HISTORICAL NOTES (re-typed 4-24-11, Happy Easter!, as Patti Smith would say!!)
On February 23, 1973 there was a "Winter Ball" at the Cyclorama building in Boston, a room above a recording studio where Var Records and producer Jimmy Miller would record some music, including Nils Lofgren's work on the Buddy Guy sessions on February 19, 1987
The Modern Lovers with Jonathan Richman performed on a bill with George Thorogood and the Deleware Destroyers. Maureen Tucker was advertised as a guest star but never played. As Maureen told me years later she was in the back of the room...and this writer was also there - perched with a tape recorder in hand...we figure we must've been sitting next to each other or in close proximity to each other. We "met" officially on the telephone in 1980 to talk about the release of the "I'm Sticking With You" 45 RPM and met in person, May 11, 1985 at the very recording studio which used to be under the Cyclorama building.
On Februyary 24, 1973 - the day after the Modern Lovers/George Thorogood gig, Maureen Tucker, Jonathan Richman, Walter Powers, Willie "Loco" Alexander, George Nardo and an ex-Sidewinders - Jim Wilkins - went into Music Designers, a studio in Boston, and recorded this wonderful piece of music written by Lou Reed which would show up...eventually...on the V.U. album in 1985. I immediately put the 1980 45 release on a 12" with a rare version of Will You Love Me Tomorrow that Moe had originally given me for the initial 45 (she withdrew it and put a version on her debut 45 on her own label...with the tambourine)...so I issued the "Sticking With You" / "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (sans tambourine version! A different mix) on a 12" with three mixes of my version of "Foggy Notion" from my 1978 album...re-mixed especially for this release! I utilized the double-entendre "Another View" (or another V.U.) and released the disc in 1985.*
But back to our story and the original liner notes:
Bruce "Bad" Froemke, a bass guitarist who issued a 45 RPM on my label - "Long Hot Shot" b/w "Jealous"...Bruce was also in the Count band when we performed at The Paradise Theater on June 29, 1978 and December 2, 1978...the Boston Rock Revue. Bruce informed me of the existence of this tune! Our mutual friend, Willie Alexander had a copy at his mom's house on Cape Cod. Permission was granted by Willie, Jonathan Richman and Maureen Tucker, so my coin collection was sold to finance the first edition, scheduled to be "I'm Sticking With You" / "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."
As we were about to go to press Maureen phoned and asked me if was ok for her to release "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" on her own label, Trash Records, backed by her rendition of "Around & Around". What could I say? The version Maureen released was a new mix with a tambourine overdub...different from the Varulven Records version.
We thought of releasing "Foggy Notion" from The Paradise Theater videotaping (third version on the Another View 12") but opted instead for Lady Carolyn's "Of Yesterday". It was my gift to Carolyn for her faithfulness to many of my bands.
Imagine if Walter Powers, Willie Alexander, Moe Tucker and Doug Yule all appeared on the Velvet's SQUEEZE lp. on U.K. Polydor. You don't have to imagine now. When Willie and Walter returned from the Velvet Underground tour of Europe, they went into the Orson Welles studio (under the Orson Welles theater between Harvard Square and Central Square in Cambridge) and they recorded "'cause I'm Taking You To Bed" and "Modern Lovers", two Willie "Loco" Alexander songs that I released on my label. As I'm working on a Rock & Roll Animal Documentary DVD this information will be filtered in there as well as in the forthcoming book.
End of Part 1.
Part II of the liner notes on the back of Another View, written by Joe Viglione, concern the song
FOGGY NOTION.
THESE LINER NOTES (P)(C)1985 Varulven Records
Revised Liners (C)2011 Joe Viglion}
Please credit Joe Viglione if quoting from them and to use more than a quote write to rnranimalbook{@} yahoo.com http://www.varulven.com
Join the Lou-Reed@yahoogroups.com group on Yahoogroups. I'm one of the moderators.
This material will be included in the book
ROCK & ROLL ANIMAL:
LOU REED'S Magical 1973 Tour
by Joe Viglione
ROCK & ROLL ANIMAL:
LOU REED'S Magical 1973 Tour
by Joe Viglione
which we are working on! The release of the DVD Documentary will precede the book...the DVD is scheduled for release later in 2011.
I'm STICKING WITH YOU
The song became a staple for Moe Tucker and the reunited Velvet Underground. Eventually the Velvet Underground version would show up on their reunion tour CD as well as in the soundtrack to the film Juno. Hear the Velvets version on Juno here
LISTEN TO THE 1973 Varulven Records version of the song here:
http://tinyurl.com/imstickingwithyou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th1G8AqFYRc
Hear Track 1 of Foggy Notion from the French I'm A Star release
(U.S. title Secret Little Tangents in Vibrant "E" Motions)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_X-x_V_Fi0
Information on disc here;
Wikipedia:
"I'm Sticking With You"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Sticking_with_You
V.U. album
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VU_%28album%29
Another View
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Sticking_with_You
* I sent two copies to Bill Levenson at Polygram Records. Bill had compiled the Eric Clapton boxed set which included masters Jimmy Miller had produced with Blind Faith. When Jimmy & I showed up in Bill's office late 1985/early 1986 Bill said "Joe, I'm putting out more material by Moe Tucker..." He showed me the tracking information for the follow-up lp which he was going to call..."Another View". I said "Bill, I already sent you an E.P. called "Another View"... he didn't respond. But check the dates on the Varulven release and the Polygram release and you tell me...
Heck...the track also got bootlegged immediately on a three or four disc Velvet Underground boot...and now here's a major label taking my title of my E.P...and CMJ reviews BOTH the Polygram release and my release and called Polygram's issue "Another View" and called mine "Moe Tucker/Joe Viglione".
It's just a good lesson in having to find millions of dollars in sponsorship to protect your ideas. Unbelievable? Not really...it's just difficult to be very creative and do it with heart and soul and spirit and not even get thanked on the major label release. Check out the re-release of the Mitch Ryder DETROIT album...the reissue producer utilized my notes to Irving Azoff (who left MCA for his own Giant Records distributed by Warner) and Kate Hyman - MCA A & R woman ...I had proposed an MCA Silver Line series with the Cars first album (Milkwood), Mitch Ryder's DETROIT with Lou Reed's Rock & Roll - produced by Bob Ezrin with Steve Hunter on guitar, the third Joe Perry Project album, Elton John outtakes...this was in the dawn of the CD era and Kate Hyman was impressed with my knowledge of MCA catalog ...but c'est la vie...the Detroit album was re-released per my idea (it's now a collector's item) and the reissue producer sent me a Thank You note.
How about some "Thank You" information in the CD or liner notes themselves?
And people probably know that the Final VU four album boxed set contains a third-generation tape of my taping of the last Velvets Boston show! Sheesh...
