Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes
Encyclopedia
Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes is a triple live album
by The Velvet Underground
. It was released on October 16, 2001 by Polydor, the record label
overseeing The Velvet Underground's Universal Music Group
back catalogue.
The Quine Tapes is currently the first and only release in the proposed Bootleg Series. It was originally recorded live by Robert Quine
, a fan of the band who would later become an influential new wave
guitar
ist and played with musicians such as Richard Hell
, Lou Reed
and Lloyd Cole
.
The second volume in The Bootleg Series was to be an April 1967 show recorded at The Gymnasium in New York City. (Two songs from this show, "Guess I'm Falling in Love" and "Booker T," appeared on the 1995 box set Peel Slowly and See
.) Apparently monetary disputes between the band and Universal have put a hold on future entries in the series. (This same dispute over a revised contract also kept "Miss Joanie Lee," recorded during a rehearsal at Andy Warhol
's Factory
, from appearing on the deluxe two-CD reissue of The Velvet Underground & Nico.) The Gymnasium show was eventually released in 2008 as an actual bootleg recording
, and features the only known recorded performance of the song "I'm Not a Young Man Anymore," as well as the live debut of "Sister Ray
".
and Canada
, playing well over 70 dates. By this time, the band had picked up a sizeable fan base and every now and then a fan would bring along, with consent of the band, recording equipment to record a set. Most of the time, this would mean relatively simple hand-held recorders resulting in lo-fi mono
audience recordings, as with this set and the 1972 live album Live at Max's Kansas City
(1969: The Velvet Underground Live
was the notable exception, using stereo
soundboard recordings).
Robert Quine, an avid Velvet Underground fan, used to travel to as many concerts as possible. He became friends with the band and they allowed him to record sets from the audience, occasionally asking for playbacks. Quine recorded many concerts, but as his original musicassette tapes began to wear out, he compiled four reels of what he considered the best material. These "best-of" reels were ultimately released in 2001 as the present The Quine Tapes set. The original musicassettes from which the reels were compiled no longer exist.
Musically, The Quine Tapes finds the band in the same phase in their history as documented on 1969—the two sets even share a performance of "Rock and Roll", recorded at the same concert by both Quine and the Matrix
sound personnel. Quine's tapes, although lo-fi audience recordings, capture much more of the music's ambience, especially in the larger venues, such as Washington University in St. Louis
. Additionally, The Quine Tapes contains songs that the band only rarely performed by this time, such as "Sunday Morning", "Venus in Furs" and "The Black Angel's Death Song", along with other obscurities such as "Over You", "Ride into the Sun", and "Follow the Leader", which had never even been bootlegged in its original form.
except as noted
Disc one
All tracks recorded at The Family Dog, San Francisco
Disc two
All tracks recorded at The Matrix, San Francisco
Disc three
All tracks recorded at The Matrix, November 1969 except for track seven, recorded at Washington University, St. Louis.
Technical staff
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
. It was released on October 16, 2001 by Polydor, the record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
overseeing The Velvet Underground's Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
back catalogue.
The Quine Tapes is currently the first and only release in the proposed Bootleg Series. It was originally recorded live by Robert Quine
Robert Quine
Robert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist, known for his innovative guitar solos.A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown in comparison...
, a fan of the band who would later become an influential new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and played with musicians such as Richard Hell
Richard Hell
Richard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...
, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole
Lloyd Cole is an English singer and songwriter, known for his role as lead singer of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989, and for his subsequent solo work.-Early life:...
.
The second volume in The Bootleg Series was to be an April 1967 show recorded at The Gymnasium in New York City. (Two songs from this show, "Guess I'm Falling in Love" and "Booker T," appeared on the 1995 box set Peel Slowly and See
Peel Slowly and See
Peel Slowly and See is a five-disc box set of material by The Velvet Underground. It was released in September 1995 by Polydor.-Compilation:...
.) Apparently monetary disputes between the band and Universal have put a hold on future entries in the series. (This same dispute over a revised contract also kept "Miss Joanie Lee," recorded during a rehearsal at Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
's Factory
The Factory
The Factory was Andy Warhol's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well. The Factory was located on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street, in Midtown Manhattan. The rent was "only about one hundred dollars a year"...
, from appearing on the deluxe two-CD reissue of The Velvet Underground & Nico.) The Gymnasium show was eventually released in 2008 as an actual bootleg recording
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
, and features the only known recorded performance of the song "I'm Not a Young Man Anymore," as well as the live debut of "Sister Ray
Sister Ray
Sister Ray may mean one of the following:* "Sister Ray", 1968 song by The Velvet Underground* A fictional enormous laser cannon in the video game Final Fantasy VII* Sister Ray , a punk rock band from Youngstown, Ohio...
".
The Quine Tapes
During 1969, The Velvet Underground toured the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, playing well over 70 dates. By this time, the band had picked up a sizeable fan base and every now and then a fan would bring along, with consent of the band, recording equipment to record a set. Most of the time, this would mean relatively simple hand-held recorders resulting in lo-fi mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
audience recordings, as with this set and the 1972 live album Live at Max's Kansas City
Live at Max's Kansas City
Live at Max's Kansas City is a live album by The Velvet Underground. It was originally released on May 30, 1972, by Cotillion, a subsidiary label of Atlantic Records.-About the album:...
(1969: The Velvet Underground Live
1969: The Velvet Underground Live
1969: The Velvet Underground Live is a live album by The Velvet Underground. It was originally released as a double album in September 1974 by Mercury Records. The September 1988 CD re-release was issued as two separate single CD volumes, with one extra track per disc...
was the notable exception, using stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
soundboard recordings).
Robert Quine, an avid Velvet Underground fan, used to travel to as many concerts as possible. He became friends with the band and they allowed him to record sets from the audience, occasionally asking for playbacks. Quine recorded many concerts, but as his original musicassette tapes began to wear out, he compiled four reels of what he considered the best material. These "best-of" reels were ultimately released in 2001 as the present The Quine Tapes set. The original musicassettes from which the reels were compiled no longer exist.
Musically, The Quine Tapes finds the band in the same phase in their history as documented on 1969—the two sets even share a performance of "Rock and Roll", recorded at the same concert by both Quine and the Matrix
The Matrix (club)
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
sound personnel. Quine's tapes, although lo-fi audience recordings, capture much more of the music's ambience, especially in the larger venues, such as Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. Additionally, The Quine Tapes contains songs that the band only rarely performed by this time, such as "Sunday Morning", "Venus in Furs" and "The Black Angel's Death Song", along with other obscurities such as "Over You", "Ride into the Sun", and "Follow the Leader", which had never even been bootlegged in its original form.
Track listing
All tracks written by Lou ReedLou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
except as noted
Disc one
All tracks recorded at The Family Dog, San Francisco
- "I'm Waiting for the ManI'm Waiting for the Man"I'm Waiting for the Man" is a song by the American rock band The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed. It was first released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico....
" (November 8, 1969) – 7:46 - "It's Just Too Much" (November 8, 1969) – 4:08
- "What Goes On" (November 8, 1969) – 8:25
- "I' Can't Stand It" (November 8, 1969) – 6:20
- "Some Kinda Love" (November 8, 1969) – 4:48
- "Foggy Notion" (November 8, 1969) (Sterling MorrisonSterling MorrisonHolmes Sterling Morrison, Jr. was one of the founding members of the rock group The Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and singing backing vocals.-Biography:...
, Doug YuleDoug YuleDouglas Alan Yule is an American musician and singer, most notable for being a member of The Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973.- Early career :Yule began playing with various bands in Boston in the 1960s...
, Maureen TuckerMaureen TuckerMaureen Ann "Moe" Tucker is a musician best known for having been the drummer for the rock group The Velvet Underground.- The Velvet Underground :...
, Hy WeissHy Weiss-Biography:Born Hyman Y. Weiss in Romania, he was an immigrant to the United States when young and was brought up in the Bronx, New York. He started in the music industry in 1949, setting up Parody Records with his brother Sam....
) – 4:41 - "Femme FataleFemme Fatale (song)"Femme Fatale" is a song by The Velvet Underground from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. At producer Andy Warhol's request, band frontman Lou Reed wrote the song about Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick...
" (November 7, 1969) – 3:14 - "After HoursAfter Hours (song)"After Hours" is a 1969 song written by Lou Reed and originally performed by The Velvet Underground. It is the tenth and final track on their self-titled album. It is one of few songs with lead vocals by drummer Maureen Tucker, as Lou Reed stated the song was "so innocent and pure" that he could...
" (November 8, 1969) – 3:05 - "I'm Sticking with You" (November 8, 1969) – 2:48
- "Sunday MorningSunday Morning (The Velvet Underground song)"Sunday Morning" is a song by The Velvet Underground. It is the opening track on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It was also released as a single in 1966 with "Femme Fatale".-Recording:...
" (November 9, 1969) (Reed, John CaleJohn CaleJohn Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
) – 2:56 - "Sister RaySister RaySister Ray may mean one of the following:* "Sister Ray", 1968 song by The Velvet Underground* A fictional enormous laser cannon in the video game Final Fantasy VII* Sister Ray , a punk rock band from Youngstown, Ohio...
" (November 7, 1969) (Reed, Cale, Morrison, Tucker) – 24:03
Disc two
All tracks recorded at The Matrix, San Francisco
- "Follow the Leader" (November 27, 1969) – 17:05
- "White Light/White HeatWhite Light/White Heat (song)"White Light/White Heat" is a song by American avant-garde rock band The Velvet Underground, the title track on their second album, released in 1968. It is a fast, relatively aggressive start to the album, similar to the punk rock genre it would ultimately influence.The song's vocals are performed...
" (December 1, 1969) – 10:03 - "Venus in FursVenus in Furs (song)"Venus in Furs" is a song by The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed and originally released on the 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Inspired by the book of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the song includes sexual themes of sadomasochism, bondage and...
" (December 1, 1969) – 5:14 - "HeroinHeroin (song)"Heroin" is a song by The Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Written by Lou Reed in 1964, the song is one of the band's most celebrated compositions, overtly depicting heroin use and abuse...
" (November 23, 1969) – 8:11 - "Sister Ray" (December 3, 1969) (Reed, Cale, Morrison, Tucker) – 38:00
Disc three
All tracks recorded at The Matrix, November 1969 except for track seven, recorded at Washington University, St. Louis.
- "Rock and RollRock & Roll (Lou Reed song)"Rock & Roll" is a song by The Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by the Velvet's then-leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the song into his own live performances years later as a solo artist.The song recounts the advent of rock &...
" (November 25, 1969) – 6:49 - "New AgeNew Age (Velvet Underground song)"New Age" is the fifth song from the 1970 The Velvet Underground album Loaded. It is one of the songs that feature Doug Yule on vocals, encouraged by main singer and songwriter Lou Reed....
" (November 24, 1969) – 11:21 - "Over You" (November 25, 1969) – 2:41
- "The Black Angel's Death SongThe Black Angel's Death Song"The Black Angel's Death Song" is a song by The Velvet Underground, from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It was written by Lou Reed and John Cale...
" (November 23, 1969) (Reed, Cale) – 5:54 - "I'm Waiting for the Man" (November 27, 1969) – 11:37
- "Ride into the Sun" (November 24, 1969) – 11:11
- "Sister Ray"/"Foggy Notion" (May 11, 1969) (Reed, Cale, Morrison, Tucker/Morrison, Yule, Tucker, Weiss) – 28:43
Personnel
The Velvet Underground- Sterling MorrisonSterling MorrisonHolmes Sterling Morrison, Jr. was one of the founding members of the rock group The Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and singing backing vocals.-Biography:...
– lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
– vocals, rhythmRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Maureen TuckerMaureen TuckerMaureen Ann "Moe" Tucker is a musician best known for having been the drummer for the rock group The Velvet Underground.- The Velvet Underground :...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, lead vocals on "After Hours" and "I'm Sticking with You" - Doug YuleDoug YuleDouglas Alan Yule is an American musician and singer, most notable for being a member of The Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973.- Early career :Yule began playing with various bands in Boston in the 1960s...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Ride into the Sun"
Technical staff
- Robert QuineRobert QuineRobert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist, known for his innovative guitar solos.A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown in comparison...
– recording engineer - The Velvet Underground – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s