All Yesterdays' Parties: The Velvet Underground in Print, 1966-1971

by Clinton Heylin

An invaluable resource, a trove of lore for anyone interested in The Velvet Underground, their roots, and legacy.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Rock N Roll, History

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jonas Paro · Rating 4 out of 5]

En bok som samlar det mesta av det som skrevs om ett av världens fyra bästa band under deras aktiva år. Samt en genomgång av samtliga låtar. Såklart mumma för den intresserade. Intervjuerna med Lou Reed och Sterling Morrison är rent guld.

[Jon]

It seems odd to have the apostrophe after instead of before the "s" in the title, and that error, if that's what it is, prefigures the ineptitude waiting within the covers. Journalistic pieces, and reviews in particular, tend to date horribly, but in this case it seems like most of the critics had no idea what they were doing, or at least, what they were writing about. The focus in the reviews of early VU shows is mostly on the visual, or in some cases, sociological aspects--obviously, most of the critics could only deal with the Velvets as a Warhol offshoot, rather than considering the music on its merits. Even when VU admirers were doing the critiquing, they made tons of mistakes, often getting lyrics wrong. The best parts by far are interviews with the band members, where Lou Reed, John Cale, and especially Sterling Morrison come off as witty, sometimes bitchy, always articulate and intelligent. (Despite her feisty reputation, Moe Tucker mostly keeps quiet.) Worth checking this book out for those.

[zed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of media. For the fan.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles about the Velvet Underground in their heyday. It's a bit of a mixed bag. The (35 page long) introduction and some of the articles lean a little too hard into "the Velvets were the greatest band ever. I went into this knowing next to nothing of the band, so I enjoyed learning a bit more. I also listened to a bit of their music. I'm still not sure what all the fuss was about, but that's probably because I'm from a post-Velvet time. I can appreciate music from before my time, but its hard to judge the impact when working backwards from the bands that were influenced by that music.

[Steven Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book Has As Up To The Time Of Publication, Every Record/Gig Review Of Velvets. Amazing Compilation! So Good Reading Some Lester Bangs and Lenny Kaye! For Any Velvet Fan Out There You Won't Be Disappointed!
SJD

[Ed Wagemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the part of the Velvet Underground story that no one really talks about:

https://medium.com/@edwagemann/the-gr...

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Yesterdays' Parties The Velvet Underground In
Print 1966-1971 Editor Clinton Heylin.
(www.decapopress.com)

This book is exactly what it says it is, a 260
page collection of all the articles Clinton
could find written and published during the
bands lifetime.
Wow is all I can say, as I already have 15 other
books on the velvets and more that cover them in
part and countless fanzines and articles on the
band I thought I knew my stuff. Wrong I knew
lots of it but this book opens up new insights
into how poorly seen the band were, selling out
crowds of up to 4500 at there peak, which isn't
bad by anyones standards, or selling 200,000
copies of your first album in the first year or
so, plus how they self financed it's recording.
There is a great reviews of shows they did with
the Grateful Dead and the Fugs, apparently the
Velvets blew both those bands away. Although the
pairing I'd of loved to see was them with Dr
John.
But the best articles are about the day to day
details of what heppened and where and who did
what, right down to how you scored drugs at
Max's, who you saw for what the whole operation.
Also good insights into the song and music
writing process.
But the article that blew my mind is the one
where in a flight of fancy the writer claims
that the song Sister Ray is the musical outline
of something called Intermedia that will become
a new global theocracy that will negate the need
for national goverments. Damn and I thought Al
Gore invented the Internet!! Great to read how
many of the reviewers were saying the band were
ahead of there time and would only grow in
popularity with time, how right they were.
At the back is a list of all known songs and I
am missing a couple of those that were due for
release until the band asked to renegotiate for
more money, so still we wait to here the
Gymnasium in 1967 in full.
The only writer to refuse permission for his
articles to be reprinted was Johnathon Richman,
but hey when you've got everyone from Lester
Bangs and Lenny Kaye through to Robert Somma and
Tom mancuso we can make do without Johnathan!
This book is not to be missed, buy steal or blag
a copy, but get one.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if I would or could read this much criticism on one band, in one sitting, again. Many of the included pieces are interesting artifacts of contemporary cultural attitudes and document some pretty amazing events [i.e. the "pop" wedding presided over by Warhol and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable; the Velvets' show at the New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry Dinner:], but can ultimately be skipped if you're looking for deeper insights on the Velvets. Ditto for the intro by editor Clinton Heylin, who is an obnoxious bore, and specializes in an excess of toe-curling rock metaphors.

But the essays by Lenny Kaye, Richard Somma, and (of course) Lester Bangs are thoughtful, readable, and sincere. These each read partly as love letters to Lou Reed, but also do a good job of pinpointing the Velvet Underground's intellectual orgins and peculiar place in an America and music where Sgt. Pepper was rendered irrelevant before its release.

I also got a kick out of the posters and promotional materials included between chapters, and there's a great lttle cartoon by a young, pre-Modern Lovers, Jonathan Richman, illustrating the Velvets' ascent to rock gods. If you are a super-fan, or rare record collector (I am neither) the book is worth a read for the discography alone.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of press on one of my favorite bands, this book is not only a great book on the Velvets, it's a great snapshot of the music press in the late 60s and early 70s.

While not all the articles are the height of journalism (many include blatant mistakes about the band), it's fun to read what those "hip" enough were writing about a band that seemed to fit nowhere. There's a jumbled (on purpose) interview with Lou Reed that really encapsulates his approach to writing and being in a rock band. And the few pieces on the band right after Lou's departure from the Velvets are very interesting.

A must for all Velvets' fans, and a good read for anyone interested in the avant-art culture in New York in the late 60s.

[Andy Gleeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect music history book. The idea of articles from when the Velvet Underground were ACTUALLY AROUND is exactly what my mind needed. It's often hard for myself (or anyone my age, I suppose) to get an actual grasp of things as they were in the '60s. It's hard for me to even place the Velvet Underground farther back than the '70s. And this book lays it all out there. A must read for any music fan.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Velvet Underground sono la faccia scura, seria, psichiatrica della musica rock degli anni 60. A New York, nessun sole caldo della California scaldava l'irrequietezza di Lou Reed e Soci.
Non c'è tempo per feste in spiaggia e rimorchiare ragazze in costume. A New York, passiamo per il fuoco e ci scottiamo.

[David Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Velvets fans, a curio. It can be interesting to see what contemporary writers made of them (not much, generally), but it's the book's later, more thoughtful pieces by Lester Bangs and Lenny Kaye, among others, that hold one's attention. There are more efficient ways to learn about the Velvets.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of voices, one note.

[Cody Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://kenyonreview.org/blog/?p=6055

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of articles on the Velvets. The ones by Lester Bangs are the best and the opening quote from Ellen Willis (though I wish her writings on the Velvets were also included).

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the "hype" of the time, it is a wonder they are even considered innovators....still love them, though

[Kiof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to see how much hippies- journalists and music fans- hated them.