LYS GUILLORN

The Velvet Underground - Music Hall, Cleveland, December 1, 1968

I don't know about the rest of you, but I never go much longer than a day without a little "Sister Ray." (Is that a Replacements lyric?) Now, I've shared more than my fair share of VU bootlegs over the years — but never this one!

The primary reason that it hasn't appeared on Doom & Gloom yet is that it makes the Professor Tapes sound like a Betty Board. You know what I mean. But I was revisiting it recently and this tape is not quite as lo-fi as I remember. I mean, it's still horrible quality, but the performance is amazing. And historic! The Velvet Underground opening for Canned Heat in December 1968?! In the middle of the afternoon?!! In Cleveland?!!!!?

Cleveland was, of course, a VU stronghold at the time. Just two months earlier, Doug Yule debuted with the band at La Cave, and even further back ... "Sweet Sister Ray." So yeah, even though they were the openers here, I'm sure there were plenty of fans in attendance. And though it's an abbreviated set, it's still awesome, with some previews of the then-unreleased third album, plus totally tasty dips into the back catalog. Is that a dog barking at Lou before "Pale Blue Eyes"? Not sure.

And then "Sister Ray" itself. Massive! I especially like the wild falsetto shrieks that Lou gets into towards the end. Was he about to do the Ostrich? Maybe he was, maybe he was.

And what about Canned Heat? Alas, I do not have a tape of their set. But you could get a good idea of what they sound like from this Fillmore East show just a few months later. For consistency's sake, it's a trashy audience recording, too. You're welcome!

Photo: Jeff Albertson

Sign up for the Doom & Gloom From The Tomb Substack newsletter — Doom & Gloom delivered to your inbox every Friday!

Robyn Hitchcock :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Over on Aquarium Drunkard this week, you can read my Q&A with the great Robyn Hitchcock. I get slightly nervous before any interview, but I've been listening to Robyn for so long that his voice is almost instantly soothing. Amazingly, the last time I chatted with him for any lengthy period of time was 20 damn years ago. Have I been doing this for too long? Yeah, probably.

Anyway, I think the interview turned out well! We talked about the Queen, the Feathery Serpent God, Martin Carthy, Morris Windsor and much more. Robyn's new one, SHUFFLEMANIA!, is a strong collection that seems to keep on growing on me the more I listen. I love this guy! Thank you for everything, Robyn.