The Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground - Under Review [DVD]

I really enjoyed this documentary about pioneering band, The Velvet Underground. It was informative with long interviews with Velvet member's drummer Mo Tucker and guitarist Doug Yule. There were lengthy interviews with Billy Name too - and he described what the factory was like, the ideas for the VU album covers and when Andy Warhol got shot. It showed clips of the band singing at various gigs through the ages, discussed their albums, and music journalists gave their opinions on them too. As a big fan of the band I was hooked throughout the film and it put a big smile on my face.

Over the last few years some wags with one eye on making a few bucks and another eye on some unassuming music fans decided it would be fun to make some "unofficial" documentaries on some of the great bands and pop them out into the world of DVD retail. As is in this case their access to official material (filmed shows, songs and interviews with key members) is usually somewhat limited and so, many have resorted to using non-affiliated 'talking heads' discussing the band's history, albums etc etc without stepping into the mire of 'copyright' issues.

However, this is The Velvet Underground. A band completely ignored in their lifetime and subsequently not documented, filmed or written about much back in the day. It took until the early 1970s and David Bowie's championing of the band as he was trailblazing the world with Ziggy Stardust before anyone outside of New York took any notice. But by that stage the band had broken up. So, given the dearth of material available of the band in its heyday you might think this DVD is an exercise in futility, right? I'm glad to say: you'd be totally wrong my friend.

For a kick off this has TWO bona-fide band members on camera talking about their time as a Velvet: Maureen Tucker and Doug Yule. Being a hardcore fan myself, I'm almost certain that in Doug's case this is his first ever interview on camera regarding his time in the band. Until this release, three documentaries have been made on the band (The South Bank Show from 1985, a Spanish TV one from the same time and 'Curious', a band-sanctioned one from 1993) and his involvement has been, well, brushed under the carpet. It almost seems as if his time with the band didn't exist and if it did it wasn't much to comment on. Some might argue (wrongly) that his faux-Velvet Underground time from 1971-1973 means he is not fit to comment on the 'real' band (i.e. before Lou Reed's exit in 1970).In my opinion that is a tad harsh: his contribution to the 3rd album, 'Loaded' and 'Live 1969' is well and truly worthy of being discussed so shut up and let him speak ya mooks!

The other interviewees are not lightweight filler either. Billy Name was a key member of the Factory between 1964-68, a time when the Velvets would frequent Warhol's studio a lot. Name even took the cover shot of the 3rd album on the Factory's couch when the band came to visit and it's his tattoo that you can see if you look closely at the 'White Light/White Heat' album. He knew these guys well! Norman Dolph produced their first formal recordings in 1966 and gives some great background info on the sessions and how they came about. He also tells us what he did when heard about the re-surfacing of an acetate of the session which one lucky sonofabitch chanced upon in a thrift store for 75 cents! Sal Mercuri has long been known as a Velvet afficionado in fan circles and acts as a good fan-know-it-all in the film in the absence of official interviews (Moe & Doug aside). The only 'nobody' that I think lets the side down is the guitarist (sorry, can't recall his name) who strums along to various VU songs. Ok, so he shows us the chord changes how innovative they were but I felt his presence was a bit pointless and I just wanted to FFWD when he appreared. Not my thing. Sorry.

Overall, this is a fine accompaniment to those other accomplished (yet flawed) documentaries that, ok, yes, have John & Lou in them. But for those who are BIG (and I mean BIG) fans you'll know that the other members of The Velvet Underground made a significant contribution too and their voices also need to be on record too. This DVD corrects that anomaly and is therefore a must purchase for any BIG fans like myself.

This is a fantastic documentary without the flash and fanfare of other music documentaries. It is very low key but riveting considering Lou Reed is not even in it! Apart from the band members interviews I found the testimonies of the fans extremely engaging and indepth as they projected how deeply they were affected by the albums as they heard them for the first time. The objectivity of the fans allows them to articulate the bands position in rock and roll history and their impact on music and popular culture and was a perfect balance with the bands own views on their work. I would highly recommend this documentary.