Making a Velvet Underground CD for a friend

[Guest Gamengiri2002]

Hey, I know we have some very avid VU fans on the board. So I'm looking for suggestions for a track listing for a two disc best of.

 

So far I've Got:

 

Venus In Furs

White Light/ White Heat

What Goes On

Sweet Jane

Sister Ray

There She Goes Again

Here She Comes Now

Heroin

Lady Godiva's Operation

Sunday Morning

 

This is all I'm pretty much settled on. I'd appreciate other suggestions for other as songs as well as for the order they should appear (should you have the time)

 

Thanks.

[Guest JangoFett4Hire]

Is These Days Nico or Nico with VU?

[Guest Incandenza]

"These Days" is Nico.

 

First of all, there will be people telling you that you should include nothing from White Light/White Heat. Those people are clueless, rendering anything they say invalid. You have a pretty good list so far. I'd throw on any of the following:

 

Jesus

I Heard Her Call My Name

The Gift (I'd take off "Lady Godiva's Operation" and use that one instead)

After Hours

Waiting for the Man

New Age

Oh! Sweet Nuthin'

Pale Blue Eyes

I'm Set Free

Candy Says

All Tomorrow's Parties

 

Straying from the four main albums, you can't go wrong with "Stephanie Says" and "I'm Sticking With You." I made a VU mix for a friend a few years back, but I'll be damned if I can remember everything I put on it.

[Guest Kinetic]

I agree with all of the selections thus far, but you should close it with "After Hours" and probably include "Who Loves The Sun?" on there somewhere.

[Guest Incandenza]

I recall opening my mix with "Heroin" and "Sunday Morning," while closing with "Sister Ray" and "After Hours." It wasn't until our very own godthedog brought it up that I realize "Venus in Furs" could also make for a helluva opener.

[Guest Kinetic]

A girl once made me a comp that opened with "Oh! Sweet Nuthin." That'd work out all right if you're making a southern rock compilation or are just a really big Allman Brothers fan, but would probably be inappropriate for a VU compilation. Makes me wonder why I posted this, actually.

[Guest Incandenza]

To illustrate what shouldn't open a VU mix.

[Guest godthedog]

it looks like you're trying to capture the essential essence of VU, rather than trying to get a kind of greatest hits thing. so just ask yourself for each album, 'how can i capture this using the bear minimum of songs?'

 

i'd do:

 

sunday morning

venus in furs

all tomorrow's parties

heroin

 

white light/white heat

here she comes now

sister ray

 

candy says

what goes on

jesus

after hours

 

sweet jane

new age

train round the bend

oh sweet nothing

 

if you have access to 'peel slowly and see' (and every true VU fan should), i'd also include:

 

satellite of love

foggy notion

ride into the sun

ocean

 

openers & closers depend on how you want the whole thing to flow. if you want to follow the career from beginning to end (which is probably best, cause it might be hard listening shifting back & forth from the john cale years to the doug yule years), open with 'sunday morning' or 'venus in furs'. if you open with 'venus in furs' then i wouldn't use 'sunday morning' at all, cause it really only works as an opening or closing track to contrast with the rest of 'VU and nico'. for a closing song, 'oh sweet nothing' would probably be best, cause it's got that exhausting epic feel to it. but if you're not going in chronological order, it would be a total mind rape to close with a one-two punch like 'heroin'-'after hours', to make them go "what the fuck?"

[Guest Kinetic]

I think the VU version of "Satellite of Love" is better than the Lou Reed solo version, though both have their merits. It's weird how Lou Reed went from being the lead singer of the Velvet fucking Underground to being a half-assed American David Bowie so quickly.

[Guest godthedog]

lou reed's solo 'satellite of love' outright sucks ass. the VU version is probably one of my top ten velvets songs ever.

[Guest Incandenza]

For all the shameless Bowie appropriations in Reed's Transformer, it does contain one of his finest moments ever, "Perfect Day." I will not hear otherwise.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

"Perfect Day" is wonderful, and I'll also always listen to the other big song, "Walk on the Wild Side," with delight.

 

Transformer is an album that I'm glad I only paid 6 bucks for.

[Guest snuffbox]

I dont see 'Rock and Roll' anywhere. I have to suggest that be on any VU/Lou Reed mix!

[Guest godthedog]

'rock & roll' is a good little song, but it's not really needed. 'sweet jane' sums up that particular spirit from 'loaded' just as well, & it's a better song.