THE VELVET UNDERGROUND – SQUEEZE LP – EXC/VG+ A1/B1 UK DOUG YULE LOU REED

The Velvet Underground – Squeeze
(Polydor Records  1973  2383180)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
(there are quite a few surface marks & a few light scratches which do give pops/crackles but sound quality is excellent overall)

Sleeve in Excellent/Very Good+ condition
– foxing/discolouration spots

The Velvet Underground was a rock band formed in New York, America, by singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise (who was replaced by Moe Tucker in 1965). Despite achieving little commercial success during its existence, the Velvet Underground is now recognized as one of the most influential bands of all time for its integration of rock music with the avant-garde. The provocative subject matter, musical experimentation, and often nihilistic attitudes explored in the band’s work would prove influential in the development of punk rock and alternative music.

The band was active between 1965 and 1973, and between 1992 and 1993, and was briefly managed by the pop artist Andy Warhol, serving as the house band at the Factory and Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable events from 1966 to 1967. Their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (with German born singer and model Nico), was released in 1967 to critical indifference and poor sales, compounded by distribution problems caused by a compensation claim by a Warhol actor for the use of his image on the back cover, but over time has been critically acclaimed – it was called the “most prophetic rock album ever made” by Rolling Stone in 2003. Cale left in 1968 to be replaced by Doug Yule; Reed, Sterling and Tucker left in 1970, with Yule taking over the band name to record a final album in 1973, and to tour the UK, before ending the band that same year. Reed, Cale, Morrison and Tucker reformed in 1992 to play one song at a Cale/Reed concert in France, then officially reunited as “The Velvet Underground” to do a European tour beginning in Edinburgh in June 1993, but broke up at the end of the year.

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the band No. 19 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 by Patti Smith.

Squeeze is the fifth and final studio album released under the Velvet Underground band name, recorded in the autumn of 1971 and released in February 1973 by Polydor Records. The album features Doug Yule from the Lou Reed-era lineup of the group, who wrote and recorded the album almost entirely by himself. Yule had joined the Velvet Underground (replacing founding member John Cale) in October 1968, prior to the band recording their self-titled third album, and Yule had also contributed significantly to the fourth album, Loaded. Following the departures of the remaining founding members (Reed and Sterling Morrison), Yule was positioned as the de facto leader of the band. Longtime drummer Maureen Tucker was slated to appear on Squeeze by Yule, but she was dismissed by the band’s manager, Steve Sesnick.

• Doug Yule – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass guitar, producer

Additional musicians

• “Malcolm” – saxophone
• Ian Paice – drums, possible percussion
• Unidentified female backing vocals