Disc 1 : 1. Venus In Furs [demo] (15:33) / 2. Prominent Men [demo] (4:53) / 3. Heroin [demo] (13:34) / 4. I'm Waiting For The Man [demo] (9:50) / 5. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams [demo] (15:50) / 6. All Tomorrow's Parties [demo] (18:26).
1-6: recorded July 1965 at John Cale's Ludlow Street loft in Lower Manhattan.
Disc 2 : 1. All Tomorrow's Parties [mono single version] (2:49) / 2. Sunday Morning (2:54) / 3. I'm Waiting For The Man (4:38) / 4. Femme Fatale (2:37) / 5. Venus In Furs (5:10) / 6. Run Run Run (4:19) / 7. All Tomorrow's Parties (5:58) / 8. Heroin (7:10) / 9. There She Goes Again (2:39) / 10. I'll Be Your Mirror (2:12) / 11. The Black Angel's Death Song (3:12) / 12. European Son (7:47) / 13. Melody Laughter [live] (10:43) / 14. It Was A Pleasure Then (8:02) / 15. Chelsea Girls (7:24).
1: first single (Verve VK-10427), released July 1966 / 2-12: The Velvet Underground & Nico, first album (Verve V/V6-5008), released March 1967 / 13: recorded live November 4, 1966 at the Valleydale Ballroom, Columbus, Ohio / 14-15: taken from the album Nico: Chelsea Girl (Verve V/V6-5032), originally released October 1967.
Disc 3 : 1. There Is No Reason [demo] (2:12) / 2. Sheltered Life [demo] (2:52) / 3. It's All Right (The Way That You Live) [demo] (2:48) / 4. I'm Not Too Sorry (Now That You've Gone) [demo] (2:17) / 5. Here She Comes Now [demo] (2:46) / 6. Guess I'm Falling In Love [live] (4:10) / 7. Booker T. [live] (6:30) / 8. White Light/White Heat (2:45) / 9. The Gift (8:17) / 10. Lady Godiva's Operation (4:54) / 11. Here She Comes Now (2:02) / 12. I Heard Her Call My Name (4:36) / 13. Sister Ray (17:27) / 14. Stephanie Says (2:49) / 15. Temptation Inside Your Heart (2:30) / 16. Hey Mr. Rain (Version One) (4:40).
1-5: demo acetate, recorded early 1967 at Johnh Cale's Ludlow Street loft in Lower Manhattan / 6-7: recorded live in April 1967 at the Gymnasium, New York City / 8-13: White Light/White Heat, second album (Verve V/V6-5046), released January 1968 / 14-15: taken from VU (Verve 823-721-2), released February 1985 / 16: taken from Another View (Verve 829 405-2), released July 1986.
Disc 4 : 1. What Goes On [live] (5:34) / 2. Candy Says (4:04) / 3. What Goes On (4:35) / 4. Some Kinda Love (3:39) / 5. Pale Blue Eyes (5:42) / 6. Jesus (3:24) / 7. Beginning To See The Light (4:47) / 8. I'm Set Free (4:04) / 9. That's The Story Of My Life (2:02) / 10. The Murder Mystery (8:55) / 11. After Hours (2:09) / 12. Foggy Notion (6:47) / 13. I Can't Stand It (3:22) / 14. I'm Sticking With You (2:28) / 15. One Of These Days (4:00) / 16. Lisa Says (2:57) / 17. It's Just Too Much [live] (2:59) / 18. Countess From Hong Kong [demo] (3:17).
1: recorded live October 4, 1968 at La Cave, Cleveland, Ohio / 2-11: The Velvet Underground alternate 'closet mix' version, third album (MGM SE 4617), released March 1969 / 12-16: taken from VU (Verve 823 721-2), released February 1985 / 17: recorded live October 19, 1969 at The End of Cole Ave., Dallas, Texas / 18: recorded late 1969.
Disc 5 : 1. Who Loves The Sun (2:45) / 2. Sweet Jane [full length version] (4:06) / 3. Rock And Roll (4:43) / 4. Cool It Down (3:04) / 5. New Age [full length version] (5:07) / 6. Head Held High (2:56) / 7. Lonesome Cowboy Bill (2:43) / 8. I Found A Reason (4:15) / 9. Train Round The Bend (3:21) / 10. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (7:25) / 11. Satellite Of Love (2:58) / 12. Walk And Talk (2:23) / 13. Oh Gin (2:44) / 14. Sad Song (3:30) / 15. Ocean (5:43) / 16. Ride Into the Sun (3:20) / 17. Some Kinda Love [live] (10:22) / 18. I'll Be Your Mirror [live] (2:06) / 19. I Love You (2:03).
1-10: Loaded, fourth album (Cotillion SD 9034), released September 1970 / 11-16 & 19: Loaded out-takes / 17-18: recorded live August 23, 1970 at Max's Kansas City, New York City.
Does this five-CD box set feature an abundance of essential material? Certainly. It has all four of the studio albums released by the Lou Reed-led lineup, and a wealth of previously unreleased goodies. Is it an essential purchase? That depends on your level of fanaticism. Most serious Velvet fans have all four of the core studio albums already (although the third, self-titled LP is presented in its muffled, so-called "closet" mix), and will be most interested in the previously unavailable recordings, which do hold considerable fascination. The entire first disc is devoted to a drummer-less 1965 rehearsal tape in John Cale's loft, with radically different, almost folky run-throughs of most of the important songs from their classic debut, as well as a song that only made it onto Nico's first LP ("Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams"), and one which makes its first appearance anywhere (the Dylanesque "Prominent Men"). Other big bonuses include no less than seven outtakes from Loaded and other songs re-done by Reed on his early solo albums. And there are sundry other unreleased live and studio items, highlighted by a scorching live 1967 "Guess I'm Falling in Love" and the 1969 demo "Countess From Hong Kong." There are also highlights from VU and Another View, longer versions of Loaded's "Sweet Jane" and "New Age," and an 80-page booklet. The thing is, though, that virtually everyone who's interested in this material has already bought the four studio albums, sometimes several times over. A separate release of the two discs or so of truly new material would have been welcomed by the many fans who aren't interested in paying for a five-CD box of stuff when they already have well over half of it.