A sample of some obscure – and maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Velvet Underground – “The Gift” 1968

From the Velvet Underground album “White Light, White Heat“.

John Cale reads a short story written by Lou Reed on the left channel with a Velvet Underground instrumental on the right.

Velvet Underground was formed in NYC in 1964. The band existed for 9 years but a bit too avant garde for commercial success. The band’s first album The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) was a commercial flop (although now considered by some as “one of the greatest albums in music history”). White Light, White Heat was the band’s second album which has been described as “noise-saturated”.

The band became associated with Andy Warhol both as their manager and house band for Warhol’s “The Factory”.

Perhaps the band’s best known composition is “Sweet Jane“, written by Lou Reed and released on their 4th album “Loaded“. Reed left the band in 1970 during the recording of the album. Reed went on to have a successful solo career. He died of liver disease in 2013 age 71