I'd always assumed that because of friction between the bands no recordings were made. I didn't realise there was any chance. It would be great.
Owsley was pretty obstinate; I doubt Lou's attitude towards the Dead would've stopped him. The major negative, though, is we've never heard a peep to substantiate tapes existing and you'd think after all these years someone would be talking. But still definitely possible. I'd encourage people to badger his estate until we get an answer: Owsley Stanley Foundation
I could see Bear taping them hating them, and reusing the tapes. I could of course also see him taping and keeping the tales, but I’d also be surprised that he wouldn’t in an interview or elsewhere say he taped them knowing it would blow some minds. Maybe he figured he’d get hassled to bits if he said he did tape them. All wild speculation of course.
FWIW, you can still get it as a lossless download from places like qobuz or 7digital for a little over €30. It's absolutely worth it and you can burn your own CDs if you have to.
If there are no real proper records then I can believe that there might be tapes. But if there are records I really cannot believe that their value and existence wouldn't be known by now. But the whole swapping who headlined and playing on and on to piss off the other band (at least from the VU side) doesn't lead me to think a) they were recorded or b) it might be all that even if they did. The Twelve Strangest Velvet Underground Concerts Ever Given - Richie Unterberger "10. The Kinetic Playground, Chicago, April 25-27, 1969: For the second and last time, the Velvet Underground shared a bill, unbelievably, with their ultimate antithesis in attitude, the Grateful Dead. According to Doug Yule's recollection in the fall/winter 1994 edition of the fanzine The Velvet Underground, "That show the Dead opened for us, we opened for them the next night so that no one could say they were the openers. As you know, the Grateful Dead play very long sets and they were supposed to only play for an hour. We were up in the dressing room and they're playing for an hour and a half and, hour and 45 minutes. So the next day when we were opening for them, Lou says, 'Huh, watch this.' And we proceeded to play a very long set. We did 'Sister Ray' for like an hour and then a whole other show." But for all the differences between the Velvets and the Dead, they do share one thing in common: sheer volume. "There was a guy standing over by the sound mixing board, and somebody said, 'that's [Grateful Dead soundman] Owsley,'" remembers Milwaukee radio DJ Bob Reitman. "I walked over to him and said, 'Are you Owsley?' He turned to me to answer, and the whole sound system just—and it probably was him—it's like somebody turned the whole thing up so loud that we couldn't hear each other. We just looked at each other and shrugged."
Thanks for the link! I just snagged a copy of the second pressing for $15 from it, which seems like a great price. I already had the audio, but this is a cool little collectable and I'm very glad to finally have a physical copy of it.
That version of Pale Blue Eyes from Dallas is to die for. Not sure the source tape is different to the bootleg however.
Managed to purchase this set for 15 pounds missing the box and the notes, just CDs and paper sleeves. It's the music that counts after all !
Possibly same tape source but better transfer/sound on the EP. The bootleg has the track start out at a very low volume and gets louder by the end. Live 1969 evened it out, but I can't remember if the EP fixed the volume issue or not.
listened to the whole set over the week end . disc three : Heroin/Ocean/ Sister Ray 37 mns version : what an experience !!
I never opened my CDs, just listened on Amazon streaming. I'm kinda curious as to what they're worth now... At the time I bought them, quite some time after they came out, they were still very cheap. Amazing album. Now I'd like to see the release of the Joseph Freeman tapes.
One of my favorite live releases. Amazing stuff. I only wish it would remain widely available to the public, because physical copies are (as already been mentioned) not cheap. Well, I guess as long as it's streaming on Spotify everything's ok.
Yeah, it's such a fabulous set, I was thinking that I might just grab another copy for my alternate address. But, uh, it's just not that many hundred dollars important to me, considering that I have a physical copy already and a rip I take with me. And yet... it's very nice indeed... I sort of wish I could have another copy. Just not at that price (by far). I wonder whether anything is still cooking in Velvetland. Somehow I was expecting a nice big End of Cole set. Did I miss that?
I really am blown away by this recording..listening to the vinyl set. I mean holy **** Lou’s loose and relatively chatty relaxed demeanor, the absolute power of the two guitarists separated in each speaker (that scratchy amphetamine attack that Gang of Four, talking heads, bunnymen etc. emulated is in full force; the bass playing is bouncy melodic ala paul Mac) I just am in awe each listen and find something new each time…damn what a band! This is such a go to especially to refresh the songs you know so we’ll from studio versions. The lyrics are a rewarding rabbit hole alone.Anyway back to a random Lp from the set. None of which disappoints.
The Complete Matrix Tapes Live album by The Velvet Underground Released November 20, 2015 Recorded November 26–27, 1969 Just in the mood for this almost 5 hour box set.
