Question for Velvet Underground fans

After the three box sets and Fully Loaded, do you still consider Peel Slowly And See essential?

All that's left are basically a number of demos - have any of you listened to them more than once? And a few live tracks that sound better on bootlegs.

I'm leaning towards not needing it anymore.

 

I actually really like the demos in the box.
It's probably no longer essential, but I have no plans of getting rid of it.

 

Same answer

 

I'm keeping mine for the booklet. Way too many on eBay not sold to go there. Used store probably would offer $5.00 for it.

 

If you're going to get rid of it, it would make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone who doesn't own all the new box sets.

 

The Velvet Underground catalog is at its best right now.
I don't like the sound of Peel Slowly and See. Is there anything on it that isn't available anymore? The 1965 folk rock stuff?

 

Tracks still unique to Peel Slowly And See:

Venus In Furs (Demo) 15:33
Prominent Men (Demo) 4:53
Heroin (Demo) 13:34
I'm Waiting For The Man (Demo) 9:50
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (Demo) 15:50
All Tomorrow's Parties (Demo) 18:26
There Is No Reason (Demo) 2:12
Sheltered Life (Demo) 2:52
Its All Right (The Way That You Live) (Demo) 2:48
I'm Not Too Sorry (Now That You're Gone) (Demo) 2:17
Here She Comes Now (Demo) 2:46
What Goes On (Live) 5:34
It's Just Too Much (Live) 2:59
Countess From Hong Kong (Demo) 3:17
Satellite Of Love (Alternate Demo) 2:58

 

Of that list I feel only what goes on live is truly essential. The rest I almost never listen to

 

Yes, it's essential still, and it's cheap. Nice notes by Fricke also with many comments from Sterling especially. I like the sound of it. Also, I really like the smell of the booklet.

 

What is the source of What Goes On (Live)? Is the full show out there?

 

Aw, no love for "Sheltered Life" and "It's All Right"? Those are great songs.

 

Absolutely! And There Is No Reason and I'm Not Too Sorry. If those had been recorded for WL/WH it would have been a very different (perhaps superior) album.

 

It's easy to forget what a goldmine boxset that was.

When I first got into VU, it was conveniently there waiting for me.
I think it was about $40/used around 2002.

Still an excellent intro to VU, and a model for good boxset collections.

 

The live version of "What Goes On" is my favorite. I've long had it on this release:

http://www.discogs.com/VU-Live-68/release/906198

Recorded on October 2, 1968 at La Cave, Cleveland, Ohio.

 

This take is superior, IMO, to the one they used a few years later for Fully Loaded. A shame it wasn't also included there.

I guess I have most of PSAS elsewhere now (as the original post notes), but this is still the most essential box set I have -- it just does an incredible and thorough job of capturing the band's entire arc (minus the live side, of course). Amazing book, sound disc packaging (how many hours did I spent studying those tape box reproductions?), etc.

For me, discs 4 and 5 were the most essential (and heavily played) of this set. Even today, when I'm in the mood for Loaded, I'm still more likely to pull out disc 5 of PSAS (with its choice selection of bonus material) instead of Fully Loaded.

 

it's historically if not aurally important at this juncture in time.....i have no plans on getting rid of mine and have the last two of super deluxe sets.....have not yet and may not pull the trigger on the velvet underground and nico......

 

It is package nicely, each of the albums fit onto one disc with a nice selection of additional songs to round out the seventy minutes available . This means listen to a particular album doesn't have to be a choice between six discs, which is covenant and the additional songs packaged along with the original album are all great. I will say the first disc might be a throw away, or at least for me, I never listened to it again after the first listen and that was a difficult listen. As funds become available I will be purchasing all the newly remastered and expanded albums and already purchased the first one. You should seek out "Bootleg Series Vol 1: The Quine Tapes ", great live concerts from when the VU were in San Francisco (2 shows) & I believe one show from St. Louis. Quality isn't great, but good enough for what you are treated to. If you are a fan then this is essential.

 

I love highly personal subjective stuff like that!

Two words:

Peelable Banana

 

Haha, the banana is great! Mine is in a sorry state after 15 years, but that's due to mishandling .