On the 23rd of August 1970, scene-chronicler Brigid Polk recorded the cassette tape that would make up the bulk of the Velvet Underground’sĀ album Live at Max’s Kansas City.
45-years later,Ā the recording has become anĀ invaluable artefact, documenting Lou Reed’s final performance before parting ways withĀ the alternative-rock outfit to pursue aĀ solo career.
The summer of 1970 saw the Velvets soundtrackingĀ theĀ night life at Max’s Kansas City, a vibrant space for the poets, artists, musicians, Princes, and Queens of New York City. Regulars included William S. Burroughs and Roy Lichtenstein, withĀ Bruce Springsteen andĀ Jimi Hendrix also making performance appearances. At the time, the Velvets were working on ‘Loaded,’ the fifth and final album toĀ featureĀ the band’s original members – Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker. The sets at Max’s were a select collection of old classics and newer songs that inspired a generation of musicians in the garage-band low-production movement, launching the fragmentation of rock music.
āWe were the original alternative band,ā Morrison toldĀ BBCĀ in 1993, ānot because we wanted to be, but because we were shunned into it. For us there was no alternative.ā
5 years before the night club gig, the band was discoveredĀ byĀ Andy Warhol, who steered the direction for the band and is largely responsible for their success. Acting as their band director and producer, Warhol gave the band the high profile connections they needed with theĀ free reign to pursue a unique sound and aesthetic. He pushed for the German singer, Nico, to be featured in their debut studio album and secured them a recording contract withĀ MGM’s Verve Records.
Shunned for their avant grade approachĀ during the 60s and 70s, theyĀ wereĀ arguably both the most influential and mostĀ under-appreciated rockĀ band ofĀ their time. Whilst they achieved little commercial success, their legacy disseminated into alternative rock and experimental music, and their innovative art rock style which merged high and low art was resounded by artists from Beck to Nirvana. They were decades ahead of their time, and became the launching figures and roots of sub-genres that fragmentĀ from the masses.
āI just keeping thinking that when The Velvet Underground first came out with songs like āHeroinā, we were so savaged for itā ReedĀ said. Ā āHere it is a few decades later, and I have those lyrics published in a book, and Iām giving readings at art museums. We wanted to make records that would stick around like great novels or movies, and we believed in what we were doing, even if nobody else did.ā
The band drastically developedĀ their sound from the violent cacophony of raw noise that was White Light/White Heat to the introspective rock and fragile maturity of their self-titled album The Velvet Underground. Each album showcasesĀ a change in musical direction, collectively providing an insight intoĀ the band’s musical and personal growth.
And its because Brigid Polk wanted to record the songs for herself with aĀ Sony 124 that we can now listen to a liveĀ set of their favourite tracks today, 45 years later.
The album begins with Reed inviting the audience to dance: “You’re allowed to dance, incase you didn’t know.”Ā Its quite humbling to hear arch art icon Lou Reed say “It’s really fun to be able to play these for you, I really don’t get a chance…” heading into the classic opening track to The Velvet Underground & Nico, “Sunday Morning.”
“This is a song about, oh when you’ve done something so sad, and when you wake up and remember…”
The album is a raw artefact, taking you back to the last gig Reed performed as a member of the Velvets, Ā in a downtown setting fit for one of the most influential rockĀ bands in history.
Read more about The Velvet Underground and their influential career inĀ Fashion Industry Broadcast’s Masters of Music Rock Series Vol. 17.
Listen to the album in full below.
