THE VELVET UNDERGROUND Schallplatten & CDs

Review: One of the most elusive records ever released by the New York pioneers, Sweet Sister Ray is one of the Velvet Underground's few live records, and one of the last bits of live material to feature John Cale's input. A near-40-minute jam of experiments and improvisation - captured at the La Cave club, Ohio, in late April 1968 - 'Sweet Sister Ray' cuts across four sides of wax, and is something of a misnomer, nodding to the White Light/White Heat's 'Sister Ray' but otherwise sounding nothing like it. Popular opinion suggests this record is allegedly a rare window into some early follow-up sequels to 'Sister Ray', though the utterly distinct vibe of this performance makes this a hard claim to verify. Whatever the case, this reissue is sure to reignite your inner private detective; its riffing walls of bluesy, Lynchian hypno-fuzz are sure to mesmerically draw its fans into one of art rock's most enduring cold cases.