Velvet Redux on DVD -- when?
Velvet Redux - Live MCMXCIII is a currently out-of-print VHS title containing live footage of the Velvet Underground from three Paris shows performed during their 1993 reunion tour of Europe. I have always avoided buying the tape, until about six months ago. The reason was because I have never been an admirer of the 2-CD set Live MCMXCIII, the live album that resulted from that 1993 tour. I've always felt that three-fourths of the reunited VU (John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker) were in fine form on this album. But Lou Reed's vocals on the album are irritating. It sounded as though Reed was determined to destroy the great songs that he had created with his influential '60's band. (During one cut titled "Velvet Nursery Rhyme", Reed tells the audience that he thinks the songs are "pretentious s--t"). I felt that the album marred the Velvet Underground legend, and I didn't want to bother viewing the videotape that resulted from the same tour.
About six months ago, I spotted Velvet Redux in a $1.99 VHS clearance bin in a department store. So I figured, what the heck? I'll give it a chance for two bucks. I've only been able to watch the first half of the 90-minute tape, because it is defective. During the song "I'm Sticking With You" (the seventh song out of fifteen), my machine automatically stops playing the tape, and even ejects it automatically. I'm not about to try to force it to play more of it. In fact, I don't even want to talk about the sound the machine makes when I try to rewind it. The tape is not going back in that machine. It's a shame, because (based on the seven performances I was able to view) the tape is quite good. Lou Reed comes off better in this medium than he did on the CD, although his vocals on "Beginning To See The Light" do strain my patience a bit. I very much enjoyed a long instrumental segment during "Hey Mr. Rain" (which I usually regard as nothing but a throwaway from the Another View CD). I am therefore looking forward to purchasing Velvet Redux on DVD.
But that can't be done just yet. After I watched the tape in June, I noticed Amazon.com offered a pre-order option for the DVD but the release date was unknown. Now, Amazon is listing the release date as January 1st, 2010. What?!? Amazon's UK site says that it will be available January 24th, 2006 on that side of the pond, but the date has been pushed back a number of times, and it may be pushed back again. (Not that a UK release would do me any good, because DVDs manufactured in the UK are Region 2 encoded, and therefore will not work in an American player). If anyone has any better info on when Velvet Redux will be available in the U.S., please let me know.
About six months ago, I spotted Velvet Redux in a $1.99 VHS clearance bin in a department store. So I figured, what the heck? I'll give it a chance for two bucks. I've only been able to watch the first half of the 90-minute tape, because it is defective. During the song "I'm Sticking With You" (the seventh song out of fifteen), my machine automatically stops playing the tape, and even ejects it automatically. I'm not about to try to force it to play more of it. In fact, I don't even want to talk about the sound the machine makes when I try to rewind it. The tape is not going back in that machine. It's a shame, because (based on the seven performances I was able to view) the tape is quite good. Lou Reed comes off better in this medium than he did on the CD, although his vocals on "Beginning To See The Light" do strain my patience a bit. I very much enjoyed a long instrumental segment during "Hey Mr. Rain" (which I usually regard as nothing but a throwaway from the Another View CD). I am therefore looking forward to purchasing Velvet Redux on DVD.
But that can't be done just yet. After I watched the tape in June, I noticed Amazon.com offered a pre-order option for the DVD but the release date was unknown. Now, Amazon is listing the release date as January 1st, 2010. What?!? Amazon's UK site says that it will be available January 24th, 2006 on that side of the pond, but the date has been pushed back a number of times, and it may be pushed back again. (Not that a UK release would do me any good, because DVDs manufactured in the UK are Region 2 encoded, and therefore will not work in an American player). If anyone has any better info on when Velvet Redux will be available in the U.S., please let me know.
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