Velvet Underground: for $130K
p2pnet.net News:- Would you pay $130,00 for this? Someone would. And probably a lot more.
It’s the point elgranmagoo had reached as the 191st bidder in an eBay auction by 4:15 am today.
On the virtual block is a Velvet Underground recording on acetate Montrealer Warren Hill bought for 75 cents in New York four years ago. It’s billed as “the first recordings by one of the most influential rock bands of all time!” – and features versions of songs Andy Warhol took to various to record labels.
“After establishing the authenticity of Warren’s find we photographed the item and made a high quality digital back-up copy of the material,” says an item by Hill’s friend, Eric Isaacson of Mississippi Records in Portland, Oregon, clipped from the current Goldmine Magazine and posted in the auction blurb area.
“A media frenzy ensued, with articles appearing in Rolling Stone, Mojo, Record Collector, The Globe & Mail, and many other news sources,” the excerpt goes on. “Calls started flooding in from people interested in buying the acetate, as well as record companies interested in releasing the songs on it.
“After much consideration, we decided that it would be best to release it to the highest bidder through an auction facilitated by our good friends at Saturn Records in Oakland, California (a store that has a well-established presence in the international vinyl collecting community, and an excellent reputation on the internet).”
So what’s on the disc?
No DRM. That’s for sure ;p
Says the eBay post:
Six of the songs recorded during the Scepter session made it on to the “Velvet Underground & Nico” LP, albeit with radically different mixes. The other four songs were re-recorded in LA by Tom Wilson. As far as we know, the only listenable copy of the original versions of Heroin, Venus In Furs, I’m Waiting For The Man, and European Son exist on the acetate that Warren
found. (A Japanese bootleg of the same material did appear, but in poor, arguably ‘unlistenable’ sound quality. It is possible that the source tape for the Japanese bootleg was made from this very acetate decades ago when it was in different hands. Who knows?) We have since realized that we are in possession of a likely one of a kind artifact – the first recordings by one of the most influential rock bands of all time!
As to the most interesting mystery brought up by the appearance of this item – how did such an important artifact disappear for 37 years & end up at a Chelsea New York yard sale priced at 75 cents? …We have no answer.
The track differences between the acetate versions and the commercial recordings on “The Velvet Underground & Nico” are detailed as follows:
1.European Son- completely different version,. Guitar solo is much bluesier. Less noisy and experimental. Longer by 2 minutes or so.
2.Black Angel’s Death Song-Same take as released version. Different mix.
3.All Tomorrow’s Parties- Same take as released version. Different mix.
4.I’ll Be Your Mirror-Same take as released version. Radically different mix. No echo on Nico’s vocals. Background vocals on end of song are more subdued.
5.Heroin-Completely different take than released version. Guitar line is different. Vocal inflections different, and a few different lyrics. Drumming is more primitive & off kilter. There is a tambourine dragging throughout the song.
6.Femme Fatale- Same take as released version. Radically different mix. Percussion more prominent. Alternate take on background vocals. Much more “poppy”.
7.Venus In Furs- Different take than released version. Vocal inflections completely different. Instrumentation more based around Cales’ violin than the guitar as in the released version.
8.I’m Waiting For The Man- Different take than released version. Guitar line is completely different. Vocal inflections different, and a few different lyrics. No drums, just tambourine. Bluesy guitar solo.
9.Run Run Run- Same take as released version. Different mix.
Stay tuned.
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February 6th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
winter olympics of 1972