{"id":2581,"date":"2019-03-21T16:16:03","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T16:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2581"},"modified":"2019-03-21T16:16:03","modified_gmt":"2019-03-21T16:16:03","slug":"im-sticking-with-vu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/?p=2581","title":{"rendered":"I&#8217;m Sticking With (V)U"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>CAMILLA AISA returns with another playlist based on our cover stars. This month: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u201cAnything that you might do I&#8217;m gonna do too\u201d: friends, devotees and electric explorers honour the Velvet Underground.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: I&amp;apos;m Sticking with (V)U\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/7a3EHvn7fTLDAtJlQbH468?si=WQOfka10TKmueTaH79Eefw&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/03fSHBE7xaK8zhAa1PSmBA20L1E=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1638034-1289572534.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"294\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Modern Lovers <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Foggy Notion&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\n<span class=\"\">\u201cWe\u2019d like to do this as a tribute to the Velvet Underground\u201d says Jonathan Richman, anticipating this playlist\u2019s own intention. It\u2019s a Modern Lovers live recording from 1973, when the band played the Long Branch Saloon in Berkeley, California, and Velvet Underground were still far from being the cult heroes virtually every cool living soul now professes to love. In fact, Richman notes that \u2018Foggy Notion\u2019 was still unreleased at the time \u2013 \u201cYou\u2019ve never heard this one before,\u201d<\/span><span class=\"\">\u00a0he warns the audience. As for the cover, first released in \u201992 on the\u00a0<i class=\"\">Live At The Long Branch\u00a0<\/i>album, it\u2019s proto-punk at its best. \u201cThe Modern Lovers of the early 70s were never what one would call a smooth well-oiled machine, but for much of this show we hovered truly close to the edge of disaster\u201d, bassist Ernie Brooks notes in the liner notes. Sounds like the very best kind of show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/m9I2KX3oQy-vzAym7_brEKoYDQk=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-414729-1471029521-4434.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>R.E.M.\u00a0<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;There She Goes Again&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nLove professed from day one: R.E.M.\u2019s rework of \u2018There She Goes Again\u2019 is featured on\u00a0<i class=\"\">Dead Letter Office<\/i>, the collection of rarities and B-sides the band released in 1987, but first appeared on the 1983\u00a0<i class=\"\">Radio Free Europe\u00a0<\/i>single (re-recorded two years after the I.R.S. original). Buck picks up his acoustic, and the band is ready to give their foggy decadent heroes a little sunshine. And so this\u00a0<i class=\"\">The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico\u00a0<\/i>classic \u2013 jangly at heart since the \u201960s \u2013 gets the freewheeling power pop treatment, with its dark lyrical connotation still creeping underneath.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/g4Mjmk4R7oRMzjJXaqu5CbIOcdY=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1075277-1190224620.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"299\" \/><\/div>\n<p><b class=\"\"><\/b><span class=\"\"><b class=\"\">Joy Division <\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Sister Ray&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nOh, East is East, and West is West\u2026 and the twain Factories shall eventually meet! Recorded at The Moonlight Club in London, in April of 1980, this is Joy Division\u2019s take on a Velvet Underground favourite \u2013 Reed\u2019s ode to decadence. They\u2019re at their most muscular and cathartic. \u201dYou should hear our version of &#8216;Louie, Louie\u2019!\u201d, Ian Curtis teases at the end. As Bernard Sumner recalls in his autobiography, \u201cWe each had different enough musical tastes to bring a range of ideas and influences into the studio.\u201d But there was a handful of artists they all shared a liking for; high on that list \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 the Velvets and Lou Reed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/PENcEBrq6wIZIOHMylbhY0l7Y-g=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1072667-1190045526.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"264\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b class=\"\"><\/b><span class=\"\"><b class=\"\">David Bowie <\/b><\/span><br \/>\n&#8216;White Light\/ White Heat&#8217;<br \/>\nDavid Bowie liked to describe himself as the first man who ever covered the Velvets. His manager in the second half of the \u201960s, Kenneth Pitt, had also been a publicist and a PR, and knew Andy Warhol and the Factory. One day in 1967 he came back from New York with a coverless test pressing of\u00a0<i class=\"\">The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico \u2013<\/i>\u00a0a gift from Warhol himself that he thought ideal for his new client. It was weird stuff, after all \u2013 \u201cSee what you think of this,\u201d he told Bowie. \u201cWhat I\u00a0<i class=\"\">thought of this\u00a0<\/i>was that here was the best band in the world,\u201d the former Davie Jones recalled decades later. \u201cIn December of that year, my band Buzz broke up, but not without my demanding we play \u2018I\u2019m Waiting For The Man\u2019 as one of the encore songs at our last gig. Amusingly, not only was I to cover a Velvet\u2019s song before anyone else in the world, I actually did it before the album came out. Now that\u2019s the essence of mod.\u201d That wouldn\u2019t be his sole Velvets cover. There&#8217;s the unreleased demo cut with The Riot Squad &#8216;Waiting For My Man&#8217; cut in 1967 and a live rendition of \u2018White Light\/ White Heat\u2019 can be found on the \u201982 soundtrack to\u00a0<i class=\"\">Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars<\/i>, while this version dates further back: it was recorded in May \u201972 at Maida Vale Studio 4, London, with John Peel.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/u_t9-BRyWNiDku_jlhvmzBHgevc=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1235775-1445021822-1198.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b class=\"\"><\/b><span class=\"\"><b class=\"\">Roky Erickson <\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Heroin&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\n1981, LA. Backstage at The Whisky-A-Go-Go, Roky Erickson is about to go on stage. He\u2019s still in the dressing room when he comes up with an idea: \u201cWe\u2019re gonna do \u2018Heroin\u2019 tonight, okay?\u201d<span class=\"\"> His bandmates are somewhat startled at the request, but he doesn\u2019t worry \u2013 he just tells them to play it in G. And so one of Lou Reed\u2019s most iconic compositions finds an unexpected fit, later included in Erickson\u2019s \u201986 collection of oddities\u00a0<i class=\"\">Gremlins Have Pictures<\/i>. \u2019Heroin\u2019 masterfully summarises all the problems some of us lovers of LSD rock have with The Velvet Underground (well, I often have them, at least). But here\u2019s one of our most beloved (anti)heroes interceding for a definite truce.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/e_sa-yd4a9Sj27vcJiOBgviLakI=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)\/discogs-images\/R-1020359-1289212998.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thin White Rope <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Here She Comes Now&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen asked about his band\u2019s influences in a recent interview, Thin White Rope frontman Guy Kyser listed a few individual preferences and then added: \u201cOf course, we had that Velvet Underground trying to sneak in there.\u201d Yes, the Velvets are the one influence no self-respecting cool band \u2013 from the mid-80s onwards \u2013 will forget to mention when the unavoidable question arrives. This recording of \u2018Here She Comes Now\u2019 \u2013 giddy jangle on the edge of explosion \u2013 was included in the 1995 compilation\u00a0<i class=\"\">Spoor<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-2583\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3224987-1529774349-7924.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3224987-1529774349-7924.jpg 250w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3224987-1529774349-7924-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3224987-1529774349-7924-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3224987-1529774349-7924-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3224987-1529774349-7924-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Runaways <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Rock And Roll&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nTake a look at the inner sleeve of The Runaways\u2019 debut LP and you\u2019ll find resolute words: &#8220;This album is for the young of age and the young at heart.&#8221; Side One closes with a rousing cover of \u2018Rock And Roll\u2019, a\u00a0<i class=\"\">Loaded\u00a0<\/i>gem that Lou Reed had written with his own young age in mind. As he later explained, \u201cIf I hadn&#8217;t heard rock \u2019n&#8217; roll on the radio, I would have had no idea there was life on this planet. Which would have been devastating \u2013 to think that everything, everywhere was like it was where I come from. That would have been profoundly discouraging. Movies didn&#8217;t do it for me. TV didn&#8217;t do it for me. It was the radio that did it.\u201d For many generations of artists \u2013 or even simply passionate air guitarists \u2013 to come, it would be the radio again, or a record store\u2019s remote nook: The Runaways, and Lou, and the Velvets.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2584 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-431654-1397333749-4592.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-431654-1397333749-4592.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-431654-1397333749-4592-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-431654-1397333749-4592-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-431654-1397333749-4592-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-431654-1397333749-4592-96x96.jpg 96w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nick Cave &amp; the Bad Seeds <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;All Tomorrow\u2019s Parties&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nYes, the Factory and the provocative glamour of pop. But what really makes The Velvet Underground a timeless charmer is its dark cool: autumnal recitations, bohemian detachment, late night mavericks electrifying the sound of sleazy New York corners. Dark will never be out of fashion, and the \u201980s found their own dark champions. It\u2019s no surprise, then, that a Nick Cave &amp; The Bad Seeds collection of covers \u2013 third LP\u00a0<i class=\"\">Kicking Against The Pricks<\/i>, released in \u201986 \u2013\u00a0would pay homage to the Velvets. They chose \u2018All Tomorrow\u2019s Parties\u2019, the most hypnotic track from<i class=\"\">The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico<\/i>. In their hands, it has become a martial chant, a sonic ritual made possible by a higher collective power.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/FMNyZgHLa46ZQ5vhwIiDJHj5jKE=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1540958-1227106615.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b class=\"\"><\/b><span class=\"\"><b class=\"\">Belle &amp; Sebastian <\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;I\u2019m Waiting For The Man&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nLike R.E.M., Belle &amp; Sebastian, too, have professed their love since day one. The outcast heroine of \u2018Expectations\u2019 surely has a few things in common with Stuart Murdoch: \u201cYour obsessions get you known throughout the school for being strange, making life-size models of The Velvet Underground in clay\u201d, he sings on debut\u00a0<i class=\"\">Tigermilk<\/i>\u2019s second track. Some five years later, during the recording of a Belfast live show, Belle &amp; Sebastian decide to pay homage to their lifelong heroes. As they know, homages work better when you\u2019re having a blast \u2013 and that\u2019s exactly what their rendition of \u2018I\u2019m Waiting For The Man\u2019 is all about. They furiously strum, sounding more vigorous and ardent than ever before: inspiration turned possession in the name of rock and roll, and a lot of fun both on and off stage.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2585 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-3125247-1354816889-4395.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cowboy Junkies <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Sweet Jane&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nNot only did the Cowboy Junkies rework of \u2018Sweet Jane&#8217; get Lou Reed\u2019s approval, but apparently it became Lou\u2019s all-time favourite version of his own song. It is, after all, one of those rare, delicious cases of covers surpassing their eminent original. The song had a rather troubled story: re-recorded and changed through the years, it had its bridge \u2013 reason of strong disagreement for the Velvets \u2013 cut out of the studio version. It was during those recording sessions that Lou Reed had left the band. Years later, he invited the Cowboy Junkies to one of his shows \u2013 he performed \u2018Sweet Jane\u2019, but when he got to that infamous section of the song he had something to add: \u201cThis is for the Cowboy Junkies who put the bridge back in this song.\u201d \u201cIt doesn&#8217;t get a whole lot better than that,\u201d guitarist Michael Timmins later commented.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2586 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-1389442-1542861365-6415.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yo La Tengo <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Oh! Sweet Nuthin\u2019&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nPlay by request, for a good cause. Yo La Tengo has supported the independent community radio channel WFMU with an interesting fundraising formula: every year they would visit the radio station and have listeners make a pledge and request a song. They then collected some of their best improvised covers on the brilliantly titled 2006 album\u00a0<i class=\"\">Yo La Tengo Is Murdering The Classics<\/i>. Could such a record lack a Velvet-by-request performance? Of course not. In 1999 they were asked to make a new addition to their considerable selection of covers (of which The Velvet Underground catalogue is a frequent source), and played &#8216;Oh! Sweet Nuthin\u2019&#8217;. They ended up spontaneously trading the narcotic length of the original for a soothing familiar inkling \u2013 as if they were suggesting it\u2019s all in our DNA by now. You just have to sing along.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/haKOWeD-ojhfidT8U50aV5DPm18=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1673291-1485801110-2037.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kathryn Williams<\/strong><br \/>\n<b class=\"\">&#8216;Candy Says&#8217;<\/b><br \/>\nEnglish singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams explored covers territory in 2004 with fourth album\u00a0<i class=\"\">Relations<\/i>, for which she picked some all-time favourites: Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and, you guessed it, Velvet Underground. Intimate, gentle folk homages: the kind of treatment that, you come to realise, Velvet Underground songs never get. Of course, \u2018Candy Says\u2019 ends up losing the complexity of its original intention \u2013 Lou Reed\u2019s questioning of universal feelings through Candy, sister of Stephanie and Caroline. Even so, this cozy interpretation does work, exposing a melodic beauty that even fans tend to overlook.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/h9oU2w3UHPmWVURFPd1mIiwQ8rc=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1637207-1233718051.jpeg.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"266\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"\"><strong>The Welcome Wagon <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Jesus&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\n\u2018Pale Blue Eyes\u2019 and \u2018Jesus\u2019, a puzzling pairing for the ever cool Velvets. They close Side One of the band\u2019s self-titled 1969 LP and leave the listeners wondering. A love ballad made of sweet vulnerability and\u2026a hymn? Maybe there\u2019s a caustic point to all this, you keep thinking. Or maybe not, Reverend Vito and wife Monique suggest. They lead The Welcome Wagon, whose debut LP\u00a0<i class=\"\">Welcome To The Welcome Wagon\u00a0<\/i>offers a literal interpretation of Lou Reed\u2019s \u2018Jesus\u2019. And so the song finds its second, unexpected life: modern gospel adapted for indie folk. Produced by Sufjan Stevens \u2013 an unmistakable presence throughout. It could be the soundtrack to a revelatory scene in a Wes Anderson flick.<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2587 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416-24x24.jpg 24w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416-48x48.jpg 48w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/R-599420-1462073485-8416.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Luna <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Ride Into the Sun&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nSometimes fan fantasies do come true. There\u2019s no denying the crucial influence The Velvet Underground had on Luna \u2013 the band even included a dreamy rendition of \u2018Ride Into The Sun\u2019 on the\u00a0<i class=\"\">Slide\u00a0<\/i>EP, released less than a year after debut LP\u00a0<i class=\"\">Lunapark<\/i>. But the liking turned out to be mutual. Dean Wareham\u2019s group was immediately asked to open for the reunited Velvets in 1993, and after that Sterling Morrison appeared as special guest star on Luna\u2019s acclaimed second album,\u00a0<i class=\"\">Betwitched<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/uAd0Iq-pByN4GFTbfLmw8htFdSE=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-442522-1461384542-9680.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"293\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cat Power <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;I Found A Reason&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nThere\u2019s plenty of cover albums out there, but they\u2019re rarely as intensely bewitching as Cat Power\u2019s 2000 release, simply titled\u00a0<i class=\"\">The Covers Record<\/i>. \u2018I Found A Reason\u2019, its centrepiece, has often been described as one the Velvets\u2019 most accessible compositions. It\u2019s a love song, it\u2019s a pop love song, and it\u2019s unusually\u00a0<i class=\"\">easy<\/i>. But Chan Marshall manages to retrieve the inner velvet-y spirit of the tune: she treats \u2018I Found A Reason\u2019 like a brooding confession, unclosing an unexpected grace in the middle of the song \u2013 so naked it\u2019s almost brutal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/AlqNlq2MwpaCRPykeuOYqEKprxM=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-1895988-1535195777-4617.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Big Star <\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>&#8216;Femme Fatale&#8217;<\/strong><br \/>\nEven though Big Star never reached the level of mainstream &#8220;posthumous&#8221; recognition The Velvet Underground have been granted in recent decades \u2013 well, they haven\u2019t got it\u00a0<i class=\"\">yet<\/i>, music lovers\u2019 hope dies hard! \u2013 it could be argued that nobody could understand The Velvet Underground as well as Big Star. Or that nobody could sing a 1967 Lou Reed composition as well as\u00a0<i class=\"\">Third<\/i>-era Alex Chilton. So much so that every time you listen to\u00a0<i class=\"\">Third <\/i>you probably end up forgetting that \u2018Femme Fatale\u2019 is a cover, and that Nico\u2019s commanding voice used to be where Alex Chilton\u2019s bleeding contemplation now is. And if you need one more entry for your endless \u201cReasons why Big Star were ahead of their time\u201d list, here it is: it was \u201974 and Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens were in the studio in Memphis, already covering The Velvet Underground.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/img.discogs.com\/aanyAzHpi3KeoADJLiLqSUINM28=\/fit-in\/300x300\/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)\/discogs-images\/R-8459717-1462045233-8031.jpeg.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b class=\"\"><\/b><span class=\"\"><b class=\"\">Brian Eno <\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"\"><b class=\"\">&#8216;I\u2019m Set Free&#8217;<\/b><\/span><br \/>\nThe last track on a playlist \u2013 it\u2019s always a crucial decision.\u00a0<i class=\"\"><\/i>This time around, the choice has been motivated by two reasons: first, this rendition of \u2018I\u2019m Set Free\u2019 was conceived as a deeply moving, ethereal ending for Brian Eno\u2019s 2016 album<i class=\"\">The Ship<\/i>. Like that record\u2019s sleeve, it invokes transcendental images: a jump into mysterious eternity, an evocative trip of the soul. And second, it feels right to let Eno, a Velvets\u2019 kindred spirit and a frequent John Cale collaborator, have the last word. He simply said it best: \u201cThe first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.\u201d<\/p>\n<span class=\"synved-social-container synved-social-container-share\"><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2581&#038;t=I%E2%80%99m%20Sticking%20With%20%28V%29U&#038;s=100&#038;p&#091;url&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2581&#038;p&#091;images&#093;&#091;0&#093;=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F03%2FR-3224987-1529774349-7924.jpg&#038;p&#091;title&#093;=I%E2%80%99m%20Sticking%20With%20%28V%29U\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/facebook.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2581&#038;text=New%20post%20on%20our%20site\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/twitter.png\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-24 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-mail nolightbox\" data-provider=\"mail\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share by email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=I%E2%80%99m%20Sticking%20With%20%28V%29U&#038;body=New%20post%20on%20our%20site:%20https%3A%2F%2Fshindig-magazine.com%2Findex.php%3Frest_route%3D%252Fwp%252Fv2%252Fposts%252F2581\" style=\"font-size: 0px;width:24px;height:24px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mail\" title=\"Share by email\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" style=\"display: inline;width:24px;height:24px;margin: 0;padding: 0;border: none;box-shadow: none\" src=\"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/48x48\/mail.png\" \/><\/a><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CAMILLA AISA returns with another playlist based on our cover stars. This month: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND \u201cAnything that you might do I&#8217;m gonna do too\u201d: friends, devotees and electric explorers honour the Velvet Underground.&#8221; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Modern Lovers &#8216;Foggy Notion&#8217; \u201cWe\u2019d like to do this as a tribute [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,7],"tags":[366],"class_list":["post-2581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-music-videos","tag-the-velvet-underground"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2581"}],"version-history":[{"count":-2,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shindig-magazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}