Listen to a Velvet Underground song that features none of the original members of the band

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2021/01/19/listen-to-a-velvet-underground-song-that-features-none-of-the-original-members-of-the-band.html

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It should be VELVEETA UNDERGROUND.

[? I’m not allowed to post except in complete sentences?? Non-CAPS part added to placate a robot.]

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I’ve heard that Yule didn’t even want it to be called the Velvet Underground, but his manager pushed for the name. If I’m not mistaken he also had to put together a group to satisfy some previously booked V.U. gigs, which were later documented on bootleggish cds from Japan. Those records are “not bad” if you can just not think of them as the Velvet Underground, but some random underground rock band; they’re not too far removed sonically from lots of later indie rock groups (the fact that record collectors can rave about a V.U. soundalike band like Hackamore Brick, but dismiss Yule-era V.U. recordings is silly.)

Yule also had a group called “American Flyer” after this, kind of m.o.r. country rock.

[Edit: I would add that I’ve always liked Doug Yule’s voice-- “Candy Says”, “Oh Sweet Nuthin”, “Who Loves The Sun”-- he has a nice ‘wounded’ sound that prefigures a lot of 90’s and later bands.]

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I don’t think it’s bad at all, sort of a slight modernizing of the VU sound , at least from this track. But yeah I suppose if I am Doug Yule and not Lou Reed and I’m putting out an album called the velvet underground, I guess I might feel a little silly about it :laughing:

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I’m sort of fond of this album frankly. But I’m more fond of the Darren Hayman song “Doug Yule’s Velvet Underground” whose lyrics play out like a classified ad seeking bandmates.

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Big VU fan here, but apparently not a VU expert. I never knew about this. Very interesting.

Recently covered buy the inestimable LUNA

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honestly, i like it. if Lou was singing, it would certainly sound like late VU songs. it definitely is a connecting point between the Velvets proper and contemporary indie bands.

It’s not as bad as its reputation suggests but because it’s credited to the Velvet Underground people (understandably) have trashed it mostly unheard. If it was credited to Yule as a solo album there would be no animosity. I wish it could be re-released as a Doug Yule with the VU version being deleted for all eternity.

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