In June 1993, Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Moe Tucker kicked-off their official (sans Nico, who had died in 1988) Velvet Underground reunion tour with two nights at the Playhouse Theater, in Edinburgh. There had been rumors of a VU reunion for years, and these rumors slowly became real after Reed and Cale had successfully toured with Songs for Drella - their musical collaboration celebrating the life of Andy Warhol.

From their opening gig in Scotland, The Velvet Underground then played London, before taking their show to Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, and Italy, where the tour finished on 9 July. During the tour, they also gave a headline grabbing performance at the Glastonbury Festival, and had a WTF? moment when they supported U2 for five dates.

The VU reunion was so successful that an American tour was planned, and a showcase on MTV Unplugged… was all but booked. However, before any of this happened, Reed and Cale fell out and all plans were shelved.  In 1995, Sterling Morrison died. The following year, the VU were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Reed, Cale and Tucker reformed the Velvet Underground for the last time.

This footage is from the Velvet Underground’s performance at the L’Olympia, Paris, in June 1993.
 

 
More VU, ‘Femme Fatale’ and ‘Waiting for the Man’, after the jump…
 

 
Divine performing her single “Born To Be Cheap” (1979, Wax Trax Records) on a 1984 episode of The Alan Thicke Show.

The Planters Snacks commercial adds the perfect outro for this punky performance by the immortal Divine.

David Johansen eat your heart out.
 

 
It isn’t every day that I get turned on to a relic of a favorite band (This Heat) that I’ve managed to be ignorant of for more years than would be dignified to count. Here’s A Good Side (indeed!) from the 1983 Lifetones (aka Charles Bullen solo)  EP For A Reason. DJ Jimi Hey posted this tune on my FB wall (as one does) and with that simple gesture has made me realize just how much Mr. Bullen brought to said band. This tune, a one-man-band recording apparently, is a major gem and a must hear (as is the rest of the mini-LP from whence it came) for all This Heat and British post-punk enthusiasts
 

 

 
Much thanks to Jimi Hey

 
Glammy pub rockers The Little Roosters released one album in France in 1981. It was produced by Joe Strummer (with help from Roosters’ guitarist G.J. Lammin) at London’s Pye Sudios in 1980 and features Alison Moyet as a guest vocalist. Joe also plays piano on the album.

Instead of being paid cash for his production services, the Roosters’ manager arranged for Strummer to receive extensive dental work.

The album is long out-of-print which is too bad. Sounding like a combination of The New York Dolls and Dr. Feelgood, the Roosters did indeed rock.
 

 
I really like this smart CD package designed by Travis Lampe for The Pauses’ A Cautionary Tale album. It’s rather sweet.

To be honest, I’ve never heard of The Pauses until now, but I gave them a lil’ listen and they *sort of* remind me of Columbus, Ohio’s Scrawl. Again, sort of.

 

 
(via Super Punch)

 
Italian pop superstar Adriano Celentano recorded the infectious “Prisencolinensinainciusol” in 1972 and it became a big hit in Italy. In the past couple of years the video for the song has gone viral.

Sounding a bit like a parody of Bob Dylan, the lyrics in “Prisencolinensinainciusol” are gibberish. Centano explains:

[H]aving just recorded an album of songs that meant something, I wanted to do something that meant nothing.”

YouTube’s Buffalax sees the song differently than its composer and has translated the seemingly incoherent song into something slightly more coherent. Here is “Prisencolinensinainciusol” with subtitles.
 

 
Kate Bush was only sixteen when she signed to EMI Records in 1975, on the recommended of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Over the following eighteen months, Kate prepped, wrote and recorded her first single, “Wuthering Heights”, which went to number one in the UK, and her debut album The Kick Inside, which hit No. 3 in the UK charts.

Following on from her chart success, Kate Bush presented The Tour of LIfe, her first and

ever tour, consisting of twenty-eight shows across Britain during April and May of 1979.  The BBC’s quirky news and features series, Nationwide (previously responsible for a fascinating insight into David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust… tour), made this 30-minute behind-the-scenes special of the tour and Kate’s preparation for it.
 

 
Bonus documentary on Kate Bush plus original live TV performance of ‘Wuthering Heights’, after the jump…
 
Previously on DM

 
With thanks to Damien Smith
 

 
Flickr via Flash Glam Trash!

 
Velvety dirge kings The Black Angels perform with fellow Austinite and high priest of Texas psychedelia Roky Erickson at this Halloween show at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. A perfect union. The Angels are the heirs to Roky’s tattered day-glo throne. Their album “Phosphene Dream” and “Grinderman” were my favorites of 2010.

If you like this video, there’s more here for purchase on DVD. 
 

 
“No clothing with name bands or logos please.”

Via FYTT