Disco de The Velvet Underground: “Gold”

Could somebody _please_ explain to me how the he11 "Temptation Inside Your Heart", an amusing but eminently forgettable song, winds up on here instead of "I'm Sticking With You"? Or how about the live version of "Guess I'm Falling in Love", from the boxed set - isn't it time the general public got to hear that gem? And, why, in an era where the majors are cross-licensing like never before in a desperate attempt to save their collective hides, *WHY* couldn't they have ponied up the dough for the album versions of "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll"?

(long silence)

Guess that's what happens when you treat bands and their music like disposable product, to be folded up and stuffed into identical packages. The garishly ugly cover photo here really seals the deal.

It's a shame, because this group could use a decent compilation, and, by and large, the choices here aren't bad, save for the rather gigantic errors mentioned above.

Disk 1 neatly solves the problem of what to include from the classic "banana" debut by including everything, save for what are probably the two most, um, "challenging" songs in the group's catalog. _White Light/White Heat_ is an album that should be heard in its entirety, but for purposes of compilation, the three tracks here do fine.

Disc 2 is where the trouble is. The "grey album" is neatly condensed for casual listening, and six of the seven "V.U." tracks included clearly do belong, but "Temptation..." is one more dog than this set can afford, given the major letdown that lies at the end of the disc (the absence of the _Loaded_ material).

Well, anyway, it's nice to see the good ol' V.U. included in the same series as the Jackson 5 and Olivia Newton-John, so that the world can be reminded what a great pop singles act they were. Cheerio!

p.s. - I think if you order three of these, you get a free salad shooter

I'm gonna say that, unless VU is your favorite band of all time, this collection will please most anybody. It's obviously twice the set the single disc collections are. It sounds great, it's 30 tracks, and has a nice booklet within. Every song they had that was anything close to a hit is here, and then some. Plus a few live tracks, a couple from Nico alone, and hey, as a casual fan I find no flaw here. The Velvet Underground is a band I can listen to in the midst of any mood. They're a rockin', alternative, classic, mellow band. You know what I mean. Thanks Lou Reed, thanks Nico, thanks VU.

With the exception of the peel slowly and see box set this is the greatest compilation of the velvets. All the great songs are on this one including almost all of VU and Nico half of White Light White Heat great stuff from VU and Another View the best tracks from the velvet underground and great live tracks from Live 1969. The Velvets rule no matter what anyone says. No Velvets No Sonic Youth No Nirvana NOTHING. The most influential band of all time gets its due with this compilation