(TV) Re: TV Digest V1 #445

[DAYKARAK@aol.com]

> And I agree with you on a certain aspect - Loaded doesn't come anywhere 
near 
> the impact of WL/WH or VU&N, but you can't deny that that album is just 
> packed with great songs. 


And yet again, we have a friendly reminder of one of the most important 
points of developing an appreciation of the VU: realizing that each album 
must be looked at as a totally different statement from the previous -and 
also as a document of a band caught up in a series of very different 
circumstances in each case. The self-titled album will always, to me at 
least, be viewed as the result of losing gear. Loaded is of course a logical 
answer to what was started of that album, but being preconcieved as a 
straight-forward pop record (at least in terms of sound). Hence, it sits at 
the far end of the spectrum, miles from VU&N and light years from WL/WH. Why 
the distance implied between those two? Simple: half of the first record is 
Reed and Cale trying to push things into new, dangerous terroritories (either 
lyrically or instrumentally), and half is Nico singing nice (if thoughtful, 
sometimes ironic) pop songs. WL/WH, while obviously suffering from what might 
be called "engineering difficulties" on all tracks except the title track and 
"Sister Ray", is more the Reed/Cale half of the first record fully realized...

All obvious, yes, but I just had to bang it out. It's been in my head since 
yesterday, when I played some tracks from Loaded for a classmate who's just 
learning guitar. I played him "Who Loves the Sun", "Sweet Jane", "Rock and 
Roll", and "Oh Sweet Nuthin'". He loved them all, particularly nos. 1 & 2. 
Upon informing him that they are in fact from what's generally looked at as 
the "worst" VU album, he said, "Damn, if that's the worst one, I've gotta 
hear the others: they have to be fucking GOLD." I think that sums it up 
nicely. If only Television had this degree of appeal...their albums change a 
little between, but the main difference really results from production styles 
(though in the case of the third one, there's also a much more obvious, 
straightforward manipulation of the pentatonic minor scale...). Oh well. If 
he's interested in the VU today, I'm sure I can at least get him interested a 
month from now (thinking live "LJJ" from Blow Up).

-nick keiser
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