Stone Classic Or Just 'ehh' .....
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Unlike many of you I can say I have 3 favorite bands. In order.
1- Velvet Underground
2- Sonic Youth
3- The Fall
After that I move into the genre which would be known as Jazz. I haven't made up my mind yet on the tops in that group. JJ Johnson is out in front with Mingus and Gillespie hot on his heels.
Released in 1970 'Loaded' was the last album the Velvets would bang out in the studio. 'Loaded' gave Atlantic what they wanted. Using the shotgun approach they landed 2 hits.
'Sweet Jane' and honestly I'm baffled by this track and it's longevity. I have a hard time listening to any variation of this song. It physically pains me. I have serious burn out.
'Rock and Roll', apart from it's anthem quality (and that alone will keep a song in humanities good graces for a long long time), what did this track have that the rest of the record didn't?
'Rock and Roll' was the only song on 'Loaded' that the Velvets seemed to be happy playing. They played it tight but with room to move. In my world the rest of the album had the grey palor of death. 'Rock and Roll' was it's death chant. That jangly jump that shakes your hips and has you shouting the lyrics at the mirror.
My version comes from the box set 'Peel Slowly And See' you'll find it on disc 5. Trust me I gots it on vinyl ... I mean who doesn't? Lyrics in comments.
Rock and Roll = Stone Classic
The rest of 'Loaded' = ehh
Comments (6)
As promised. Good lyrics.
Jenny said when she was just five years old
There was nothin' happenin' at all
Every time she puts on a radio
There was nothin' goin' down at all,
Not at all
Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
You know, she don't believe what she heard at all
She started shakin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Despite all the amputations you know you could just go out
And dance to the rock 'n' roll station
It was alright
It was allright
Hey baby
You know it was allright
It was allright
Jenny said when she was just bout five years old
You know my parents are gonna be the death of us all
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars -
Well you know it ain't gonna help me at all
Not just a little tiny bit
Then one fine mornin' she turns on a New York station
She doesn't believe what she hears at all
Ooh, She started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life is saved by rock 'n' roll,
Yeah, rock n' roll
Despite all the comp u tations
You could just dance to that rock 'n' roll station
And baby it was allright
And it was alright
Hey it was allright
It was allright
Hey here she comes now!
Jump! Jump!
Like Jenny said when she was just bout' five years old
Hey you know there's nothin' happenin' at all
Not at all
Every time I put on the radio,
You know there's nothin' goin' down at all,
Not at all
But one fine mornin' she hears a New York station
She doesn't believe what she heard at all
Hey, not at all
She started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Yeah rock 'n' roll
Ooh, Despite all the comp u tations
You know you could just dance to the rock 'n' roll station
Allright, allright
And it was allright
Oh, you listen to me now
And it was allright
C'mon now
Little better
Little bit
It was allright
It was allright
And it was allright, allright
It's allright, allright
Baby it's allright, now
Allright, baby it's allright, now
Baby it's allright, allright now
Baby it's allright
Baby it's allright now
Oh baby,oh baby
Oh baby, Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
It's allright, now
Ooh, it's allright now
All, allright.
Respectfully disagree. To my ears, the entirety of Loaded is four-star classic stuff. It's a perfect set of sonic Polaroids shot in the downtown demi-monde of NYC in the early '70s - some dark, some overexposed, all brutally real depictions of the milieu frozen in time (but still relevant today when artists, lovers and losers continue to spiral out of control or into oblivion). Ah well. Different strokes...
One of the truly remarkable things about VU is that their first four LPs all sounded completely different from each other. Each one was a radical change in direction. I'm sure they lost folks with each new release - and it wouldn't surprise me if that weren't at least partially intentional. So it is with this one, I think. If there was one thing that would most effectively alienate those who thought they had the band pegged, it was a "commercial" sound. (As if they were capable of it.) Personally, the one I love most is the third one, though admittedly that's not a popular choice....
I think my musical interests started to escalate at a weird time (about '72?) to really appreciate VU. I came to Lou through Bowie's surgical incision in his career, and though I went back through all of Lou's catalogue, I never touched VU. "Rock 'n Roll" from RnR Animal is, admittedly, watered down and even more hit friendly (for the times) than this original, but it played constantly at college. (not so much by me...)
Likewise, Mott's version of "Sweet Jane" (also Bowie-laced) is the first place I ever heard the song and, for me, became the definitive version. Mainly, 'cause it was the first song I ever learned to play and sing simultaneously, where the rhythm is markedly different from the vocal line. Don't think that means I don't revere VU now. They've left plenty of ghosts. Great post Chris!!
I had no idea you love VU this much, Chris. Surprise, surprise. Rock & Roll is a song I most associate with Bartleby, within the MOGverse. My dominant thought is pretty similar to ivylander's: "One of the truly remarkable things about VU is that their first four LPs all sounded completely different from each other."
I am one of many who can't say I know what my top 3 bands are. I pretty much listen to anything and find something to like in them all.
Mike different strokes. This record bores me. I can't say it any plainer.
To everyone, My fave to date is White Light/White Heat and Max's Kansas City. My copy of WL/WH has a black witch on a black background cover.
Freakin 'Sister Ray' in one take and 40+ minutes of music. Intense and unforgiving.
Ilay, a man with many facets.