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Velvet Underground, The


Brian Eno said it best: "The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band." Founded in New York City in 1965, the Velvet Underground were largely unsuccessful in their initial incarnation, as they were completely out of step with the "peace and love" generation. Led by sardonic, cerebral frontman and chief songwriter Lou Reed, their songs chronicled a raft of taboo topics and conflicted characters. They played an aural equivalent of film noir, detailing the gritty and often harrowing aspects of city life. They embraced confrontation, as evidenced in an amusing antidote from an early performance at Caf? Bizarre in NYC?s Greenwich Village. Told they would be fired if they played the room-clearing ?The Black Angel?s Death Song? again, the decided to open their next set with it. They were fired immediately, but not before making an impression on artist provocateur Andy Warhol, who was in the audience.

Recognizing them as kindred spirits, Warhol began acting as the band?s manager, including them in events at his studio enclave, The Factory. He also paired them with German-born actress and singer Nico, with whom they recorded their self-titled debut album. However, they soon broke away from both Warhol and Nico to pursue their stark, singular vision on their own. They released three albums through MGM Records and were working on a fourth when they were suddenly dropped from the label during a regime change. The group recorded one album for Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion before Lou Reed left to pursue a solo career and, after briefly carrying on without him, they ground to a halt.

Time eventually caught up with the band, as their musical disciples spread and prospered. They were belatedly hailed as one of the most influential groups in rock history, progenitors of punk, new wave, industrial and more. Sundazed offers painstakingly remastered reissues of the band's prime studio work as well as incendiary live performances captured by prominent musician and major Velvets fan Robert Quine. Lou Reed once sang that his "life was saved by rock 'n' roll." After one listen to these timeless recordings, you'll understand completely.
Velvet Underground, The

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Velvet Underground, The - Foggy Notion / I Cant Stand It
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Velvet Underground, The - Foggy Notion / I Can't Stand It
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Item #: S-227 -

    Between May and October 1969, the Velvet Underground�Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, Moe Tucker and Doug Yule�recorded fourteen songs at the Record Plant in New York City for what would have been the band�s fourth album for MGM/Verve Records. But when the Velvets left the label soon after, the recordings were shelved, and would not be heard by the public for a decade and a half. These songs, from those long-lost sessions, capture the Velvet Underground at a fascinating transitional point between...

    Velvet Underground, The - Singles 1966-69 7 x 7" Box Set
    Price: $49.98
    Velvet Underground, The - Singles 1966-69 7 x 7" Box Set
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    Item #: S 7002 -

      Box set contains seven (7) 45 rpm 7" vinyl singles, with exact repros of rare VU picture sleeves and labels, liner notes, rare photos, and more.Sundazed is proud to release The Velvet Underground Singles 1966�69, a 7 x 7" single box set honoring the legendary New York combo's 7" vinyl output in their rare mono versions. The set features exact reproductions of Velvet Underground singles, two of them with their original picture sleeves. The singles are packaged in a distinctively designed box,...

      Velvet Underground, The - The Quine Tapes 6-LP Deluxe Box Set
      Price: $99.98
      Velvet Underground, The - The Quine Tapes 6-LP Deluxe Box Set
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      Item #: VU 4002 -

        The Velvet Underground ? The Quine Tapes : a definitive document of the live Velvet Underground.6-LPs packaged in three striking gatefold jackets with poster/handbill inserts, rare photos and a deluxe boxThe Velvet Underground?s revolutionary mix of boundary-breaking sonic extremism and transgressive lyrical content changed the face of rock ?n? roll forever. It was on stage that the band?s unprecedented vision truly came to life. But the band never made any official live recordings, leaving...

        Velvet Underground, The - The Velvet Underground - Limited Edition Colored Vinyl
        Price: $24.98
        Velvet Underground, The - The Velvet Underground - Limited Edition Colored Vinyl
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        Item #: LP 5466-CL -

          On Limited Edition Translucent Gold Vinyl!The original overview/collection from the legendary band. On Sundazed compact disc and 180gm vinyl, from the original masters.Originally released as part of MGM's "Golden Archive Series," this 1970 album (simply referred to as Velvet Underground) is a terrific sin-and-salvation selection from the first three VU albums ? just the kind of thing to take along to a desert island or to the end of the world. It's essentially their earliest greatest hits...

          Velvet Underground, The - The Verve/MGM Albums 5-LP Deluxe Box Set
          Price: $99.98
          Velvet Underground, The - The Verve/MGM Albums 5-LP Deluxe Box Set
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          Item #: VU 4003 -

            At a time when the Rolling Stones were forbidden from singing about spending the night together on national television, the Velvet Underground was crafting songs about such taboo subjects as illegal drugs, sadomasochism and black angels of death. And that was just on their debut. Throughout their first three albums, VU continued to challenge societal norms through their lyrics and rock music itself through their unorthodox instrumental approach. Their sound was theirs alone, which proved to be...

            Velvet Underground, The - Velvet Underground - CD
            Price: $14.98
            Velvet Underground, The - Velvet Underground - CD
            Availability: In Stock
            Item #: SC 6322 -

              The original overview/collection from the legendary band. On Sundazed compact disc and 180gm vinyl, from the original masters.Originally released as part of MGM's "Golden Archive Series," this 1970 album (simply referred to as Velvet Underground) is a terrific sin-and-salvation selection from the first three VU albums ? just the kind of thing to take along to a desert island or to the end of the world. It's essentially their earliest greatest hits collection, and the perfect encapsulation of...