The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray - Live At The Gymnasium, New York City, April 20, 1967

[@petrrehak3886]

Once I sad my wife, I love you like I love Lou Reed. The marriage didn't last, my relationship with Lou Reed didn't change.

[@jaidoua1]

I just love the sheer diversity in the different recordings of this song, there's the Boston Tea Party version which is loud, noisy and chaotic and more instrumental-oriented, then there's this one which is more laid-back and vocal oriented, there's the 1969 Matrix version which is both, the more experimental live recordings, and the more balanced studio version. That's one of the things I love about VU, every recording of a given song is wildly different from the last, like and entirely different song.

[@heywoodjablowme8836]

Just suck'n on my ding doing. Searchen for my mainline.

[@bradleytatar5315]

That diversity is amazing. Every version blows me away differently.

[@thefamilydog3278]

That’s because they were the 1st true jam band. The Dead were starting to do some interesting things in 1967/68 but the Velvets were going much farther already in terms of improvisation and changing of song structure from one performance to another. And we only have a small sample of what they were doing because so little of their live material was recorded…Sterling Morrison has described them going out and jamming for an hour before even playing a song!

[@synthmalicious7541]

Good lord the feedback on the microphone

[@jangreen5618]

This is a brilliant version of Sister Ray, the Velvets were a great band.

[@mavjimbo]

Unbelievably great

[@65TossTrap]

Can you imagine the audience reaction; summer of love with the Mamas and Papas, Association on the radio and then this?

[@anneraso5621]

I think that this was a small, super hip crowd that did not listen to AM radio.

[@alexandramootopsyche]

Great band, great mmusic! I wish I would live their times!

[@Espacemtl]

Incredible recording...guitars sounds great!

[@TK-fk4po]

This sound quality is arguably better than the studio version.

[@confucioc2222]

Abrasive and caustic guitar! I love it!

[@hollandoates961]

wow, an actual decent recording from early VU! kudos

[@II-xl7lj]

Early? Serious?

[@billlloyd4029]

Isn't this the earliest known version? Cale on bass instead of organ.

[@downallyourstreets]

When I read at the gymnasium I remembered the guy taking about the VU playing at his high school and all the kids having a negative reaction, freaking out and leaving while he stayed there mesmerized by the chaos he was witnessing. Just found it on PBS, it’s a short animated comicumentry under “POV shorts

[@somercet1]

Mickey Kaus, Beverly Hills High School.

[@bradleytatar5315]

This is the spaciest most buzzed out version. This is the one that makes me feel I'm high even though haven't ingested anything.

[@jimwilliams6151]

Just like Sister Ray says ... 💀

[@FlintyCobblestone]

Greatest. Band. Ever.

[@bennieweitering8677]

Geniaal

[@TheJoshmarc77]

thank you!!!

[@comradethoth9629]

Wow, this is a different version from the gymnasium. A much better version.

[@patrickmoore7555]

Kind of the best version I've ever heard.

[@johnbleroy]

This is actually the EXACT same version. Gymnasium, 1967. Play 2:35 here for a few seconds. Then play 24:30 on the other version, the "Gymnasium" version. It's identical, note for note, syllable for syllable. Toggle back and forth. Completely identical versions. And I don't think either one is better than the other. They're the same recording. Check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKColmCHhshjnZo for the complete set.

[@justanotherguy1794]

"Sock it to me!" Wasn't that a Goldie Hawn TV show from the '60's? So corny; so great! This is like a soundtrack to a Hubert Selby book.

[@dennisgeerlings4384]

639

[@billlloyd4029]

Isn't this the earliest known version? Cale on bass instead of organ.

[@silversurfermusicco5263]

Could well be

[@braindamagehurts44]

Yeah supposedly the live debut of it.

[@johnwinward2421]

Doesn't he switch at about 13 min?

[@LucyOLastic]

Oh he's playing the organ alright. It's rather subliminal for the most part, not the crazy organist on the studio version, just droning away under the guitars. lifting out the mix occasionally, making fuzzy, queasy horror hospital sounds breathing in and out. There are some more fuzzed arpeggios. You have to listen hard to hear what he is doing.

[@rp7356]

@@LucyOLastic but there IS a bass on most of the piece, and it cant be morrison. to me it sounds like cale starts on bass, just seeming to flitter around in the treble range, finding a role, maybe more interesting in getting the feedback just right? he finds a groove about 2' in, a high-pitch singlenote stacattao, but i gotta say there is an organ-like rhythm sound when sterling's strumming. The bass drops out from 6'-7', a single organ note is held, then given a little flourish, and the bass returns at 8'25 for the next vocal cale's bass is more fluid during the long instr break starting 10' [beware the volume jump at this point] sterling and lou's sharp guitar interplay becomes more questioning as the 'noise' level drops; cale makes his final bass note around 12'20-13' and picks up the note on organ and the final section feature's maureen's polyrythms, cale as you say adding his discreet organbreatths