The Velvet Underground - The Bootleg Series Vol.1 - The Quine Tapes (2001)

Despite the black market vibe of the title (Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes), these grainy but historically significant live Velvet Underground recordings--taken from poorly attended shows in San Francisco during November 1969 (the post-John Cale and pre-Loaded era)--have never been made available before, illegally or otherwise. Furthermore--and unlike most other bootleggers--avid young fan and tape recorder operative Robert Quine (an apprentice disciple of Lou Reed's savage guitar style and a future founding member of punk combo Richard Hell and the Voidoids) didn't have to suffer the personal indignity of standing furtively at the back of the hall with a microphone stuffed down his trousers. Quine's recordings--initially made on cassette tape but later (and rather fortuitously) transferred to the more durable reel-to-reel format--were made with the band's blessing and enthusiasm but have remained hidden away ever since. Consisting of three CDs, the Bootleg Series Volume 1 set is further forensic proof, if needed, that the Velvet's seedy, dissonant, lurid, violent, anarchic pop was well out-of-step with the times but has remained decidedly in-step ever since. Specifically, these shows capture (courtesy of the mute audience philistinism) some kind of culture-clash between the West Coast's "flower in your hair" optimism and the Velvets' "spike into my vein" subterranean nihilism. With sheer bloody-mindedness, the Velvets' treat their audience to 38 soundboard-splintering, pornographic minutes of "Sister Ray", as well as kooky School Concert takes on "After Hours" and "I'm Sticking with You" and a "Venus in Furs" which--in the absence of John Cale's whiplash viola glissandos--creeps and crawls with Doug Yule's spooked Doors' organ. As Jonathan Richman once enquired, "How did they make that sound, Velvet Underground?". Dunno. But they did. And things have never been the same since. --Kevin Maidment
Tracklist
[07:46] 01. The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[04:11] 02. The Velvet Underground - Too Much (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[08:28] 03. The Velvet Underground - What Goes On (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[06:23] 04. The Velvet Underground - I Can't Stand It (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[04:51] 05. The Velvet Underground - Some Kinda Love (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[04:44] 06. The Velvet Underground - Foggy Notion (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[03:17] 07. The Velvet Underground - Femme Fatale (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-7-69)
[03:05] 08. The Velvet Underground - After Hours (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[02:51] 09. The Velvet Underground - I'm Sticking With You (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-8-69)
[02:59] 10. The Velvet Underground - Sunday Morning (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-9-69)
[23:56] 11. The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray (Live At The Family Dog, San Francisco 11-7-69)

[17:08] 01. The Velvet Underground - Follow The Leader (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-27-69)
[10:06] 02. The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 12-01-69)
[05:17] 03. The Velvet Underground - Venus In Furs (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 12-01-69)
[08:14] 04. The Velvet Underground - Heroin (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-23-69)
[38:00] 05. The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 12-03-69)
[06:52] 01. The Velvet Underground - Rock And Roll (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-25-69)
[11:21] 02. The Velvet Underground - New Age (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-24-69)
[02:43] 03. The Velvet Underground - Over You (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-25-69)
[05:56] 04. The Velvet Underground - The Black Angel's Death Song (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-23-69)
[11:39] 05. The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-27-69)
[11:14] 06. The Velvet Underground - Ride Into The Sun (Live At The Matrix, San Francisco 11-24-69)
[28:40] 07. The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray / Foggy Notion (Live At Washington University, St. Louis 5-11-69)