Luna :: A Sentimental Education / “Friends” (Doug Yule VU)

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“Yeah, but is it a Velvet Underground record??” If you’ve spent any time clerking in a record store hanging out online in obsessives fan circles, the matter of the Velvet’s final lp, 1973’s Squeeze, has likely come up. Why? Sans any other VU members, the album was in essence a Doug Yule solo project, and as AD’s Tyler Wilcox laid out in a defense of Doug Yule a couple of years back, could have likely garnered some critical kudos in hindsight. And while it obviously hasn’t played out that way, there are indeed some choice nuggets within. Case in point: “Friends“, the album’s eighth track and one most recently resurrected via Luna on their new collection of covers entitled A Sentimental Education.

The group has long had its VU bona fides, and their take here feels natural and lived in with Wareham’s familiar and wistful vocal out front as the group gently sways in stride.

Below, check out the video of the Yule cover directed by Matthew Buzzell, who previously directed the Luna documentary  Tell Me Do You Miss Me.

Following a 13 year recording hiatus, Luna released both A Sentimental Education,  as well an EP of instrumentals,  A Place of Greater Safety, last month on  Double Feature Records.

2 thoughts on “Luna :: A Sentimental Education / “Friends” (Doug Yule VU)

  1. This is pretty good.

    “Friends” is one of the better songs on “Squeeze,” and it even incorporates the same unorthodox chord change found in “Who Loves the Sun” (it comes up in the video at :20).

    I wrote a long defense of “Squeeze” somewhere on my blog, and I think this cover proves a point that me and several other have made. “Squeeze” isn’t bad; it’s just not Lou Reed. The music has a different feel and vibe. It’s not exactly Velvet Underground either, but it is, funny enough, Velvets influenced.

    “Squeeze” has been in my record collection since high school, so I’ve lived with its 11 songs for decades. And while there’s nothing near the level of “Sweet Jane” or “I’m Waiting For the Man,” I have remembered the songs and their McCartney-ish hooks. That says something. Nice find on this video.

  2. People are forgetting that Doug Yule played over 75% of the instrumentation on “Loaded”: (piano, bass, a portion of the drums, as well as the lead guitar solo(s) on Rock & Roll as well as Head Head High (amongst others), and he also sang 4 songs on the album. Sterling Morrison was in college at the time and wasn’t nearly as involved with Loaded as Yule and Lou Reed were. With that being said, this album is DEFINITELY a solo Doug Yule LP (despite his efforts to get Moe Tucker on the album which Steve Sesnick sadly prevented). This song “Friends” is GREAT as is the song “Crash” is as well. It’s not as strong lyrically as Loaded, but for a Doug Yule solo effort? it’s a solid effort.

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