[TheMadcapLaughs]

I was looking in my local record store today and I saw this new VU documentary that I had read about and wondered if any of yous guys have seen it. And if its any good? If you have, is there any footage of them playing live from back in the day? Not the reunion tour shit. I think the series of the DVD's are called Under Review. Theres also a Beefheart one that just came out. Well, lemme know. xoxoxox

[krastian]

Is this it? I haven't seen it, but I did buy a Buzzcocks DVD from the same company that made the VU one and it was pretty good.

 

http://mvdb2b.com/cgi-bin/netlink?SESSION_NO=DDBRMOEB&REQUEST_ID=CSTKDET&STO CK_NO=SIDVD501&LOC_NO=&CO_ID=

[sonicl]

I haven't seen it, but it got a reasonable review in The Wire.

[CHOUT]

I have a bad quality copy of a documentary from the BBC in the mid 80's. Perhaps that's on it?
Vintage Live VU footage is apparently quite scarce.

Don't get me started about the 93 reunion shows. Lou sounds like a drunk karaoke singer who sounds like Lou Reed.

[porkmarras]

Originally Posted by sonicl

I haven't seen it, but it got a reasonable review in The Wire.

I haven't seen it but i have read the same review and it is a good one.I have a couple of bootleg dvds that are really good even though the quality is on the poor side.

[sonic sphere]

looks like it might be worth getting-i'll have to keep an eye out for it

[finding nobody]

i've a got 3 videos from a renuiun that i think took place in the 70s with nico, lou and john. they play heroin, femme fatale, and i'm waiting for my man.

[umjammer atomsk]

Looks cool.

[porkmarras]

I have 'A simphony of sound' on vhs.The last dvd i got has the movie with Maureen Tucker tied to a chair while people smoke and talk.It's a pity that the quality is not too good.

[kingcoffee]

I didn't know Velvet Underground even had a dvd out. I'll definitely have to check it out. I'd love to see some of their live shows. I could only imagine that they would be spectacular.

[dazedcola]

i just got the reunion 93 thing and its not as bad as everyone says it is, the playing is great and its fun to watch them play the song in front of your eyes. I love how they extended "hey mr.rain" on that tour. I do agree that lou's vocal did get kind of annoying when he added extra "ooo yea baby" to the end of songs and sometimes missed the beat when the lyrics are supposed to come in.

[hey alex]

Originally Posted by finding nobody

i've a got 3 videos from a renuiun that i think took place in the 70s with nico, lou and john. they play heroin, femme fatale, and i'm waiting for my man.

Yea, that's something they did for french tv at the bataclan club. I have a bott of the concert and it's really awesome. I've only seen the video for herion which was pretty cool. Lot's of non-vu songs were played too (lou, nico, john solo songs)

[Amaranth]

Looks interesting, I wonder if it can be found on amazon.com?

[TheMadcapLaughs]

So no one has actually seen it then? I read that it doen't actually have live performance footage (w/sound) from the original unit and not even the 2nd version with doug yale, pity.

[sonicl]

The review in The Wire:

"… neither hype nor attacks, but informative biographies utilising rare footage, unobtrusive narration and fascinating input from musicians and critics given ample time to expound.

VU Under Review is a linear journey through the group's discography, clearly mapping out what can be a confusing arc. There's little live footage here that any diehard hasn't seen, but there are three valuable additions to the VU canon: recent interviews with Warhol mainstay Billy Name, bassist Doug Yule and drummer Maureen Tucker. Yule is a surprisingly sharp analyst of his own work, even admitting that he was mistaken to let his brother play drums on Loaded rather than wait for Tucker to recover from childbirth. Tucker herself overflows with stories and insights, and her brilliant descriptions her innovations ("I hate music where the drum stops so the drummer can bang on the cymbals") makes Robert Christgau's subsequent claim that she invented the punk beat feel like an understatement. At 85 minutes the film doesn't cover the entire VU story, but its judicious overview says more than a comprehensive collection of clips might"

[DemonBox]

I'd love to see some VU live footage, I've got the Live 1969 on vinyl, and they're fucking tearing down the place. But the reunioun tour, blah..

[hat and beard]

my roommate bought this the other day, and i must say it is absolutely the worst rock n roll documentary i have ever seen. the interviews with doug yule and moe tucker are nice, but everything else nearly put me to sleep. in fact, i actually did fall asleep towards the end.

of course that's just my opinion. everyone else who has seen it seems to like it.

[TheMadcapLaughs]

blah! I love the VU but I think I will be skippin' on this baby. thanks for the info people.

[hat and beard]

Originally Posted by TheMadcapLaughs

So no one has actually seen it then? I read that it doen't actually have live performance footage (w/sound) from the original unit and not even the 2nd version with doug yale, pity.

this is true. there is some old footage of the band, but no sound.

another thing that sucks about this dvd... stock footage of present day nyc filtered through cheezy 'aging' effects, randomly interspersed between shots of the band. wwhat the fuck!>A@!>?

[krastian]

That's what I was thinking.....all in all the company looks pretty sketchy (like they are making the DVD's out of their garage or something) even though like I said I bought one of their products at it was pretty good......granted it was from a 2003 concert.