the feelies - classic or dud?

the Velvet Underground 2CD is out today - http://www.thefeeliesweb.com/disc/discography.html

grr this is delayed on Bandcamp, gimme gimme

Got the vinyl a couple days ago, haven’t had a chance to listen yet.

needless to say, i think this is fantastic

Stan proudly displaying his copy on facebook next to his copy of VU and Nico signed by the 4 members of that album that weren't Nico, presumably signed while Luna was opening up for VU.

I also got Wild Carnation's "Tricycle," which I also recommend. Anyone heard their recent album?

― Jazzbo, Thursday, June 14, 2007

... On Tricycle, the pastoral quality of their most beautiful ballads was captured perfectly, while retaining enough of the rawness of the live experience. Waves of critical acclaim followed, from now defunct publications (CMJ Jackpot! Raygun, Trouser Press) followed, including this one by Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover (Still going strong!), written for All Music Guide:

"While the hook line for this new local trio would have to be that bassist/leader Brenda Sauter used to be a member of the later-'80s incarnation of the famous Feelies (and it's notable offshoot, The Trypes), even if you didn't worship at the altar of that group (and especially if you did!), Wild Carnation is a revelation. While the persistent, pumping beat and hard-played jangle guitars of most of the tracks here emanate from her previous band and from their forerunners, the Velvets (especially), Television,and the Byrds - Sauter's beguiling voice is perfect for the ultra-appealing pop hooks the group writes as well as the thoughtful lyrics she composes. Trading the occasional Feelies drone for sugar-sweet melodies (yes!) and utilizing the pretty ring of the guitars to maximum effect, songs such as Wings are the perfect pop confectionery, too honeyed and delightful to miss capturing your bending heart and too consistently insistent and edgy to be wimpy, kind of like Reckoning-era R.E.M. It's all so well captured with pristine production, with balls to match the heart, too! And though the 12 tracks are largely cut from a similar mode, all seem special just the same on their own. A truly shining, first-rate effort, along with Lotion's and Nyack's early EPs and the last Flower LP, the best release to come out of a New York group this decade, and exceptionally crafted at that! Do not miss."

Greatly expanded reissue, incl. demos & live etc., all streaming here:
https://delmorerecordings.com/album/tricycle-remastered-expanded-edition

^So yeah I was listening to my copy and reflecting on how this might be the most tuneful album from the whole Haledon NJ scene! I think that every time I've put it on over the years, but I finally got a reasonably priced copy of the reissue recently.

Love The Feelies but if I'm not in the mood for them, in those moments, I find the "let's see how fast we can strum and switch back and forth between G chords and D chords" to not always draw me in melodically. Wild Carnation on the other hand, all that no-brakes nervous folk/jangle strummage channels into tight pop compositions with focused melodic development.

Crazy Melodies

Yeah the VU thing is really fantastic, exceeding my already high expectations.

Really digging the Wild Carnation! I’ve rarely been inspired to pick up Feelies side-project/adjacent stuff but this is really worthwhile.

You're not saying you've skipped The Trypes and Yung Wu are you? Because that would be INSANE.

I have a Yung Wu record. I only listened to it once. Should give it another spin, 20 years on from the first.

Wasn’t bowled over by the VU record. I would have loved to have been at that gig (s?) and would probably have lost my mind. But as an album? Eh. Mercer isn’t in top voice (to put it mildly), they mostly he’s to the original arrangements (even the guitar solos!) and there aren’t even many surprises in the song selection. Doesn’t add much to the appreciation of either party, IMO.

I think you will regret ignoring that Yung Wu record all these years. And the Trypes! So good I bought the company (for a few years).

dan knows exactly what he's talking about, btw.

He’s well known as a man of … uh .. sumpin .. and taste!

saw them in woodstock last night... they opened w/ an acoustic set, then there was an intermission, then they played an electric set w/ 4 encores. no opener, even excluding the intermission they played well over 2.5 hours. vocals were a bit of a fight w/in the mix at this age if you know what i mean but otherwise they sounded absolutely fantastic, still completely locked in as a band

srsly your loving the Feelies is like learning that Joe Biden likes Road House. But I know you like strummy-jammy Velvet-y stuff.

Once saw them in Cambridge and they did six encores. The last three were unsolicited.

the guy who was tasked with switching out the guitars for every subsequent encore, who was employed by the venue, was visibly annoyed by encore three

haha a booker friend of mine in the late 80s got so mad at them when she dealt with their fancy rider, "hummus must be home made not store bought" etc, she dubbed them the Unfeelies. the shows were still fantastic tho.

Dammit, if being one of the most influential and also probably perpetually broke bands of the past 50 years can’t get you some homemade hummous, I don’t want to be in that band.

What’s that you say? The invitation still hasn’t arrived?

Once saw them in Cambridge and they did six encores. The last three were unsolicited.

They did 5 or 6 encores last night At Black Cat in DC. They did the opening 50 minutes set as their own opening band, sitting down on chairs and playing acoustic mostly. Then left stage for 20 minutes and came back and did a 55 minutes set standing, and then the 6 encores. Cover songs through the night included Jonathan Richman "Egyptian Reggae" , Buddy Holly "Everyday", Mc5 "Shakin Street", a couple of Beatles songs, Stooges I wanna be Your Dog, Wire's "Mannequin " from Pink Flag, Rolling Stones Painted Black

If the instrumentals were things like the Obedient Atom, Eno, Hendrix etc, that would be the Willies.

Hmmm, maybe not. Here’s how someone listed the setlist for DC

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-feelies/2024/black-cat-washington-dc-3a8bdc7.html

Or maybe yes.