Sister Ray

Last updated
"Sister Ray"
Song by the Velvet Underground
from the album White Light/White Heat
ReleasedJanuary 30, 1968 (1968-01-30)
RecordedSeptember 1967
Studio Scepter, New York City
Genre
Length17:29
Label Verve
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s) Lou Reed
Producer(s) Tom Wilson

"Sister Ray" is a song by the Velvet Underground that closes side two of their 1968 album White Light/White Heat . The lyrics are by Lou Reed, with music composed by John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker and Reed.

Contents

The song concerns drug use, violence, homosexuality, and transvestism. Reed said of the lyrics: "'Sister Ray' was done as a joke—no, not as a joke, but it has eight characters in it and this guy gets killed and nobody does anything. It was built around this story that I wrote about this scene of total debauchery and decay. I like to think of 'Sister Ray' as a transvestite smack dealer. The situation is a bunch of drag queens taking some sailors home with them, shooting up on smack and having this orgy when the police appear." [7] [8] Lou Reed also stated "'Sister Ray' was about a gay dealer". [9]

At 17 minutes and 29 seconds, it is the longest song on White Light/White Heat, taking up most of the second side of the record, as well as the longest song in the Velvet Underground's studio discography.

Rock critic Lester Bangs wrote in 1970, "The early Velvets had the good sense to realize that whatever your capabilities, music with a simple base structure was the best. Thus, 'Sister Ray' evolved from a most basic funk riff seventeen minutes into stark sound structures of incredible complexity." [10]

Studio version

Recording

"Sister Ray" was recorded in one take. The band agreed to accept whatever faults occurred during recording, resulting in over 17 minutes of improvised material. The song was recorded with Reed providing lead vocals and guitar, Morrison on guitar, and Tucker on drums, while Cale plays an organ routed through a distorted guitar amplifier. Morrison remarked that he was amazed at the volume of Cale's organ during the recording and that he had switched the guitar pickup on his Fender Stratocaster from the bridge position to the neck position to get "more oomph". [11] [ dead link ] It is also notable that the song features no bass guitar because Cale, who usually played bass or viola, played organ on the take. The band had a sponsorship from Vox amplifiers, which allowed use of top-of-the-line amps and distortion pedals to create a distorted, noisy sound.

Reed wrote the song on a train going to New York from Connecticut. [12] After the opening sequence, which is a modally flavored I-VII-IV G-F-C chord progression, much of the song is led by Cale and Reed exchanging percussive chords and noise for over ten minutes, similar to avant-jazz. Reed recalled that recording engineer Gary Kellgren walked out while recording the song: "The engineer said, 'I don't have to listen to this. I'll put it in Record, and then I'm leaving. When you're done, come get me.'" [13]

Personnel

Live versions

"Sister Ray" was a concert favorite of the band, who regularly closed their set with the song. The studio recording of the song was recorded in one single take that lasts over 17 minutes, while live versions were known to last as much as half an hour or more. The triple live album Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes , released in 2001, features three live performances of "Sister Ray" from 1969, with approximate running times of 24, 38 and 29 minutes. The band also had an intro entitled "Sweet Sister Ray" that they would perform occasionally. On the single known recording of this intro (recorded during the April 30, 1968, show, and without the complete subsequent performance of "Sister Ray"), "Sweet Sister Ray" alone lasts for over 38 minutes. [14]

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Reed</span> American rock musician (1942–2013)

Lewis Allan Reed was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band The Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Although not commercially successful during its existence, the Velvet Underground became regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of underground and alternative rock music. Reed's distinctive deadpan voice, poetic and transgressive lyrics, and experimental guitar playing were trademarks throughout his long career.

<i>The Velvet Underground</i> (album) 1969 studio album by the Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground is the third studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released in March 1969 by MGM Records, it was their first record with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who replaced previous member John Cale. Recorded in 1968 at TTG Studios in Los Angeles, California, the album's sound—consisting largely of ballads and straightforward rock songs—marked a notable shift in style from the band's previous recordings. Lead vocalist Lou Reed intentionally did this as a result of their abrasive previous studio album White Light/White Heat (1968). Reed wanted other band members to sing on the album; Yule contributed lead vocals to the opening track and the closing track "After Hours" is sung by drummer Maureen Tucker.

<i>White Light/White Heat</i> 1968 studio album by the Velvet Underground

White Light/White Heat is the second studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released on January 30, 1968 by Verve Records, it was the band's last studio album with multi-instrumentalist and founding member John Cale. Recorded after band leader Lou Reed fired Andy Warhol, who had produced their debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, they hired Steve Sesnick as a manager and hired producer Tom Wilson, who had worked on the band's debut. White Light/White Heat was engineered by Gary Kellgren.

<i>Loaded</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 1970 studio album by the Velvet Underground

Loaded is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in November 1970 by Atlantic Records subsidiary Cotillion. It was the final album recorded featuring the band’s remaining original members, including lead vocalist and primary songwriter Lou Reed, who left the band shortly before the album’s release, and guitarist Sterling Morrison, who left the band in 1971 along with drummer Maureen Tucker. For this reason, it is often considered by fans to be the last "true" Velvet Underground album. Multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule remained and released the album Squeeze in 1973 before the band's dissolution the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sterling Morrison</span> American musician

Holmes Sterling Morrison Jr. was an American guitarist, best known as one of the founding members of the rock group the Velvet Underground, usually playing electric guitar, occasionally bass guitar, and singing backing vocals.

<i>Gold</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 2005 greatest hits album by The Velvet Underground

Gold is a two-CD compilation album by the Velvet Underground. It was released for the North American market on June 14, 2005, by Polydor, the record label that oversees the band's Universal Music Group back catalogue.

<i>Final V.U. 1971–1973</i> 2001 live album box set by the Velvet Underground

Final V.U. 1971–1973 is a box set by the Velvet Underground, comprising live recordings from after founding members Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison had left the group. It was released by Japanese record company Captain Trip Records in August 2001.

<i>20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Velvet Underground</i> 2000 greatest hits album by The Velvet Underground

20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of The Velvet Underground is a compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was initially released for the North American market by Polydor in October 2000 as part of their "20th Century Masters" series of budget compilations celebrating the turn of the century. The album was subsequently released with varying titles and covers in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Femme Fatale (song)</span> 1966 single by the Velvet Underground and Nico

"Femme Fatale" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground from their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico, with lead vocals by Nico.

"The Gift" is the second track that appears on White Light/White Heat, the 1968 second album by the Velvet Underground. The song is over eight minutes long and, in the stereo version, mixed in such a way that a short story can be heard in the left speaker, while a rock instrumental is heard on the right.

"Heroin" is a song by the Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Written by Lou Reed in 1964, the song, which overtly depicts heroin usage and its effects, is one of the band's most celebrated compositions. Critic Mark Deming of Allmusic writes, "While 'Heroin' hardly endorses drug use, it doesn't clearly condemn it, either, which made it all the more troubling in the eyes of many listeners." In 2004, it was ranked at number 448 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and was re-ranked at number 455 in 2010.

"I Heard Her Call My Name" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground. It is the fifth track from the band's second album, White Light/White Heat. It is a particularly loud, brash and aggressive song that features a pair of atonal guitar solos performed by Lou Reed and repeated use of high pitched feedback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Light/White Heat (song)</span> 1968 single by the Velvet Underground

"White Light/White Heat" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Velvet Underground. It was released as a single in late November 1967 with the B-side "Here She Comes Now". The following year it appeared as the title track on their second studio album of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunday Morning (The Velvet Underground song)</span> 1966 single by the Velvet Underground

"Sunday Morning" is a song by the Velvet Underground. It is the opening track on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It was first released as a single in December 1966. The song is written in the key of F major.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ostrich guitar</span>

The ostrich guitar or ostrich tuning is a type of trivial tuning. It assigns one note to all strings, e.g. E-E-e-e-e'-e' or D-D-D-D-d'-d'. The term "ostrich guitar" was coined by the Velvet Underground's Lou Reed after the pre-Velvet Underground song "The Ostrich" by Lou Reed and the Primitives, on which he first recorded using this tuning, the first known commercial composition to make use of a trivial guitar tuning.

"European Son" is a song written and performed by the American experimental rock band The Velvet Underground. It appears as the final track on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It is also the album's longest track at more than seven and a half minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Be Your Mirror</span> 1966 single by The Velvet Underground and Nico

"I'll Be Your Mirror" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico. It appeared on their 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. It also surfaced as a single a year earlier with "All Tomorrow's Parties" in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here She Comes Now</span> 1968 single by The Velvet Underground

"Here She Comes Now" is a song released by the American rock band the Velvet Underground in January 1968, from their second studio album White Light/White Heat. As the shortest song on the album, the performance and mix of the song are both considered simple and traditional, making it somewhat distinct from the other five songs on the album, all of which contain some degree of experimental or avant-garde elements in terms of sound.

"Pale Blue Eyes" is a song written and sung by Lou Reed and performed by The Velvet Underground. He recorded a demo with John Cale in May 1965. It was included on the band's 1969 album The Velvet Underground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Velvet Underground</span> American rock band

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. It originally comprised singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. In 1965, MacLise was replaced by Moe Tucker, who played on most of the band's recordings. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde resulted in little commercial success, they became one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Their provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and nihilistic attitude was also instrumental in the development of punk rock, new wave and several other genres.

References

  1. 1 2 Gentile, John (November 20, 2015). "Velvet Underground release 36 minute live version of "Sister Ray"". Punknews.org. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  2. Beeber, Steven Lee (2006). The Heebie-jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 59. ISBN   978-1-55652-613-8.
  3. Gross, Joe (April 2007). "Essentials: Noise Rock". Spin . p. 94.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. Maloney, Sean L. (2017). The Modern Lovers. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 46. ISBN   978-1501322198.
  5. Terich, Jeff (November 28, 2018). "30 Essential Noise Rock Tracks". Stereogum . Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  6. DeRogatis, Jim (1 January 2003). Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Milwaukee, Minnesota: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 80. ISBN   978-0-634-05548-5.
  7. Bockris, Victor; Malanga, Gerard (1983). Uptight: The Velvet Underground Story. London, England: Omnibus Press. p. 93. ISBN   978-0-7119-0168-1.
  8. Thompson, Dave (2009). Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: The Dangerous Glitter of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Backbeat Books. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-87930-985-5.
  9. Bloom, Howard (April 1973). "The Eerie Roots of Lou Reed's New Transformer". Circus Magazine . 7 (7): 48 via The Internet Archive.
  10. Bangs, Lester (1987). Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. p. 44. ISBN   0-394-53896-X.
  11. "White Light / White Heat - The Velvet Underground". Rough Trade. Retrieved May 6, 2021.>
  12. Bockris, Victor (1994). Transformer : the Lou Reed story. New York : Simon & Schuster. p. 150. ISBN   978-0-684-80366-1.
  13. American Masters: Lou Reed: Rock & Roll Heart documentary
  14. "The Velvet Underground – Sweet Sister Ray". Discogs . 1996. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  15. Barton, Laura (20 July 2007). "The car, the radio, the night - and rock's most thrilling song". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  16. Crain, William (September 2002). "The Modern Lovers: Despite All the Amputations". Furious.com.
  17. Whatley, Jack (January 2021). "Listen to Joy Division's rare cover of The Velvet Underground's 'Sister Ray'".
  18. Patrin, Nate (January 30, 2018). "Gotcha Covered: White Light/White Heat".