MAKING OF THE ALBUM: The Velvet Underground – Loaded
Published on February 12, 2012 by Christian Sellers · No Comments
In the three short years since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, The Velvet Underground had undergone radical changes among their ranks that had transformed them into a completely different band. Having distanced themselves from producer Andy Warhol and German co-singer Nico, their second effort, White Light/White Heat, had been a more raw and frantic affair. Creative differences between frontman Lou Reed and bassist John Cale had resulted in the latter leaving the group shortly before the recording of their eponymous album in 1968, prompting Reed to recruit twenty-one year old Doug Yule as a replacement. As with its predecessor, The Velvet Underground‘s fourth album would see Reed immersing himself in more straightforward commercial material than the band’s earlier work, something that had been instrumental in Cale’s decision to quit.
With Reed credited as the sole songwriter, the group entered the Record Plant in New York on May 9th, 1969 to practice and arrange material for their upcoming recording sessions. Working once again with Val Valentin, who had served as engineer during the making of their last album, the foursome ran through a collection of recently penned songs, some of which had been performed live in an effort to test the water. Over the following weeks they recorded a selection of new material that would include Coney Island Steeplechase and Andy’s Chest. Neither would make their way onto the final release of the album, although Reed would eventually re-record the latter for his second solo album, Tranformer, three years later. Drummer Moe Tucker would sing lead vocals for only the second time (following the 1968 track After Hours) on the playful I’m Sticking with You, in which she would also perform a duet with Reed during the melodic finale.
Other material that would be recorded during these early sessions were She’s My Best Friend, I Can’t Stand It and an instrumental song entitled Ride Into the Sun. Four months after these initial sessions, The Velvet Underground returned to the studio with a new batch of songs, including the ballad Lisa Says (whose title resembled the band’s previous tracks Candy Says and Stephanie Says) and a rock ‘n’ roll number called We’re Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together. While all of these tracks would be pushed aside for the final album, they would resurface during the mid-1980s when Polygram Records released two collections of outtakes entitled VU and Another View. While much of the material from these sessions remained unreleased for over a decade, Reed had also written several commercial songs that had been well received by fans and music critics during their shows. The infection Sweet Jane, a lighthearted Who Loves the Sun and the blues-esque Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ would eventually become among the band’s most celebrated work, having been perfected through numerous live performances.
Despite Reed’s creative bursts, the band were still suffering from internal conflicts following the departure of Cale. Struggling to make money while recording their demos, each member was beginning to suffer from stress and soon The Velvet Underground felt like nothing more than a burden. Difficulties with MGM had also placed a strain on the group but an offer from Atlantic Records seemed like the ideal chance for a fresh start. With Reed avoiding the avant-garde style of some of their earlier material, specifically the likes of The Gift (an eight-minute piece based around a humorous-if-bleak story recited by Cale), the enthusiasm of their new employers gave hope during their recording sessions.
Unfortunately for the band, Tucker fell pregnant around this time and so was unable to perform drums, forcing Reed to bring in Billy Yule to work on the album. This would also coincide with a residency that The Velvet Underground had been offered at Max’s Kansas City in New York, one show of which would be caught on tape and released two years later. From June through to September 1970 the band performed regularly at the venue, mixing fan favourites alongside new material such as Lonesome Cowboy Bill and the appropriately-titled New Age. But Tucker was not the only member to be distracted by their personal life, as guitarist Sterling Morrison had enrolled at City College and was already making plans for the future, one that may not include a career in music. The official recording sessions for the album had commenced in April at the Atlantic Recording Studios in New York, but it soon became clear that The Velvet Underground were no longer operating as the band they had once been, with each member often recording their tracks in the studio by themselves, far removed from the raw and live feel of their debut.
The earlier sessions were overseen by Adrian Barber, a resident of Atlantic Records who also served as drummer on many of the songs, but he was soon replaced as producer by Geoffrey Haslam. By the time the sessions had come to an end the band had recorded almost twenty songs in one form or another, including an early version of Satellite of Love which, as with Andy’s Chest, would later surface in a more polished incarnation on Reed’s classic album Transformer. With Tucker unable to attend most of the sessions, the drums were performed by a variety of people, from Bill Yule and Barber to Tommy Castanaro and even Doug Yule. Doug was also given the opportunity to perform lead vocals on what would become the album’s opener, Who Loves the Sun, while also playing keyboards, bass and some drums on the track. Reed’s trust in him caused some jealousy for Morrison, who felt his preoccupations with college was leaving his contributions to the group somewhat overlooked.
Sweet Jane, arguably the album’s standout moment, was re-recorded numerous times during the sessions until its full commercial appeal had been exploited. Based around a simple, sing-a-long chorus, the lyrics to the song saw Reed reciting a story about those around him, much like he had done with earlier songs like Candy Says (and later with his 1972 solo hit Walk on the Wild Side). Under the moniker Loaded, the album was eventually released by Atlantic in November 1970, more than a year and a half after their last effort. By this point, however, The Velvet Underground had suffered a major loss as Reed had announced his decision to quit the band immediately after leaving the stage of Max’s on August 23rd. Angered by his impromptus departure, the group’s manager, Steve Sesnick, opted to credit all of the songs to the entire band on the album’s liner notes, while listing Doug Yule and Morrison above Reed in the line-up. Reed successfully sued Sesnick for ownership of the material that had been recorded but remained unreleased, opting to re-record much of it for his first two solo albums.
Loaded would receive mostly positive reviews from the music press, although a common criticism would be levelled at its soft production. As Lenny Kaye noted in his Rolling Stone review; “Yet as a good as Loaded is (and as far as I’m concerned, it’s easily one of the best albums to show up this or any year), there are some minor problems which tend to take away from its overall achievement. Namely, and whether it’s the fault of the mix or the production is hard to say, it feels as if many of the harder songs on the album lack punch.” While it has since been less revered than their first two albums, Loaded featured some of the band’s most inspired work and served as a perfect swan song for Reed and The Velvet Underground.
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