Loaded (album)

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Loaded
Studio album by The Velvet Underground
Released	September 1970
Recorded	April-August 1970, Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City
Genre	Rock and Roll, Pop
Length	40:35 128:39 (reissue)
Label	Cotillion Records
Producer(s)	Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan and The Velvet Underground
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A) link Rolling Stone 12/24/1970 Pitchfork 4/1/1997
The Velvet Underground chronology
The Velvet Underground (1969)	Loaded (1970)	Live at Max's Kansas City (1972)

Loaded is The Velvet Underground's fourth album. The album was released in September, 1970, one month after Lou Reed had left the band, by Atlantic Records' sub-label Cotillion Records.

Contents 1 About the album 1.1 Double CD reissue 1.2 Miscellanea 2 Track listing 2.1 Original release 2.1.1 Side A 2.1.2 Side B 2.2 Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition) 2.2.1 Disc one 2.2.2 Disc two 2.3 Peel Slowly and See Disc Five 3 Personnel 3.1 The band 3.2 Additional musicians 3.3 Technical staff

[edit] About the album

Loaded is a commercial effort aimed at radio play, another step away from the Warhol-influenced days of yore. The album's title refers to Atlantic's request that the band produce an album "loaded with hits". After its release, Reed complained that the record had been edited and resequenced without his consent. The album holds two of the best-known Velvet Underground songs, "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll", both of which became FM radio favorites and featured heavily in Reed's solo set list. In 2003, the album was ranked number 109 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The album does not feature Velvets stalwart, drummer Maureen Tucker, as she was pregnant at the time. Drumming duties were performed mainly by bassist Doug Yule and a number of stand-ins, including recording engineer Adrian Barber and Doug Yule's brother Billy.

[edit] Double CD reissue

See: Loaded: Fully Loaded Edition

On February 18, 1997, Rhino Records released a "Fully Loaded" 2-CD reissue of Loaded, which contained numerous alternate takes, alternate mixes and demo versions of Loaded songs and outtakes. Two of these also include performances by Maureen Tucker ("I'm Sticking with You" demo, vocals; "I Found a Reason" demo, drums) and one of these is even said to feature a cameo appearance by departed band member John Cale ("Ocean" demo, organ).

[edit] Miscellanea

The album was covered live in its entirety by rock band Phish as one of their "Halloween musical costume" concerts on October 31, 1998.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Lou Reed unless indicated otherwise.

[edit] Original release

[edit] Side A

1. "Who Loves the Sun" – 2:50
2. "Sweet Jane" – 3:55
3. "Rock and Roll" – 4:47
4. "Cool It Down" – 3:05
5. "New Age" – 5:20

[edit] Side B

1. "Head Held High" – 2:52
2. "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" – 2:48
3. "I Found a Reason" – 4:15
4. "Train Round the Bend" – 3:20
5. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" – 7:23

[edit] Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)

[edit] Disc one

1. "Who Loves the Sun" – 2:45
2. "Sweet Jane" (full-length version) – 4:06
3. "Rock and Roll" (full-length version) – 4:43
4. "Cool It Down" – 3:04
5. "New Age" (long version) – 5:07
6. "Head Held High" – 2:56
7. "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" – 2:43
8. "I Found a Reason" – 4:15
9. "Train Round the Bend" – 3:21
10. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" – 7:25
11. "Ride into the Sun" (Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker) (outtake) – 3:20
12. "Ocean" (outtake) – 5:43
13. "I'm Sticking with You" (demo) – 3:06
14. "I Love You" (demo) – 2:03
15. "Rock and Roll" (alternate mix) – 4:41
16. "Head Held High" (alternate mix) – 2:15

[edit] Disc two

1. "Who Loves the Sun" (alternate mix) – 2:59
2. "Sweet Jane" (demo) – 5:22
3. "Rock and Roll" (demo) – 4:45
4. "Cool It Down" (demo) – 4:14
5. "New Age" (full-length version) – 5:44
6. "Head Held High" (demo) – 2:48
7. "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" (alternate take) – 3:14
8. "I Found a reason" (demo) – 3:16
9. "Train Round the Bend" (alternate mix) – 4:36
10. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" (demo) – 4:04
11. "Ocean" (demo) – 6:27
12. "I Love You" (demo) – 2:51
13. "Satellite of Love" (demo) – 3:13
14. "Oh Gin" (demo) – 2:54
15. "Walk and Talk" (demo) – 2:47
16. "Sad Song" (demo) – 3:43
17. "Love Makes You Feel Ten Feet Tall" (demo) – 4:09

[edit] Peel Slowly and See Disc Five

1. "Who Loves the Sun" – 2:45
2. "Sweet Jane" (full-length version) – 4:06
3. "Rock and Roll" – 4:43
4. "Cool It Down" – 3:04
5. "New Age" (long version) – 5:07
6. "Head Held High" – 2:56
7. "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" – 2:43
8. "I Found a Reason" – 4:15
9. "Train Round the Bend" – 3:21
10. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" – 7:25
11. "Satellite of Love" (demo) – 2:58
12. "Walk and Talk It" (demo) – 2:23
13. "Oh Gin" (demo) – 2:44
14. "Sad Song" (demo) – 3:30
15. "Ocean" – 5:43
16. "Ride into the Sun" – 3:20 (Reed, Cale, Morrison, Tucker)
17. "Some Kinda Love" (live) – 10:22
18. "I'll Be Your Mirror" (live) – 2:06
19. "I Love You" (demo) – 2:03

(1-10) taken from Loaded (entire album; first appearance of 2-3, 5 in "original" versions); (11-17, 19) first appearance; (18) taken from Live at Max's Kansas City.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] The band

• Lou Reed – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica on "I Found a Reason" (demo)
• Doug Yule – keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, drums, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Who Loves the Sun", "New Age", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" and "Ride into the Sun"
• Sterling Morrison – guitar
• Maureen Tucker – percussion on "I Found a Reason" (demo), vocals on "I'm Sticking with You" (demo)

[edit] Additional musicians

• Adrian Barber – drums on "Who Loves the Sun" and several of the demos
• Tommy Castanero – drums on "Cool It Down" and "Head Held High"
• Billy Yule – drums on "Lonesome Cowboy Bill", "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" and "Ocean"
• John Cale – organ on "Ocean" (demo)

[edit] Technical staff

• Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan and The Velvet Underground – producers
• Adrian Barber – engineer, producer (demos)

The Velvet Underground
John Cale | Sterling Morrison | Lou Reed | Maureen Tucker | Doug Yule
Willie Alexander | Angus MacLise | Walter Powers | Billy Yule
Discography
Studio albums: The Velvet Underground and Nico | White Light/White Heat | The Velvet Underground | Loaded | Squeeze
Live albums: Live at Max's Kansas City | 1969 | Live MCMXCIII | Final V.U. | The Quine Tapes
Box sets and outtake compilations: VU | Another View | What Goes On | Peel Slowly and See
Selected best-of compilations: Rock and Roll | The Very Best of The Velvet Underground | Gold
See also
Chelsea Girl | Exploding Plastic Inevitable | Lou Reed | Nico | Steve Sesnick | Songs for Drella | Andy Warhol