Lou Reed & John Cale - Waiting for the Man - Bataclan '72

[TheMRFUNHOUSE69]

40 anni fa.....11 anni prima che io nascessi eppure....al giorno d'oggi di musica così valida non ne esiste....alcuni sono musicisti altri sono geni... rock'n rol

[Mirada84]

Based off Lou's facial expression and his lidded eyes, i half expect to see a syringe laying beneath his chair, the needle still dripping the heroin he had just scored from...the man.

[redredshoes]

Goodness, Lou looks somewhat bouldered.

[syksie333]

dont like it too slow...

[mancheromanchero]

lol that's a pretty fucked up piano riff, john cale knows what NOT to play...thats what makes him fuckin awesome.

[doctorfuse007]

Cale should have prepared the piano a la Cage. Reed's got one of the great rock voices, the unlucky bastard.

[martinni32]

I LOVE LOU REED AND I LOVE THW KIEL OF TOYOTA HANDBALL BUNDESLIGA ¡¡¡¡

[thebandcoca]

Nice to see John Cale play the verse in the bridge first time round.

[mynillywita9milli]

@thebandcoca lou is on junk and cale is probably fucked up too but he caught it/got it right after a bar or two

[DivineSinners]

Great video & performance! LOVE THE VELVET UNDERGROUND!

[dhaaranii]

だうなー系？（笑）

[lejanospleen]

Fine.



[JaackPat]

@xxLimbo85xx The Rolling Stones weren't that talented...

[Amakisongs]

Heroin doesnt help you be creative like pot or alcohol. Opiates numb/stop your creativity and soul. He probably wrote this when he was clean imo. Sorry all idiots that think drugs magically make people good musicians!

[TenWhoWereTaken]

That's a fucking Jew-fro and a half that Lou has.

[simoom37]

Lou's haircut is awful. He has had much better & hotter looks!!!

[simoom37]

nico is a chanteuse poseuse ....

[GERONIMOTS123]

hoLALA.. this music makes me DREAM , i do escape from this fucking WORLD ?

(rires) ahaha

M* I LOVE LOU / JOHN

[danhennessymusic]

Love Lou Reeds voice

EatGuitar (.com) wants more guitar though!!!!

[TheGenYgirl]

Am I really the only person that thinks he was extremely gorgeous. I'm obsessed right now.

[HebusxJebus]

Lou and shootin smack were part of the glamour of the day

[DrDavidHowler]

"He's never early, He's always late, First thing you learn is that you always gotta wait"

[julianchealvarez]

"How to make a two chord song and make a lot of money" by Lou Reed. Incluided Waiting for my man & Heroin.

Great songs althouhtr

[jimmiow]

@julianchealvarez sometimes the simplest are the most unique.

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

There's a notable difference in sound between this version and the CD. This version is like an octave (or note, whatever you call it) of sound higher than on the CD. Why is that?

[MowgliX]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy I suggest you ask Lou and maybe John... ;) I think it sounds great. It could be that Lou wanted a different feeling to the vocals, to make it less of a rock song for a change.

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

@MowgliX

Wait...you're saying the CD and the actual performance were recorded separately from one another?

[MowgliX]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy What do you mean? The album was recorded in May 1966, released in March 1967. And this performance was in 1972. I don't understand.

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

@MowgliX

No, I was referring to the CD/bootleg of the Le Bataclan '72 performance, not the original "Velvet Underground and Nico" album. I'm saying I wondered why this Le Bataclan song sounds one octave higher than the CD version of the same performance.

[MowgliX]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy Ahhhh. OK, I am really sorry, I really didn't get that. I didn't mean to be bitchy about it, either, which I think I was, sorry. And yeah, I took a listen again, and you are right of course. I don't know, but the album version is a little slower, though I haven't timed them precisely. I really think this sounds better than the LP or CD. Maybe somebody thought the album was a bit off, that they recognized there had been a mistake? This version just sounds better, I think.

[MowgliX]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy I completely missed your point and I feel stupid about it. There really is a difference between the album version and this. Maybe they made a mistake when digitizing the song from the original master tapes? I suppose somebody got it wrong when they did the CD in 2004 when Le Bataclan '72 was officially released, according to Wikipedia. Oh!!!! And it also says this: "At least one pressing of this CD was mastered at the wrong speed (too slow)."

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

@MowgliX

Don't feel stupid, man.

You think someone digitalized at the wrong speed? That would make sense...I just find it weird because I got this performance from a bootleg and I was confused when the octave was different. Anyway, thanks for the info. :)

[MowgliX]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy Hey, that made me feel a little less stupid! :) I don't know about other people, but sometimes I get stuck in my way of thinking, and fail to see it from another angle. And there are usually more the one way to look at things.

[MowgliX]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy Hey thanks! That made my day, made me feel a whole lot better! I don't know, is its full octave? Maybe, you could be right, I ain't no moosician. Anyway, this version just sounds better.

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

@MowgliX

Oh, totally. I prefer this version any day. With that said, the CD is still fantastic.

[cribpaddington]

estoy esperando por mi hombre!!

[matt29ification]

He's a great artist and talented but he would never have been able to write staggering songs such as "I'm waiting for the man" , "Heroin" , "White light /White heat" , "How do you think it feels" and so on ... If he never took drugs.

[marksmail2011]

There was also Songs for Drella. On the last night at the Brooklyn Acadamy, Mo Tucker joined Reed and Cale for Pale Blue Eyes. That would amount to a Velvets reunion I would say.

[ohfoolishworkerbee]

72? so cale and reed got back together even after the demise of the velvets? im kinda fascinated by the story behind this..

[thenobs123]

i love this. lou reed is my favorite musician.

[Zephyesa]

people who think drugs is glamourous usually jaded university middle class/rich white left wing kids who think there is dangerous excitement, should see what I have seen, its just destruction of ones true self, its very very sad.

[thenobs123]

@Zephyesa saying "drugs" is extremely general. you should be more specific.

[Zephyesa]

@thenobs123 I think your smart enough to understand.

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

Is there a CD available of their performance at Le Bataclan '72 somewhere?

[enrybreed]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy

Fantastic isnt it. The Album is Le Bataclan 72.Funnily enough. Its rare and a bit pricey but worth it. The recording quality is a bit ropey but that doesnt matter.....

[NintendoSegaSonyGuy]

@enrybreed

The recording quality is a bit messy on the CD? These videos I've seen of Le Bataclan seem to have great sound quality, though. Do they vary?

[enrybreed]

@NintendoSegaSonyGuy . The album is a series of songs sung separatly by Reed, Cale and Nico. The studio engineers seemed to have concentrated firstly on Reed then Cale and finally Nico. The reed songs are almost an album in themselves with a nice version of Berlin and a new song called wild child (describing it as being "about a wild child - funnily enough"). Cale plays the Ringo role in the "biggest loadest, hariest group". The nico songs are very emotional if not easy listening.

[shenwen]

"whoever is playing the piano.."

seriously? you can't take a guess who it might be??

the real talent in the velvets if you need to know

[tubbythug92]

@shenwen They were all real talent. A perfectly structured band that made perfect tunes. :)

[redc1c4]

@shenwen i cannot tell a lie.... that was me.

[thenobs123]

@shenwen hey dont knock the others in velvet. i will give you that cale is quite underrated compared to reed but he had just as much to do with it

[Mirada84]

@shenwen hey whoa wait a minute...Cale is very talented and yes he did give VU their unique sound. But hold on, Lou is just magnetic, his words are painful and mysterious. I think all four velvets contributed equally. But lou had the charisma.

[ForARide]

@Mirada84 talking about charisma: just compare any performance of Reed doing this song here on youtube and those of John Cale, which I´ve uploaded and the upload of femmeBanale. If you come up with any Reed performance which equals those of Cale please let me know!

[thenobs123]

@shenwen i wouldnt be that biased man. it was lou and johns band they both had the same amount of influence.

[HardcoreSixty]

whoever is playing the piano needs to stop or get with it

[Saparonia]

classic so glad I found it

[Timothybambrick]

Thank you for uploading this!

[dontwannasayaname]

for MY man or for THE man???

[wingseclipsed]

@dontwannasayaname Really, he begins the first verse, "I'm waiting for my man..." But the word choice just tells me he's just waiting for HIS drug dealer.

[yeahsee33]

@dontwannasayaname Either way, he's waiting on his Heroin dealer.

[chegas08]

i just have to say, julian casablancas sing like him

[NoRegretsForOurYouth]

@chegas08

I've always thought that too.

[100cjkennedy]

I love Lou.  He's totally fucked up trashed.

[yeahsee33]

@100cjkennedy That he is. :)

[mojoheroin]

Iwanna do h again

[qwertyuiop6285]

go fuck yourself

[qwertyuiop6285]

go fuck yourself

[punkiejunkie1000]

love this version..what i dont love is all the idiots commenting on their own personal drug use. If its that much of a problem, go to rehab. otherwise shut up and listen to some great f-ing tunes by great muscians that oh yeah, just happen to do drugs also!!

[M3ndi1Kant]

thanks

[Daddyo94521]

Ya know I was caught up in so many drugs. And was so turned on by the music while I grew up in the 70's San Francisco. This song depicts the life of a lover of heroin. Thats from his own words. When I'm rushin on my run and I feel like Jesus son, and I guess that I just Dont Know. Those words came from Lou, someone who knows heroin and was promoting drugs as were all bands of the time. Jefferson Airplane,Greatful Dead,Janis, even the Beatles Psychedelic era was so much LSD based. All great music

[terible420]

this is a pretty fantastic version

[designermite]

✓, ✔, ☑

[lambie22]

I never knew OMD's version of this song was a cover until recently...

[MowgliX]

Great!

[wingseclipsed]

But the other commenters here must agree --look at the people's videos to the right- all have had years of addiction to heroin (Well, I don't know about J.J. Cale-- not John Cale). It was because of Bowie and Reed's famous pasts that people like John Frusciante ever found any interest in the subculture.

 Speaking from very recent personal experience, can totally relate to the song, too.

[DavidTransformer]

I love the simplicity of the VU tracks. Even years later they still captivate.

[marcoprz77]

Judging from his face, I would say his man did arrive early that day.

[flapnoman]

Justin Bieber has 24 youtube accounts.

[dantean]

@flapnoman This because Justin Bieber is computer-generated, so it's easy.

[dantean]

@flapnoman This because Justin Bieber is computer-generated, so it's easy.

[jaqua524]

@flapnoman who cares

[MrAnthonyadams]

who is jim? jim cuccazella?

[TThom2]

incredible version....

[snorrfles]

I started doing heroin because Lou Reed made it look cool.

Best decision ever!

[vauxhall908]

play with dragons get bit and that's that you think opiods suck lets see you not as for morphine when dieing in pain o you will love that warm release of pain like happiness a warm gun isn't just a song like a kiss from god let me stop drugs are bad don't do them give them to me I get rid of them for you

[Limou206]

3:10 - 3:16 = Voice miracle

[renenieuwland]

What about the version from Herman Brood and his Wil Romance. Listen to the intro

[ejwfenwick]

It's not the drugs,but it's the wait that we love.Because the wait feeds the need!

[dugongyogurt]

24 dint wait long enough

[rainspirit100]

@kistershi pot on week-ends is miles and miles away from opiod addiction, it's not cool, it's not hip, and has taken way too many of us from this planet. And it is smack he's talking about, that was then, this is now, he's clean and sober and has been for years... It's sad to think anyone would think pukin on your shoes and shakin out of your skin is glamorous, oh and i forgot how one steals from anyone in a twenty mile radius and does things one would not do as their "authentic self"...

[winslynn]

It's all cool until you wake up dope sick for the first time and start to realize what a corner you've painted yourself into.Now you will get the worst life has to offer,not too cool at all is it?

[rainspirit100]

@winslynn sounds like you've walked the walk

[winslynn]

@rainspirit100 Yes,I've been there...many years ago now,it's still going on,the shooting up while listening to Velvet Underground songs and feeling so smug about it.I do volunteer work at the county jail,had an inmate tell me recently about listening to Lou Reed while mainlining.....I told him we were doing that over 40 years ago,it's not new.

[marisolex119]

This song is about a white boy who goes to NY downtown to buy the heroin by metro based Jim Carrol's autobiographical novel:"Basketball Diaries".

As Reed said in the live at Max's, a newborn friendship between the subway and the human.

[mancheromanchero]

goddamn. john cale just knows what NOT to play. this is evident in the piano work

most musicians KNOW what to play and it ends up sounding poppy and redundant. Cale weeds out certain notes and makes it sound like a dark tea party with the madhatter.

[ForARide]

@mancheromanchero It was Cale who brought that sinister sound into rock music. He´s the link between avantgarde and rock!

I´ve uploaded his performance from 1983 of IWFTM. Never again will you witness such a haunting and paranoid version of this song. That´s how a junkie on turkey sounds like

[theNomadz]

@ForARide I agree bro, Lou as much as I love the guy and wouldn't ever question his talent. But he would of stuck to more Do Wop sounding rock'n'roll, it was indeed Cale who changed VU and music as an whole into something so much more special. Anyone who disagrees should hand on heart ask themselves if any of the 3rd onwards LP's came anywhere close to those 1st 2 Cale was involved in.

[ogloccness]

@theNomadz completely agree with you. I've listened to both Cale and Reed on their solo albums, but it just doesn't have the magic of VU. Reed+Cale= Brilliant

[dantean]

@theNomadz Well...close, only no cigar (at least, as you say, by comparison).

[Johnnystrychnine]

Yeap Lou is pinned alright.

[JaackPat]

Stop praising him for his use of drugs. That's just idiotic. He's great because he's brilliant and talented.

[FurrywallJeffery]

@JaackPat Jesus! i though no one would say it! haha props for your insightfulness and lack of a condescending attitude with drug association.

[Uaokinai]

@JaackPat Why are you so ashamed? I mean, in order to relate this song you had to have gone out to cop a few times yourself. Don't be ashamed about what the song is about.

[JaackPat]

@Uaokinai Who's ashamed? I'm just annoyed that I see more people recognize him for his use of drugs and not the brilliance of his music. I see the same thing with Jimi Hendrix.

[rainspirit100]

@JaackPat AND clean and sober, for YEARS now

[spacenoise5]

@JaackPat yeah i agree, drugs are never the cause of brilliance.

[biggerturtle]

@JaackPat god bless john cale

[streethassled]

Lou Reed....He's been there, done that.....

[oldbump]

Stoned version, for sure.

[SVinNJ]

The last "fun" song written about Heroin as far as Im concerned.

[cazintek]

waiting for a heroin dealer  ...hheroin suck... perfect song:)

[WhatSayestThou]

Looks like Sigorney Weaver's twin brother here. Heh =)

[PAULLONDEN]

Although with the Velvets he was brilliant ,but lookin at this ,he needed that Bowiefication REALY bad. Without the Transformer saga (that was around the corner here)he never would have gotten that big..Great songwriter ,lousy guitarplayer.

Sleepinducing.▼L▼

[guitarjur]

yeah A flat diminished instead of just A very cool:)

[clickswitchh]

Im not shure this is 1972 ... ??

[jjyarbo]

@clickswitchh it is from 1972

[clickswitchh]

@jjyarbo Nope think its from 71 or 70

[nimatek667]

@clickswitchh

this was recorded live at Le Bataclan, Paris, January 29th (using internet is not too difficoult...)

[clickswitchh]

@nimatek667 agree to disagre

[dud1955]

@clickswitchh Actually 1972 the night before Derry's Bloody Sunday.

[ennui406]

A nice , cool, soulful version

[138mrmartyb]

you can tell he was using during this time, i know that dope look anywhere, it takes one to know one :)

[anitasseo]

what an interesting version!!

[Ragingsinep]

this can't be from '72 because nico quit the band in 68

[nimatek667]

@Ragingsinep this is no Velvet Underground concert. if i remember well (from what i read, i'm too young to have lived this part of music history), John and Nico were in europe while John was producing Nico's works. Lou met them and they did this live performance. so believe it, it was 72

[sternumagnum]

@Ragingsinep This doesn't mean they never played together again.

[Bobjb999]

@Ragingsinep They ran into each other in Europe, buried their differences for an evening, & had a one off reunion at this gig.

[axis1250]

where did you get this footage? is it on dvd or is it bootlegged or something cuz i would love to own this

[Tadej37]

where can i get this version of the song?

[Ragingsinep]

I love this version guitar and piano only, its a good bar room jam

[incompletex]

Two of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. Clever, innovative and pure genius.

[Humjob]

hey white boy, what you doin uptown?

[Bluestard]

Waitin for the man??

If memory from the 70s holds me right that SOB was never on time.

[streethassled]

Too cool for School!

[ArthurEricBlair]

The Velvets and Lou Reed are, if not the BEST band I know, they are deffinately the coolest.

[sekhmetraptah]

sensory art ditty

[Zzyshhh]

The version in Piano its absolute Great!

VIVA MEXICO

[ceeps09]

I agree. God bless Lou Reed. God bless John Cale. God bless drug addiction.

[ronoman88]

Lou sucks.

[piiglumps]

@ronoman88

i am sorry to inform you that you indeed suck lou reed's external reproductive organ

now...

STFU

[ronoman88]

@piiglumps The one he sodomized you and a thousand others with.

[zoekills]

main man = Bowie? Jim = Iggy?

pardon me while I giggle foolishly over this evidence...

[DerBreezemeister]

Different ... Lou: what a sense-of-humor.

[kerdubennak]

if drug addiction is the price to pay then sod it, i like the sound of it though

[nasty6uldv8]

YOU ROCK MAN play dat spoon

[milascave]

Heroin was always bad, but the stuff on the streets these days is way worse.

One bad abscess can ruin your musical career forever.

So hard to play the guitar with one arm.

[MrNielsSorensen]

Cale is possibly more fucked up than Lou. This is a rare and grand recording. Cheers :)

[lisasim]

@MrNielsSorensen

Is or was?

He forbids smoking in his concerts and definitely doesn't do drugs anymore...

With age comes wisdom!

[MrNielsSorensen]

@lisasim yes we hope with age comes wisdom ;)

[Yakovlievich]

The best version of this song. Gives you a sense of empathy for the addict.

[jayhooU2]

there's no way that this is 1972

[PockyBebop]

I love how laid-back this version is. Lou looks and sounds great here! I feel bad for Nico, though. She looks so bored.

[ddn0no]

Pre-Order Their New Album

[ladykatey]

Jim?

[thePhockwitter]

shut the fuck up you dump ass whore

[moondough]

"Hey white boy, what you doin' Uptown? Hey white boy, you chasin' our women around?"

--"Oh pahdon me, suh, it's furthest from my mind. I'm just waitin' for a dear, dear friend a mine..."

So fucking great, Lou! It IS furthest from his mind, he's a junkie! Dope is his wife. I love this languid, loaded version.

[Mariekesone]

However this is a Brilliant song:-)...

[pinehead89]

The man of this song is the pusher that give heroin to lou reed...

[wellyes]

@pinehead89 You're fucking brilliant.

[thePhockwitter]

yer and ?, that was so fuckin obvious, you dont need to write that down, dumpass

[pinehead89]

Fly down bullshit, i wanted only say this thing just because maybe not everybody knows the meaning of this song

[thePhockwitter]

@pinehead89 yer ..and you were right, sorry.. i was just in a bad mood that day.

[pinehead89]

Ok ok don't worry, i understood. If u was angry that day there's no problem..bye

[nlalien]

In that time I was a junkie myself and I get the lyrics. "It's my wife, it's my life." My man is the dealer and they never early but always late. Lou Reed is a poet now and no real singer.

[yaghti55]

fuck the boyscouts and jesus freaks. god bless drug addiction.

[JahRed24x]

@yaghti55 Heroin addiction is unlike any other addiction. dependent people say "GOD DAMN ADDICTION" it would be the perfect drug without the addiction factor

[mekoisdego]

@yaghti55 I'm in the boyscouts and I do drugs.

[OhYeah729]

@yaghti55 why drug addiction?

[BBenDiMaiOO]

@yaghti55 dude i completely agree with you, the government shouldnt control what goes into our bodies, its not theirs to pick, next theyll be picking what kind of food we can eat