Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks so highly of it.

31. Lou Reed "I Love You, Suzanne"
8 votes, 181 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p1TrF-pVwQ

30. Lou Reed "Romeo Had Juliette"
9 votes, 183 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_8-Fm1vfw0

whoah fast!

tyler, 'Chcken Shit" is on the CD of Sabotage iirc

I thought "...Suzanne" would be #1 with a bullet.

okay that's it for a little bit

Church of Anthrax is must hear if anyone reading this has not heard it!!

tyler, 'Chcken Shit" is on the CD of Sabotage iirc
oh no kidding? i've never had that on CD... i should probably get it.
church of anthrax is so good. i wish they'd made another album like it. maybe it's not too late!
there are rumors of unreleased material from those sessions I think.

Whoa unreleased "Church of Anthrax" sessions would be very welcome indeed. Really hope those exist.

there's something about them in the unterberger book -- I guess they started recording fairly early and then stopped for some reason and then re-recorded a bunch of stuff? it's unclear, but maybe they exist.

SAbotage CD, along with all of the Animal Justice EP, includes killer non-LP B-side 'Rosegarden Funeral Of Sores", later covered by Bauhaus.

on a pedantic note, the A-side of that single, a studio version of "Mercenaries", has never been reissued anywhere.

Also, Sabotage rules, if 'Captain Kidd" doesn't place I will be sad

animal justice EP, yeah, that one is pretty great.
never heard the mercenaries single at all, I think! "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" -- haha, what a great title.

hedda gabler

best song

Voted for "Church of Anthrax" and "Janitor of Lunacy", have always wanted to try an egg cream but not yet got round to it, learned the other day that the French pronounce "bagel" with a soft g i.e. "un badjel".

voted for "New York Telephone Conversation," really caught my ear in my novice skimming of Lou solo albums

Yeah I was gonna vote this, I always thought it was one of the best tracks on that album, but a few years ago I posted a remix of it on mediafire that got a takedown noticed which jeopardized my account and ever since then I haven't been able to listen to it.

bummed by this. are there any better Lou songs than Egg Cream/I Love You, Suzanne/Romeo Had Juliette? those are top 5 material surely.

plenty of beautiful Cale here. great job people!

Nico tracks are insane (not in a good way really)

results so far:

79 The Dream Syndicate Day of Niagara
78 Lou Reed The Gun
77 Lou Reed Families
76 Nico Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
75 Lou Reed I Want to Boogie With You
74 Lou Reed I Wanna Be Black
74 John Cale Antarctica Starts Here
73 The Dream Syndicate Sun Blindness Music
73 Nico little sister
72 John Cale Darling, I Need You
71 John Cale The Soul Of Carmen Miranda
71 Lou Reed Set The Twilight Reeling
70 Lou Reed New Sensations
70 Lou Reed Caroline Says II
70 Lou Reed A Gift
69 John Cale Big Sky
69 Nico Roses in the Snow
69 Lou Reed The Bells
68 Lou Reed Wild Child
67 Lou Reed & John Cale Smalltown
66 Lou Reed The Last Shot
65 Nico It Has Not Taken Long
65 John Cale Afraid
64 John Cale Heartbreak Hotel
63 John Cale Pablo Picasso
62 John Cale Sylvia Said
62 The Primitives The Ostrich
62 John Cale Amsterdam
62 John Cale The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles
61 Lou Reed & John Cale Hello It's Me
61 Lou Reed What's Good
60 Lou Reed Make Up
60 Lou Reed Women
59 Lou Reed Charley's Girl
58 Lou Reed & Metallica Brandenburg Gate
58 Lou Reed Nobody But You
57 Lou Reed Legendary Hearts
56 Lou Reed Hangin' Round
55 Lou Reed & John Cale Open House
55 Lou Reed Sad Song (Lou Reed)
54 Mo Tucker Hey Mersh!
53 Lou Reed Underneath the Bottle
52 Brian Eno & John Cale Spinning Away
51 John Cale Perfect
50 Lou Reed My House
50 Nico Evening of Light
49 John Cale Graham Greene
48 Lou Reed The Kids
47 Lou Reed & Metallica Junior Dad
47 John Cale Mr. Wilson
46 Lou Reed the bed
46 John Cale Cordoba
45 Lou Reed Dirty Blvd.
44 Lou Reed Men of Good Fortune
43 John Cale Thoughtless Kind
42 John Cale Guts
41 John Cale Big White Cloud
40 Lou Reed Egg Cream
39 Lou Reed She's My Best Friend (Lou Reed)
38 Lou Reed New York Telephone Conversation
38 Nico It Was A Pleasure Then
37 Lou Reed Crazy Feeling
36 Nico Janitor of Lunacy
35 John Cale gideon's bible
34 John Cale The Endless Plain of Fortune
33 Lou Reed Halloween Parade
32 John Cale & Terry Riley Church of Anthrax
31 Lou Reed I Love You, Suzanne
30 Lou Reed Romeo Had Juliette

gah got a couple of the artist tags wrong there, sorry

are there any better Lou songs than Egg Cream/I Love You, Suzanne/Romeo Had Juliette? those are top 5 material surely.

there are like a dozen Lou songs that are better than any of those imo

Yeah, but his dancing in the "Suzanne" video more than makes up for any shortcomings of the song.

xp without the Velvets?

are there any better Lou songs than Egg Cream/I Love You, Suzanne/Romeo Had Juliette? those are top 5 material surely.

there are like a dozen Lou songs that are better than any of those imo

― sleeve,

In the Velvets catalog yes.

Seeing the results so far confirms what I wrote in my obit last month: I'd rather hear his throwaways than his grand statements.

I think Lou, like Neil Young, would consider them all of a piece

In the Velvets catalog yes.

every single song on Transformer is imo vastly superior to those three dubious nominations for "best Lou songs" (which have placed exactly where they deserve to be in this poll).

okay, time for some more

29. John Cale "Leaving It Up to You"
7 votes, 1 no. 1 vote, 191 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhmoMyf8xwE

28. Lou Reed "Kicks"
7 votes, 195 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcBc-P5Hiz0

27. Nico "The Fairest of the Seasons"
8 votes, 199 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzGt9CZplyE

26. John Cale "Dying on the Vine"
6 votes, 203 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeFYJdW3xDg

25. John Cale "Ship of Fools"
8 votes, 220 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGPC-ZKrrtY

john cale really wins my award for widest emotional range

"Ship of Fools" and "Dying on the Vine" both classic Cale ballads (iirc), didn't quite make my ballot though (iirc).

The '85 Rockplast version of "Ding on the Vine" is what made me reconsider this tune and its inert studio arrangement.

"ship of fools" is a song i fall more in love with every time i hear it

every single song on Transformer is imo vastly superior to those three dubious nominations for "best Lou songs" (which have placed exactly where they deserve to be in this poll).

if you mean "the four Transformer songs that aren't laughable I'M GAY camp," sure.

ah wasn't sure if I was posting the right live version of Dying on the Vine, I remembered that there was some live version that the ILX massive had termed the definitive performance :(

xp dunno, isn't "I Love You Suzanne" laughable I'M STRAIGHT camp?

lol tyler OTM

24. John Cale "Andalucia"
8 votes, 234 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7iLFuapeY8

fragments version of dying on the vine also good

ah wasn't sure if I was posting the right live version of Dying on the Vine, I remembered that there was some live version that the ILX massive had termed the definitive performance :(

― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, November 20, 2013 2:14 PM

i love this song so much that it makes my heart feel warm
so pretty

one thing i like about john cale is that he's so alternatingly ice cold and super romantic

xp dunno, isn't "I Love You Suzanne" laughable I'M STRAIGHT camp?

― tylerw,

closer to laughable let's-write-a-dumb-pop-song camp

Is the Marc Maron interview with Cale on his podcast as cringe-inducing as it sounds? I picture him saying, "So. John Cale, who were your guys when you were coming up?"

Fragments... is one of those albums I can play anytime any place.

"Andalucia" is ace (my #4); love love love the bass playing on it. wanting to be somewhere else, hoping the night will go away, turning a place into a person: the whole album's Baedeker-as-songwriting thing makes the most sense here.

23. John Cale "I Keep a Close Watch"
10 votes, 243 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM1t7cDoX1w

22. Lou Reed "The Blue Mask"
10 votes, 244 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCXA7RRoD0M

21. Nico "Chelsea Girls"
11 votes, 247 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad4O-pFehRs

dig Nico a lot but I'm surprised to see so much from the debut album. esp Chelsea Girls: the arrangement is...something. I guess I like it, but it's not Nico.

yr gonna love the next entry then lol

20. Nico "I'm Not Sayin'"
7 votes, 261 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgdZFnZ6M0k

Jimmy Page on guitar, produced by Brian Jones, written by Gordon Lightfoot

the arrangement is...something. I guess I like it, but it's not Nico.

She didn't see to think so, either:

I still cannot listen to it, because everything I wanted for that record, they took it away. I asked for drums, they said no. I asked for more guitars, they said no. And I asked for simplicity, and they covered it in flutes! [...] They added strings and – I didn't like them, but I could live with them. But the flute! The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute.[4]

that's it for today

part of me is glad a flute made Nico cry sadnazi.jpg

but man, I'm Not Sayin', what a tune. superior to Lightfoot's version imho, just gorgeous folk pop from start to finish. Oddly, the (reunited) "Replacements" recently covered it too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwfTGxg_KE

Yeah Chelsea Girl less for the production and more for the song itself and her delivery is great

Check out Elliott Smith cover version if you can as well.

I better not find out I coulda voted in the VU poll but not the solo careers one, that's all.

In case you didn't get it before, here's that Lou Reed 1979 guest DJ show. If it was a track I would've voted for it. http://ow.ly/r1qh4
bonus track here -- http://ow.ly/r1vOI

I better not find out I coulda voted in the VU poll but not the solo careers one, that's all.

you coulda made an all Velvets ballot if you wanted so joke's on you pal

ooh bonus call-ins!

"Lou, I just want to say that I really like the sound of the Roland synthesizer and I'm looking forward to the show at the Bottom Line."

"is that Jeff Beck feeding back or us?"

In case you didn't get it before, here's that Lou Reed 1979 guest DJ show. If it was a track I would've voted for it. http://ow.ly/r1qh4
bonus track here -- http://ow.ly/r1vOI

― tylerw, Wednesday, November 20, 2013 3:17 PM

It's the greatest--so captures the times. I love when Lou chastises the guy for swearing on air

Only a handful of people heard Lou's 1979 guest DJ spot on WPIX-FM when it first aired but every one of them became James Redd or a Blecch.

haha, exactly
hey speaking of nico's chelsea girl (the song) i kinda always liked this bootleg rehearsal version with a very fuzzy guitar thing happening. i don't think it's actually lou playing guitar though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4_oXGsr5V0

lol @ Lou hanging up on a whole bunch of callers in a row

That reminds me, I heard an episode of Rockline a few years ago where the guest was Joe Satriani. The host announced, "We have a special 'guest question' for you tonight," and it's Lou (on tape) asking Joe what tips he would give guitarists just starting out.

Reed was a fan of Neil Young's "Danger Bird"

This list is introducing me to a ton of stuff I'm not familiar with. Has anyone started a Spotify playlist yet?

"I'm Not Sayin" is so great, coulda been on the Rhino girl group hatbox - I blew it off in the voting though.

Spotify can fuck right off, I'm not doing that

Glad to see "Kicks" place relatively high and TWO Lulu songs make the list. If I remembered to vote I woulda thrown some points "cheat on me"'s way

Springsteen will be making an appearance soon. Could he be top 5? Tramps like us, we were born to pay.

I've been waiting for the other half of this...of my four solo picks, "I'm Not Sayin'"'s there, two are still to come, and I guess one didn't make it.

Spotify can fuck right off, I'm not doing that

Found that kind of refreshing. Not directed at you, intheblanks, not directed at anyone, and I realize it's a convenience, etc., etc. It's just that the call for a Spotify playlist has become so ubiquitous in these polls. I've had this vision of two people standing there at Woodstock, and one person asks the other person if anybody's put together a Spotify playlist yet.

this is going by so fast

Fair enough. I want to reiterate that, as someone unversed in post-Velvets solo work, this double roll-out has brought a lot of great material to my attention. Thanks Shakey!

There will be no talk of fucking Woodstock on the Velvet Underground thread!

I think you can head talk of a spotify playlist somewhere in between the Pernod orders on the expanded Live At Max's Kansas City.

we need a Don-Glenn exchange pronto.

DON: What's so great about Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground? All their songs were about whores and drugs and transvestite whores on drugs.

GLENN:Yeah, we kept that stuff in our personal lives and out of our lyrics!

DON: Well, yeah.

^^^ totally believable

lol

There will be no talk of fucking Woodstock on the Velvet Underground thread!

Little-known fact: if you watch the film closely, you can spot Lou dancing backstage during Country Joe's set.

Only VU member to perform at Woodstock was Angus Maclise!

Wow really? Did he join Quill or something?

nm, Unterberger clarifies all

Hetty Maclise on Woodstock and other notable boho events: http://www.phantomlyoracula.com/2008/10/america-here-i-come.html

I think we'd better ixnay on the Woodnay (or however you'd say that)--someone's going to be angry.

very very cool article, thanks! xp

http://www.mrzdoinferno.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Lou+Reed+++Woodstock-300x180.jpg
"Is that Angus?!"

Was waiting for that photo to show up!

hahaha

one of my fave lou photos

I'll sing when you shut the fuck up

19. John Cale "Hedda Gabler"
9 votes, 1 no. 1 vote, 268 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9A8midx5KA

18. John Cale "Buffalo Ballet"
8 votes, 277 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRBkBtunec0

17. Lou Reed & John Cale "Style It Takes"
11 votes, 1 no. 1 vote, 298 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzzgFOLa63A

Yay, I voted for both Hedda Gabler and Buffalo Ballet, neither of which I had heard before this poll. So good job ilx.

my #1, #11, #20

have a feeling like the top 10 will have at most one cale song though

Buffalo Ballet and Style it Takes are both amazing...The "sleeping in the midday sun" bit is my favourite single line from any song in this poll. Ok, maybe 2nd favourite after "you're a ghost la la la la la la la la".

missing a "la" there ;)

(xxpost) I can think of two for sure...I think.

"Style It Takes" is so key (tho I can't remember if I voted for it). Not just a totally wonderful tune, but I think it's a good counter argument to the jaded Warhol image -- "I'll put the Empire State Building on your wall." I mean, there's cynical stuff happening in his work, but he was also interested in this dream-like beauty.

16. John Cale "A Child's Christmas in Wales"
9 votes, 301 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9IKnVVRsmk

all these are TOO LOW

"Style It Takes" has a delicacy that Reed rarely went for, even in the eighties.

not sure if it matters really, but i'd be curious to know if reed or cale wrote the lyrics for "style it takes"... I know Cale has said Reed did the lion's share of lyric-writing, but Cale has played that one by himself quite a bit over the years...

Buffalo Ballet and Style It Takes hit me hard. this is a great great poll!

BB is one of the best songs ever written by anyone

I'd bet Cale wrote Style It Takes. While it does have the cramming-too-many-syllables-per-line thing that Reed is prone to, it inhabits Andy's POV in a way more suited to Cale.

I'll admit the high placement of this next one perplexed me. I mean, nice backing vocals and all but

15. Lou Reed "Andy's Chest"
9 votes, 312 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VV0HCTkHtc

I had always assumed cale wrote the lyrics until right now...it's not out of the question that reed did

just people voting for all of Transformer?

for some reason that is the only Lou-doing-old-Velvets tunes that I think is better than the OG, but I don't think I even voted for it (xps)

yeah "style it takes" is the drella tune that feels the most cale to me.
i <3 andy's chest, just line after line of fun, outlandish imagery. "curtains laced with diamonds dear for you." almost like Lou was hearing the "psychedelic" lyrics of the late 60s and was like "oh yeah, check this out"

Sad that Half Past France from Paris 1919 doesn't look likely to place. Ever since I saw him do it live it's been a favourite.

paris 1919, macbeth, gun maybe the only things I can still see placing

oh man, "Andy's Chest" is great, such a warm-hearted, colorful song - i love both versions

fear! xp

lou knew it too, when defending his work to lester bangs, he went straight to "curtains laced with diamonds, dear, for you"

almost like Lou was hearing the "psychedelic" lyrics of the late 60s and was like "oh yeah, check this out"

yeah it sort of fails by that yardstick tho imho (I am okay with Lou not "getting" psychedelia in general), the song feels like a throwaway with the goofy lyrics. the hook is solid tho.

14. John Cale "Gun"
16 votes, 339 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeMHetUOdYQ

I love how Style It Takes sits right next to 'Work', so there's this high-contrast pic of Warhol - flow of lovely really charming graceful ideas thrown at you (literally seductive), then this wound-up Catholic workaholic who gets in early, knows that you just have to keep doing it – love that weirdly touching bit at the end:

Sometimes when I can't decide what I should do
I think: 'What would Andy have said?'
He'd probably say: 'You think too much –
That's 'cause there's work that you don't want to do.
It's work – the most important thing is work.'

"Andy's Chest" was the first velvets song I ever heard. I was 15 and my older cousin made me a mix tape to hip me to cool shit. VU had just come out. He also included "Temptation in Your Heart". Obv these legendary velvets ppl were p whimsical!

I first heard Siouxsie's version of "Gun" and was no way prepared of the awesomeness of the original

same tape was my intro to (LOL) CVB, Violent Femmes and Young Fresh Fellows

13. Lou Reed "Metal Machine Music"
11 votes, 388 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Vy4VRRO30

Huh. Figured that was a lock for #1.

lol come on now

12. Lou Reed "Waves of Fear"
13 votes, 389 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IUgz-rZuRc

Quine is a monster on "Fear."

^^ should have linked to the clip of Quine's solo.

two awesome picks there

As is Saunders, for that matter.

you mean this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpUuWYrv1cQ

xp

god look at li'l Mike Rathke, he looks like he's in jr. high

I love that Fear's notes credit Eno with "Eno"

Christ, Saunders is playing octaves?! I always thought he was using some kind of harmonizer dealie.

god look at li'l Mike Rathke, he looks like he's in jr. high
think that's doane perry on drums? bizarrely, he went on to join jethro tull iirc. (jesus, the things i remember, if only i could make $$$ remembering these things)

oh wait I'm wrong, it's not perry, it's fred maher...

who apparently was only 20 years old at the time!

ah fred maher. right. yeah Rathke was the guitarist on NY I got their names mixed up

Best non-VU band Lou had. Quine said something like, "He wasn't gonna get any better unless he reformed the Velvets, and he fucked that up, too!"

okay last one before the top 10

11. Nico "Frozen Warnings"
15 votes, 393 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJf8s3t0qCY

has some interesting things going on sonically but ugh

I voted for the Nico version for the sake of simplicity, but the John Cale cover from "Nico Icon" is equally striking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mnNRhLuAIA

love "Frozen Warnings", the essential Nico track

my #6 vote ftr

I didn't know that Andy's Chest originated with the VU but that makes sense as it is a "get well" song for Warhol after he was shot. I like all the wild imagery more when I think of it as Reed writing specifically for "Drella"

top 10

fear
these days
paris 1919
perfect day
satellite of love
vicious
walk on the wild side
coney island baby
street hassle
??

Gideon's Bible? Or has that placed already?

that was no. 35

Ah OK.

"you know more than I know"?

wait i missed gideon's bible?!

i've been busy this week and unable to catch up -- that was my #1!! i many times over love that song with my blood-beating heart. i'm not even sure why. it has been good company over the years.

alright carry on

fear
these days
paris 1919
perfect day
satellite of love
vicious
walk on the wild side
coney island baby
street hassle
??

http://youtu.be/RBd4SuDNsGQ

didn't know there was a video for that

Uh oh guys i listened to carrying a gun and now carrying a gun i can't stop carrying a gun saying carrying a gun

I assumed "Hanky Panky Nohow" would make the Top 10; if I'm the only one making that assumption, I guess not.

November Surprise: All American Flyer Top Five

xp thought of that one too. it might be

the hot nazi doing well, maybe I'll Keep With Mine

Keep it with mine

Could be that. I almost voted for it, didn't because there's a take of the original that might be my favorite Dylan track.

"Hanky Panky Nohow," besides being so beautiful, has the great line about religion.

I've given up hope for Ski Patrol.

I'm sure Andalucia will place in top 10

andalucia was #24

DON: And what's all this about Nico? Some racist Nazi chick who couldn't sing and somehow ended up in a Fellini movie before ruining a number of our friend Jackson's songs?

GLENN: She also wouldn't double-team us back in '72.

DON: Well, yeah.

please keep that in the horrible thread it belongs in

the funny thing is that Frey-Henley could write Nico songs and they'd sound exactly like Nico's.

sick burn

she gives good clerk

okay, here we go, top 10...

whaaaa? night time rollout? love it!

10. John Cale "Hanky Panky Nohow"
13 votes, 419 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlWeVY64TpU

my wife hates this song, strictly because it contains the phrase "hanky panky" which, apparently, she cannot abide.

whaaaa? night time rollout? love it!

what do you have to go to school tomorrow? nobody here has school tomorrow?

haha

9. Lou Reed "Vicious"
18 votes, 467 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM9JG-oQm1Y

I have school tomorrow. That's okay, though.

for anyone who hasn't heard the next entry it is mandatory that they listen to the youtube link

otherwise I will throw a cup at you

8. Lou Reed "Walk On the Wild Side"
21 votes, 532 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCPZ-V0i0pU

enough attitude to kill every person in jersey

whaaaa? night time rollout? love it!

what do you have to go to school tomorrow? nobody here has school tomorrow?

― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, November 21, 2013 6:38 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My "whaaa?" was not a "wahhhh"! I just don't remember a top ten rolling out after sundown

sun's still up on my side of the world!

oh yeah, new york myopia strikes again! anyway, thanks again for doing this

7. Lou Reed "Perfect Day"
16 votes, 533 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e9npuzxPQQ

6. Nico "These Days"
18 votes, 558 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_z_UEuEMAo

okay will save top 5 for tomorrow

my wife hates this song, strictly because it contains the phrase "hanky panky" which, apparently, she cannot abide.
as a female person, i'm a-ok with the hanky panky but i never really understood the title or the "nohow"
still it's a beautiful song and i am glad it made the top 10

"vicious" reminds me of eating cheezits with my 8th gr bff and dancing around her kitchen. we were always listening to either classic rock radio or her brother's records. whenever we heard "vicious" we used to always prance around chicken-style like mick jagger and point at each other when he said "you hit me with a flower" good times!!

awesome image!

whereas when I think of "Hanky Panky" I think of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFSx9fE1qJ8

results so far:

Poll Placement Artist Title
79 The Dream Syndicate Day of Niagara
78 Lou Reed The Gun
77 Lou Reed Families
76 Nico Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
75 Lou Reed I Want to Boogie With You
74 Lou Reed I Wanna Be Black
74 John Cale Antarctica Starts Here
73 The Dream Syndicate Sun Blindness Music
73 Nico little sister
72 John Cale Darling, I Need You
71 John Cale The Soul Of Carmen Miranda
71 Lou Reed Set The Twilight Reeling
70 Lou Reed Caroline Says II
70 Lou Reed A Gift
70 Lou Reed New Sensations
69 John Cale Big Sky
69 Nico Roses in the Snow
69 Lou Reed The Bells
68 Lou Reed Wild Child
67 Lou Reed & John Cale Smalltown
66 Lou Reed The Last Shot
65 John Cale Afraid
65 Nico It Has Not Taken Long
64 John Cale Heartbreak Hotel
63 John Cale Pablo Picasso
62 The Primitives The Ostrich
62 John Cale Sylvia Said
62 John Cale Amsterdam
62 John Cale The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles
61 Lou Reed & John Cale Hello It's Me
61 Lou Reed What's Good
60 Lou Reed Make Up
60 Lou Reed Women
59 Lou Reed Charley's Girl
58 Lou Reed & John Cale Nobody But You
58 Lou Reed & Metallica Brandenburg Gate
57 Lou Reed Legendary Hearts
56 Lou Reed Hangin' Round
55 Lou Reed & John Cale Open House
55 Lou Reed Sad Song (Lou Reed)
54 Mo Tucker Hey Mersh!
53 Lou Reed Underneath the Bottle
52 Brian Eno & John Cale Spinning Away
51 John Cale Perfect
50 Lou Reed My House
50 Nico Evening of Light
49 John Cale Graham Greene
48 Lou Reed The Kids
47 Lou Reed & Metallica Junior Dad
47 John Cale Mr. Wilson
46 Lou Reed the bed
46 John Cale Cordoba
45 Lou Reed Dirty Blvd.
44 Lou Reed Men of Good Fortune
43 John Cale Thoughtless Kind
42 John Cale Guts
41 John Cale Big White Cloud
40 Lou Reed Egg Cream
39 Lou Reed She's My Best Friend (Lou Reed)
38 Nico It Was A Pleasure Then
38 Lou Reed New York Telephone Conversation
37 Lou Reed Crazy Feeling
36 Nico Janitor of Lunacy
35 John Cale gideon's bible
34 John Cale The Endless Plain of Fortune
33 Lou Reed Halloween Parade
32 John Cale & Terry Riley Church of Anthrax
31 Lou Reed I Love You, Suzanne
30 Lou Reed Romeo Had Juliette
29 John Cale Leaving It Up to You
28 Lou Reed Kicks
27 Nico The Fairest of the Seasons
26 John Cale Dying on the Vine
25 John Cale Ship of Fools
24 John Cale Andalucia
23 John Cale I Keep A Close Watch
22 Lou Reed The Blue Mask
21 Nico Chelsea Girls
20 Nico I'm Not Sayin'
19 John Cale Hedda Gabler
18 John Cale Buffalo Ballet
17 Lou Reed & John Cale Style It Takes
16 John Cale A Child's Christmas in Wales
15 Lou Reed Andy's Chest (Lou Reed)
14 John Cale Gun
13 Lou Reed Metal Machine Music
12 Lou Reed Waves of Fear
11 Nico Frozen Warnings
10 John Cale Hanky Panky Nohow
9 Lou Reed Vicious
8 Lou Reed Walk on the Wild Side
7 Lou Reed Perfect Day
6 Nico These Days

hanky panky belongs to Tommy James yall

Xposts The Paul Simon rollout was all after dark iirc.

xp Big Sky is mistakenly cited as a Cale song there.

5 Transformer songs in the top 20? ilm gone soft

I'm cheering for Fear!

Wait, does this mean "Caroline Says I" might place in the top 5? 'Cause that'd rule.

Also, I knew next to nothing about Nico's racism until very recently, and now I'm not sure when, how, or if I'll be able to listen to her records again.

xp people like Coney Island Baby too much for that (or anything unexpected) to happen at this point

I knew next to nothing about Nico's racism until very recently

lol whut

thx for the Big Sky catch g

no prob

I'd never read anything about her, other than where she and the Velvets intersected, and that she died (and neither Up-Tight nor the Chicago Tribune's 1988 obit mentioned her racism).

xp

it seems weirder to me that Cale would be cool with it. Reed was a pretty hateful contrarian himself so I can see how they might get along (at least for a little while).

Xp I think Bangs referenced it in The White Noise Supremacists.

You know, I do remember that, but for some reason I thought Bangs made it up, or confused her with someone else.

she seemed like a pretty severely messed up asshole person in general, so i always filed her under that category rather than just a plain old "racist"

This poll has kindled a deep immersive dive into Cale's work for me, and I hope it lasts all winter. Reed can get tae fuck, I just want to listen to the Welshman.

true. was familiar with Paris 1919, Vintage Violence and some random "popular" tracks (Fear, Heartbreak Hotel, Gun). I Keep A Close Watch and Buffalo Ballet are stunning and I had no idea till today.

I agree - the run-up to thIs poll sort of confirmed to me that I don't really care abt solo Reed, but there seems to be a ton of amazing solo Cale material to dive into.

Here are some excellent John Cale songs that didn't make the list:

Dead Or Alive
Ski Patrol
The Man Who Couldn't Afford To Orgy
Hungry For Love
Dr. Mudd

Cale peaked early though imo: his mid seventies >> Lou's. But Reed takes off after 1980.

I must politely disagree there. John Cale had a strong 80s. Music For a New Society is one of the true loony bin albums ever made. Honi Soit has some really strong material on it especially Dead Or Alive. And Caribbean Sunset has Hungry For Love, which should have been a hit.

The three or four MFANS songs I'd save he recreated on Fragments; and I need "Dying on the Vine" live, not in its embalmed studio version.

john cale's live stuff in the 80s is great, the studio albums terrible

this is really good
http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-rockpalast-mw0002013704

gonna throw in another recommendation for Cale's Sabotage at this point, particularly the 13-minute 'Captain Kidd.'

sabotage is really a trip. also worth seeking out is the even cowgirls get the blues release from around the same time. terrible sound quality, amazing performances.

& yeah iatee otm -- that rockapalast collection is killer. i really like john cale!

I wasn't anywhere close to voting for it on a 20-song ballot, but I did like this Cale song from a couple of years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRU1oAfGEU0

yeah, i thought nookie wood had some very good stuff on it... i do need to go back and really listen to cale's stuff from the last decade and a half.
here's something from his eat/kiss soundtracking that i always loved -- if yr a fan of the gift, the jeweler etc, it's a must
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHyzNJGwWWQ

I regret not voting for his instrumental tune on the I Shot Andy Warhol soundtrack.

wall to wall smiles
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/25025919/Lou+Reed++John+Cale+Lou+John+and+Andy.jpg

okaaay top 5...

5. Lou Reed "Street Hassle"
22 votes, 663 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2532gJcCsA

so the Velvets rollout is next week? I really appreciate you breaking the results apart, Shakey.

well, it'll start next week. dunno if I'll finish it before the holiday

just checking out things I hadn't heard before and Church of Anthrax was not what I expected.

thought it would just be a drone + some screechy bits tbh,

This is great.

(Not saying drone + screech would be bad, place in my heart for that too)

yeah i think Cale specifically said that he wanted to put riley in a poppier element. not that it's a pop album by any stretch...

I'm still curious about who Adam Miller was and how he wound up singing on that album. Return to Church of Anthrax (please make this happen, someone) would sound pretty cool even 40+ years later.

4. Lou Reed "Coney Island Baby"
20 votes, 2 no. 1 votes, 678 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwLlvcDi4PQ

this poll has convinced me that I need copies of CIB, The Bells, and Take No Prisoners.

I have a Lou Reed 5CD set, starts w/ 1st, Transformer, and Berlin, plus 2 others..

another win for slow jams

Just listened to CIB on the train today. I think I like the alt take of the title song more than the master take.

I agree the demo/alt version is pretty interesting - it has an inviting, shambolic quality. but the rhythm section doesn't stay together, and it doesn't quite reach gliding beauty of the official version. imho.

the end of Coney Island Baby always gets me. What a great way to finish an album.

and the live versions out there (I found one w Quine) seem to go for bombast, which feels like the wrong direction to take the song

xp

the alt take of 'she's my best friend' otoh is almost too bad to be lol

yeah those demos are so weird, they have such a completely different, more aggressive vibe! much closer to the stuff on Street Hassle with the ugly distortion and weird rhythms. Except for Downtown Dirt, which is so much more subdued than the album version. It makes Lou seem like he must have been really difficult in the studio, just really temperamental, changing his mind all the time etc.

the coney island baby demo is the one where lou is like "come onnnnnnnn, manna" at the beginning right? always makes me laugh.

3. John Cale "Paris 1919"
19 votes, 702 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5YHqWqhFkU

Paris 1919 was my #5. What a song! you're a ghost la la la la la la la

"Street Hassle" was #2 on my ballot, and it still feels too low. The Chicago '78 version is just ferocious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skTVzt1LyQ8

this will be a rather solid top 5 if Fear beats out SOL. SOL is great and all but not really a good number one.

I am still skeptical fear made it to the top 2 but I really can't think of anything else

agree agree agree

not yet in the ground

also someone needs to do this with the beatles solo careers

that's not a bad idea. I bet Macca would dominate tbh

Fear has to be in this poll somewhere, and if it hasn't made it yet, then I guess it's top 2.

i sang it 3x on my way to work today! it has to show up.

2. Lou Reed "My Name is Mok"
30 votes, 12 no. 1 votes, 1,250 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJa0Zv5gHSU

Angus Maclise may surprise you all yet

my #1!!! xp

lol shakey

clearly inferior to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMxyIs8MkmU

j/k

the REAL no. 2 is

2. John Cale "Fear is a Man's Best Friend"
21 votes, 720 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iAAe_7_HOw

yay

i think this is the first cale solo song i ever heard. it remains amazing.

pretty amazed that beat 'perfect day' among other things

This is kind of surprising. I was sure Street Hassle was going to be first by a Gimme Shelter-esque landslide.

1. Lou Reed "Satellite of Love"
27 votes, 1 no. 1 vote, 785 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXESfMD01h8

haha, weird... that is not the song i would've though would be at #1!

Nice! I do love Satellite of Love, though I voted for the Velvets version instead.

thx for doing this shakey -- and glad the thread title has a bimble shout out as well...

I was not expecting to see two Cale songs in the top three.

Satellite won just by virtue of appearing on a majority of ballots. Other solo songs may have been higher on individual voters' ballots but there wasn't as wide a consensus - Fear was close but no one had it as their number 1, for ex.

Total Solo Results:

79 The Dream Syndicate Day of Niagara
78 Lou Reed The Gun
77 Lou Reed Families
76 Nico Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
75 Lou Reed I Want to Boogie With You
74 Lou Reed I Wanna Be Black
74 John Cale Antarctica Starts Here
73 The Dream Syndicate Sun Blindness Music
73 Nico little sister
72 John Cale Darling, I Need You
71 John Cale The Soul Of Carmen Miranda
71 Lou Reed Set The Twilight Reeling
70 Lou Reed Caroline Says II
70 Lou Reed A Gift
70 Lou Reed New Sensations
69 Lou Reed Big Sky
69 Nico Roses in the Snow
69 Lou Reed The Bells
68 Lou Reed Wild Child
67 Lou Reed & John Cale Smalltown
66 Lou Reed The Last Shot
65 John Cale Afraid
65 Nico It Has Not Taken Long
64 John Cale Heartbreak Hotel
63 John Cale Pablo Picasso
62 The Primitives The Ostrich
62 John Cale Sylvia Said
62 John Cale Amsterdam
62 John Cale The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles
61 Lou Reed & John Cale Hello It's Me
61 Lou Reed What's Good
60 Lou Reed Make Up
60 Lou Reed Women
59 Lou Reed Charley's Girl
58 Lou Reed & John Cale Nobody But You
58 Lou Reed & Metallica Brandenburg Gate
57 Lou Reed Legendary Hearts
56 Lou Reed Hangin' Round
55 Lou Reed & John Cale Open House
55 Lou Reed Sad Song (Lou Reed)
54 Mo Tucker Hey Mersh!
53 Lou Reed Underneath the Bottle
52 Brian Eno & John Cale Spinning Away
51 John Cale Perfect
50 Lou Reed My House
50 Nico Evening of Light
49 John Cale Graham Greene
48 Lou Reed The Kids
47 Lou Reed & Metallica Junior Dad
47 John Cale Mr. Wilson
46 Lou Reed the bed
46 John Cale Cordoba
45 Lou Reed Dirty Blvd.
44 Lou Reed Men of Good Fortune
43 John Cale Thoughtless Kind
42 John Cale Guts
41 John Cale Big White Cloud
40 Lou Reed Egg Cream
39 Lou Reed She's My Best Friend (Lou Reed)
38 Nico It Was A Pleasure Then
38 Lou Reed New York Telephone Conversation
37 Lou Reed Crazy Feeling
36 Nico Janitor of Lunacy
35 John Cale gideon's bible
34 John Cale The Endless Plain of Fortune
33 Lou Reed Halloween Parade
32 John Cale & Terry Riley Church of Anthrax
31 Lou Reed I Love You, Suzanne
30 Lou Reed Romeo Had Juliette
29 John Cale Leaving It Up to You
28 Lou Reed Kicks
27 Nico The Fairest of the Seasons
26 John Cale Dying on the Vine
25 John Cale Ship of Fools
24 John Cale Andalucia
23 John Cale I Keep A Close Watch
22 Lou Reed The Blue Mask
21 Nico Chelsea Girls
20 Nico I'm Not Sayin'
19 John Cale Hedda Gabler
18 John Cale Buffalo Ballet
17 Lou Reed & John Cale Style It Takes
16 John Cale A Child's Christmas in Wales
15 Lou Reed Andy's Chest
14 John Cale Gun
13 Lou Reed Metal Machine Music
12 Lou Reed Waves of Fear
11 Nico Frozen Warnings
10 John Cale Hanky Panky Nohow
9 Lou Reed Vicious
8 Lou Reed Walk on the Wild Side
7 Lou Reed Perfect Day
6 Nico These Days
5 Lou Reed Street Hassle
4 Lou Reed Coney Island Baby
3 John Cale Paris 1919
2 John Cale Fear Is A Man's Best Friend
1 Lou Reed Satellite of Love

The points for the top five were a lot closer than I expected, but I guess that's what happens when these votes get split from the rest of the poll. All those down ballot votes would have been top tens (plus more number ones) in a real solo VU poll.

Great rollout, Shakey.

Now I need to get on the Cale foot.

i'm glad an upbeat cale tune + one with universally felt lyrics is at the top even if the song is technically about men
good results! thanks shakey!!

Fear is Cale's Martha My Dear

the number ones by my count

Nico: Janitor of Lunacy
Cale: Hedda Gabler, Gideon’s bible, Leaving It Up to You
Cale/Reed: Style it Takes
Reed: Coney Island Baby (twice), Satellite of Love

could we use a different thread for rolling out the VU results? my computer is dying from all these youtubes.

Martha My Dear indeed!

would need to get this thread renamed if I started another one just for the VU results

I turned images off, that helps with the thread loading

xp - but the lyrics are better

the youtubes can be links right? like in the r kelly thread. don't how to do this though.

keep the images!

great job all around by the way

youtubes automatically embed as images, unless I'm mistaken?

if you add the url tag then the youtube link doesn't automatically embed iirc.

also, set your browser so it doesn't automatically load flash (the setting will be "click to load flash content" or something like that). then you can load only the youtubes you want to play.

ah ok thx

testing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXESfMD01h8

hrm that didn't work. nm

Some Text

or use the "share this video" youtu.be link:

http://youtu.be/bkG9BKgDvNI

huh, those code tags didn't do what I expected

I would have bet money on "Fear" or "These Days." Maybe sentiment was worth a few points.

Nico's racism cost her votes, along with the obvious Jackson Browne/ Eagles/Wes Anderson/Gwenyth Paltrow connections.

Jackson Browne +2
Eagles -5
Wes Anderson +4
Gwenyth Paltrow (--)

She comes out ahead on those four, it must have been the racism that did her in.

what did she have to do with the eagles and the movie ppl?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLtQDwAJBoo

i like this scene! sue me.

xp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royal_Tenenbaums_(soundtrack)

Actually, I agree on the Eagles--neither her nor the song has any connection to them, right? (Did the Eagles cover it too?)

Jackson Browne wrote "These Days" and also a handful of Eagles songs.

I know about Jackson...pretty tenuous on the Eagles, though. Carole King wrote Tony Orlando's first hit, but I wouldn't blame her for "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." (Though you may be right that it all blurs together for some people.)

now envisioning Nico's version of Hotel California

Xp It's a proximity thing involving ilx straw people.

SCTV did that K-Tel parody commercial once, "Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written." A Nico equivalent would be perfect. "Sugar, Sugar," "Get Ur Freak On," "Truckin'", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," just about anything's funny to think about.

we need to make this happen

Ahhh I saw Tenenbaums but it was 1 zill yrs ago. And I knew J Browne wrote that song, just wasn't sure where the gd eagles fit in!

Just finished reading Uptight and had mind blown that Nico's accompanist before Browne was pre fame Tim Buckley. And that Browne was only on the scene bc he was a huge fan of pre fame Tim Buckley and was following him around the country?!?

Tim Buckley + 3

OTM

Nico Plays More Sad Nazi Hits

Enjoying the rollout so far -- thanks for running this one, Shakey.

While we're waiting for the man, here's a scene from our dining room last night.

http://vimeo.com/80119982

Since we're in the waiting room for the VU rollout and this is the VU thread on SNA right now, can I ask-- what is happening starting at 6:30 in the Boston Tea Party live version of sister ray (the one tyler linked from doom and gloom). It sounds like Cale sawing on his viola but of course it can't be given the date.

Holy crap, that rules, tipsy.

People POLL into the stratosphere

xp it's probably just some Reed feedback madness -- those 1969 sister rays are so incredible to me, just endlessly enjoyable.

xxxxxxxxxxxpost

VELCOM TO DE HO-DTEL KALI-FOHNYA

making me laugh so much inside, thank you shakey

While I generally find her unbearable, I voted for Nico's "These Days", mostly for the last line which seems too apt in her case, and sung with an awkwardness that seems somehow heartfelt. I bet she hadn't forgotten them.

btw I repeat, no motherfuckers alerted me to the fact you were going to separate the solo tracks (who the fuck cares) from the VU tracks

I'm sure it was decided after a 5-day debate, but some ppl have lives

Keeping up with ilx is an exercise left to the student.

This is all explained upthread multiple times morbz. Plenty of people submitted all VU ballots

When you run a poll you can do things your way

Took my total ballot, stripped out the velvets songs, and got my solo-only ballot as follows:

1. (I Keep A) Close Watch -- Cale
2. Fear is a Man's Best Friend -- Cale
3. Hanky Panky Nohow -- Cale
4. Cordoba -- Cale
5. Perfect -- Cale
6. Coney Island Baby -- Reed
7. Metal Machine Music -- Reed
8. Thoughtless Kind -- Cale
9. Andalucia -- Cale
10. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night -- Cale
11. Chelsea Girls -- Nico
12. Style It Takes -- Reed, Cale
13. Paris 1919 -- Cale
14. The Power of Positive Drinking -- Reed
15. Frozen Warnings -- Nico
16. Guts -- Cale
17. Mercenaries (Ready for War) -- Cale
18. Growing up in Public -- Reed
19. Outta the Bag -- Cale
20. Gun -- Cale
21. Caroline Says I -- Reed
22. Buffalo Ballet -- Cale
23. On a Wedding Anniversary -- Cale
24. How Do You Think it Feels -- Reed
25. Darling I Need You -- Cale
26. Satellite of Love -- Reed
27. Original Wrapper -- Reed
28. Baton Rouge -- Reed
29. Egg Cream -- Reed
30. The Ballad of Cable Hogue -- Cale
31. Dying on the Vine -- Cale
32. Street Hassle -- Reed
33. The Last Shot -- Reed

The big difference between my ballot and the results seems to be that in in the results, the Falklands Suite isn't represented at all!? Also, but less surprising, no Growing Up in Public I think. As far as lush orchestration and reed go I think it only comes second to Berlin?

I was tempted to vote for "Kicks" but man is it absurd.

yeah nothing from Growing Up in Public got a lot of votes, think you and Alfred are alone on that one

nothing from GUWP in my ballot

right I just meant in general. or am I misremembering something

growing up in public might be the lou reed album i've listened to the least...

nothing from the first album, Berlin, R&RH, SCD either iirc

ah all explained upthread after the polls have closed, i see

(no sweat really -- i wouldnt have had time to vote anyhoo)

Pretty surprised by Berlin's showing in this poll

i think i only voted for "caroline says II" but I love it overall -- just hard to pick out single tracks, i generally like listening to it as a whole. The recent live re-recording of it is quite good, too, the little switch ups work really well for the most part.

Yeah, I'm not super-familiar with post-Velvets solo work (just lurking here for places to start). I've only heard Berlin once I think; I just know that it's always been held up as one of Lou's best.

yeah, it is, though it is markedly different (at least in terms of production) than anything else he did -- i can certainly see why someone who loved Transformer or even the later stuff wouldn't be that into Berlin.

also not really a singles album

I don't really like it.

it is pretty unpleasant, i'll admit.

I had The Kids on my ballot cuz I think that track works the best but in general its like the overblown prog sdtrk to a bad Fassbinder movie

haha, i know what you mean but "the overblown prog sdtrk to a bad Fassbinder movie" is a really appealing description to me.

i came out of my crash course in solo Lou so much more interested in Berlin (and The Blue Mask) than Transformer

in a funny way, Lou's solo albums are all aberrations. none of them are like one another until he hits on the Saunders-Quine-Maher combo at the end of the decade.

I hadn't heard Berlin until the day after Lou died. Got immediately hooked on it, and almost put the whole record in my ballot.

ANYWAY y'all ready for some Velvets results now

I had "The Kids" at #3, I believe, on my overall ballot (behind two VU songs). It's overblown, sure, but it destroys me every time.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/10916137594_ef63db90d2.jpg

TIE
51. Coyote
1 vote, 50 pts

url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9aW9QVrbhc

Sweet Sister Ray
1 vote, 50 pts

url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLVA6vp_DAM

hmm wait that last youtube isn't right

is this it?
url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFaOyQbDTKs

hahaha my #1 vote for Sweet Sister Ray has paid off

I really truly love the song - the last major thing they they did with Cale aside from the 1968 studio session. Endless replay value, serious guitar work from Sterling especially, jamming til the cows come home, and a wonderful laid back vibe throughout. I may have played this track more than any other Velvets song over the course of my life,

Sweet Sister Ray went to a movie
that had come around
It was the biggest movie
that had ever come to town

Why this is the weirdest movie
I've seen in my days
I've never seen a stranger film anywhere

Why I must be dead
'cause I never felt this way ailve
Oh I've never felt this way
since nineteen fifty-five
Just then Sister Ray
felt a hand on her knee
[I'm] a young crippled orphan
and I come here constantly

Why it's just like a mental hospital
those don't have any locks
Just then comes in the doctor
giving us electroshocks

All the vaseline on your forehead
makes you feel so nice
My hair stood up on end
and I thought I'd been froze(?) with a knife
Oh I'm so pretty
purple earrings and all
No one knew you were crazy
That you told 'em

Just then I saw
a hole in the ground
And I jumped right in
'cause there was no one around

[long instrumental break into "Sister Ray"]

yes that is the one (xp to Shakey)

50. I Love You
3 votes, 60 pts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fYCU40G7Pc

yeah holy shit, sweet sister ray is mesmerizing, a totally one of a kind thing. what did they think they were doing? it just seems so far off from anything, maybe even more radical than the really wild/loud stuff.

oddly enough i've never gotten around to hearing a version of sweet sister ray. iirc the first commercially available version was on the quine tapes, right?

nah, this is the only version of the song that's available. the sister rays on the quine tapes aren't "sweet."

I'd never heard it before this poll

it is a weird thing -- are cale, reed and morrison all playing guitar at points on sweet sister ray? cale switches over to keyboard at some point... is moe even on it?

moe comes in toward the end

she went out to get a sandwich for the first half hour

probably shopping

ha, yeah, she shows up when they start transitioning into the actual sister ray. who knows maybe she's even playing guitar somewhere in there.

xp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHyeXrPUhLY

49. Melody Laughter
2 votes, 62 pts

url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg44BKJhqk0

48. Sad Song
2 votes, 70 pts

url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxLrb-cuFz4

how many vu songs aren't going to make this

47. I'm Not a Young Man Anymore
2 votes, 89 pts

url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a63Qd63PaoM

"Sad Song" is the only instance where I vastly prefer Lou's version (and the Velvets' version is no slouch). It really needs the bombastic arrangement.

how many vu songs aren't going to make this

11

haha, we should poll those after this is done.
no one voted for "ferryboat bill", eh?

I'm not sure if there's a track literally nobody voted for.

my cutoff here was 50 points. the 11 songs that didn't place (incl Ferryboat Bill) got votes, but the total was less than 50

please put a spoiler alert warning before you give out information like 'ferryboat bill didn't place'

the rest of the poll is basically meaningless now

haha oops sorry

that's the short and long of it

Sheltered Life FTW

guys Mo is definitely playing drums on Sweet Sister Ray well before the 20-minute mark, yes it is a bootleg recording but come on now.

by the way, that recording was made by either Jamie Klimek or Peter Laughner, thank you Cleveland underground for preserving history.

If you want to drool over/be tantalized by another allegedly great lost VU song, look up "Sweet Rock And Roll":

http://olivier.landemaine.free.fr/vu/andsoon/lostsongs/lostsongs.html