I could get into a pattern of posting something by The Velvet Underground every Sunday if I'm not careful. One of the wonders of 1984s lost Velvet Underground songs album V.U. was Foggy Notion, recorded in May 1969, with the twin guitars of Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed achieving some kind of nirvana, Lou's rythm and Sterling's lead. When I hear it I can easily think there is no finer sound and they make it sound so simple. The lyrics are also a late period peak...
She's over by the corner
Got her hands by her sides
They hit her harder harder harder
Till they thought she might die
Got her hands by her sides
They hit her harder harder harder
Till they thought she might die
Well I got a foggy notion,
Do it again
Over by the corner,
Do it again
I got my calamine lotion baby,
Do it again
I got a foggy notion
Do it again
Do it again
Over by the corner,
Do it again
I got my calamine lotion baby,
Do it again
I got a foggy notion
Do it again
She made me do something
That I never did before
I rushed right down
To a flower store
I bought her a bundle
A beautiful batch
Don't you know something
She sent 'em right back
That I never did before
I rushed right down
To a flower store
I bought her a bundle
A beautiful batch
Don't you know something
She sent 'em right back
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Sally Mae, Sally Mae
Foggy Notion
8 comments:
That VU set was a total revelation. Superb.
Brilliant set of songs, includes my 3 Velvets numbers This, I Can't Stand It and the absolutely wonderful Lisa Says.
I vote you get into that pattern. VU Sundays are not a bad thing.
VU is a really important album for me - not just the music of The Velvet Underground, but because I had a hand in tracking down Warhol/VU photographer Nat Finklestein as part of the collation of imagery for the album. Meeting Finklestein, a man who had seen quite a lot in his time and managed to survive, opened a whole new way for me to view the Warhol Factory/Velvet Underground connection. The "rose colored glasses" sort of understanding of that legendary period was lifted and I began to understand the egotism, self-conscious preening and self doubt that fueled a good deal of the creative energy around Warhol. My first meeting with Finklestein was meant to just be to courier some contact sheets and negatives back to my agency to review. This ended up being 4 hours spent searching envelopes and boxes, listening to stories which I didn't have to even tease from the photographer and trying to keep his huge dog from slobbering all over those placed on his work desk. It was an afternoon and evening I will never forget.
Echorich once again tops any post one can write with his comment
I got into the Velvets in 1988 so VU was as much part of the picture as the 4 proper albums. The songs Drew mentions (and the others off it) all have equal weight as any other VU songs to my ears.
Amazing story Echorich. I've got Nat Finklestein's book.
Nat was sweet, crazy guy when I had the chance to work with him. But he was still in a cocaine fog and unable to work in any stable way. Within a couple years of VU coming out, he got his act together and started to photograph again and got heavily into the punk and club scene in NYC in his continuing interest in cultural subcultures. We crossed paths here and their, but he moved away from NYC by the 90's and really began concentrating on showing his work again. His book on the club kids is worth checking out.
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