The mid 70s double LP release of the Velvets live – just past the uber prime point, in 1969 after Doug Yule had steeped in for the departed John Cale! Includes very solid live versions of benchmark numbers, with the VU sounding remarkably sharp on stage on the classics and more. Includes "Waiting For My Man", "Lisa Says", "What Goes On", "Sweet Jane", "We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together", "Femme Fatale", "New Age", "Rock And Roll" and "Beginning To See The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

This 1970 live recording arrived at the end of the line for the true Velvet Underground – before latter-day bassist Doug Yule took over the name for a short and (thankfully) long-forgotten stint, in a performance that became known as the group's last live set! Maureen Tucker and John Cale were indeed MIA at this point, making it Lou's show all the way, performing his soon to be seminal songs from throughout the REAL band's too-short existence – and tracks include "I'm Waiting For My Man", "Sweet Jane", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Sunday Morning", "Femme Fatale", "After Hours", and "New Age". LP, Vinyl record album

This 1970 live recording arrived at the end of the line for the true Velvet Underground – before latter-day bassist Doug Yule took over the name for a short and (thankfully) long-forgotten stint, in a performance that became known as the group's last live set! Maureen Tucker and John Cale were indeed MIA at this point, making it Lou's show all the way, performing his soon to be seminal songs from throughout the REAL band's too-short existence – and tracks include "I'm Waiting For My Man", "Sweet Jane", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Sunday Morning", "Femme Fatale", "After Hours", and "New Age". 2LP version features bonus tracks – including "White Light/White Heat", "I'm Set Free", "Candy Says", "Some Kinda Love", and "Lonesome Cowboy Bill (version 2)". LP, Vinyl record album

The end of the road for the Velvet Underground – but a set that's also one of the group's best-remembered albums too! The record marked a big shift for the group – a move to Atco from Verve, continuing to work without John Cale – and the sound is possibly more rockish and straight ahead than some of their previous efforts (certainly compared to White Light/White Heat) – but always with that dark edge that Lou Reed could bring to the music! In a way, the whole thing's almost a recasting of all the advances made in 60s rock, but seen through a lens that shows the darker corners and shadows that have crept up alongside – that kind of subtle, yet extremely powerful quality that Reed would bring to his long run of solo albums in the 70s – but served up here with more of an edge, in the definite VU fashion. Titles include the seminal classics – "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll", plus "Cool It Down", "New Age", "Head Held High", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Oh Sweet Nuthin", and "I Found A Reason". LP, Vinyl record album

Delicate dissonance, bruised beauty, and hazy noise pop – all in one of the best rock albums ever made – the amazing first album from the Velvet Underground and Nico! The album's the stuff of legend – and for good reason, too – a surprising slab of vinyl that barely set the world on its ear when first issued back in the mid 60s – yet a record that's gone onto have an influence felt for decades to come – arguably one of the most important rock records of all time. There's a really sinister edge to the record, even when things are sweet – and the range of subject matter and handling here is brilliant – from the dream pop slice of heaven "Sunday Morning", the melodic bitterness of "Femme Fatale", the massive White Light-esque freakout "European Son", and the sublime "Heroin" – quite possibly the inspiration for generations of drug use to come. The whole thing's a classic – with wonderful vocals from both Nico and Lou Reed – and titles include "Venus In Furs", "Run Run Run", "Black Angel's Death Song", "I'll Be Your Mirror", and "All Tomorrow's Parties". LP, Vinyl record album

The incredible third album from The Velvet Underground – and maybe our favorite of all their albums together – even though this one is far less weird or experimental than the rest! After their initial foray with Nico, and their bombastic sonic experiments on White Light/White Heat, the VU hit this wonderfully subtle territory here – these really personal, moody songs that still have all the knowledge of the wilder sounds of previous records, but which take those farther reaches and bring them back to more focused songwriting – with results that are completely sublime! There's no side-long jams, nor any fuzzy freakouts – but instead, the album's filled with these wonderful songs that really show Lou Reed really honing his craft – able to touch on all the seamy edges of late 60s counterculture, without ever having to hit you over the head – and likewise, the band's instrumentation has this way of using all their wider knowledge of noise and sound in these really refined ways – at a level that opened the door for so many other generations to come. The result is a masterpiece all the way through – and every track is a landmark of dark genius – on titles that include "Pale Blue Eyes", "After Hours", "I'm Set Free", "That's The Story Of My Life", "Candy Says", "What Goes On", and "Jesus". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most far-out, freaked-out albums ever from the Velvet Underground – easily the most experimental set the group ever recorded! The album's awash in really unusual sounds and styles – from the sonic blast of the title cut "White Light/White Heat", to the 17 minute garage/psych jam of "Sister Ray" to the very odd "The Gift" – which is a creepy story about cuckolding, told with voice and instrumentation split over different stereo channels! Other tunes offset the darkness with an eerie touch of sweet – and include "Here She Comes Now", "Lady Godiva's Operation", and "I Heard Her Call My Name". Arguably one of the Velvets' most influential moments – even if it's also one of their least commercially successful! LP, Vinyl record album

One of John Cale's greatest moments as a solo artist – a wonderfully dark record that also features lots of great guitar from Chris Spedding, plus electronics from Brian Eno too! There's a stark, flat tone to Cale's lyrics here – a quality that almost echoes some of Eno's albums from around the time, especially the first two – but which takes on some shapes and phrasing that are definitely in the spirit of John's larger body of work too. But man, there's some very spooky bits here – even where you wouldn't expect them – that sense of surprise that Cale could always bring to sweeter moments with the Velvet Underground, re-focused here wonderfully for his own needs. Titles include "Cable Hogue", "Engine", "Save Us", "My Maria", "I Keep A Close Watch", "Helen Of Troy", and "Sudden Death" – plus a cover of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso". LP, Vinyl record album

The first solo album from John Cale – and a record that's about as different a statement as he could have made from his previous work in the Velvet Underground! There's an approach here in both the songwriting and instrumentation that's instantly Cale-like – sounds that have a knowledge of all the newer ideas that have been brewing up in the underground throughout the 60s – both in rock and more "serious" forms of art music – yet a way of putting over the tunes with undeniable charm, and which have Cale rising to the forefront as a surprisingly strong lead. A few steps further, and John might well have been a compelling crossover pop singer with a record like this – yet it's also his way of holding back that really makes things interesting – especially given all the different directions his career would take in the next few years – all hinted at here, but hidden in some surprisingly tuneful songs. Titles include "Ghost Story", "Amsterdam", "Charlemagne", "Hello There", "Gideon's Bible", "Adelaide", "Cleo", and "Big White Cloud". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great take on the music of the Velvet Underground – nothing like the original group, nor all the many later acts who were inspired by their records – and instead delivered at a level that's very in the sonic range of Lee Ranaldo and Pascal Comelade! The latter plays keyboards, the former guitar (of course!), and they're joined by Ramon Prats on drums – on long takes on familiar Lou Reed tunes, plus one Ranaldo original – often done with a more instrumental approach, and one that's both tuneful and noisy at the same time! The set includes a sublime long take on "Ocean" – plus "I'm Waiting For The Man", "All Tomorrow's Parties", "Femme Fatale", "What Goes On", and "Lou's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that blew the world away when it was first released – and still continues to delight all these many years later! Brian Eno had first rose to fame in Roxy Music – where his sonic sensibilities and ear for electronic experimentation really added a lot to their initial albums – and here, on his own, he's in somewhat side-stepped territory – mixing things up in the art/glam generation of Roxy and Bowie, but also already showing a darkness that really sets him apart from the pack! The first three songs alone are a hell of a statement from any musician in the 70s, and the titles alone almost get at their impact – "Needles In The Camel's Eye", "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch", and "Baby's On Fire" – all songs that offer a rare blend of ferocity and humor that wouldn't emerge elsewhere until the punk movement. Yet Eno's hardly the forerunner of punk, but he's also not glam, metal, or anything else – a supremely impactful artist with this record, completely in his own space – like a rare breed that might include The Velvet Underground, Gram Parsons, or Bowie. Titles include "Needles In The Camel's Eye", "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch", "Baby's On Fire" "Blank Frank", "Some Of Them Are Old", "Cindy Tells Me", "On Some Faraway Beach", and "Dead Finks Don't Talk". LP, Vinyl record album

A true late 60s rock masterpiece – and like albums by Love and The Velvet Underground, a set that barely made a mainstream impact at the time – but which has gone on to be the stuff of influence and legend over the decades! The album's the first from Gram Parsons and the group – one of only two they would cut together – and the whole thing is a perfect blend of rough-edged rock and country influences rising up from the LA scene – all those glimmers of brilliance that Parsons had brought to the Byrds and other projects, maybe given their full flowering here in a mode that's unabashed about its country music influences – maybe even more so than some of Gram's later solo work. Sneeky Pete Kleinow's steel guitar really adds a lot – but so does the presence of Chris Hillman on guitar and mandolin, and Chris Ethridge on bass and piano. Titles include the brilliant "Sin City" – a track we'll love until we die – plus "Christine's Tune", "Do Right Woman", "Dark End Of The Street", "My Uncle", "Wheels", "Juanita", "Hot Burrito No 1", "Hot Burrito No 2", "Do You Know How It Feels", and "Hippy Boy". LP, Vinyl record album

A huge record in its day and it hasn't aged a minute since! On Psychocandy the Reid brothers took all the underground Brit indie psych revival modes and filtered them through the Velvet Underground at their noisiest, then paired melodies learned from sources as sweet as 60s Wall Of Sound pop and the Beach Boys to ferociously fuzzy guitars – and stunning found a way to spring this onto to fringes of the mainstream on both sides of the Atlantic! Hugely influential – a record that points the way towards sounds so many would soon follow. Titles include "In A Hole", "The Hardest Walk", "Taste The Floor", "Just Like Honey", "Never Understand", and "You Trip Me Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most classic of all the Mott The Hoople albums of the early 70s – thanks in part to the classic title track, which was given to the group by David Bowie! Yet that hit is only one of many gems within – all delivered in a style that shows that Ian Hunter and the group were maybe in the territory of Mick Ronson and Bowie before they find their way with Ziggy – delivered here perfectly on tunes that have all the best elements of glam, but maybe more hard rock permanence and lyrical sensitivity too! In addition to "All The Young Dudes", the set also features a great remake of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" – and the cuts "Soft Ground", "Sea Diver", "Sucker", "Jerkin Crocus", and "Momma's Little Jewel". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from Nico – material recorded for the BBC during that wonderful early 70s stretch when she had firmly broken from the Velvet Underground, and was really making some mindbending music of her own! The vibe here is a lot like Desertshore – with very spare instrumentation made mostly from long lines on harmonium, providing very moody waves of sound next to the singer's incredible vocals – which have a more powerful, hypnotic quality in the setting than they ever did in a bigger group – a minimalist power that clearly owes a bit of a debt to Terry Riley and LaMonte Young, but which is definitely imbued with Nico's own strong spirit. The four tracks here are a crucial addition to her all-too-small catalog from the time – and titles include "No One Is There", "Frozen Warnings", "Janitor Of Lunacy", and "Secret Side". Only four tracks – but all of them are great! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic! LP, Vinyl record album

The last-ever album from the legendary Lou Reed – and a set that's completely different from the sounds he gave the world in the Velvet Underground, and on most of his solo work in recent decades too! The music is spare and ambient, and very much lives up to the "meditations" in the title – inspired strongly by Lou's love of Tai Chi, but also delivered with a quality that echoes a lot of the ambient work of Brian Eno too! There's a great sense of texture and tone here – really slow-building, quiet-shifting sound that has this really subtle, almost earthy power – definitely music that is designed to alter the body and mind, but in very peaceful ways. Titles include "Move Your Heart", "Find Your Note", "Wind Coda", and "Hudson River Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

The last-ever album from the legendary Lou Reed – and a set that's completely different from the sounds he gave the world in the Velvet Underground, and on most of his solo work in recent decades too! The music is spare and ambient, and very much lives up to the "meditations" in the title – inspired strongly by Lou's love of Tai Chi, but also delivered with a quality that echoes a lot of the ambient work of Brian Eno too! There's a great sense of texture and tone here – really slow-building, quiet-shifting sound that has this really subtle, almost earthy power – definitely music that is designed to alter the body and mind, but in very peaceful ways. Titles include "Move Your Heart", "Find Your Note", "Wind Coda", and "Hudson River Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great slice of unissued material from Lou Reed – demo recordings done in October of 1971 for RCA – initial material that would launch Reed's solo career on the label, with some familiar songs done in stripped-down versions that are totally great! At some level, the album's actually a perfect bridge between late Velvet Underground and early solo Lou – as there are some shared songs here, delivered by Reed with a surprisingly personal tone at times – especially unfettered by some of the larger production modes of the albums to come. Titles include two takes on "Ocean" and "Perfect Day" – plus versions of "I'm So Free", "Wild Child", "I Love You", "Lisa Says", "Berlin", "Kill Your Sons", "New York Telephone Conversation", and "She's My Best Friend" – and second takes of "Ride Into The Sun", "Going Down", and "I'm Sticking With You". LP, Vinyl record album

Both solo and tracks from the Velvet Underground. Includes the songs "Waiting For The Man", "White Light White Heat", "I Heard Her Call My Name", "Pale Blue Eyes", "Beginning To See The Light", "Sweet Jane", "Rock And Roll", "Heroin", "Femme Fatale", "Walk On The Wild Side", "Berlin", "Men Of Good Fortune", "The Kids", "Coney Island Baby", "Temporary Thing", "All Through The Night", "So Alone", "How Do You Speak To An Angel", "Keep Away", and "Street Hassle". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the first solo album from Lou Reed, but definitely the one that established him as a major force away from the Velvet Underground – and a record that still stands as one of the best from this groundbreaking early 70s moment in music! Part of the record's strength is its resonance with the Ziggy Stardust world of David Bowie – who produced the record, and had Spiders From Mars guitar genius Mick Ronson adding some extra guitars to the whole set. Yet at the same time, it's Lou Reed's brilliance with both songwriting and delivery that really makes the whole thing amazing – capturing a moment when New York was rotting out from the inside, when danger seemed to come from simple moments, and when the rules were changing faster than anyone could keep up with. A fantastic example of this is the amazing "Perfect Day" – but the whole album's incredible, with titles that include "Hangin Round", "Satellite Of Love", "Andy's Chest", "I'm So Free", "Vicious", and the always-classic "Take A Walk On The Wild Side". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard early sounds from the young Lou Reed – early recordings of material that helped cement his fame in the Velvet Underground – uncovered after being lost for almost 50 years! The tracks here are early demos of both songs that the Velvets would famously soon record, and other material that they didn't – done by Lou with help from John Cale on a number of the tracks, and already in a surprisingly dark sort of style – despite the fact that the instrumentation is mostly just a single guitar alongside the vocals! With that approach, there's maybe a slight nod to the Greenwich Village scene in terms of the presentation – and served up that way, you can hear just how strongly the young Reed is already shaking up the scene in New York – almost as if he's using the modes of the folkies as ammunition to mow them all down. The package features never-heard takes of "Heroin", "I'm Waiting For The Man", and "Pale Blue Eyes" – plus "Too Late", "Buttercup Song", "Buzz Buzz Buzz", "Stockpile", "Men Of Good Fortune", and even "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-heard early sounds from the young Lou Reed – early recordings of material that helped cement his fame in the Velvet Underground – uncovered after being lost for almost 50 years! The tracks here are early demos of both songs that the Velvets would famously soon record, and other material that they didn't – done by Lou with help from John Cale on a number of the tracks, and already in a surprisingly dark sort of style – despite the fact that the instrumentation is mostly just a single guitar alongside the vocals! With that approach, there's maybe a slight nod to the Greenwich Village scene in terms of the presentation – and served up that way, you can hear just how strongly the young Reed is already shaking up the scene in New York – almost as if he's using the modes of the folkies as ammunition to mow them all down. The package features never-heard takes of "Heroin", "I'm Waiting For The Man", and "Pale Blue Eyes" – plus "Too Late", "Buttercup Song", "Buzz Buzz Buzz", "Stockpile", "Men Of Good Fortune", and even "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a guy who looks like a priest on the cover, but the sounds within are much more the stuff of hell than heaven – surprisingly raw work from a group who were years ahead of their time in the way they handled their guitars! Royal Aircoach aren't just another lost garage band from the 60s – because at times, they've got a nastiness that could rival the Velvet Underground – and a proto-punk sense of lean energy that feels like American underground work from decades to come! Don't get us wrong, there's definitely a lively 60s spirit in the music – but the fact that most of the tracks here never saw release at the time is a great testament to the power of the sounds within. Tracks include the rare Flying Machine single "Webs Of Love" and "Wondering Why" – plus rare tracks "Wrapped Up In Your Mind", "Lies Ain't Right", "Waking Skies", "Wax Theory", "Death Of Man", "Looking Out", and "When I Return". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking set from The Silver Apples – one of those records that almost didn't get fully appreciated until many decades later! The sound here is quite unique, even for the late 60s psych rock underground – and The Apples work in a blend of spacey electronics, driving percussion, and simple, stark guitar parts – a sound that's almost to their generation what the music of Suicide was to the underground of a decade later. Most tunes pulsate with an almost organic sort of quality, and the lyrics of the songs are often quite tuneful at times – a nice contrast to some of the colder styles of the instrumentation. The album's had a huge influence on countless groups in the past decade or so – for good reasons – and titles include "Oscillations", "Lovefingers", "Velvet Cave", "Whirly-Bird", "Dust", "Misty Mountain", "Program", and "Dancing Gods". LP, Vinyl record album

The second album from the young Iggy Pop and The Stooges – and the record where the whole thing really comes together – a set that was an instant legend, even though it hardly sold many copies at the time! Instead, the album's like work by the Velvet Underground – probably every copy that was sold went into the hands of someone who took the music as a key influence, then went on to create something amazing of their own – drawing key inspiration from Iggy's vocals, the guitar work of Ron Asheton, and the overall frenzy of the album's approach. Titles include the paranoid genius of "TV Eye", the romping "Down On The Street", the insane "Fun House", and the cuts "Loose", "Dirt", "1970", and "LA Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Steppenwolf, Santana, Blind Faith, Humble Pie, Traffic, Chambers Brothers, Cream, Velvet Underground, Byrds, Quicksilver, Spirit, and Big Brother. LP, Vinyl record album