The Velvet Underground And Nico (3) – Pop History Vol. 19

I must share a German preference for the Velvets since I just love this odd collection of deep cuts. See this one also: https://www.discogs.com/master/894977-The-Velvet-Underground-Featuring-Lou-Reed-Pop-Giants-Vol-9
Both are gloomy masterpieces and an alternate take compared to how most of their comps are heavy on songs from the first LP.

Like some of the early German CD issues, this has a mix of Val Valentin and Closet mixes. No sonic spectacular (laid back mastering presentation to make everything sit together) but given how expensive early pressings of the LPs are and how hot the modern masterings are, this is worth owning. With this and The Story Of... you have all the MGM stuff. You just have to love a comp called Pop History that kicks off sides with Lady Godiva, Gift and Murder Mystery. Those crazy Germans eh

Tracks Tally…
Banana: 1
White Light: 2
VU: 7
Nico: 7

Such a strange comp. But every song a winner!

Another oddball compilation put together by the mad German scientists behind this strange beast http://www.discogs.com/Frank-Zappa-And-Mothers-Of-Invention-The-Velvet-UndergroundFeaturing-Nico-Pop-History/release/5527287 (an hilariously innappropriate sequence of tracks by The Mothers and The Velvets with no logic at all behind the track selection).

For this 1972 Velvets compilation no more sense prevailed in the Polydor boardroom as the hapless record executives struggled to find novel new ways of milking a few more deutschmarks from the Velvets back catalogue.
So once again The Velvet Underground are billed 'and Nico' - yet none of the tracks from the Banana debut are present - the record with which they are most commonly associated. Instead you get a bunch of tracks from Nico's solo debut - an album on which some of the Velvets played - so fair game I suppose.

Compared to the Mothers & Velvets album (linked above) the sleeve design of this one is an absolute masterpiece - creating a psychedelic wonderland out of the darkness and gloom of the original VU third album sleeve. For reasons unknown the magazine Lou held on the original sleeve has been replaced by a cigarette (or a 'reefer' perhaps).

If you'd found a second hand copy of this in 1978 for £2 you'd have been highly delighted. I see you can still pay under £10 for a copy so maybe, allowing for inflation, it's still a bit of a bargain for this complete curiosity.

Obviously - the music contained on this album is absolutely essential and stupendous - but if you feel the need to buy a VU album and you have no prior knowledge of the band - resist the temptation to get this one and just get the first four albums and Chelsea Girl - they will make a lot more sense than this effort.