The Velvet Underground - Ultimate Mono & Acetate Album (Bootleg, 2005)

This three-CD set is indeed what the title bills it as, with rare mono versions of several Velvet Underground LPs and singles, as well as a few items taken from acetates. There's only one portion, however, that's of truly outstanding interest if you want to hear genuinely alternate versions, but don't care too much about stereo/mono mix differences. This is the "acetate version" of The Velvet Underground & Nico, which according to the track listing is "taken from Moe Tucker's acetate EPs." These seem to be the same tracks that appear on the nine-track acetate (missing two of the songs that ended up on the official LP, "There She Goes Again" and "Sunday Morning") that was widely reported in rock collector publications in 2004 and 2005 to have been discovered at a yard sale in New York. While a few of the cuts simply use the same take as the official versions with a not-radically-different mix, "Heroin," "I'm Waiting for the Man," "European Son," and "Venus in Furs" are completely different takes. The arrangements are similar, but there are noticeable variations that intense Velvet Underground fans will appreciate. For instance, Lou Reed sings the lyric "I'm waiting for the man," not "I'm waiting for my man," thus finally (possibly) solving the mystery of why the track was titled "I'm Waiting for the Man" on the released LP. That song has a bluesier guitar solo than the released version as well, which also holds true for "European Son." Plus, while "Femme Fatale" and "I'll Be Your Mirror" are the same takes as the official versions, the mixes are substantially different, with much higher background vocal harmonies on the former, and no echo on Nico's lead vocals on the latter. Admittedly, these aren't the kind of revelations that will excite the general listener, and even for fanatics, the very scratchy surface noise from the acetate is a substantial drawback. (Not to mention the point in "Venus in Furs" where the needle gets stuck on the acetate, faithfully replicated on the CD, and the inaccurately sequenced track listing on the back cover.) But The Velvet Underground & Nico is a monumentally important album, and thus this acetate version is worthy of serious attention by serious fans of the band, even if the differences are largely minor.

The rest of the material – and there's a lot of it, adding up to more than two CDs' worth – is more reserved for the true fanatic. There are mono versions of the entire White Light/White Heat and Loaded LPs; mono versions of the "White Light/White Heat"/"Here She Comes Now," "What Goes On"/"Jesus," and "Who Loves the Sun"/"Oh Sweet Nothin'" 45s; single mono versions of "All Tomorrow's Parties," "I'll Be Your Mirror," "Sunday Morning," and "Femme Fatale," taken from the "promotional only US release EP mono version"; and four songs from The Velvet Underground that are, say the track listings, "taken from Sterling Morrison's acetate EPs," "found in Sterling's closet after his death." You'll have to strain pretty hard to hear significant differences between all of this stuff and the familiar versions, and the surface noise on much of it – obviously dubbed from original vinyl – doesn't help. It would have been better had the "acetate version" of The Velvet Underground & Nico been released on its own disc, rather than included as part of an expensive three-CD set, but bootleggers (and official labels, it should be noted) have never been known for catering to such conveniences. Even if that acetate of the first album is your primary interest, however, this will still cost you a lot less (and is far more accessible) than the original copy, one of the costliest rare rock records in existence.

Disc 1:
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO ACETATE VERSION - Taken From Moe Tucker's Acetate EPS.
Alternate Versions Of The Album The Velvet Underground & Nico
1. Heroin (6:18)
2. Venus In Furs (4:41)
3. Femme Fatale (2:38)
4. Run Run Run (4:30)
5. I'm Waiting For A Man (4:16)
6. European Son (9:00)
7. Black Angel's Death Song (3:30)
8. All Tomorrow's Parties (5:47)
9. I'll Be Your Mirror (2:10)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO SINGLES
10. All Tomorrow's Parties (2:51)
11. I'll Be Your Mirror (2:19)
12. Sunday Morning (2:58)
13. Femme Fatale (2:37)

Disc 2:
WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT MONO VERSION - Promotional Only Us Release White Label LP
1. White Light/White Heat (2:49)
2. Gift (8:19)
3. Lady Godiva's Operation (4:57)
4. Here She Comes Now (2:02)
5. I Heard Call My Name (4:39)
6. Sister Ray (17:25)
WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT SINGLES - Promotional Only Us Release Ep Mono Version
7. White Light/White Heat (2:46)
8. Here She Comes Now (2:03)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND ACETATE VERSION - Taken From Sterling Morrison's Acetate Eps
Found In Sterling's Closet After His Death - Alternate Mix Of The Album The Velvet Underground
9. Jesus (3:23)
10. I'm Set Free (4:02)
11. Beginning To See The Light (4:47)
12. Afterhours (2:09)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND SINGLES - Promotional Only Us Release Ep Mono Version.
These Are Only Mono Version Of This Album's Official Release
13. What Goes On (2:34)
14. Jesus (3:18)

Disc 3:
LOADED MONO VERSION - Test Pressing Lp For Few Famous Am Radio Station Different Mix Of
The Album Loaded
1. Who Loves The Sun (2:45)
2. Sweet Jane (3:19)
3. Rock And Roll (4:41)
4. Cool It Down (3:07)
5. New Age (4:30)
6. Head Held High (2:56)
7. Lonesome Cowboy Bill (2:45)
8. I Found A Reason (4:23)
9. Train Round The Bend (3:17)
10. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (7:21)
LOADED MONO SINGLES - Promotional Only Us Release Ep Mono Version
11. Who Loves The Sun (2:45)
12. Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (7:20)

I uploaded each disc separately to allow you to pick and choose which you would like to have.
It sounds to me that the acetate recordings on disc one are the same that appear on the "Norman Dolph" disc.

Disc 1:
http://rapidshare.com/files/332021935/vuDisc1.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332031727/vuDisc1.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332041771/vuDisc1.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332043602/vuDisc1.part4.rar

Disc 2:
http://rapidshare.com/files/332053632/vuDisc2.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332064253/vuDisc2.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332075253/vuDisc2.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332086870/vuDisc2.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332090349/vuDisc2.part5.rar

Disc 3:
http://rapidshare.com/files/332101983/vuDisc3.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332113222/vuDisc3.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332125415/vuDisc3.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/332125613/vuDisc3.part4.rar