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Velvet Underground fans will be the beneficiaries of a cornucopia of unreleased material on Feb. 18, when Rhino Records releases "Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)," a comprehensive two-CD version of the group's classic fourth studio album, originally released in 1970 on the Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion Records.
The set will incorporate some features originally included on Polydor Chronicles' 1995 Velvets boxed set, "Peel Slowly and See": the full-length version of the original album, which included complete versions of three previously edited songs, and six outtakes and demos from the "Loaded" era.
But "Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)" also contains an additional 17 previously unreleased tracks. The second disc of the set leads off with a complete "alternate album," comprising variant mixes, demos and early versions of the "Loaded" songs in their original running order.
"Loaded," which was co-produced by Geoffrey Haslam, Shel Kagan and the band, occupies a unique place in the Velvet Underground's discography. Its bright, radio-friendly sound is in marked contrast to the confrontational style of the New York group's first two albums, "The Velvet Underground & Nico" (1967) and "White Light/White Heat" (1968), and to the subdued yet brooding, semi-acoustic format of its self-titled third album (1969).
The Velvets' bassist/guitarist/keyboardist, Doug Yule -...