Note the second support act (the small type at the bottom).
From Ritchie Unterberger's book on the Velvets:
White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day:
1. Summit High School Auditorium, Summit, New Jersey, December 11, 1965: Commonly regarded as their first concert with Maureen Tucker on drums; possibly the first concert at which they were actually billed as the Velvet Underground; and probably the first at which they were actually paid, instigating the resignation of original drummer Angus MacLise, who didn't want to stand for anything as commercial as showing up at a scheduled time and accepting money for the performance. Supporting the Myddle Class (who feature future Carole King husband/collaborator Charles Larkey on bass and future Steely Dan singer Dave Palmer), they played three songs—"There She Goes Again," "Venus in Furs," and "Heroin"—to an almost wholly uncomprehending and unappreciative audience of adolescents. "The band just emptied that auditorium," says Sterling Morrison's wife, Martha.
In a word -- wow.
Incidentally, Tony -- who became a bigshot DP in the years since this show -- informs me he is making an animated short about it; as further details unfold, I'll be sharing them here.
P.S.: Here's the sort of regional hit single by the aforementioned Myddle Class.
As you'll doubtless notice, this was later appropriated to better effect by The Blues Project as "Wake Me, Shake Me."
8 comments:
Coolest of artifacts.
Note who produced the record: first husband J(G)erry Goffin. This would make for an interesting moment in a Carole King bio-pic.
Allan Rosenberg
Love the Myddle Class, forget the Velvets! Thx to Tony J!
There's a Carole King Broadway show opening in January and starring Jessie Mueller, who looks like her.
I always loved David Palmer's vocal on "Dirty Work" ---
They mention the Velvet's first gig in the first couple of pages of "Please Kill Me." Between Summit and Ann Arbor, I'm kind of amazed to have lived in two seminal rock history towns.
-georg3ge
I think they were initially booked as the band to support this early single by Lou, which they didn't play.
For an imaginary dance craze,
"Do The Ostrich"
http://alanwalkerart.com/audio/do_the_ostrich.mp3
Al Aronowitz managed the Myddle Class, and told me he went into hock because of them. One of the band members (can't recall who at the moment) had an affair with Carole King--think they may have gotten married at some point--which drove the final nail into the King/Goffen marriage.
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