Description TWO YEARS AGO I LOST ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS TO CANCER, HE WAS A COOL MUSICIAN A DRUMMER BY TRADE, ORIGINALLY FROM SEATTLE, BUT RELOCATED TO L.A. IN 1985, HE AMASSED A VERY LARGE MUSIC COLLECTION, AND HAD KILLER TASTE FOR ROCK & ROLL, SADLY I AM SELLING OFF A LOT OF HIS COLLECTION ON BEHALF OF HIS WIDOW TO HELP PAY OFF DEBTS INCLUDING HOSPITAL BILLS, TAXES AND STORAGE UNIT FEES. I AM NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR THIS SERVICE, DOING IT FOR MY FRIEND (MISS YOU DAVE!). THIS ITEM IS FROM HIS COLLECTION. THE PHOTO'S MAY BE A LITTLE BLURRY, HAVE A LITTLE GLARE, SOME REFLECTIONS OR IN SOME CASES YOU MAY SEE SPECKS OF DUST. BUT THE PHOTO'S ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM YOU ARE BIDDING ON. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING. BUT I DO NOT ACCEPT “BEST OFFERS”, THE MONIES GO TO MY FRIENDS WIDOW. THESE ARE VISUALLY & PLAY GRADED. ARTISTS: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO TITLE: “THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO” TRACK LISTING: SEE BELOWA1 Sunday MorningProducer – Tom Wilson (2)Written-By – Lou Reed 2:53 A2 I'm Waiting For The ManWritten-By – Lou Reed 4:37 A3 Femme FataleWritten-By – Lou Reed 2:35 A4 Venus In FursWritten-By – Lou Reed 5:07 A5 Run, Run, RunWritten-By – Lou Reed 4:18 A6 All Tomorrow's PartiesWritten-By – Lou Reed 5:55 B1 HeroinWritten-By – Lou Reed 7:05 B2 There She Goes AgainWritten-By – Lou Reed 2:03 B3 I'll Be Your MirrorWritten-By – Lou Reed 2:01 B4 Black Angel's Death SongWritten-By – John Cale, Lou Reed 3:01 B5 European Son To Delmore SchwartzWritten-By – John Cale, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker*, Sterling Morrison 7:44 Credits Design [Cover Design] – Acy R. Lehman* Lead Guitar, Guitar [Ostrich], Vocals – Lou Reed Painting [Cover Painting Banana] – Andy Warhol Percussion – Maureen Tucker* Photography By – Hugo (38), Paul Morrissey (2) Producer – Andy Warhol (tracks: A2 to B5) Remix – David Greene, Gene Radice Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar – Sterling Morrison Supervised By [Remix] – Tom Wilson (2) Viola [Electric], Piano, Bass Guitar – John Cale Vocals [Chanteuse] – Nico (3) Notes Gatefold cover with banana sticker. Third pressing with Emerson Torso image airbrushed on the back cover. East Coast pressing with labels giving "Side 1" and "Side 2" instead of A & B "All Selections Three Prong Music, Inc. BMI". Text around bottom edge of label: "MGM RECORDS - A DIVISION OF METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER, INC. - Made in U.S.A." ®© METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER, INC. / Printed in U.S.A. LABEL: VERVE RECORDS CAT.#: V6-5008 (MGS-558) YEAR: 1968 RECORD CONDITION: THE RECORD IS IN VG+ CONDITION.NO VISIBLE WEAR, SCRATCHES, LINES ETC. NICE SHINEY LUSTER TO THE VINYL. BOTH LABELS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. LOOKS AND PLAYS VERY CLEAN. NO SKIPS, POPS,CLICKS ETC. THE SONGS PLAY VERY CLEAN, LIGHT BACKGROUND AUDIO SOUND BETWEEN THE TRACKS. THERE ARE A FEW LIGHT CLICKS/POPS, BUT FOR IT'S AGE THIS IS VERY CLEAN. VISUALLY THERE ARE A FEW LINES, BUT THEY DON'T AFFECT PLAY, VERY VERY LIGHT BACKGROUND SOUND UNDERNEATH. SLEEVE CONDITION: THE GATEFOLD JACKET IS IN VG+ CONDITION THERE'S NO WRITING ON THE JACKET. STRAIGHT EDGES. IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. WRITING ON THE INSIDE OF THE UPPER RIGHT SLEEVE SOMEONE'S NAME. THE OUTSIDE BANANA SKIN IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER WAS STARTED TO BE LIFTED THE UNPEELED BANANA IS VISIBLE IF YOU LIFT IT,M THE REST OF IT IS STILL AFFIXED AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY, THERE'S SMALL BITS OF SCOTCH TAPE UP NEAR THE TOP OF THE BANANA. THERE IS LIGHT RING WEAR TO THE JACKET, BUT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. MORE INFO: THIS RECORD IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT. SEE ABOVE FOR MATRIX #. THIS IS THE NO TORSO VERSION, THIS IS AN EAST COAST PRESSING AS IT HAS SIDE 1 & SIDE 2 PRINTED ON THE LABELS AS OPPOSED TO THE WEST COAST & LATER SIDE A AND SIDE B LABELS. COMES IN ORIGINAL VERVE INNER SLEEVE. NOTE: DAVE HAD A FEW V.U. RECORDS THAT I AM LISTING SO CHECK 'EM OUT, AND AGAIN,. NO I AM NOT ACCEPTING “BEST OFFERS” I WANT TO MAXIMIZE RETURN AND BE FAIR TO ALL INTERESTED BIDDERS/BUYERS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS. MY INFO OFF OF DISCOGS. MORE INFO ON THE ARTISTS/RELEASE:The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in 1964 in New York City by singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise (replaced by Moe Tucker in 1965). The band was initially active between 1965 and 1973, and was briefly managed by the pop artist Andy Warhol, serving as the house band at the Factory and Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable events from 1966 to 1967. Their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (with German-born singer and model Nico), was released in 1967 to critical indifference and poor sales but has become critically acclaimed; in 2003, Rolling Stone called it the "most prophetic rock album ever made." The band's integration of rock and the avant-garde achieved little commercial success during its existence, but it is now recognized as one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. The provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and often nihilistic attitudes explored in the band's work proved influential in the development of punk rock and new wave music.[7] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the band No. 19 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". In 2017, a study of AllMusic's catalog indicated the Velvet Underground as the fifth most frequently cited artist influence in its database. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 by Patti Smith. The Velvet Underground & Nico is the debut album by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in March 1967 by Verve Records. It was recorded in 1966 while the band were featured on Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour, which gained attention for its experimental performance sensibilities and controversial lyrical topics, including drug abuse, prostitution, sadomasochism and sexual deviancy. It sold poorly and was mostly ignored by contemporary critics, but later became regarded as one of the most influential albums in the history of popular music. Many subgenres of rock music and forms of alternative music were significantly informed by the album, including art rock, punk, garage, shoegazing, goth, and indie. In 1982, musician Brian Eno stated that while the album initially only sold approximately 30,000 copies, "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band." In 2003, it ranked 13th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and in 2006, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.The Velvet Underground & Nico was recorded with the first professional line-up of the Velvet Underground: Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker. At the instigation of their mentor and manager Andy Warhol, and his collaborator Paul Morrissey, German singer Nico was also featured; she had occasionally performed lead vocals for the band. She sang lead on three of the album's tracks—"Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "I'll Be Your Mirror"—and back-up on "Sunday Morning". In 1966, as the album was being recorded, this was also the line-up for their live performances as a part of Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable. The bulk of the songs that would become The Velvet Underground & Nico were recorded in mid-April 1966, during a four-day stint at Scepter Studios, a decrepit recording studio in Manhattan. This recording session was financed by Warhol and Columbia Records' sales executive Norman Dolph, who also acted as an engineer with John Licata. Though the exact total cost of the project is unknown, estimates vary from $1,500 (US$11,583 in 2018 dollars[11]) to $3,000 (US$23,166 in 2018 dollars.Soon after recording, Dolph sent an acetate disc of the recordings to Columbia in an attempt to interest them in distributing the album, but they declined, as did Atlantic Records and Elektra Records—according to Morrison, Atlantic objected to the references to drugs in Reed's songs, while Elektra disliked Cale's viola. Eventually, the MGM Records-owned Verve Records accepted the recordings, with the help of Verve staff producer Tom Wilson who had recently moved from a job at Columbia. With the affirmation of a label, three of the songs, "I'm Waiting for the Man", "Venus in Furs" and "Heroin", were re-recorded in two days at TTG Studios during a stay in Hollywood, one month later in May 1966. When the record's release date was postponed, Wilson brought the band into Mayfair Recording Studios in Manhattan in November 1966, to add a final song to the track listing: the single "Sunday Morning".PRODUCTIONThere is some confusion as to who actually produced The Velvet Underground & Nico. Although Andy Warhol was the only formally credited producer, he had very little direct influence or authority over the album beyond paying for the recording sessions. In fact, several other individuals who worked on the album are often mentioned as the album's technical producer. Norman Dolph and John Licata are sometimes attributed to producing the Scepter Studios sessions, considering they were responsible for recording and engineering them (despite the fact that neither of the two were ever mentioned in the original album's credits). Dolph himself, however, says John Cale was the album's rightful creative producer, as he handled the majority of the album's musical arrangements. And yet, Cale later recalled that it was Tom Wilson who actually produced nearly all the tracks on The Velvet Underground & Nico. "The band never again had as good a producer as Tom Wilson", Cale told an interviewer. "Andy Warhol didn't do anything." Reed also said the "real producer" of the album was Tom Wilson., Reed once claimed it was MGM who made the decision to bring in Tom Wilson, while crediting Wilson's production skills on specific songs such as 'Sunday Morning': "Andy absorbed all the flak. Then MGM said they wanted to bring in a real producer, Tom Wilson. So that’s how you got “Sunday Morning,” with all those overdubs – the viola in the back, Nico chanting. But he couldn’t undo what had already been done." Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed would further cite Warhol's lack of manipulation as a legitimate means of production. Morrison described Warhol as the album's producer "in the sense of producing a film." Reed further discussed the matter in an interview: He just made it possible for us to be ourselves and go right ahead with it because he was Andy Warhol. In a sense, he really did produce it, because he was this umbrella that absorbed all the attacks when we weren't large enough to be attacked... and as a consequence of him being the producer, we'd just walk in and set up and do what we always did and no one would stop it because Andy was the producer. Of course he didn't know anything about record production—but he didn't have to. He just sat there and said "Oooh, that's fantastic," and the engineer would say, "Oh yeah! Right! It is fantastic, isn't it?"Themes[edit]The Velvet Underground & Nico was notable for its overt descriptions of topics such as drug abuse, prostitution, sadism and masochism and sexual deviancy. "I'm Waiting for the Man" describes a man's efforts to obtain heroin, while "Venus in Furs" is a nearly literal interpretation of the 19th century novel of the same name (which itself prominently features accounts of BDSM). "Heroin" details an individual's use of the drug and the experience of feeling its effects. Lou Reed, who wrote the majority of the album's lyrics, never intended to write about such topics for shock value. Reed, a fan of poets and authors such as Raymond Chandler, Nelson Algren, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Hubert Selby, Jr., saw no reason the content in their works couldn't translate well to rock and roll music. An English major who studied for a B.A. at Syracuse University, Reed said in an interview that he thought joining the two (gritty subject matter and music) was "obvious". "That's the kind of stuff you might read. Why wouldn't you listen to it? You have the fun of reading that, and you get the fun of rock on top of it.Though the album's dark subject matter is today considered revolutionary, several of the album's songs are centered on themes more typical of popular music. Certain songs were written by Reed as observations of the members of Andy Warhol's "Factory superstars". "Femme Fatale" in particular was written about Edie Sedgwick at Warhol's request. "I'll Be Your Mirror", inspired by Nico, is a tender and affectionate song; in stark contrast to a song like "Heroin". A common misperception is that "All Tomorrow's Parties" was written by Reed at Warhol's request (as stated in Victor Bockris and Gerard Malanga's Velvet Underground biography Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground Story). While the song does seem to be another observation of Factory denizens, Reed wrote the song before meeting Warhol, having recorded a demo in July 1965 at Ludlow Street. It had folk music sounds, which were possibly inspired by Bob Dylan. Artwork[edit]The album cover for The Velvet Underground & Nico is recognizable for featuring a Warhol print of a banana. Early copies of the album invited the owner to "Peel slowly and see"; peeling back the banana skin revealed a flesh-colored banana underneath. A special machine was needed to manufacture these covers (one of the causes of the album's delayed release), but MGM paid for costs figuring that any ties to Warhol would boost sales of the album. Most reissued vinyl editions of the album do not feature the peel-off sticker; original copies of the album with the peel-sticker feature are now rare collector's items. A Japanese re-issue LP in the early 1980s was the only re-issue version to include the banana sticker for many years. On the 1996 CD reissue, the banana image is on the front cover while the image of the peeled banana is on the inside of the jewel case, beneath the CD itself. The album was re-pressed onto heavyweight vinyl in 2008, featuring a banana sticker.When the album was first issued, the main back cover photo (taken at a performance of Warhol's event Exploding Plastic Inevitable) contained an image of actor Eric Emerson projected upside-down on the wall behind the band. Having recently been arrested for drug possession and desperate for money, Emerson threatened to sue over this unauthorized use of his image, unless he was paid. Rather than complying, MGM recalled copies of the album and halted its distribution until Emerson's image could be airbrushed from the photo on subsequent pressings. Copies that had already been printed were sold with a large black sticker covering the actor's image. Aftermath[edit]Frustrated by the album's year-long delay and unsuccessful release, Lou Reed's relationship with Andy Warhol grew tense. Reed fired Warhol as manager in favor of Steve Sesnick, who convinced the group to move towards a more commercial direction. Nico was forced out of the group, and began a career as a solo artist. Her debut solo album, Chelsea Girl, was released in October 1967, featuring some songs written by Velvet Underground members. Tom Wilson continued working with the Velvet Underground, producing their 1968 album White Light/White Heat and Nico's Chelsea Girl. I DECIDED I WILL NOT SHIP THIS INTERNATIONALLY EXCEPT TO CANADA WHERE I CAN PROPERLY TRACK IT, IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL BIDDER YOU MUST HAVE A U.S. DROP SHIPPING ADDRESS, OR SOMEONE IN THE U.S. I CAN SEND THIS TOO, AND THEN THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR GETTING IT TO YOU, I DON'T WANT OR NEED A HASSLE OF A PACKAGE "DISSAPEARING"... THANKS, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS.. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING! THE $4 FLAT RATE ALSO INCLUDES THE MAILER WHICH COST OVER $1 EACH. THANKS! ALL 12” RECORDS WILL BE MAILED OUT IN CARDBOARD MAILERS DESIGNED FOR SHIPPING WITH ADDITIONAL CARDBOARD SUPPORT. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING WITH OTHER LIKE SIZED ITEMS. ADDITIONAL LPs $1 EA. IN THE U.S. VIA MEDIA MAIL OR OTHER USPS SERVICES. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS BASED ON WEIGHT AND COUNTRY. FOR THE U.S. THE $4 COST OF THE MEDIA MAIL INCLUDES MY COST OF THE MAILER, PACKING MATERIALS & TIME. THANKS! BOB INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS TAKE NOTE !!! IF YOU OPT TO NOT PAY FOR THE EXTRA INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED MAIL, AND OPT FOR THE REGULAR INTERNATIONAL FIRST CLASS WHICH HAS NO TRACKING AT ALL, I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PACKAGE, AND I WILL TAKE PICTURES OF MY POST OFFICE RECEIPTS AND MY U.S. CUSTOMS FORMS AND SEND THEM TO YOU AS PROOF OF MY MAILING YOUR ITEM OUT, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILINGS OF YOUR COUNTRIES POSTAL SERVICE, KNOW THIS BEFORE YOU BID ON ANY OF MY ITEMS!!! IF YOUR ITEM DOES NOT ARRIVE DO NOT BLAME ME! DUE TO THE RECENT INCREASE IN THE INTERNATIONAL MAILING RATES THAT WENT UP ON JUNE. 1, 2015, I WILL NOT DO A FLAT RATE FOR ANY ITEMS, FROM NOW ON YOU WILL HAVE TO CALCULATE THE RATE BASED UPON YOUR COUNTRY. ALSO ADDITIONAL COMBINED ITEMS WILL MEAN A HIGHER SHIPPING CHARGED BASED ON EACH ITEM. SORRY ABOUT THIS, BUT THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THAT.REGISTERED INTERNATIONAL MAIL WHICH ALLOWS FOR DOOR TO DOOR TRACKING IS AN ADDITIONAL $15.00. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING………. CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS International Buyers – Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. PLEASE PAY FOR ALL ITEMS WITHIN 5 DAYS, OR MESSAGE ME TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU CAN’T,(IF YOU ARE BIDDING OR PLAN TO BID ON OTHER ITEMS) I WILL DO A ONE WEEK WAIT FROM THE DATE OF THE END OF THE FIRST AUCTION WIN, TO COMBINE SHIPPING ON ITEMS, AFTER THAT I NEED PAYMENT IN FULL AND WILL MAIL OUT THE ITEMS , EVEN IF YOU ARE BIDDING ON OTHERS, THUS BEGINS A NEW BILLING/SHIPPING CYCLE. THIS CASH FLOW IS MY SOURCE OF INCOME FOR PAYING RENT/BILLS, ETC. IF YOU HAVE WON AN ITEM AND I DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WITHIN 7 DAYS I WILL OPEN AN “UNPAID ITEM CASE”, IN ORDER TO FREE UP THE ITEM FOR A POSSIBLE RE-LISTING OR A “SECOND CHANCE OFFER”. PLEASE WHEN YOU WIN AN ITEM TRY AND PAY FOR IT IN A TIMELY FASHION OR LET ME KNOW YOU ARE LOOKING AT OTHER ITEMS I HAVE LISTED, I MAIL ITEMS OUT WITHIN TWO WORKING DAYS ONCE PAYMENT IS RECEIVED. DO NOT ASK FOR ITEM TO ME MARKED “GIFT” ON CUSTOMS FORMS, INTERNATIONAL BUYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL DUTIES AND CUSTOMS FEE’S! CHECK WITH YOUR POST OFFICE, I WILL NOT PAY THEM. NEW NOTE TO ALL POTENTIAL BIDDERS PLEASE! DO NOT BID IF YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF PAYING FOR AN ITEM YOU MIGHT WIN, ALSO IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL BIDDER, PLEASE! BE AWARE OF THE COST OF INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. I DO NOT LIKE OPENING UNPAID ITEM CASES BUT I WILL IF YOU NEGLECT TO PAY.