VU (album)


VU is an album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in February 1985 by Verve Records and consisting of material recorded in 1968 and 1969.
Sources disagree on whether VU should be classified as a compilation album, archival collection of outtakes, or a long-delayed studio album, though others avoid categorizing the album entirely. VU has been critically acclaimed both in contemporary and retrospective reviews.

Background

When the Velvet Underground moved from Verve Records to parent company MGM Records, they signed a two-album deal, releasing their third album The Velvet Underground in March 1969. This was their first record with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who replaced John Cale. Later that year there was a management change and MGM Records' new CEO, Mike Curb, was brought in to try to rescue the financially struggling label. He decided to purge the record company of its unprofitable acts. The Velvet Underground were already inclined to leave the label by then and would later sign with Atlantic Records, which released their fourth studio album, Loaded, in November 1970.
In the meantime, in 1969, the band recorded fourteen tracks for possible release as their second MGM album. All of these were shelved and forgotten by the record company until the early 1980s. The band's drummer Moe Tucker later said:

Release and contents

In the early 1980s, as Verve prepared to re-release the band's three Verve/MGM albums on vinyl and CD, they found nineteen previously unreleased tracks: five Cale-era tracks and the fourteen "lost album" tracks, some of them in two-track mixdown format, some of them even on multitracks. The cream of the nineteen tracks was released in 1985 as VU; the rest was released as Another View in 1986.
VU is a selection from the 1969 tracks as well as two previously unreleased songs recorded with Cale: "Temptation Inside Your Heart" and "Stephanie Says". Since most of the material was available on multitrack, engineers were able to clean up and remix the tracks.
As the Velvet Underground moved from MGM to Atlantic, they re-recorded two of the songs on VU for possible inclusion on Loaded. Neither made the cut, but six of the VU songs were recycled by the band's leader Lou Reed during his solo career: "I Can't Stand It", "Lisa Says" and "Ocean" on his debut album Lou Reed ; "Andy's Chest" on Transformer ; "Stephanie Says" on Berlin, and "She's My Best Friend" on Coney Island Baby.
VU is called a compilation album by some sources, an archival album by other, and a Velvets' unofficial studio album by Robert Christgau. Most avoid classifying the album in any of the mentioned categories. Mark Denning of AllMusic wrote:
VU peaked in the US at number 85 on the Billboard music charts, the band's best placing. As of October 2013, it had sold 90,000 copies according to Nielsen Soundscan.
In 2012 Sundazed Music released a five-LP box titled The Verve/MGM Albums, which contained a 10-track LP titled 1969 and pitched as the unfinished fourth album. In 2017 Universal released a double LP titled 1969 which expanded that 2012 LP into a 20-track collection of mixes and versions.

Critical reception

VU was ranked number 3 among the "Albums of the Year" for 1985 by New Musical Express. In the Pazz & Jop year-end critics poll, it was ranked the 12th best album of 1985. Robert Christgau placed it at number 6 on his "Dean's list" of the best albums of that year.
Village Voice rock critic Robert Christgau wrote, "It's goofy, relaxed, simultaneously conversational and obscure, an effect accentuated by the unfinished feel of takes the band never prepared for public consumption. As a result, especially given PolyGram's state-of-the-art remix, it's their most listenable record." Rolling Stones David Fricke claimed that "V.U. captures the band at the height of its powers, refining the edginess of the early records with a polished, accessible sound that doesn't compromise its spirit of adventure." Trouser Press called the album "stupendous" and added that its songs "show the Velvet Underground stoking the rock'n'roll fire that blazed forth on Loaded: 'Foggy Notion' is a timeless raveup of classical simplicity".
In a minority opinion, Mick Farren of Spin wrote of the recordings, "As a piece of rock archeology, they are clearly invaluable, filling a crucial gap in the Velvet Underground canon. As a piece of entertainment — even a period piece — they provoke the feeling that, if it had been released in sequence, the album probably would have been greeted as an almost unqualified dog."
In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Mark Demming wrote, "The 1969 recordings on VU rank with some of the most accessible but potent rock & roll the Velvet Underground ever recorded; 'I Can't Stand It,' 'Foggy Notion,' and 'One of These Days' are memorable, punchy rock tunes," and claimed that the music in this album "is a reminder that this band wasn't as alienating as many writers like to suggest; they could also play tough but joyous rock & roll that made people want to dance." Richie Unterberger opined, "Many of the tracks were re-recorded by Reed on his early solo albums, and in every instance, The Velvets' versions are better."

Track listing

All songs written by Lou Reed, except "Foggy Notion" by Reed, Sterling Morrison, Doug Yule, Maureen Tucker and Hy Weiss.
The CD issue of VU omits the first few seconds of "Foggy Notion", which includes a practice guitar lick and the band members talking.
  • All tracks appear on the box set Peel Slowly and See, except "She's My Best Friend", "Ocean" and "Andy's Chest". "Ocean" on Peel Slowly and See is a later version, recorded during the Loaded sessions April–June 1970.

    Personnel

;The Velvet Underground
  • John Cale – viola, celesta and backing vocals on "Stephanie Says", bass guitar and backing vocals on "Temptation Inside Your Heart"
  • Sterling Morrison – guitar, backing vocals
  • Lou Reed – vocals, guitar
  • Maureen Tucker – percussion, lead vocals on "I'm Sticking with You"
  • Doug Yule – bass guitar, keyboards, lead vocals on "She's My Best Friend", backing vocals on "I Can't Stand It", "Lisa Says", "Foggy Notion", "One of These Days", "Andy's Chest", piano and backing vocals on "I'm Sticking with You", lead guitar on "One of These Days"
;Technical staff
VU is the Velvet Underground's highest charting album in the US, peaking at number 85 in the US Billboard charts on April 13, 1985. It remained in the Charts for 13 weeks. In the UK album charts, VU peaked at number 47 and stayed on the Top 100 for 4 weeks.