The Velvet Underground: Squeeze1973

Here’s something a bit different to restart the site with. It’s the first album to be posted on this blog.  

This is Squeeze, the fifth Velvet Underground album. Which seems to have been all but erased from the band’s official history? No tracks from it appear on any Velvet Underground compilations or box sets. Unavailable on vinyl since the seventies, it has never officially been issued on CD. The Kismet label has released it recently on CD unlicensed. The version here was taken from vinyl.

By the time this was recorded in 1972, Mo Tucker and Doug Yule were the only band members left. Doug Yule produced and played most of the instruments on it. Mo Tucker was stopped from playing on the album by the band’s manager. The drums are performed by Ian Paice, Deep Purple’s drummer. Hence many fans do not see it as a real Velvet Underground album. Doug Yule was not included in the band when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Despite the fact he played on three of their five albums. 

1. Little Jack
2. Crash
3. Caroline
4. Mean Old Man
5. Dopey Joe
6. Wordless

7. She'll Make You Cry
8. Friends
9. Send No Letter
10. Jack & Jane
11. Louise

Produced By Doug Yule

Doug Yule   Vocal, Guitar, Keyboards, Bass guitar

Ian Paice                                                  Drums

The Velvet Underground - Squeeze.zip  

All Night Workers: Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket 1965

During their time at Pickwick Records Lou Reed and John Cale worked on more that just the Primitives Do The Ostrich. They also wrote Why Don't You Smile. Which became the B-Side of the All Night Workers’ 1965 Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket single. All Night Workers were friends of Lou Reed from Syracuse, New York. They were also signed to Pickwick Records’ subsidiary Round Sound Records. The A-Side written by Bill Elmiger, was a regional hit and later a Northern Soul favourite. But the B-Side Why Don't You Smile is more of a drone.  Credited to Lou Reed, John Cale, Terry Philips, and Jerry Vance. It is not known if Cale or Reed played on the single. It was produced by Lee Harridan Productions.

Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket 

Why Don't You Smile

As a bonus here's the unreleased 1962 Bob Shed produced Merry Go ‘round. Listed as by Lewis Reed

Merry Go ‘round

Or here's all three as a .zip
All Night Workers & Lewis Reed

The Privitives: The Ostrich 1964

This is the single by Lou Reed and John Cale’s pre-Velvet Underground band, The Primitives. Lou Reed wrote The Ostrich while working as an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records in 1964. It was a cash-in on the ‘dance craze’ records like The Twist and Monster Mash. It was a minor hit. They also wrote a B-Side for the All Night Workers. For the recording Lou Reed tuned all the strings of his guitar to the same note (which sounds like D to me). He used the same technique on a few of the Velvets recordings like Venus in Furs. Sneaky Pete is the rarely heard b-side.

The Ostrich
Sneaky Pete