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The Velvet Underground – Rock & Roll (Gigamesh Edit)

Jenny said when she was just five years old
There was nothin’ happenin’ at all
Every time she puts on a radio
There was nothin’ goin’ down at all, Not at all…

That’s exactly how I felt this morning and that’s pretty much how I’ve been feeling for the last year or so. It’s not that I’m not digging what’s happening now it’s just that everyone is doing the same thing. But…

Then one fine mornin’ she puts on a New York station
You know, she don’t believe what she heard at all
She started shakin’ to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll…

Thankfully music has a rich history so whenever the present gets too saturated you can always seek the past to get the feeling of new. Regardless of the oxymoron it certainly holds true for music right now.

I’ve recently reignited my passion for modern art and in seeing how unique everyone at the top of the art world is I can’t help but to crave the same from music. For example, a Murakami superflat piece is nothing like a distorted Cubism painting by George Condo. Damien Hirst putting a tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a vitrine and KAWS placing a huge Companion in front of The Standard couldn’t be further from each other. Yet all of these arouse our intellect in unique ways. There’s a lot to it but at a subconscious level we’re connecting with these artist because we sense the care, thought and effort put into these creations. That’s the unspoken, organic human element that can’t be faked. If all these guys did the same thing, regardless of how well they did it, they would all be disposable. But they’re not and that’s why they have value, that’s why Murakami sells a jack-off sculpture for 15 million dollars.

That’s not the case with music. We’re getting a lot of great things but because non of it is really unique it just goes in one ear and out the other. You’ve pretty much heard it already from a hundred other bands so it leaves you with nothing to examine. If you study the history of any art form you’ll find patterns and right now history is just repeating itself. It won’t last forever and good things are happening and greater things will start to happen with music. In the meantime though, here’s some good old Rock & Roll to hold you over from one of my favorite bands of all time, enjoy.

Despite all the amputations you know you could just go out
And dance to the rock ‘n’ roll station…”

Velvet Underground – Rock & Roll (Gigamesh Edit)

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Music

The Velvet Underground – I’m Waiting For The Man

When this album was released in 1967 it was largely ignored. Fools. Since then it has been recognized as one of the most influential and critically lauded rock albums in history. It was recorded in 1966 during  Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable multimedia event tour, which I wont even try to describe. Don’t know if it was the drugs, the nihilism, the times or what but the feeling you get from this music truly something else.

Hey white boy, what you doin’ uptown?
Hey white boy, you chasin’ our women around?
Oh pardon me sir, it’s the furthest from my mind
I’m just lookin’ for a dear, dear friend of mine
I’m waiting for my man…”

The Velvet Underground – I’m Waiting For The Man

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Music

The Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning

This is going to be another quick weekend post. I’m writing this from the back patio at El Biet in Williamsburg, the weather is incredible, I’m with a good friend, the blog is doing great and I couldn’t be happier – La vie en rose. Anyways, as I sit here waiting for my next meeting there’s one song that always comes to mind on great Sundays – The Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning. The Velvet Underground & Nico is one of my favorite albums of all time, lyrically Lou Reed explores themes and emotions rarely heard back then and barely heard now. In all honesty I don’t see much point in really talking about this album because it’s something you just need to sit down and listen to. In the meantime here’s Sunday Morning to get you started, happy Sunday.

The Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning

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Music

The Black Lips – I’ll Be With You

I’m such a big fan of The Velvet Underground that I almost have no choice when it comes to the modern bands that are so heavily influenced by those nihilist geniuses.  ”I’ll Be With You,” is an ode to good old fashioned friendship, and I like it. I went to the premiere of “Man, I Love You” with a couple of buddies and while the movie itself is of that new dude/chick flick hybrid, I think it has a great message in terms of relationships and the ever growing blur that is the male vs female identity. Listening to this song reminded of it. Funny movie, check it out. Here’s the recently released video for “I’ll Be With You” by The Black Lips. Enjoy.

The Black Lips – I’ll Be With You

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Music

Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side

Most of you will recognize this song as the sample for Tribe Called Quest’s Can I Kick It; while I think the Tribe song is an creative and energetic reinvention, it’s pale in comparison to the quaint and haunting original. Take A Walk On The Wild Side was the surprise hit single from Lou Reed’s solo debut Transformer, and was produced by David Bowie, a big fan of Reed. In typical Velvet fashion, the songs lyrics are as unorthodoxed and elcletic as they come; covering topics like drugs, oral sex, race, male prostitutes and transexuality. As a member of The Velvets, Reed was very involved with Andy Warhol and the debauchery that came a long with it. In fact, some of the characters referred to in this song  are Andy’s “superstars.” With lyrical content so trite these days if find myself caught up in the more psychedelic and creative eras of music. For those of you who don’t listen to lyrics worry not, the songs quirky and infectious bass line is usually what lures most in.

Lou Reed – Walk On The Wildside

There are two bass sounds happening at once, a double-bass and a fretless bass guitar. Secondly, the musicians are playing a major tenth interval, a quirky and unusual decision at the time, enjoy.

New York City is the place where they said hey babe, take a walk on the wild side.”

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Music

The Velvet Underground – Heroin

The O-ri-gi-na-tors.

The Velvet Underground – Heroin