The Velvet Forum

Just reading my way through the DeCurtis Lou bio and yet again no mention of these shows. Does anyone know anything at all about them? Did they really happen? Were they solo shows and if not, who were the backing band? Presumably Lou was promoting his 1st solo LP, so there would presumably have been a heavy VU content to the setlist. It couldn't have been the Tots, because he didn't start rehearsing with them till the summer, or have I got my dates mixed up?

IIRC, the only published mention of them is in a 1978 issue of CREEM, where Billy Altman says in passing that he promoted the shows. Is my memory failing me here?

According with our old friend Wiki were Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe from rock band YES.Interesting question.. always thought that record was made in NY !!

The album comprises eight new recordings of then-unreleased Velvet Underground songs, plus two new songs, "Going Down" and "Berlin" (the latter was re-recorded by Reed as the title track for his 1973 album Berlin). Reed was backed by London session musicians, two of whom, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe, were from the progressive rock band Yes. Wakeman recalled that during the session at Morgan Studios, "the lights had to be out so nobody could see."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed_(album)

That's who was on the album - I don't think those guys ever played live with him though

Yeah, IIRC, 1st solo lp was recorded at Morgan Studios in London with those guys among others but I'm 100% confident they didn't tour with him in the USA in 1972. So who did play with him?

Do the sleevenotes from the 'Stiff from His Legend' boot L.P. offer any clues?

Just checked Stiff On His Legend - only a mention about his first two gigs (both at the University of Buffalo). Anyone know who wrote the info on the back cover?

The guys on his debut, which was recorded in London at Morgan Studios, were never part of his touring band. After his UB gigs, he did the "intro" show as Bowie's guest, and then it was the Tots.

Peter Doggett says Lou was backed by The Tots at UB (Millard Fillmore Room).
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iDT ... re&f=false

Mojo UK says the Tots as well, citing Billy Altman
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/mojo-uk/ ... 0780531067

Dave Thompson says the single show at UB was "scarcely noticed and barely remembered".
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rFJ ... re&f=false

The Velvet Underground Scrapbook omits UB, going from Bataclan straight to guesting with Bowie at Festival Hall.

THANKS! I see it now in the Dogget book. It's a very long time since I read that book so had completely forgotten about that reference.

I'm pretty sure that the sleeve notes on the back of the "Stiff" LP are a reproduction of the 1978 CREEM article.

I think I had the timing wrong in my mind. Looking back at my old cuttings I see that I had the answer all along. In Melody Maker June 24th 1972, Ray Hollingworth reports on attending one of the final TOTS rehearsals before "..a brief American tour.." with the first show "..2 days off...". Presumably the report was written at least a week before publication, so we're probably talking about mid-June at the earliest for the show in Buffalo? Not April or May as I had thought. Problem solved! I wonder how many concerts constituted a "brief tour"? I'm not aware of any recordings or even any verifiable photos from that tour.

threechordwonder wrote:Peter Doggett says Lou was backed by The Tots at UB (Millard Fillmore Room).
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iDT ... re&f=false

Mojo UK says the Tots as well, citing Billy Altman
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/mojo-uk/ ... 0780531067

Dave Thompson says the single show at UB was "scarcely noticed and barely remembered".
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rFJ ... re&f=false

The Velvet Underground Scrapbook omits UB, going from Bataclan straight to guesting with Bowie at Festival Hall.

The Rock'n'Roll Animal page has it as April/May. An error?

my error I suspect - for some reason I have always had April/May in my mind and that's probably what I told Enrique all those years ago....

Mark wrote:The Rock'n'Roll Animal page has it as April/May. An error?