The Velvet Underground Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCII
March 2006 Reviewed by: Joseph Taylor Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

When the Velvet Underground broke up in 1970, they had been with two record companies, neither of which was successful in selling any of the band’s four LPs. Yet, it’s hard to name a band that’s had a stronger influence on rock ‘n’ roll over the past 40 years. Their first two records were uncompromising -- tough, brutal, and inexplicably moving and beautiful. In his liner notes to the Velvets’ 1995 box set, David Fricke called the band’s second record, White Light/White Heat (1968), "a pug-ugly blot of fuzz box angst on the tangerine sunshine canvas of mid-67 love rock…." We may still listen fondly to other music from the Summer of Love (1967), but it’s The Velvet Underground we hear in current bands like The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, and Nine Inch Nails.

Band members Lou Reed and John Cale collaborated on a tribute to Andy Warhol, an early supporter, in 1989. The original band (without vocalist Nico, who died in 1988) performed at a Warhol celebration in France the following year. That reunion led to a short tour of Europe in 1993, including the three nights at L’Olympia Theater in Paris from which Velvet Redux: Live MCMXCIII is assembled. The DVD contains the same performance footage as the 1993 VHS release, which included songs from the band’s four original LPs and from later compilations of contemporaneous material. The Velvets play solid versions of tunes its fans know well. "Venus in Furs" and "Heroin" are abrasive and potent, while the later rock anthems "Rock and Roll" and "Sweet Jane" are more accessible without sacrificing the punch that made the band so important.

In the end, however, much of the music on Velvet Redux is played professionally rather than with a strong edge. Reed and Cale have stage presence, but neither seems especially aroused. Reed is in good voice throughout and Cale sings an affecting version of "Femme Fatale," but, oddly, Cale takes the vocals on "I’m Waiting for the Man," a tune that truly belongs to Reed. Sterling Morrison plays bass and guitar well, but drummer Moe Tucker is the only band member who plays with real and consistent conviction. There’s nothing jarringly bad on Velvet Redux, but it only occasionally strikes sparks.

The stereo sound on Velvet Redux captures the textures of the instruments well enough, and it centers Reed’s vocals sharply. Visually, the DVD is less than gripping. The camera work is mostly static and The Velvets, dressed in dark colors, are a band that doesn’t move around a lot. The film is grainy and has a slightly washed-out quality, which only adds to the DVD’s blandness. There are no extras on the disc, even though the CD version has more tunes, which we can probably assume were also filmed.

Sadly, Sterling Morrison died in 1995, and this would be the last time The Velvet Underground reunited. If you’re a fan, you’ll find some things to enjoy on Velvet Redux, but if you’re introducing someone to this band, play their records.

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