10. Velvet UndergroundLive 1969
I think I found a tape of this record when I was 14 or 15, and I’d heard the Andy Warhol one and I liked it well enough, but I didn’t really quite understand. It was one of those records at the time that probably scared me a bit. And this was the one that has all of the rough edges but I felt this sudden sense of excitement about what the band really must have meant. Listening to Lou Reed saying "has anyone missed school to come to this show tonight?" and the fact that they’re in Dallas, and they must have been totally at odds with that place. I think it really sucked me into what they actually were, in real time, as opposed to the records they produced in a more artful way or whatever.
And also the kind of jagged, three minute jamming around. It wasn’t ever boring – it was vital and exciting and sexy and weird. Yeah, that led me to all of their other records. I think it’s the atmosphere of it more than anything that kind of turned me on as it were.
I think it came out in 74 when Lou had already started his solo career [hence the Velvet Underground with Lou Reed]. It was kind of a reissue I think. Someone was probably trying to cash in – but it definitely has the best version of ‘Rock And Roll’ on it. And there’s something about it that really captures the spirit of the band. It’s not the best ever bit of Velvet Underground, but it was the thing that led me to them.
