This band’s eponymous 1969 release, so different from 1968’s White
Light/White Heat, is the sound of a band finding clarity through
subtraction. Gone was John Cale, and with him the grinding viola and
most of the avant-garde leanings he brought to the forefront. Gone were —
according to guitarist Sterling Morrison — all the effects pedals that
allowed for the distortion and feedback so prevalent on White
Light/White Heat, stolen at the New York airport as the band flew to Los
Angeles to record. Gone was the Verve label, with the band moving up to
parent company MGM’s main label. Gone was New York itself, and all but
the last tenuous threads of its connection to Andy Warhol and The
Factory. The result is the barest Velvet Underground record, stripped
down to its skin.
The Velvet Underground – 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is
much more than just the single album, though it does contain three
distinct mixes of the record itself. First is the “Val Valentin Mix”,
which is the one referenced for the above description. Valentin was the
engineer for the recordings, and his mix was the one released overseas
and eventually on compact disc. Second is what became known as “The
Closet Mix”, which was done by Lou Reed himself and was used for the
initial vinyl release in the United States. Its nickname comes from
Sterling Morrison, who said, ”I thought it sounded like it was recorded
in a closet. I guess he [Lou] felt the real essence of the tracks was
the lyrics.” Besides the band being pushed far to the back, a different
vocal take of “Some Kinda Love” was used on “the Closet Mix”. That track
also has a single guitar track instead of the two on the Valentin mix.
Preference between the two versions is left to the individual; there is
no definitive version, though it’s easy to see why some people side with
Lou’s mix. It makes an intimate album all the more personal. However,
the Valentin mix gives the band greater prominence as a whole, and the
contribution of the other members is not to be underplayed. Both are
worth having at hand, depending on the listener’s mood.