The world of pop music wasn’t ready for ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ when it appeared in the spring of 1967. The shock was much higher by the arrival, in 1968, of the second LP ‘White Light / White Heat’.
Recorded without the collaborations of Nico and Andy Warhol, ‘White Light / White Heat’ was the purest and rawest performance from the quartet Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker. The album was recorded a mere three months after ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ (who changed rock ‘n’ roll forever) but it sounds a lot different…in a good way. Picking up where The Velvet Underground & Nico’s ‘Run Run Run’ left off, the second album only have one moment of calmness with ‘Here She Comes Now’. The rest of it is a mass of distorted feeding- guitars-viola-organ mixed with Maureen Tucker’s drumming.
‘White Light / White Heat: 45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition’ was already completed when Reed passed away in late October, nevertheless he helped develop the three-disc ‘super deluxe’ set. Universal Music is putting out a three-disc reissue of the Velvet Underground’s ‘White Light/White Heat’ on December 3rd which contains bonus material, like outtakes, new mixes, and rare live performances. Also included is a 56-page hardcover book featuring rare photos and extensive liner notes by David Fricke. It is a faultless diamond.
* Disc one starts with the original six-song stereo version of ‘White Light/White Heat’. This edition allows you to hear more clearly the music then the previous editions. The real gem is an early version of ‘Beginning to See the Light,’ flauting different lyrics, a slower tempo, and the presence of Cale;
* New 2013 mixes of ‘Guess I’m Falling In Love,’ ‘Hey Mr. Rain‘ (version one), ‘Hey Mr. Rain‘ (version two).
* The second disc contains the album’s mono mix, for those who prefer ‘White Light…’ a bit more concentrated in its fury.
* Unreleased versions of ‘The Gift’ (vocal version) and ‘The Gift’ (instrumental version);
* Best of all, the third disc includes never-before-heard tracks from Live At The Gymnasium, New York City, April 30, 1967– ‘I’m Not A Young Man Anymore,’ ‘I’m Waiting For The Man,’ ‘Run Run Run,’ and ‘The Gift’. Near the end of the show, a 19-minute ‘Sister Ray’ tears the whole ground!
“No one listened to it. But there it is, forever – the quintessence of articulated punk. And no one goes near it.” – Lou Reed, August 2013
Disc One:
White Light/White Heat (stereo version)
1. White light/White Heat
2. The Gift
3. Lady Godiva’s Operation
4. Here She Comes Now
5. I Heard Her Call My Name
6. Sister Ray
7. I Heard Her Call My Name (alternate take)
8. Guess I’m Falling in Love (instrumental version)
9. Temptation Inside Your Heart (original mix)
10. Stephanie Says (original mix)
11. Hey Mr. Rain (version one)
12. Hey Mr. Rain (version two)
13. Beginning to See the Light (previously
unreleased early version)
*-New mixes
Disc Two
White Light/White Heat
(mono version)
1. White Light/White Heat
2. The Gift
3. Lady Godiva’s Operation
4. Here She Comes Now
5. I Heard Her Call My Name
6. Sister Ray
7. White Light/White Heat (mono single mix)
8. Here She Comes Now (mono single mix)
9. The Gift (vocal version)
10. The Gift (instrumental version)
Disc Three:
Live at the Gymnasium,
New York City, April 30, 1967
1. Booker T.
2. I’m Not a Young Man Anymore*
3. Guess I’m Falling in Love
4. I’m Waiting For the Man*
5. Run Run Run*
6. Sister Ray*
7. The Gift*
*-Previously unreleased
