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The Velvet Underground Reunites for New York Public Library Chat
It’s been a long time since proto-punk legends The Velvet Underground started stretching the confines of rock ‘n’ roll in the late ‘60s, and while the band itself doesn’t have plans to reunite for a performance any time soon, they are doing the next best thing. Former frontman Lou Reed, bassist Doug Yule and drummer Maureen Tucker will make an appearance at the New York Public Library on Dec. 8 to chat with rock journalist David Fricke about the band’s legacy and impact on rock music’s evolution.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsBeck Revamps Website, Launches Record Club
Beck Hansen boasts a lengthy catalog of personal experimentation. These days, though, he's more focused on revisiting the work of others, and at rapid-fire speed. As part of an overhaul of his website, Beck has launched Record Club, a project for which he and fellow musicians will complete entire cover albums in a day's time, posting single songs once a week on the site. The first fruit of their labor is already up on Beck.com.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsAlbum Stream: Away We Go Soundtrack
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about new film Away We Go. It features the writing of the genius behind McSweeney's, Dave Eggers, it's directed by celebrated filmmaker Sam Mendes, and stars SNL's Maya Rudolph and The Office heart-throb John Krasinski (with a cuddly beard!) Oh, and the music is good too! Click above to listen to the soundtrack, featuring music from Alexi Murdoch, George Harrison, The Stranglers, Bob Dylan and The Velvet Undeground.As to whether Away We Go is actually any good, check out Paste's review of the film.... read more
Found in: Featured AudioLou Reed: Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse
A live opus, twenty-five years in the makingThe 1970s saw the heyday of the rock opera, with musical opuses by Genesis, Queen and Meat Loaf all vying to out-bombast The Who’s seminal Tommy and Quadrophenia and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. Lou Reed's contribution to the genre came in 1973 with Berlin, his psychodrama about a drug-addicted couple that mixed the titular German capital’s art-born-of-political-strife with an LES aesthetic—and nearly relegated Reed's post-Velvet Underground solo career to one-hit-wonder status.... read more
Found in: Culture, Reviews, Local:NYCRare Velvet Underground bootlegs sold despite questions
A rare bootleg recording of a 1967 Velvet Underground performance at New York City’s Gymnasium has resurfaced after 40 years, and the owner is selling a limited number of copies online. A seller on eBay listed 100 green vinyl copies of the album for sale last week (the online bidding has since ended.) According to LicoricePizza.com, the album contains a number of gems including a 19-minute version of “Sister Ray” and the previously unreleased “I’m Not A Young Man Anymore.” The album is also said to be the last recording from John Cale’s time in the band. The Gymnasium bootleg... read more
Found in: Music, NewsPlayback: The Velvet Underground
Given that the words “mystique” and “myth” sit next to each other in the dictionary, indulge me the fantasy of envisioning the good folks at Webster’s deciding to illustrate both words... read more
Found in: Music, Features
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