The Velvet Underground: The Matrix Tapes 4CD Box Set

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DeeThomaz, Sep 4, 2015.

  1. Edgard Varese

    Edgard Varese Royale with Cheese

    Location:
    Te Wai Pounamu
    If you are at all obsessive about the Velvet Underground, then yes. Casual fan/listener, possibly not.
     
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  2. HarrySmith

    HarrySmith Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, England
    Got my box after a nervous week of waiting. Had a word with Amazon about the price drop and got a nice partial refund too. Just listened to set 1. I have died and gone to heaven...
     
  3. Marble Index

    Marble Index Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norway
  4. C6H12O6

    C6H12O6 Senior Member

    Location:
    My lab
    I would agree with this. The audience recordings are rough - they still sound "great" musically when you crank it, and if you're the type of fan who really loves the bootleg recording of their La Cave show from 1968 (for my money, the best show of the Yule era group ever captured on tape), then yes, definitely get the Quine set. But if you're the type of fan who rarely, if ever, listens to audience recordings, I'd stick with the new Matrix set instead.
     
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  5. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    I take it that this is out in Europe & the U.S.? Well, it hasn't yet made its way Down Under...yet. Hmm.
     
  6. Edgard Varese

    Edgard Varese Royale with Cheese

    Location:
    Te Wai Pounamu
    Mine is being shipped from the US. I couldn't wait any longer and got a "preview". :shh:
     
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  7. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    27th here as well (Germany), which it is for two hours now.
     
  8. wolfram

    wolfram Slave to the rhythm

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Wow, the lossless download from qobuz is only €25.99. I guess that's the way to go for me.
     
  9. Jerryb

    Jerryb Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    So is the loud pop I hear on disc one Pale Blue Eyes part of the recording or a glitch?
     
  10. GreenFuz

    GreenFuz Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I'm loving this Matrix set, but there's nothing here like that first note of Lou Reed's solo in "What Goes On" from the Cleveland show. And "I Can't Stand It" and "Foggy Notion" are ferocious rackets unlike anything here too.

    It would make sense that the Bootleg Series version of Live '68 be held back for a marketing climax.
    Are all of those songs on the recent Keyhole album?
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2015
  11. asdf35

    asdf35 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin TX
    Thanks, I thought I was just crazy! That rhythm guitar is such an insane hook on the Live 1969 mix.
    Here, it's all balanced out, quite a difference. Not good for "What Goes On."

    Makes me wonder how different this could all be with a different mix, but I won't go there.
     
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  12. Edgard Varese

    Edgard Varese Royale with Cheese

    Location:
    Te Wai Pounamu
    On the recording I think.
     
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  13. bobbydriver

    bobbydriver Forum Resident

    Yes - in fact there are loads of pops over the whole 4 disc set. Some of which appear in identical places on the Live 1969 original mixes of the songs, so you have to assume that they are on the source.

    That said, they are very simple to remove without affecting the listening experience, so I have no idea why they didn't de-click some of this stuff.

    In regard to the discussion about the Waiting/Venus intros that have been edited out from the Matrix Sampler versions, I notice on the sampler that after both intros there is an audible click before the song starts - which adds credence to the theory that the songs were punched in from different versions.

    The same in the middle of Lisa Says - where the edit always seemed clunky and obvious on 1969 - here there is an audible click just prior to the song changing to "why am i so shy" bridge
     
  14. Folks still looking to pull the trigger on a physical copy might like to know that Amazon.ca is currently selling it for C$46, which even factoring in shipping is better than most other prices I'm seeing bandied about. Take advantage of our current weak dollar. :)
     
  15. dalsh327

    dalsh327 Forum Resident

    There's always hope that the 1968 San Diego show will turn up.
     
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  16. HarrySmith

    HarrySmith Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, England
    Perhaps he compiled his favourite tracks by physically cutting and splicing the tape (it's possible with 2" quad videotape, btw). No generation loss that way, plus you can compile your outtake tape into a reel to be re-used. That might explain something like the pop in Pale Blue Eyes - the song being recorded across a splice.

    On the one hand I'm rather dubious that all of these tracks come from 26th and 27th, on the other the box does seem quite adamant in it's presentation that they know what they're talking about.
     
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  17. bobbydriver

    bobbydriver Forum Resident

    has it been mentioned that Thursday November 27th 1969 was also Thanksgiving Day?

    Not being American, I have no idea whether gigs on that day are common, but in the UK we don't tend to have gigs on Christmas Day as 1) no one would turn up and 2) all the venues, public transport etc would be closed
     
  18. parkgrover

    parkgrover Forum Resident

    I relented and ordered this yesterday - £29 from Amazon UK (down from £45 I think), will save it as a Xmas present to myself! I have the 2 disk VU 3rd reissue album - the sound quality of those Matrix tracks on disk 2 is fabulous, couldn't resist getting more of that!
     
  19. richard a

    richard a Forum Resident

    Location:
    borley, essex, uk
    Is this what Lou is referring to as a 'serious' day in one of his intros?
     
  20. ad180

    ad180 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
  21. richard a

    richard a Forum Resident

    Location:
    borley, essex, uk
  22. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
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  23. bobbydriver

    bobbydriver Forum Resident

    Yeah that's where I looked for some more info. Crazy!

    Although even that says "Announcement: in San Francisco Chronicle, Monday November 24, 1969: "At the Matrix, tonight through Wednesday : Velvet Underground, Mendlebaum.".

    Which would suggest that they didn't play on Thursday Nov 27th (Thanksgiving) - otherwise surely the ad would have said "through thursday"
     
  24. bmoregnr

    bmoregnr Forum Rezident

    Location:
    1060 W. Addison
    I have not heard any reports yet on the mastering of Loaded Super Deluxe vs PSAS, but I am going to try and tackle that question this weekend as I am a bit concerned this might be a bit loud, PSAS was my go to for all of those cuts; if PSAS wins out this might be the first Super Deluxe edition that I feel burned about; I am just diving into the Matrix box now and count me as super happy with the sq on this... finally some live VU where, if you are picky about live recordings, you are not struggling to enjoy them.
     
  25. richard a

    richard a Forum Resident

    Location:
    borley, essex, uk
    Jeez, these dates are a right muddle aren't they?
    You'd think that as the Quine tapes are drawn from so many different shows that the dates he'd logged would be the correct ones, but that December 3rd date is pretty much unverified in all sources except for Quine, which then casts doubt over the reliability of his other dates...

    What irritates me however is that fact that the Matrix box set claims that all recordings are from 26 & 27 November, yet the advert on the cover is dated 13 - 15 November. I appreciate that perhaps a ticket / poster for 26/27 couldn't be found, but I'd have been happy with a swift bit of photoshop tweaking in this case. It just looks weird to me to have the box cover stating two differing dates.
     
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