Search - Velvet Underground :: Loaded (2-CD Fully Loaded Edition)

Beware the curse of the archivist.....

Russell Richardson | 01/21/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Those who complain about this record being less experimental and cutting edge the Velvets first three are correct but they are missing the point somewhat, one of the greatest things about the Velvets is that all of their albums are so different, they could have been recorded by four different bands, four brilliant bands! True, "Loaded" might not be as flat out stunning as the first three albums, but, if it had been recorded by anyone else, it would rightly be considered a classic pop/rock album, recorded at a time when very few people were making classic pop/rock albums. For a start, there are three of Lou Reed's greatest songs: "Sweet Jane", "Rock `n' Roll" and "New Age", there are at least two others that come close: "Head Held High" and "Oh Sweet Nuthin''", and even the weaker tracks on the album are no disgrace, they don't sound much like the Velvets, but what would you rather have listened to in 1970, this or "Tarkus" or "Atom Heart Mother"? As for the demon Doug Yule, well his vocals on "New Age" are exquisite and that's good enough for me.Now we come to the expanded edition of the album and here, I have to admit, I have my reservations. It seems that CD compiler/ archivists are developing worrying delusions of grandeur, so much so that they can invent whole tracks that never physically existed (see the Beatles Anthology) and, here, invent "alternative" versions of albums where none existed. So here they bring us alternate mixes that either aren't alternate enough or aren't good enough and early versions that are too early to be anything other than preliminary sketches. Who really wants to hear a dreary run through of "Sweet Jane" with Velvets' manager Steve Sesnick so irritatingly out of time on cowbell that it makes it almost impossible to listen to the rest of the track.The real attraction here for me was hearing the original versions of those songs that Lou Reed had always claimed to be have been sabotaged by Doug Yule and Steve Sesnick after the fact. So, the "heavenly wine and roses" section of "Sweet Jane" has been restored, but not very convincingly, with what sounds like a guide vocal by Reed roughly spliced in. This leads me to believe that this section of the track was removed rather earlier than Reed has claimed - mind you the fact that, in the eight million or so times Lou's played "Sweet Jane" since, he's never played the extended version could just mean that Lou agreed with Yule and Sesnick's decision (if they were indeed responsible). As for "New Age", well a few extra bars and a slightly longer coda - big deal Lou. Historically, the most interesting bonus tracks are the five tracks that close CD2, not great sound quality or particularly well played but fascinating, how often is it you get the chance to hear The Velvet Underground play "Satellite of Love"? The two versions of "Ocean" (how many's that now released?) aren't as good as the one on "VU" despite Cale's (alleged) presence. Ditto "I'm Sticking With You". I love the keyboard-based version of "Ride Into the Sun" and Lou giggling his way through an early version of "I Love You". All in all, one for Velvets fanatics really (good accompanying booklet with some great Lou "big hair" photos), others should save themselves some cash and buy the original album."

Loaded with (more) hits

C. D. Moore | 06/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Loaded" was Lou Reed's rock and roll masterpiece, an album that dropped the screaming guitars, overt drug references, and weird (but beautiful) experiments in favor of a stripped down reinterpretation of three-chord rock and roll. In many respects, "Loaded" foreshadowed the back-to-basics aesthetic of the garage and punk movements of the 70s (see the first albums by the Ramones, the Modern Lovers, and the Pretenders, for example). "Loaded" (available in the VU boxed set and in its original format as a single disk) with its occasional nods to pop culture and musical fads (something the Velvets specifically avoided on other releases) sounds a little dated, and the mix of the original album was admittedly weak (Reed has repeatedly voiced his displeasure with the mix in print), but the songs and performances are still remarkable.Considering the "for fans only" quality of many of the outtakes and extras available on the VU boxed set, "Peel Slowly and See," I was absolutely thrilled to find such a strong collection of songs on the "Fully Loaded Edition." The extended versions of "Sweet Jane" (which includes the lost verse "heavenly wine and roses seem to whisper to her when she smiles"), "Rock and Roll," and "New Age" are all nice additions, but I really got off on some of the alternate or early versions of the songs. "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" sounds like an entirely new song with Lou doing a crazy Jagger-esque vocal over a rumbling piano. The early version of "Cool it Down" sounds sparse, but Lou is as playful as I have ever heard. The inclusion of other "lost" songs such as "Love Makes you Feel Ten Feet Tall," "I Love You," "Satellite of Love" (which later appeared on Lou Reed's solo albums) are also a nice touch."The Fully Loaded Edition" avoids the problems of most alternate mix collections by including the source album in its (nearly) original format. Buying the "Fully Loaded Edition" for the original "Loaded" is no sin, but a large number of the alternate tracks are strong enough to stand alongside the band's best work. This is one of the few alternate mix/outtake albums that would actually be of interest to only casual fans (the others: "The Basement Tapes" and "Another VU")."

Minor quibble

Russell Richardson | NYNYUSA | 03/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though I have known this album for 30 years, I bought the 'fully loaded' cd for the extra tracks. that's OK and no complaints. But - and maybe this is a just a quibble - BECAUSE I know the work so well, and because the song sequences and kicks are engraved in my mind, I found the 'new, full' versions of both 'Sweet janer and Rock'n'Roll spoiled by resotoration. In fact, in Sweet Jane, the great kick at the end of the song has now been removed and an extra ??16 bars??? of doodling appear.Obviously, if you don't know the original, this will not be important, but I feel the 'fully loaded' versions should have been on the bonus disc, and not slotted into the albuim, as those two 'originals' are gone for ever.

I actually got rid of this version and went back to the original."