''The Complete Matrix Tapes'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the New York City-based experimental rock band the Velvet Underground, released on November 20, 2015. It features unexpurgated recordings of the band's two-night stint on November 26 and 27, 1969, at San Francisco club The Matrix, owned and operated by

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

's Marty Balin.

Background

The band's appearance represents one of the rare occasions on which the Velvet Underground was professionally recorded in a live setting, and while several of the performances in this set have been released in various fashions and configurations before (in particular, on the album '' 1969: The Velvet Underground Live'' and the 45th anniversary reissue of '' The Velvet Underground'', as well as via much lower-quality audience recordings in '' Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes''), it is the first time all of them have been collected together. Additionally, this represents the first time much of this material has been presented in a CD version sourced directly from the original tapes, which had been considered lost for decades, and nine tracks from this collection had previously been completely unreleased in any configuration. Two of the songs from these performances, "Over You" and "Sweet Bonnie Brown/It's Too Much", have never been released as studio recordings by the band, and it is not known whether the band ever recorded them in the studio. Songs such as " Sweet Jane" and " New Age" feature significantly different or expanded lyrics from their eventual studio counterparts (which would both be released in 1970 on '' Loaded)'', while others such as " Sister Ray" and " White Light/White Heat" are substantially longer than their studio versions.

Reception

The album – which received a Metacritic score of 86 based on 13 reviews (indicating "universal acclaim") – was widely praised both for its sound quality and for the power of its performances.

Track listing

All songs written by

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

, except where noted. Total length: 4:34:42

Personnel

;The Velvet Underground *

– lead and backing vocals, guitar * Sterling Morrison – guitar, bass, backing vocals * Doug Yule – lead and backing vocals, bass, organ * Maureen Tucker – lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion

Additional credits

*Bill Levenson – compilation producer *Meire Murakami – design * David Fricke – liner notes *Kevin Reeves – mastering *Tardon – mixing *Dan Rose – production manager *Monique McGuffin Newman – production manager *Peter Abram – recording *Sal Mercuri – research, production manager *Alfredo Garcia, Lau Buur Nielsen, Oliver Landemaine – photo research assistance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Complete Matrix Tapes The Velvet Underground albums 2015 live albums