Velvet Underground - Live at the Gymnasium 1967 LP???!!!

...and it's a buy it now item for 21 pounds?

fuck, not any more :(

those tracks are fantastic.

yeah, both "booker t" and "guess i'm falling in love" are awesome on the peel slowly set. if this stuff is anywhere near that quality, then this is about as close to a holy grail as it gets for VU fans these days. i've never understood the full story behind that -- where did those recordings come from (they hadn't been bootlegged before, i think) and why hasn't the whole thing been released? seems like an obvious choice for the (seemingly now defunct) bootleg series they started with the Quine Tapes way back in 2001.

buy that shit

I tried!!!

me too -- no dice. ah well, if it's genuine, i'm sure it'll be floating around the net in a couple minutes ...

wait, doesn't he have seven copies still for sale? or those are all gone too:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THE-VELVET-UNDERGROUND-LP-LIVE-AT-THE-GYMNASIUM-1967_W0QQitemZ170194375060QQihZ007QQcategoryZ43715QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

i wanna hear that sister ray

There are multiple copies available.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170194375060

I don't know, I'll probably kick myself later for not picking this up, but the whole thing seems fishy. 100 copies...on green? does that mean there are other copies, in other assorted colors? Why does this guy have so many copies? Does he own the label? What label is it? etc

FOR THE 1ST EVER THE GYMNASIUM GIG IN FULL,WITH UNRELESED SONG,IM NOT A YOUNG MAN ANY MORE, AND 1ST TIME PLAYED SISTER RAY,ONLY 100 COPYS ON GREEN
PLEASE NOTE AM A WAY TILL 17 TH OF FEB LPS WILL BE POSTED THEN,THANK U

c'mon.

ONLY 4 LEFT YOU BETTER MAKE UP YOUR MIND

hahaha, but, yeah, dude is probably selling all 100 sloooooowly but surely. then the purple vinyl batch will be next.

lol purple vinyl

guys i am considering buying this but i prob shouldn't cause i'm broke and dude looks scammy

Yeah no kidding, Hoos, this is hurting me in my heart right now.

will chip in $1 to group purchase/rip

Well I've been looking and it does appear to qualify for Paypal buyer protection if you use a Debit/ATM card to pay for it. Unfortunately I just blew my last wad of cash on another expensive LP so I can't do that right now.

Don't quote me on that though. I'm gonna do some more reading of the legalese, here.

No, I see the problem now. This whole thing is a total risk no matter what you do.

"Unfortunately I just blew my last wad of cash on another expensive LP so I can't do that right now."

*New Order bootleg - Bernard guaranteed to sing in tune or money back*

Heheh!!! No actually it was an ultrarare LP of Boston post-punk bands, all live versions I believe. I'm crazy about this band called the Maps who only released one single. But never mind!

only 3 left!

so tempting, but it looks like the "unreleased song" is probably "Booker T.". Tracklist:

A1 I'm Not A Young Man Anymore ("previously unreleased")
A2 Guess I'm Falling In Love
A3 I'm Waiting For My Man
A4 Run, Run, Run
B1 Sister Ray ("1st performance")

not gonna pay 50 bucks for yet another version of SR. although it is exciting that this gig has surfaced, and I hope the sound quality is similar throughout to what has already been released.

ATTHEGYMNASIUM who has that interview where he said he saw them play there, there was basically nobody at it and they were really into using echo?

ah well, if it's genuine, i'm sure it'll be floating around the net in a couple minutes ...

This just went up on dime, except for the officially released track.

Sourced from the vinyl boot.

you can get it here:
http://sendmedeadflowers.com/2008/02/velvet-underground-live-at-gymnasium.html
sounds like the real deal! eep! i've been waiting like 15 years to hear this ... haha. i am a nerd.

this is awesome! "I'm Not A Young Man..." is a totally unheard-of and previously unreleased classic Velvets song, like a banana album outtake.

I heart the internet.

I've listened to 80 seconds of this and I'm in heaven

Yes!! This is incredible. You've made my weekend with that link, tylerw. Thanks!!

Wow, this is awfully good.

this is awesome

i hope this link is not deaded by the time i get home to dl

thx tyler btw

also worth noting that afaik this is the only known live Velvets material from the year 1967, and the only live recording w/Cale featuring banana songs other than the Columbus 1966 tapes. also the last known live recording with Cale. in other words, a history/archive junkie's dream.

ohhh yesssssssss ... this is about as good as i hoped. and i hoped it was very good. easily the best Cale-era live recording, maybe one of the better sounding VU boots overall. sheesh, this is great! Sterling Morrison sounds like a maniac, Reed shreds on Run Run Run and the Sister Ray starts off kind of straightforward but gets nuts ... hurrah!

this is awesome, thanks for the link tyler. lou sounds like he's about to vomit during the choruses of 'run run run'. loving the guitar noisery on that track as well

Oh hell yes

Wooo!

i'm a waning vu fan but this is fucking great

Thank you for the link!

no problem everyone -- though you should really thank the dude who put up the link!
listening to this it strikes me that when people compare a band to the VU this sort of thing is not remotely what they're talking about. this gymnasium recording is like super-raw, off the rails R&B with Hubert Selby lyrics. Awesome stuff obviously, but i can't really think of a so-called Velvets-inspired group that actually sounds like this ...
Any bets on whether in the next year there's a "deluxe" version of White Light White Heat released with this as the bonus disc?

Sister Ray is kickass

This is fantastic. It completely made my Sunday morning.

lol, you said Sunday Morning

see what I did there?

thanks

i wonder if lou reed listened to this now if he'd think to himself, "why the fuck did i scream 'SOCK IT TO ME' before every solo?"

by the way, just listened to the Gymnasium recording yesterday while painting the basement. Still sounds incredible.

haha, still painting, huh? I start on the kitchen tomorrow. I will put that record on!

STILL PAINTING. We have a baby on the way this summer, so there is suddenly a lot to do. Listening to bootlegs helps.

ok you all will laugh at me but despite having listened to the VU for uh almost 20 years, I'm only now listening to Live 1969 for the first time and it's absolutely great: the take on "Ocean" is terribly gorgeous and the "Heroin" is sad and lovely. I suppose this is what I should have expected given the album they released in 1969 but I'm really impressed and would like to know: where next? I've had the Quine Tapes since they were released but never listened but will next (I know, I know, I'm terrible, have just been waiting for the moment and it's arrived) and I have the End Cole Ave boot also. What are the next steps? There are recommendations re. boots above but are they still the next step?

Well, I'd say the next step is the Gymnasium album.

Past that, hmm I think you have it.

the gymnasium album described in this thread is CRACKING xp

I have that too...I've er accumulated VU relata a lot faster than I've had the desire to listen, for many years...until now.

You've got "VU" and "Another View" I take it?

yes, and Peel Slowly and See....basically I'm looking for a way into the boots, or at least asking if the greatness displayed on Live 1969 is evident on the myriad boots you all talk about.

Yes! tylerw is the man for the boots though.

La Cave 1968.

yeah La Cave is great -- the weird, alternate lyric Pale Blue Eyes is crazy, and it's got my fave version of "Foggy Notion" I think. I'm in the process of putting together a "best of" from the recent Professor Tapes thing that surfaced (1969 at the Boston Tea Party) ... As far as Cale era goes, the Gymnasium tape is your best bet, though the At The Factory rehearsal tape, the Melody Laughter show and the VU & Nico acetate are all worth hearing.

True enough.

There's a massive cassette tape set called "The After Hours Tapes" that is worth a review (i.e. look-over), I did get one of them via mail-order back in the day (the one with all the demos on it, speed corrected, etc)..

am also a fan of the legendary guitar amp tapes

i don't know if this is where you're getting these boots already but: thenunsareontheseawall.blogspot.com
a little bit ridiculous tbh

yeah, guitar amp tapes are fun. sweet sister ray too, that's a good one. maybe not the greatest thing in the world, but I was enjoying the Max's Kansas City rehearsals recently. even though the VU w/o moe tucker is barely the VU, it's still a kinda cool sounding band.

(i am actually a bad person to ask about this -- I think it's all great!)

ok, I will get the La Cave 1968 set.

can I just say that the single version of "All Tomorrow's Parties" on Peel Slowly disk 2 is terrific? The build up in the first 30 seconds or so is just perfect.

xp er yes I have become aware of that blog but it is bewildering, hence my note earlier today!

the La Cave show is where the live What Goes On on Peel Slowly comes from ...

that take is sweet!

where does the "Ocean" on Live 1969 come from? Or maybe more importantly: are there other takes like that? liftoff, man...

Making me want to listen to 1969 right now.

That "Ocean" is from the Matrix shows, I think. If you dig around for a show called "Retinal Circus" on that blog, you can get the complete uncut set w/ a bunch of highlights from Live 1969. That great "What Goes On," a few others .... Kind of nice to hear the whole thing, w/ an enthusiastic audience.

ok then I am there! I like the VU-as-Dead, or maybe more like VU as jazz: I mean when they're exploratory within songs, reaching liftoff without losing a core of the song.

If you can find it there is a show with Nico called "EPI/1966", from the Valleydale Ballroom, Columbus, OH. It's not as good as the other stuff mentioned, but the Nico stuff is understandably the rarest.

so the Sweet Sister Ray boot is the one with 4 versions of "Sister Ray", from 1968 and 1969?

the Sweet Sister Ray boot has the "song" Sweet Sister Ray on it, which is more of a loooong, slow jam, recorded with Cale at La Cave, I think. It's cool, if not quite as awesome as the title might suggest.

ok, yes, that's the one I've found---cool, thanks!

It's not a bootleg, but the mono version of the first LP is amazing: Heroin in particular is terrifying.

apparently this just came out (which has the mono version + singles mixes): http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Underground-Nico-Rarities/dp/B003CLAN9C
Cheaper than buying the "deluxe edition" ...

Swee Sister Ray is imo the single most essential VU live boot track.

"Sweet"

I am also a big fan of La Cave 1968 and the Guitar Amp tape, and as noted the Gymnasium is a must-have as well.

yeah? i like sweet sister ray a lot, but have to admit being a little let down by it the first time I heard it. It was one of those bootlegs that I'd *heard* about for probably ten years before actually getting a copy.

with a little w33d and nothing to do it really opens up, I use it like ambient music. but I can see how years of hype might end up being a bit of a letdown.

ha, guess i can see how that would be a good stoner record ...

man i still haven't heard the quine tapes what is wrong w/ me

its supposed to be good iirc

Quine Tapes are worth it for the three Sister Rays alone

And the slow "Waiting For The Man".

listened to the Gymnasium boot yesterday and yeah, it's great: the "Sister Ray" is hilarious because after about 10 minutes or so, it sounds like it's about to end, but it's got 8 minutes or so left. By the end it's just feedback + Mo pounding as savagely as I've ever heard her, until she tries to hit a Bo Diddley beat and the whole thing falls apart. Fantastic!

So on this Hilltop bootleg there's a ridiculous "Sister Ray" at the end (that I gather is not from the Hilltop show but rather from La Cave), and the organ is pretty remarkable. Which leads me to ask a naive question: who is playing organ in these performances? Is it Doug Yule?

He's a man of many talents!

yeah it's Yule on organ on the post-Cale bootlegs. He's pretty amazing! I mean, the guy joined the band in fall of 1968, and a couple months later he's raging as though he's been there all along. been said before, but he deserves more credit than he gets.

La Cave is, I believe, the first show with Yule.

ok while I have you guys' attention:

so I'm confused about what I "need" next (I'm really digging this foray into VU bootdom). I've read you all talk about the Boston Tea Party 4-cd set, the Legendary Guitar Amp set, and the Professor Tapes. Are these all different? They all seem to be related to the Boston Tea Party in 1969. Help!

Apparently a WEEK after the last shows with John Cale!(xp)

They all seem to be related to the Boston Tea Party in 1969

They played there all the time

Boston Tea Party set and the Professor Tapes are pretty much the same -- the Professor Tapes recently surfaced from the master reels and are in way better quality than those shows have circulated in. Guitar Amp Tapes is another Boston Tea Party show (not recorded by the "professor" i gather).

*pretty much the same shows* i mean

Great site for VU obsessives