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Rating: Normally I prefer to review new stuff. Having always suffered through the deceitful celebrations of old magazines, which inevitably concluded, “if you don’t have this record, you’re an idiot” — which prompted me to rush out and buy the record only to call myself an idiot for having it after just two tracks — I like to think I can offer an alternative opinion (such as, “this record is crap”) and save the readers from wasting money.
This time, however, an archaeological relic has fallen into my hands, and I decided to review it anyway just to tell a couple of tales about musical events from bygone days...
Who are we talking about? “Squeeze,” the fifth studio album of the Velvet Underground, released in 1973, not by Lou Reed or John Cale, who had already departed for their dazzling solo careers, nor by Moe Tucker, who went on to be a mother and a supermarket cashier, nor by Sterling Morrison in Texas pursuing a teaching career and later becoming a boat captain, but by a certain Doug Yule, a twenty-one-year-old from Boston who had been mingling in the Velvet’s orbit for some time and who ended up being swept away by the descending whirlpool that took them away, not to resurface until ‘93 (but that’s another story).
Having first dispatched Nico, then Cale, by ‘68 Lou Reed had already co-opted this young talented multi-instrumentalist from Boston, emerging from the band Green Menagerie, whom he referred to as “my younger brother.”
As the universally acclaimed critic reports, he became an important element for the band's live performances where he would sing whenever Lou's voice couldn’t handle much, and heavy traces of Yule’s presence in the Velvet’s recordings can be found in everything that Reed — heading towards ‘70, already disinterested and tired — let him do, which Yule executed with more skill than feeling (and surely without deeply understanding the sick vein that produced those pieces), first among a series of talented individuals from whose proximity Lou always drew support and inspiration (or cynically exploited) for artistic relaunches in lean times (David Bowie, Robert Quine, Mike Rathke), much akin to the collaborations Bowie himself was accustomed to forge across the pond (Tony Visconti, Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Reeves Gabrels). The softening of “The Velvet Underground” compared to the previous “WLWH” thus serves as a precursor to the sounds of “Loaded,” an album where Yule is finally credited and where his touch and his voice are very much felt, perhaps even too much (it’s well known he sings three of the four best songs of the album and his hand is behind many of the guitar parts), but then again, soon enough Lou would be leaving the bandwagon himself, probably caring no more...
Left with Moe and Sterling with Doug Yule at the helm — and manager Steve Sesnick behind the scenes trying to cash in on a name that was beginning to sell when its creators had already decided it no longer belonged to them — these sad Velvet successors recruited Yule's former bandmate, Walter Powers (bass), and toured Europe to promote “Loaded” and attempt to convince Atlantic to allow them to make the second and final album stipulated in the contract.
Instead, Atlantic preferred releasing “Live at Max’s Kansas City,” leading to Morrison's departure in ‘71, and introducing another former Grass Menagerie member, Willy Alexander (keyboards), with whom the band continued to perform until the summer of ‘72, when Sesnick negotiated a new contract with Polydor, dismissed everyone, kept only Yule, and locked him in an English recording studio with Ian Paice (yes, exactly, HIM), a certain Malcom Duncan playing saxophone parts, and a nameless female backing vocalist. Yule played all the other instruments and composed, arranged, and produced all 11 tracks of the album, which was released in February ‘73 in England, France, Spain, and (allegedly) Germany. It would never be released in the United States and has never been reissued on CD (presumably to avoid legal disputes related to using such a cumbersome name).
The cover’s hand doesn’t grip a banana but a skyscraper and just like here there’s no Andy Warhol, in the album’s tracks, there are no Velvet Underground. Yule is talented and gifted, but he is neither Reed nor Cale and certainly did not have the aggressive and schizoid profound inspiration that made the two the architects of the masterpieces we know. If it’s true, as someone wrote, that “Squeeze” picks up where “Loaded” left off, it’s to continue not necessarily lowering but certainly in another direction, one that veers away from New York's soul’s night to sunny carefree days that don’t match with the “real” Velvets: this should have been Doug Yule’s first solo album, but the name was less marketable, and Mr. Sesnick wouldn’t have been able to “squeeze” out those few dollars.
Among the country flickers and guitar sounds we already heard in “Loaded” and Beatles-like references (“Crash”), oscillating between pop (in many parts, the voice-piano reminds me of Bowie from “Hunky Dory”) and typical ‘70s rock (“Mean Old Man”) and filled with choruses that at times recall “Sympathy for the Devil,” Yule’s 11 songs — although not bad per se — are unfortunately a foretold failure, where it’s clear that there was someone talented who, however, did everything alone, crafting honest material (“Little Jack,” “Caroline,” the two songs already demoed in ‘71 “Friends” and especially “She’ll Make You Cry”) but not exceptional, thus becoming — if I may make an analogy, valid for the outcome — another Jobriath. All considered, certainly a waste, because good Doug was indeed good: the band he assembled to promote the upcoming album played in Europe until the end of ‘72, but after the release and commercial failure of “Squeeze,” he too gave up. He played a bit more with Lou himself (on “Sally Can’t Dance”), with the band American Flyer active until ‘77, and then disappeared for twenty years, returning with sporadic performances. An album of his 2000 concert was released in Japan (“Live in Seattle”). Today he lives in Ithaca, NY, and builds violins, or at least that’s what Wiki-P claims.
Without wanting to be as cruel as the anonymous blogger who wrote: “I can forgive Doug Yule for almost negating the greatness of such songs as ‘New Age’ and ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’’ with his vacuous readings and clueless deliveries, but using The Velvet Underground name for such pedestrian, uninspired material as ‘Squeeze’ is inexcusable,” and without succumbing to the excesses of recovery where everything from thirty years ago must be inherently beautiful, we can surely agree with this other who writes: “If you are suspecting another raw and cold-hearted velvets album (...) ‘Squeeze’ doesn’t sound like the Velvets at all. With the absence of the two insane, cynical, and depressed songwriters, John Cale and Lou Reed, The Velvets are free to explore (...) a happier and carefree direction.”
A nice contribution to the debate on whether this should/could/wants/etc. to be considered a Velvet album, if you’re interested, you can read it here:
http://www.sentireascoltare.com/CriticaMusicale/
Side A
Little Jack
Crash
Caroline
Mean Old Man
Dopey Joe
Wordless
Side B
She’ll Make You Cry
Friends
Send No Letter
Jack and Jane
Louise
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Sweet Jane (03:18)
Standin' on a corner
Suitcase in my hand
Jack's in his corset, Jane is in her vest
and me I'm in a rock 'n' roll band. Huh.
Riding a Stutz Bearcat, Jim
ya know, those were different times
all the poets studied rules of verse
and those ladies they rolled their eyes
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Now Jack, he is a banker
and Jane, she's a clerk
and both of them save their monies
when they get home from work
sittin downby the fire
Ooo, the radio does play
the classical music there, Jim
The March of the Wooden Soldiers
All you protest kids
you can hear Jack say
04 Cool It Down (03:04)
Somebody took the papers
And somebody�s got the key
And somebody nailed the door shut
That says hey what you think that you see
But me l�m down around the corner
You know I�m lookin� for miss linda lee
Because she�s got the power to love me by the hour
Gives me double you l-o-v-e
Hey baby if you want it so fast
Don�t you know that it ain�t gonna last
Of course you know it makes no difference to me
Somebody�s got the time time
Somebody�s got the right
All of the other people
Tryin� to use up the night
But now me l�m out on the corner
You know I�m lookin� for miss linda lee
Because she�s got the power to love me by the hour
Gives me double you l-o-v-e
Ooh if you want it so fast
Don�t you know honey you can get it so fast
But of course you know it makes no difference to me
Oh oh oh you�d better cool it down
You know you�d better cool it down
You know you�d better cool it down
You know you�d better cool it down
Oh hey if you want it so fast
Now lookie baby don�t you want it to last
But of course you know that it makes no difference to me
Oh you�d better cool it down
You know you�d better cool it down
You know you�d better cool it down
05 New Age (04:40)
Can I have your autograph
He said to the fat blonde actress
You know I�ve seen every movie you�ve been in
From paths of pain to jewels of glory
And when you kissed robert mitchum
Gee but I thought you�d never catch him
Over the hill right now
And you�re looking for love
You�re over the hill right now
And you�re looking for love
I�ll come running to you honey when you want me
I�ll come running to yoy honey when you want me
Can I have your autograph
He said to the fat blonde actress
You know I know everything you�ve done
Anyway I hate divorces
To the left is a marble shower
It was fun even for an hour
Your�re over the hill right now
And you�re looking for love
You�re over the hill right now
And you�re looking for love
I�ll come running to you honey when you want me
I�ll come running to you honey when you want me
Something�s got a hold on me
And I don�t know what
Something�s got a hold on me
And I don�t know what
It�s the beginning of a new age
It�s the beginning of a new age
It�s a new age
06 Head Held High (02:58)
My mama told me, ever since I was seven,
Hold your head up high.
My parents toldmy ever since I was eleven,
"Hold your head up high."
They said the answer was to become a dancer,
Hold your head high.
Oh, just like I figured, they're always disfigured
With their heads up high.
Now I'm older, I'm getting so much bolder
With my head up high
Oh, as I figured, just like I figured
Since your head's up high, baby.
Oh, just like I figured,
You know, they was disfigured
Hold your head up high.
You know, they says the answer was to become a dancer
Hold your head high, boy.
Ever since I was a baby on my mama's knee,
Oh, just listened to what everybody told me,
Oh yes I did. But still the answer was to become a dancer,
And hold your head high,
But, just like I figured, they're always disfigured,
They hold their heads up high, Watch out!
Do the dog! Oh, watch out!
And now I'm older, they say I'm so much bolder
Got your head up high.
Oh, and the answer was, hey, to become a dancer,
Head up high.
Well, but just like I figured, they're always disfigured
They got their heads up high.
But the answer was, now, boy, to become a dancer
With your head up high
Head up high,
Head up high...
07 Lonesome Cowboy Bill (02:44)
Lonesome Cowboy Bill rides the rodeo
Lonesome Cowboy Bill you gotta see him yodel-e-eo
Lonesome Cowboy Bill rides the rodeo
ever since he was a little lad rode the rodeo
buckin' broncs and sippin' wines
got to see him go
and all the ten-gallon girls love to hear him yodel-e-eo
Lonesome Cowboy Bill rides the rodeo
Lonesome cowboy Bill you gotta see him yodel-e-eo
Lonesome Cowboy Bill, still rides the rodeo
up around Colorado shores, down by the Ohio
sometimes even New Orleans down by Mardi Gras
and all the ten-gallon girls love to hear him yodel-e-eo
Lonesome Cowboy Bill rides the rodeo
Lonesome Cowboy Bill you gotta see him yodel-e-eo
you gotta see him in the rodeo
when he's ridin' goin' too darn fast
you gotta hear the people scream and shout
they call him Lonesome Cowboy Bill
08 I Found a Reason (04:16)
I found a reason to keep living
Oh and the reason, dear, is you
I found a reason to keep singing
Oh and the reason, dear, is you
Oh I do believe
If you don't like things you leave
For some place you never gone before
Honey, I found a reason to keep living
And you know the reason, dear it's you
And I've walked down life's lonely highways
Hand in hand with myself
And I realized how many paths have crossed between us
Oh I do believe
You're all what you perceive
What comes is better that what came before
Oh I do believe
You're all what you perceive
What comes is better that what came before
And you'd better come, come come, come to me
Come come, come to me
09 Train Round the Bend (03:21)
Train round the bend
Takin me away from my country
I'm sick of the trees
Take me to the city
Train comin' round the bend
Oh train comin' round the bend
Been in the country Oh much too long
Trying to be a farmer
But nothing that I planted never seems to grow
Train comin' round the bend
Train comin' round the bend
Hey I am just a city boy
And really not the country kind
Oh I need the city streets and I need your light
To see bend comin' round the bend
The train comin' round the bend
Allright
Ooh Ohh
Once
She's going twice
She's going ?to the loop? up and down
She's going twice
She's going the train comin round the bend
You know the train comin round the bend
And I'm out of nowhere
Takin' me back where I belong
I've been here once and I don't take it tonight
For the train comin round the bend
The train comin round the bend
OOOh Allright!
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Other reviews
By principles
That bastard, dirty sound that characterized the band was lost.
This is just little stuff, lousy stuff I'd say, poor in content and so far from the real Velvet Underground.
By Taxirider
An album to listen to calmly and to savor like a good old wine, perhaps in front of the fireplace and perhaps in the company of one’s own solitude.
Music that aficionados of the Velvet 'early days' will disdain but that, if listened to with the heart, can arouse a thousand emotions.
