Midnight Beat
Disc One -
1, 2 : Jades single, 1957 / 3 : All Night Workers, 1964 / 4, 11 : The Primitives, 1965 / 5, 6 : The Beachnuts, 1964 / 7 : The Roughnecks, 1964 / 8-10, 12, 19, 21 : rough mix demos, 1968-69 / 12-16 : acetate demos, late 1969 / 17 : listed here as Screentest 1965 but actually contains MGM Music Factory 1968 interview, Oh Sweet Nuthin' live from Philadelphia 1970, some great energetic live soundcheck instrumental that sounds like a speeded up Sister Ray mutation from Woodrose Ballroom, Springfield, 17/4/70, snippets from Warhol movies / 18, 20 : Ludlow Street demos, early 1967.
Disc Two - So Blue :
1, 2 : Ludlow Street demos, early 1967 / 3-5 : rough mix demos, 1969 / 6 : Aspen flexi, December 1966 / 7 : film soundtrack, 1966 / 8 : includes Hedy film soundtrack and interview from Music Factory / 9-12 : Max's rehearsal, summer 1970 / 13 : listed here as soundtrack to Psychedelic Convention Mini Movie 1966 but sounds like a piece of Melody Laughter, actually from The Dom, March 1966.
Disc Three - Afterhours : .
1, 2 : listed as Family Dog Oct 1969, actually from official 1969 Live set (PBE from End Of Cole Ave, 19/10/69; Can't Stand It from San Francisco, November, 1969) / 3 : listed as previously unreleased version 1969, actually End Of Cole Ave 2nd Night version, 19/10/69 / 4, 5 : listed as unreleased version of a press promotion gig 1970, actually Max's Kansas City, 26/7/70 / 6, 7 : listed here as soundtrack to an Andy Warhol Movie, actually from the East Village Other Electric Newspaper with very little VU content in part 1 and no VU content in part 2 / 8 : KVAN radio, Portland, Oregon 1969.
Disc Four - Afterhours :
1-3 : mono mixes / 4, 10 : excerpts of interview with Moe Tucker by Phil Milstein, MC Kostek, and Kate Messer / 5 : mono mix / 6-9 : alternate mixes / 11 : radio ad for third LP / 12 : Nico and guitarist performing for Brit TV program on Chelsea Hotel / 13 : listed here as outtake with David Bowie 1972, not even close; sounds like different vocal over instrumental track, but Lou's voice and singing style sounds like it's long past 1972. It is really from june 7, 1983, Italian TV program from Verona with regular 'live in italy band', though for this track it's only Lou and Fernando Saunders singing live over studio track / 14-16 : Robinson's apartment session, electric rehearsal, 1971 / 17, 18 : Robinson's apartment session, acoustic rehearsal, 1971 / 19, 20 : guitar amp tape, Boston Tea Party, 15/3/69.
Disc Five - VU a Paris :
1-8 : Bataclan, 29/1/72 (Tired And Hungry is actually Ghost Story)/ 9 : Bataclan rehearsal, 25/1/72 / 10-24 : Lou and John's soundcheck, Jouy-en-Josas, Fondation Cartier, Paris, 15/6/90 / 25 : Fondation Cartier, 15/6/90.
Notes: limited numbered edition of 1000. 20-page booklet with photographs and liner notes. "The ultimate rare collection includes soundtracks, demos, acetates, rehearsals, unreleased and more...".
Sal Mercuri says: "Just when you thought it was safe...
I've come to realize that it will never end. Things will get to a point where we all will lose track of what's been put out and bootlegged and just start believing that everything that comes out is new! Well there's very little in this set that is 'new'. That doesn't mean it is without merit. The package is very slick, professional looking, if somewhat unimaginative. The Peel Slowly and See sized box includes a numbered insert card with extract of judicial decision regarding question of legality. I guess it's presented in defense of the bootleggers.
The booklet's essay provides nothing in the way of information about specific tracks and nothing new. It reprints some fairly common photos; many of which come, rather inexplicably, from the 1993 reunion although there's not one track from that tour.
Inside the box are 3 jewel cases enclosing the 5 discs grouped thus: 1 and 2 So Blue; 3 and 4 Afterhours; 5 VU a Paris. The CD liners and tray cards contain color and black and white photos and each disc is imprinted with a rather dopey looking brocade upholstery motif which is the background graphic of the box. Sound quality is generally very good owing to the sources which are mostly demos and acetates (and in some cases, official recordings). Sound suffers when sources are tapes and older vinyl. Almost nothing new in this set except the inclusion of some tracks which have previously only been available on tapes and vinyl bootlegs. It is generally a very handy set which collects some of the more interesting 'non-live' material from some no-longer available vinyl bootlegs in their entirety. It is, however, a lazy production. The entire set could probably have made it onto 4 or even 3 discs with some judicious editing for example is there any need for the entire East Village Other when there's only about 30 seconds worth of VU on it? Also, why not include the entire Drella set from Cartier 1990 instead of 15 tracks of John and Lou's soundcheck?
Not a perfect set but not a total rip-off either and of course the die-hard psychos (like this writer) will go and plunk down $100 to $125 smackers for it just to have another neat Velvet Underground box in our already bloated collections."