A relatively recently unearthed live recording of the Velvet Underground at their 1967 peak, 'Live at the Gymnasium' features performances of a few album tracks and a couple of rarities. The quality isn't great, but passable compared to some other 60s live recordings - I'd put it as comparable to the officially released live album, 'Live at Max's Kansas City'. In quite a lot of the recording as a whole, it is fairly difficult to tell whether John Cale is actually playing or not, as he gets drowned out by the walls of feedback and the clear, piercing vocals. The first song, 'I'm Not A Young Man Any More', is a pretty good rocker, of the kind that would have fitted well on the first side of 'The Velvet Underground and Nico', and 'Guess I'm Falling In Love' is a poppier, early Beatles-y romp, which, while very obviously a Velvets track, is much brighter than some of the stuff they were recording in this period.
'I'm Waiting For The Man' feels a lot more guitar driven than the version on the album, with less of a chugging bassline, and begins to outstay its welcome well before the end of its 5-minute runtime. The sound quality is probably worst on this track, with the middle sections feeling very muddy and the levels fluctuating throughout. 'Run Run Run' strays slightly from the album blueprint, with a good improvised section, but again the sound quality detracts, and I can't envisage a scenario where I'd rather listen to this than the officially released studio version. 'Sister Ray', which was apparently debuted at this show, is stunning as ever, but is very little different to the version that was eventually released on White Light/White Heat.
This recording does show just how different and forward-thinking the Velvets were, however. A use of feedback an experimental effects that would not be out of place in some of the more experimental bands around today is breathtaking, when you consider this was recorded getting on for 50 years ago. They are clearly a band that are still very relevant to new music today, in a way that many of their contemporaries just aren't. Barring the Beatles, who will always spawn near-copyists by the dozen, it is hard to think of a sixties band that could be part of today's music scene and produce exactly the same music as they originally did. Which goes some way to explaining why they weren't received more warmly at the time, I suppose.
I'd say this was a good live performance, showcasing the more experimental end of the Velvets' discography, and it is indeed the only 1967 performance by Lou Reed & co. in circulation, but the recording is definitely only one for fans who are willing to put up with the questionable quality. I'll give you a download link anyway.
The Velvet Underground - Live at the Gymnasium
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