Velvet Underground - Super Deluxe Editions

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by PsychedelicWheelz, Nov 20, 2016.

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  1. PsychedelicWheelz

    PsychedelicWheelz Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Are any of the super deluxe editions of The Velvet Underground catalogue worth picking up if you already own the albums? How is the remastering job on each album, and how are the bonus tracks? Are there various editions available? I've been listening to several VU tracks tonight and I got that bug!
     
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  2. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    I have White Light White Heat and I must say that I was totally underwhelmed. The sound is not that great. Now, that said, the original release was incredibly horrible, so…

    I've been enjoying The Matrix Tapes, and it sounds really good. Even on the Spotify! Sacrilege, I know.
     
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  3. extravaganza

    extravaganza Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA USA
    The super deluxe of the first album is pretty essential I say if you are a fan and you don't have bootlegs with the Factory Rehearsals, alternative versions (some from acetates but some from tape) and some remixes, a really nice early live set that shows the band could do more than just noise jams and if you don't have them already, Nico's first album and the mono version of the debut (along with stereo.) Beautiful packaging! (This goes for all 4 of them.)

    I like the others as well but I am a super fan. I actually ended up liking Loaded Super Deluxe a lot more than I thought I would (having most of the material already it took me a long time to pull the trigger) due to the presentation of outtakes and a nice 5.1 mix.
     
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  4. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    These have been my introduction to the band and I really like them. The live sets as well as the lost album seem essential to me. Alternate mixes are interesting but not really essential. My library has a streaming service called hoopla which allowed me to enjoy these for free. Something like that might be a good entry point before pulling the trigger on such large purchases?
     
  5. TeddyB

    TeddyB Senior Member

    Location:
    Hollywoodland
    For me, all four of them. There are some missteps here and there but the good far outweighs the less good.
     
  6. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    I have the third and Loaded and think they're great. I'll get around to buying the other two if I ever see them at a decent price:cheers:
     
  7. MHP

    MHP Lover of Rock ‘n Roll

    Location:
    DK
    All of them are pretty essential.
    Only minor omissions, which can be obtained pretty easily.
    Go for it.
    My fave is the 3rd album.
     
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  8. Dennis Metz

    Dennis Metz Born In A Motor City south of Detroit

    Location:
    Fonthill, Ontario
    Easy to get, but pricey:cheers:
     
  9. swedgin

    swedgin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth
    2 disc deluxe for WLWH is enough, super deluxe for the rest.
    Complete Matrix tapes also essential.
     
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  10. lennonfan1

    lennonfan1 Senior Member

    Location:
    baltimore maryland
    banana package for sure, WL/WH only if you're really big on that one (I like the 3 shortest songs a lot, can't put up with the others, sorry, Ray only goes so far and it becomes an endurance test) 3rd album has some really nice mellow songs, Loaded I've never grown attached to.
     
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  11. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    They did a good job on the 2CD versions of the first two, giving collectors on a budget all the stuff they really needed. The others forced you to buy the big box (why would you need disc 2 of the third album once The Matrix box came out?). The concert disc on the Loaded box is definitely the lowest fidelity ever released by a major label so beware.
     
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  12. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Yes, this is true.

    The first and third album SDEs are essential imo, lots of great material. WLWH I think it's only the mono mixes you miss out on by buying the 2CD set, and the fourth album I bought the expanded editions years back now and as it's not my favourite period I don't feel the need to get the SDE of that one.
     
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  13. raphph

    raphph Taking a trip on an ocean liner…

    Location:
    London
    The third boxset was a joy from start to finish...
     
  14. IanM007

    IanM007 CDs, please!

    Location:
    Shrewsbury, UK
    Reply #10 is pretty much word for word exactly what I was about to say!
     
  15. guidedbyvoices

    guidedbyvoices Old Dan's Records

    Location:
    Alpine, TX
    I bought the first three when I could find them at decent prices. I previously only had the Peel Slowly box and the Loaded 2cd from rhino in the 90s

    VU&N is the 'must have' of them all. Book is great - good essay and pictures, compiles the album, all the alt mixes including the acetate, the mono is a mix from the 60s, the Chelsea girl album, and a live show that I don't know if it's essential but it complements everything else. It's everything a fan of the album would want in one place

    WLWH was priced almost the same as VU&N which 3cds vs 6 is a bit steep. It eventually dropped in price and I grabbed it. It's my favorite VU album. Personally disc two I never listen to. I think it's all fold downs, and the mono single mixes I don't notice any difference. And the gift split into left only and right only, any dummy who wanted that already did it in audacity long before. The live show is nice to have but not really something I play regularly except 'guess I'm falling in love.' The book has great photos but the essay not as good as VU&N. So that leaves the first disc plus the extra tracks from the era, which I do like having in the dryer original mixes (instead of the more reverby versions on peel slowly). I love the album, glad I found this set reasonably priced, but the criticisms about it being thin on material is pretty spot on

    The 3rd album - the book is nice. This is more in line with the debut. Nice having both original and closet mix in one place. The mono disc is worthless to me, as its fold downs plus mono single mixes that I can't tell what the difference is. Again the bonus tracks from the era are in mostly original 60s mixes that are dryer and my preferred version, all laid out nicely in one spot. And it may be redundant now that the matrix set is out, but this is a great place to get half the matrix stuff in amazing sound. If four discs of the matrix is too much (never!), then this is just right.

    I passed on loaded for now. The 2cd set has almost everything I want from that album. The box again has superfluous mono fold down, Max's which isn't complete, a very rough second fret recording that's an interesting show but almost unlistenable sound. Maybe if the new 5.1 mix is something I was set up for ID get it, but just didn't have enough for me to spring for it.
     
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  16. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Yes:
    1
    3​

    No:
    2
    4​
     
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  17. citizensmurf

    citizensmurf Ambient postpunk will never die

    Location:
    Calgary
    It's a shame they didn't put the "1969 Sessions" on the 2cd version of the 3rd SDE rather than a sampler of the Matrix tracks. Other than that, the 2cd Deluxe Edition of the first 2 albums (and the Rhino "Fully Loaded Edition") are quite sufficient for me. I have the Valleydale boot and I never listen to it, and I've heard the sound quality for that show isn't much of an upgrade.

    I've got the Sundazed Verve box, and the complete Matrix box already, and any of the other misc mono mixes don't appeal to me.
     
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  18. x2zero

    x2zero Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn USA
    The 1969 Sessions on the 3rd album box are essential, makes the VU album obsolete.
     
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  19. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Only if you also have the 2-CD edition of White Light/White Heat. (Which also means you get the whole of Another View as well.)
     
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  20. Blank Frank

    Blank Frank King of Carrot Flowers

    For me the first album was the essential one and has an interesting combination of things as part of it: the mono mixes have become my "go to" version of the album.

    The others less so, depends how much of a Velvets completist you are, or which of the albums work best for you.
     
  21. Hot Burrito #2

    Hot Burrito #2 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    USA
    I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I'm contemplating buying some Velvet Underground music on CD, and I'm wondering how the standard '96 remastered discs sound. The "45th Anniversary" editions are out of print and out of my price range (even used), and being a casual fan, the standard CDs look pretty tempting for only $5 a piece on Amazon.

    The 80's "Velvet Underground & Nico" CD is also pretty cheap on discogs. Is that one better?

    Any help would be appreciated.

    By the way, this is my first ever post on here. Great forum!
     
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  22. rnranimal

    rnranimal Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    Some like the sound of the 80s VU & Nico disc, but I don't care for it. Too soft and laid back for this album. Also, it replaces "All Tomorrow's Parties" with the alternate single voice mix, so it's not even the whole original album. I think the '96 sounds fine. Not as good as the '12, but I find no issues with it. WL/WH and the 3rd album also sound good on the '96s.

    If you are going to buy the '96 discs, I'd consider going for the Peel Slowly and See box. Same masterings were used there (except 3rd album which is the closet mix) and you get Loaded plus a bunch of extras.

    Welcome to the forum!
     
  23. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Bought the deluxe 2 CD for WL/WL and the Super Deluxe for the Banana album. I am a super fan, but the 3rd album and Loaded box were just to light on interesting bonuses to justify the price.
     
  24. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    I'd say 1 & 3 are the ones to go for if you are newbies. There's a lot of great 'new' stuff on those sets for the VU-curious to go hardcore. BUT I have to say, many die-hards like myself who have it all were sorely disappointed with these sets a little. We felt something radically new could have been chucked to appeal those who have been sold all the other stuff a million times over. However, despite my reservations on the lost 1969 material being promoted as 'unreleased', the 2014 & HD 1969 mixes of these familiar tracks were a real surprise. For example, the new mix of 'I Can't Stand It' really brings out Moe's drums to the fore (though why they kept the 87654321 bit is a mystery to me). And the Matrix tracks...wow. I missed out on the dedicated box set (now OOP) so hearing this sampler was a mind-blower.

    BTW, I have heard the 5.1 mix of Loaded and it is simply stunning. After all these years of hearing it on vinyl, CD, mono download and now DVD, the latter is now my go-to. Even the new stereo downmix of the album opens up the feel of the album revealing more layers to it than the original 1970 mix.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2016
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  25. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    I only bought (and am pretty darn happy with) the first two. I'd like to get the last two just to have a matched set, but there's just not enough unique material to make them worth it. Maybe if they'd included all of the Matrix box on the third disc instead of making the fans buy both, it would have been justified, but not the way it is. And if you don't have a 5.1 setup, you're probably just fine with the 'Peel Slowly' box and the Rhino 2CD edition for 'Loaded.'
     
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