How To Disappear Completely

A song changes

So interesting to me how elements that might have been the result of poor recording technology just might have been the deciding factor that makes a group like The Velvet Underground go on to be a profoundly influential band.

What I am talking about is The Velvet Underground and Nico. The band would run through a song one or two times and that would be the take. Little if any over-dubbing. The musicians couldn't see each other, and could barely maintain ensemble cohesion. And yet that "dirty" sound (by which I mean distorted and full of feedback) is what makes them so interesting. I'm listening to other versions (the live albums, the "reunions," the bootlegs, yeah, if you want some VU stuff, come to me), and am struck by how clean and subdued it all sounds. Perhaps what is missing is Cale's viola, especially in "Venus in Furs." The screeching slur (somewhat reminiscent of the "killer" theme from Pyscho) just screams its absence in the live versions. Even the fact that all the instruments are in rhythm (and in tune) cleans things up dramatically. But the "edge" is gone, and the song becomes almost beautiful, soothing. And, considering the lyrical content of that song, that seems rather contradictory.

And, I'm sorry, it's Nico's "I-vant-to-seeng-lahke-Bahhb-Dee-lan (but totally fail)" voice that makes songs like "All Tomorrow's Parties." Lou Reed wrote them for her voice, and his just doesn't seem to cut it when he takes over.

Anyway, I fear that the VU will haunt the soundtrack of my subconscious for years to come. This is the problem with music studies. Music gets stuck in your head, running over and over and over and over and over....till the credits stop.