Sister Ray
| "Sister Ray" | |
|---|---|
| Songbythe Velvet Underground | |
| from the albumWhite Light/White Heat | |
| Released | January 30, 1968 |
| Recorded | September 1967 |
| Studio | Scepter,New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 17:29 |
| Label | Verve |
| Composer(s) | |
| Lyricist(s) | Lou Reed |
| Producer(s) | Tom Wilson |
"Sister Ray"is a song bythe Velvet Undergroundthat closes side two of their 1968 albumWhite Light/White Heat.The lyrics are byLou Reed,with music composed byJohn Cale,Sterling Morrison,Maureen Tuckerand Reed.
The song concerns drug use, violence,homosexuality,andtransvestism.Reed said of the lyrics: "'Sister Ray' was done as a joke—no, not as a joke, but it has eight characters in it and this guy gets killed and nobody does anything. It was built around this story that I wrote about this scene of total debauchery and decay. I like to think of 'Sister Ray' as a transvestitesmackdealer. The situation is a bunch ofdrag queenstaking some sailors home with them, shooting up on smack and having this orgy when the police appear. "[7][8]Lou Reed also stated "'Sister Ray' was about a gay dealer".[9]
At 17 minutes and 29 seconds, it is the longest song onWhite Light/White Heat,taking up most of the second side of the record, as well as the longest song in the Velvet Underground's studio discography.
Rock criticLester Bangswrote in 1970, "The early Velvets had the good sense to realize that whatever your capabilities, music with a simple base structure was the best. Thus, 'Sister Ray' evolved from a most basic funk riff seventeen minutes into stark sound structures of incredible complexity."[10]
Studio version
[edit] | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2019) |
Recording
[edit]"Sister Ray" was recorded in one take. The band agreed to accept whatever faults occurred during recording, resulting in over 17 minutes of improvised material. The song was recorded with Reed on lead vocals and guitar, Morrison on guitar, Tucker on drums, and Cale on organ routed through adistortedguitar amplifier.Morrison remarked that he was amazed at the volume of Cale's organ during the recording and that he had switched the guitar pickup on hisFender Stratocasterfrom the bridge position to the neck position to get "more oomph".[11]The song features nobass guitarbecause Cale, who usually played bass or viola, played organ on the take. The band had a sponsorship fromVoxamplifiers, which allowed use of top-of-the-line amps and distortion pedals to create a distorted, noisy sound.
Reed wrote the song on a train going to New York from Connecticut.[12]After the opening sequence, which is a modally flavored I-♭VII-IV G-F-Cchord progression,much of the song is led by Cale and Reed exchanging percussivechordsand noise for over ten minutes, similar toavant-jazz.Reed recalled that recording engineerGary Kellgrenwalked out while recording the song: "The engineer said, 'I don't have to listen to this. I'll put it in record, and then I'm leaving. When you're done, come get me.'"[13]
Personnel
[edit]- Lou Reed– vocals, electric guitar
- John Cale–Vox Continentalorgan
- Sterling Morrison–Fender Stratocasterelectric guitar
- Maureen Tucker– drums
Live versions
[edit]"Sister Ray" was a concert favorite of the band, who regularly closed their set with the song. The studio recording of the song was recorded in one single take that lasts over 17 minutes. The triple live albumBootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes,released in 2001, features three live performances of "Sister Ray" from 1969, with approximate running times of 24, 38 and 29 minutes. The band also had an intro entitled "Sweet Sister Ray" that they would perform occasionally. On the single known recording of this intro (recorded during the April 30, 1968 show, without the complete subsequent performance of "Sister Ray" ), "Sweet Sister Ray" alone lasts for over 38 minutes.[14]
Cover versions
[edit]- Jonathan Richmanplays a portion of "Sister Ray" on his song "Velvet Underground." It has been argued that Richman's 1976 song "Roadrunner"(produced by Velvet Underground co-founderJohn CaleandJerry Harrison) is, considering its distorted organ solo and chordal similarities, largely a reworking of "Sister Ray" in musical terms, although Richman's lyrics about the joys of driving around suburban Boston are in marked contrast to Reed's detached saga of debauchery and decay.[15][16]
- Joy Divisionplayed a shortened version of the song at the Moonlight Club inLondonon April 2, 1980.[17]A recording of this song is on their rarities albumStill.[18]New Orderplayed it in their 1987Glastonbury festivalappearance.[19]
References
[edit]- ^abGentile, John (November 20, 2015)."Velvet Underground release 36 minute live version of" Sister Ray "".Punknews.org.RetrievedMay 1,2016.
- ^Beeber, Steven Lee (2006).The Heebie-jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk.Chicago, Illinois:Chicago Review Press.p. 59.ISBN978-1-55652-613-8.
- ^Gross, Joe (April 2007)."Essentials: Noise Rock".Spin.p. 94.
{{cite magazine}}:CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^Maloney, Sean L. (2017).The Modern Lovers.New York:Bloomsbury Publishing.p. 46.ISBN978-1501322198.
- ^Terich, Jeff (November 28, 2018)."30 Essential Noise Rock Tracks".Stereogum.RetrievedJanuary 24,2019.
- ^DeRogatis, Jim (1 January 2003).Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock.Milwaukee, Minnesota:Hal Leonard Corporation.p. 80.ISBN978-0-634-05548-5.
- ^Bockris, Victor;Malanga, Gerard(1983).Uptight: The Velvet Underground Story.London, England:Omnibus Press.p. 93.ISBN978-0-7119-0168-1.
- ^Thompson, Dave(2009).Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: The Dangerous Glitter of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed.Milwaukee, Wisconsin:Backbeat Books.p. 37.ISBN978-0-87930-985-5.
- ^Bloom, Howard (April 1973)."The Eerie Roots of Lou Reed's New Transformer".Circus Magazine.7(7): 48 – viaThe Internet Archive.
- ^Bangs, Lester(1987).Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung.New York City:Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.p. 44.ISBN0-394-53896-X.
- ^"White Light / White Heat - The Velvet Underground".Rough Trade.RetrievedMay 6,2021.>[dead link]
- ^Bockris, Victor (1994).Transformer: the Lou Reed story.New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 150.ISBN978-0-684-80366-1.
- ^American Masters:Lou Reed: Rock & Roll Heartdocumentary
- ^"The Velvet Underground – Sweet Sister Ray".Discogs.1996.Retrieved29 September2016.
- ^Barton, Laura (20 July 2007)."The car, the radio, the night - and rock's most thrilling song".The Guardian.Retrieved29 September2016.
- ^Crain, William (September 2002)."The Modern Lovers: Despite All the Amputations".Furious.com.
- ^Whatley, Jack (January 2021)."Listen to Joy Division's rare cover of The Velvet Underground's 'Sister Ray'".
- ^Patrin, Nate (January 30, 2018)."Gotcha Covered: White Light/White Heat".
- ^"New Order online: Friday 1987-06-19 11:45:00 PM, Glastonbury, England, United Kingdom".Retrieved8 September2024.}