Best post-VU release by former VU member?

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Inspired by a recent thread (VU vs. Lou Reed), what is your favorite post VU work by any member of the band? If this has been done before, oh well.

― g, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My choice is the obvious Transformer, but it's a very close fight with John Cale's Paris 1919. Life in Exile Ater Abdication also rates high with me. I kinda like the 2 American Flyer LPs, but Doug Yule wasn't a huge part of that band really.

― g, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nico's 'The End', in a photo finish with 'Berlin' and 'Music for a New Society'. I like 'Take No Prisoners' too. ("I'd rather be a faggot than get cancer. That's not an anti-gay remark, coming from me", "A B+ in the Village Voice? Fuck you! I don't need you to tell me that I'm good", and best of all, "Gimme an issue, I'll give you a tissue, you can wipe my ass with it")

― dave q, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cale's Fear and Slow Dazzle LPs rate pretty high with me, but I might have to vote for Transformer as well.

― nickn, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Transformer here as well, though Fear and Chelsea Girl are also great.

― Sean, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

..if you were to add "in the 90s and after" at the end of that question, I'd say Mo Tucker's work with Jad Fair/Half Japanese.

― Brian MacDonald, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Chelsea Girl, followed by Berlin. John Cale's solo work makes me squeal in an unpleasant manner. I've heard no Mo.

― electric sound of jim, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

John Cale (with Terry Rielly) Church of Anthrax
Angus Maclise Brain Damage in Oklahoma City
Lou Reed Transformer

In that order.

― Vic Funk, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

all of john cale's stuff was too half-arsed for me to care that much about him. nico's stuff suffers a similar fate. in terms of musical experiment/disaster - metal machine music. in terms of pop brilliance - transformer.

― tyler, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Paris 1919
The Marble Index
Desertshore
Bowie's backing vocals on Transformer

...in that order.

― Michael Jones, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Paris 1919 is definately a good one too. I always liked the cover of The Academy in Peril; Warhol-designed digipak of rows of 35mm slides, with die-cuts where the image should be, showing little pix of Cale. So cool as an LP cover; I'm sure it's blah as a CD cover, although I've never seen it.

― Sean, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Paris 1919, Fragments Of A Rainy Season, lots of other Cale stuff (Music For A New Society I lost years ago and need a new copy of, can't decide on memory if I like it or not). "Sad Song" and MMM are the only Reed things I like.

― Tom, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cale's albums are a bit hit and miss for me. There's always some great songs but there's always some really dull things to balance them up. "Fear" seems to have the higher proportion of excellent stuff and the eno/manzanera solo on the title track is wonderfull (if noodling). "Mr Wilson" from "Slow Dazzle" is, maybe, his best song but I can do without most of the rest of it. As for Reed - it's gotta be "Transformer" and "Berlin" : both wonderfull in their own ways.

― philT, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Paris 1919 tied with Chelsea Girl. Transformer and Berline are a very close second and third.

― Arthur, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Berline? Oh well, it looks nice. Rhymes with Hermione.

― Arthur, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

nico (and cale producing), desertshore and the marble index. lou reed, metal machine music. doesn't really count, but moe tucker in paris 1942 was a hell of a thing.

― your null fame, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fragments of a Rainy Season. Guts. Berlin. Sabatoge/Live. Growing Up In Public.

― Sterling Clover, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

STREET HASSLE !!!!

Oh, and since I saw Royal Tenebaums last night, I'll say Nico's Chelsa Girls too.

― A Nairn, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

hmm, close between Paris 1919 and Berlin. i love the way Berlin is simultaneously tragic and hilarious. my friend wanted it played at his funeral. of course, when he actually had a funeral last year, it somehow didn't seem quite so appropriate

― gareth, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You are all insanely mad - the BEST album by any members of the Velvet Underground AT ALL, also one of the BEST albums EVER is of course "Songs For Drella" by Lou Reed and John Cale, which is utterly UTTERLY fantastic. Not only is it heartfelt, moving, funny, tuneful, exciting, scary and GRATE, it also forms its own Fan Club with Unique Club Phrases ("i fired him on the spot - he got mad and he called me a RAT!" "Your trouble is you think too much, that's because there's some work that you don't want to do" etc etc).

Honestly, it really is a FANTASTIC record, only made BETTER by the accompanying documentary about it's making, which as far as i recall consists almost entirely of Lou Reed GLARING at John Cale because the change to the chorus is coming any minute and he thinks he's going to forget it, or John Cale VISIBLY SIGHING because Lou is playing the feedback bit slightly wrong. Two chaps who have played for MILLIONS of years, often together, acting like anyone else and his mate playing a gig together, it only ADDS to the emotional WALLOP of the piece.

Really though, if you've not heard it, go and BUY it now.

― MJ Hibbett, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Songs for Drella is a fine pice of work - but I'm going to have to go with a tie between two live albums (assuming live albums count) - Rock & Roll Animal and Fragments of a Rainy Season - the performance and arrangements are impeccable on both. Then it's a huge tie betwixt/between:
New York
Fear
Street Hassle

Then, it's Walking on Locusts - very good, typical Cale. In my top 20 of all time.

And Take No Prisoners, as Robert Cristgau says, is funny, but I play Rock & Roll Animal way more than I play my best comedy record. (Although he may be prejudiced since Lou attacked him on the album.) Favorite line: "Who tightened this mic stand? Godzilla? I'm going to either have to grow a few inches or meet a boyfriend."

― Dave225, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Berlin Transformer (yep, Bowie-backings!) Street Hassle (the song) Fear (2CD Island Years is even better, includes all Island albums) Fragments of a Rainy Season

― WiLLeM, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

come to think of it, I like New Sensations quite a bit as well. And I totally forgot about Nico's solo stuff. I guess it's not my favorite though.

― g, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

MJ Hibbett: I agree that Songs for 'Drella is quite good, but still not maybe the absolute best post VU work. Someone mentioned the cool cover of Cale's The Acadmeny in Peril; It is a great LP cover (probably not a great CD cover if it's out on CD) - worth picking up for the cover alone really, the record is a bit less than wonderful.
― g, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the angus maclise records rereleased on siltbreeze although i guess you could say they are pre velvets but that's no fun.
― bob snoom, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

italics
― g, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

― g, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

what the heck?

― g, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ok now?

― , Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I remember not liking Songs for Drella at all (except for the one song that got a little airplay). I guess I should go back and check it out again.

― nickn, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Angus Maclise CDs on Siltbreeze/Quakebasket are from the mid-late 1960's (therefore, concurrent to the Velvets), not pre.

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lou Reed's "Magic and Loss". Probably the most touching album on dying (by AIDS).

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fire in the Sky, Music for a New Society or MMM depending on my mood. They've got all the bases covered.

― hamish, Wednesday, 23 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

three months pass...

The Blue Mask. Lou's best, coz it's the Quine-iest.

― briania, Friday, 3 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Slow Dazzle, Fragments of a Rainy Season, The Marble Index, and I Spent a Week There the Other Night

― Joe, Friday, 3 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I Spent a Week There the Other Night

"Dogs Under Stress" is way better.

― Dave225, Friday, 3 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ten months pass...

Can't narrow it to one, so here goes: Paris 1919, Life In Exile After ABdication, Chelsea GIrls, Desertshore, Fear, Music For A New Society, Berlin, Blue Mask, New York, Street Hassle (!!!!), Songs For Drella, Metal Machine Music for sheer gall. MoeJakeJadBarry (I think that was the name) was also really cool. Weak/overrated ones would include Transformer (among the most overrated records of all time, IMO), Dogs Under Stress, Magic & Loss, Rock & Roll Heart, The Bells (the stinker of all post-VU works, IMHO)

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Saturday, 8 March 2003 16:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Moe Tucker ft Jonathan Richman etc - I´m sticking with you 7´"

― Jens (brighter), Sunday, 9 March 2003 08:23 (twenty-three years ago)

'Music for a new society', followed by, in no particular order, 'New York', 'The Blue Mask', 'Fear', 'Paris 1919', 'Berlin'.

― James Ball (James Ball), Monday, 10 March 2003 16:29 (twenty-three years ago)

John Cale - Paris 1919/ Music For a New Society (prob. the best two of the lot)/ Fear

Nico - Marble Index/ Desertshore/ The End

Reed - Transformer/ Berlin/ Coney Island Baby/ Street Hassle/ Blue Mask (I think Reed's career is the most patchy of them all, altho he has put out more albums)

― Dadaismus, Monday, 10 March 2003 16:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Sterling never made one, John's were always too artsy, Maureen's always needed to be taken with a grain of salt -- That said, my vote goes to Lou's decidedly light-weight but ultra-groovy Coney Island Baby.

― christoff (christoff), Monday, 10 March 2003 21:10 (twenty-three years ago)

i've always wanted to hear Paris, 1942 or whatever the name of the band was that was alan bishop/moe tucker/rick bishop.

― john fail (cenotaph), Monday, 10 March 2003 21:14 (twenty-three years ago)

I've got one of their albums. Its not that good even though its got a Barrett cover on it.

― hamish (hamish), Monday, 10 March 2003 22:22 (twenty-three years ago)

ten months pass...

Desertshore is fucking amazing. I imagined this as perfect music for opium smokers and ambien abusers.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Monday, 9 February 2004 02:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Drella is great.

Ecstasy hasn't been mentioned and should be heard for "Like a Possum" alone. Perhaps Lou's greatest single track.

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 9 February 2004 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i'll throw a vote for berlin, which is just SO BLEAK.

― ian johnsonnn, Monday, 9 February 2004 03:29 (twenty-two years ago)

It's gotta be Street Hassle.

― Salmon Pink (Salmon Pink), Monday, 9 February 2004 04:19 (twenty-two years ago)

John Cale's Fear.

― nickn (nickn), Monday, 9 February 2004 04:46 (twenty-two years ago)

new york

― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Monday, 9 February 2004 05:53 (twenty-two years ago)

What.. no votes for Doug Yule's Squeeze

― may pang (maypang), Monday, 9 February 2004 06:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Church of Anthrax and Chelsea girls are the only ones I really listen to. And On Fire. Oh yeah. That's by Galaxie 500. And Crazy Rhythms. Oh, I guess that joke doesn't work twice.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 9 February 2004 06:20 (twenty-two years ago)

It's definitely Paris 1919, but god do I have a soft spot for that first, self-titled Lou Reed record. The versions of "I Can't Stand It" and "Lisa Says" on there are a ton of fun.

― Broheems (diamond), Monday, 9 February 2004 08:14 (twenty-two years ago)

for the longest time i thought the hat on the cover of the first one was a faberge egg or something.

― jack cole (jackcole), Monday, 9 February 2004 08:18 (twenty-two years ago)

haha - yeah, that cover is totally wack. There's no denying that.

(btw - jack, package going out tomorrow! I swear!)

― Broheems (diamond), Monday, 9 February 2004 08:22 (twenty-two years ago)

no worries -- im sending yours out tomorrow too -- had to get a new cd-r burner after switching to OS 10.3 on my mac. guh!

as for post VU member albums -- John Cale's Fear or Maureen Tucker's Life In Abdication or, distantly, Lou Reed's Street Hassle.

Does Loaded count as a post-VU album? ;-)

― jack cole (jackcole), Monday, 9 February 2004 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Paris 1919

― Mike Ouderkirk (Mike Ouderkirk), Monday, 9 February 2004 09:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Hobsospianes is definitely one of my favourite albums of last year and also, I've very recently acquired Songs For Drella and I'm pretty pleased with that one too at the moment - whether either of those will ever become as firm a fave as Transformer or New York remains to be seen 'though.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 9 February 2004 10:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Cale - Paris 1919
Cale - Music For a New Society
Nico - Marble Index
Nico - Desertshore
Reed - Berlin
Reed - Street Hassle

Overall Cale wins

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 9 February 2004 10:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Berlin.
Metal Machine Music.
Paris 1919.

In that order, but with Chelsea Girls astride the lot if Nico is included.

― Jim Robinson (Original Miscreant), Monday, 9 February 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Duuuude, funk all that noise. Anything by my lovely Mo.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Monday, 9 February 2004 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

best VU work after VU is of course cale's production of THE STOOGES. but regarding authorship I'd put

1. as the most exceptional item after VU, an iceberg of beauty, unmatched by everything people like björk attempted (and i like björk). followed closely by
2. which is even more unique than the very beautiful and then
3. by lou, of course a very chequered work, partly silly, partly psycho, but it's the greatest musical risk lou ever took - apart from founding a band with john cale, that is, and apart from maybe metal music, which passed me by
4. mo tuckers which made me have to look up abdication again since i'm swiss

― Albert Kuhn, Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:21 (twenty years ago)

SORRY, I PUT THE ALBUM TITLES IN PARENTHESES WHICH MADE THEM DISAPPEAR!! ok, I wrote:

best VU work after VU is of course cale's production of THE STOOGES. but regarding authorship I'd put
1. THE MARBLE INDEX as the most exceptional item after VU, an iceberg of beauty, unmatched by everything people like björk attempted (and i like björk). followed closely by
2. MUSIC FOR A NEW SOCIETY, which is even more unique than the very beautiful and then
3. THE RAVEN by lou, of course a very chequered work, partly silly, partly psycho, but it's the greatest musical risk lou ever took - apart from founding a band with john cale, that is, and apart from maybe metal music, which passed me by
4. LIFE IN EXILE AFTER ABDICATION, true VU-spirit by mo tucker ( which made me have to look up abdication again since i'm swiss)

-- Albert Kuhn (kuh...), September 11th, 2005.

― Albert Kuhn/revisited, Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)

― M. V. (M.V.), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

Paris 1919

― M. V. (M.V.), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

John Cale's "Cocaine"

oh, wait.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

comparing nico to bjork? why don't you just go piss on her grave or something

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Sunday, 11 September 2005 23:49 (twenty years ago)

moejadkatebarryokthxbye.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 12 September 2005 07:00 (twenty years ago)

The Raven? the fucking Raven?

― jim (jim5et), Monday, 12 September 2005 11:20 (twenty years ago)

I'd go with Street Hassle (the song) or Drella, I think.

― jim (jim5et), Monday, 12 September 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)

How many other songs were there on MoeJadKateBarry that didn't make it onto the CD version of Life in Exile After Abdication, BTW? Was the MJKB release on cassette only or vinyl as well?

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 12 September 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

I'm fairly certain it was on vinyl - I think I remember seeing it and debating about buying it for about a year. Never did buy it and now I'm kicking myself. Of course that was 15 years ago, so i could be mistakin'.. I didn't realize it was tacked on to Life in Exile though... Mo used to have another cassette only thing she sold called something like "Oh, no - I can't believe they're recording this!" which I never bought. She used to send me a Christmas card for about four years after she & I had an internet discussion about Bo Diddley.

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Monday, 12 September 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)

I think about 4 songs from MJKB were on Life in Exile including Guess I'm Falling In Love. I don't know if that's all of it or just a selection (never seen it on it's own).

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 12 September 2005 12:11 (twenty years ago)

Actually, here's the full disog, with tracks:
http://olivier.landemaine.free.fr/moetucker/mtdisco.html

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Monday, 12 September 2005 12:18 (twenty years ago)

I'd probably put Nico's 'Desertshore,' her 'Chelsea Girls' and 'Transformer' on equal pegging.

My favourite VU is 'Velvet Underground,' whatever that says.

― I.M. (I.M.), Monday, 12 September 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

Chelsea Girls

if were talking production, then the modern lovers followed by the stooges self-titled debuts...

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 12 September 2005 22:17 (twenty years ago)

Gotta go with Chelsea Girl too.

I just got that "le Bataclan '72" double lp that is just Lou, Cale, and Nico as a trio doing each other's songs and some VU songs live, it is kinda crunched out recording wise but really great. Nico is elemental . . .

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Monday, 12 September 2005 23:03 (twenty years ago)

i really want me some solo mo

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

"Nico is elemental . . ."

best Nico description ever. "Bataclan" is a fantastic bootleg, I really like its spooky atmosphere.

― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 06:05 (twenty years ago)

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