Velvet Underground

Great VU reviews!!!



Post Edited (04-18-07 14:20)

I agree, those are some of the best



Post Edited (04-18-07 14:24)

back in the '70s and early '80s, when the resurgence of young surf bands like jon and the niteriders and then bands like los straitjackets came up, the very idea of a band reclaiming that turf was pretty radical, the same as the retro rockaibilly bands and others. but, you're right, after a while, even an old cliche becomes just a cliche...

It feels weird responding to a 4-year-old post, but this is one of my pet obsessions (guitar instros/Los Straitjackets).

I think it really depends on the artist. People like Los Straitjackets and Deke Dickerson have a pretty expansive language on the guitar, and are therefore able to constantly find new purchase in the instrumentals--surf is only a component. Los Straitjackets also get into the raw, tough Link Wray stuff or goofball Davie Allen stuff and even American standards and soundtracks (and even some phrasing that reminds me of the King records "hillbilly" sessionmen of yesteryear). The key here is that the two Straitjackets guitarists (Eddie Angel and Danny Amis) are also great songwriters, as is Deke Dickerson. A band like Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet or the numerous other (Man or Astroman?, etc) bands of that ilk are going to hit a wall eventually. Then there are the bands who just want to dress like the Shadows or Ventures and do surf (a limited idiom). I've known Eddie (Albany's finest) for a little while and have watched him play a lot, and he never seems to run out of ideas. Another writer (Sarge Blotto/Greg Haymes) who knows him a lot better and who has played with him a lot over the decades told me once that the "interesting thing about Ed is that he could play anything he wants but chooses to work within the same 3 chords"...and he never runs dry on ingenuity.

I don't know where this post came from, but I'm responding!



Post Edited (01-16-08 11:57)

send me something on them!

For reasons even I don't understand, I've been going through the most ancient posts remaining on this board, and this brief exchange takes the cake for sheer incoherent lunacy.

We've got two people who for some reason edited their posts more than three years after originally posting them, with non-enlightening (but commendable) views on the Velvet Underground. Then suddenly Ira swoops in emphatically demanding information about either the Velvets or another band entirely, then makes an observation about surf music to someone not in evidence to anyone but himself.

i don't know what the hell was going on here, but it's pretty genius.

> I've been going through the most ancient posts remaining on this board,
> and this brief exchange takes the cake for sheer incoherent lunacy.

Steve, the gauntlet has been dropped!