VELVET UNDERGROUND LOADED SEALED ORIG '70 COTILLION LP

$

333

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·       VELVET UNDERGROUND - LOADED - ORIGINAL 1970 COTILLION RECORDS STEREO LP SD-9034

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

*** STILL SEALED GUARANTEED ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING ***

·       GUARANTEED ORIGINAL PALE BLUE / GRAY "COTILLION" LABEL WITH GREEN LOGO AND WITH THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY ADDRESS ON THE LABEL  (ONLY THE ORIGINAL PRESSINGS HAD A RED DAY-GLO STICKER ON THE SHRINK WRAP, LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE HERE)

·       THE THICKNESS OF THE VINYL, THE APPEARANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE COVER, LABEL’S LOGO AND OTHER PERIPHERAL ELEMENTS OF THE COVER, ARE ALL PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL, FIRST PRESSING OF THIS TITLE.

·       TWO “BREATHE” (AIR) HOLES NOTED ON THE SHRINK WRAP

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

·       COVER HAS A NIFTY RED, DAY-GLO STICKER STILL AFFIXED TO THE WRAP.

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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By the time The Velvet Underground released their fourth album, Loaded, in the fall of 1970, they had for all intent and purpose ceased to exist.  Drummer Maureen Tucker was on what I guess would be the equivalent of maternity leave, having become pregnant and taking time off during the sessions (though she is credited on the album).  Sterling Morrison was about to return to school and complete his B.A. in English Literature.  And founding member Lou Reed, the heart of the band, had left just weeks before Loaded came out.  That left The Velvet Underground in the hands of Doug Yule, who had replaced the departed John Cale the previous year, in the unenviable position as the group's sole current member, and no one was going to believe that he was The Velvet Underground.

The funny thing with the group's dissolution is that Loaded was poised to be The Velvet's breakout album.  Their new record label, Atlantic, wanted them to move in a different direction from their three experimental Verve albums and record an album "loaded" with hits.  Moving from the dark corners of the avant-garde to the bright lights of the pop world might be viewed as a sell out, but Reed seemed up to the task, penning some charming tales with catchy hooks and street-wise patter (like the "Somebody's got the time time" line he sings while cruising for a hooker on "Cool It Down").  As a result, Loaded is The Velvet Underground's most accessible and mainstream album.  As such it is a little unfair to compare it to their earlier work.  The question should be: is it a good album on its own merits?  I say the answer is "yes."

Reed seems to have drawn on the music he heard growing up on Long Island.  Inspiration comes from doo-wop ("I Found a Reason," complete with a spoken middle section), early 60s girl groups ("Who Loves the Sun") and electric blues (the chugging "Train Round the Bend").  The ultimate homage, though, is in his direct tribute to the art form, "Rock & Roll."  The jubilance and spirit of the genre is apparent throughout the track, from the beautiful melody to the layers of rhythm guitar to Reed himself, who is screaming himself hoarse by song's end.  And even though the story itself is a little hard to believe--a 5 year-old girl waxing philosophical--Reed emphasizes the theme of the song like a preacherman winning over a congregation.  "Her life was saved by rock and roll."

"Rock & Roll" is one of the two best-known Velvet Underground songs off Loaded.  The other one is "Sweet Jane."  On this song, Reed, in his New Yawk accent, talk-sings a small slice of life about Jack and Jane, two lovebirds who find pleasure listening to the radio at the end of a long-working day.  He practically squeals with exuberance during the chorus of this laid-back, mid-tempo number.

At the time of its release, Reed complained that "Sweet Jane" was severely edited.  There is an additional minute to the song that was restored on the Fully Loaded edition.  It is something of a lullaby, beginning with the lyric "Heavenly wine and roses seem to whisper to him when she smiles."  But it sounds kind of misplaced, rough where it should be gentle.  Furthermore, Reed himself would play the edited version in concert.  Maybe he took a cue from his own "Rock & Roll:"

Despite all the amputations

You know you could just go out

And dance to the rock & roll station

And it was all right

The album opens with a delightful piece of pop confection entitled "Who Loves the Sun."  Similarly to their previous album, The Velvet Underground, the opening track is sung by Yule, who has a softer voice than Reed.  But despite the breezy vocals, the pleasurable melody, and the "ba ba ba ba" chorus, lie an anti-love song.

Who loves the sun

Who cares that it is shining

Who cares what it does

Since you broke my heart

Of course, the best anti-love songs are the ones that are the most narcissistic, and in "Who Loves the Sun" the narrator muses that not only the sun, but the wind and rain cease to have meaning as long as he nurses his broken heart.

Side 2 contains a trio of songs, "Head Held High," "Lonesome Cowboy Bill," and "Train Round the Bend," that critic Lenny Kaye enjoyed so much that, in his review of the album for Rolling Stone magazine, he challenged Atlantic to make a Top 40 hit out of one of them or else overhaul the entire corporation.  Needless to say, Atlantic didn't take Kaye up on his offer, for no hit was forthcoming.  Of the three, "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" probably would have had the best chance if only because it sounds the lightest and features Yule's pop-ready vocal.  For my taste, though, I find them all to be filler.  They each have something on them that is pleasant to hear, but they don't add anything substantial to the album. 

Each side of Loaded closes with a rather desolate ballad sung by Yule.  Side 2 ends with "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'," about sad sack Jimmy and Ginger Brown with no shirt on their backs or shoes on their feet, and Jonah Love who falls in love everyday and simply falls every night.  Not much else is revealed about these characters but the seven plus minute song features a nice, extended guitar solo as it winds down. 

The final song on Side 1 is "New Age," about a fat, blonde actress who is "over the hill right now/and looking for love."  It's hard to say whether we are to pity the woman, mock her, or just shrug our shoulders at her predicament.  After all, everyone ages--it's the vain ones who have the hardest time accepting it.  Reed may have intended this to be a barb at a real actress, but the lesson can apply to aging rock stars, too.

For additional historical or discography information on this album, including track listing ►click here

THIS IS A RESERVE AUCTION!

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·                               CONDITION:

·                               RECORD

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          THE ALBUM IS STILL FACTORY SEALED AND IS BELIEVED TO BE PERFECTLY MINT. Please note: sealed items are assumed to be mint and are sold as-is, as we have no way of inspecting them. For our policy on still sealed records ►click here (PLEASE READ BEFORE PLACING A BID).

(b)          The record is believed to come in its original stock inner sleeve.

(c)           The record is  apparently pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(d)          Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·       COVER

COVER IS STRONG NEAR MINT, STILL SEALED AND COVERED IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging (nothing significant)

-         Cover has one corner slightly worn / dinged / bent (nothing significant)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        No ring wear

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No tearing: no chips, dents or nicks on the seams

-        No peel-off marks

-        No stains

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No stickers or labels

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No warping

-        No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-        No glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

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