This film was shot by Andy Warhol in 1967 at the Boston Tea Party, a concert venue in Boston.
It’s quite experimental as a film. The sound quality is mostly terrible. I’ve also included audio of another concert by the VU at the Boston Tea Party with good sound.
But as a document the Warhol footage is fascinating.
Here’s what was posted along with the video on YouTube:
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND IN BOSTON (1967, sound, color, 33 mins. Dir: Andy Warhol):
This newly unearthed film, which Warhol shot during a concert at the Boston Tea Party, features a variety of filmmaking techniques. Sudden in-and-out zooms, sweeping panning shots, in-camera edits that create single frame images and bursts of light like paparazzi flash bulbs going off mirror the kinesthetic experience of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, with its strobe lights, whip dancers, colorful slide shows, multi-screen projections, liberal use of amphetamines, and overpowering sound. It is a significant find indeed for fans of the Velvets, being one of only two known films with synchronous sound of the band performing live, and this the only one in color. It’s fitting that it was shot at the Boston Tea Party, as the Beantown club became one of the band’s favorite, most-played venues, and was where a 16-year-old Jonathan Richman faithfully attended every show and befriended the group. Richman, who would later have his debut recordings produced by John Cale, and later yet record a song about the group, is just possibly seen in the background of this film.
Here’s geat audio of a live show at the same venue but in 1969:
Thanks Doom and Gloom From the Tomb!
–- A Days of the Crazy-Wild blog post: sounds, visuals and/or news –-
