- Record Label: Polydor
- Release Date: Nov 20, 2015
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Dec 10, 2015It’s fascinating stuff, even for those for whom a 37-minute version of Sister Ray is pushing it a bit. It’s actually where the band stretch out that it becomes most fascinating.
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Nov 23, 2015What makes this collection essential is the cohesion of the band and the setlists: The shows find the Velvets at their absolute peak as a live unit.
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Dec 4, 2015To hear one of the greatest bands of all time make this sort of conscious evolution in front of an audience is something special and something that fans rarely get to experience. This is as close as many of us will get with the Velvet Underground, but it’s more than worth it.
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Nov 23, 2015The bulk and repetition of The Complete Matrix Tapes will scare away a few casual observers, but anyone who wants to know how this band sounded on-stage on two good nights will find this to be a revelation; it's the best and best-sounding VU live release to date.
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Dec 17, 2015Cultists are now treated to the best-recorded live VU documentation ever.
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Dec 8, 2015This box isn't exactly a grand opening of the vaults: as nice as it is to have all this stuff in one place, less than a quarter of it hasn't been officially issued before, and it's not like there's a shortage of Velvet Underground live recordings that could stand to be released for real. On the other hand, you can think of The Complete Matrix Tapes as a greatly expanded, better-mixed version of 1969 with less perfect sequencing and four songs missing, and considered that way, it's a jewel with a chip knocked off its top.
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UncutDec 11, 2015Substantial tranches of the Matrix Tapes have already appeared elsewhere. [Jan 2016, p.89]
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Q MagazineDec 9, 2015Hearing these set whole makes a difference: sparse yet hypnotic; with Lou on commanding form. [Jan 2016, p.120]
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Dec 9, 2015Diehards will thrill to the inclusion of hitherto unreleased versions of Some Kinda Love, Sweet Jane and After Hours, though perhaps baulk at having to shell out for material they already own. Still, this is historical, compelling fare.
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Dec 8, 2015It's a startlingly vivid picture of the artist as a young man.
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Nov 23, 2015Some of this material has leaked out onto other releases in the past, some of it as early as live LP in 1974, other tracks have popped up on recent deluxe editions, but there’s nothing like having it all in one place for one long celebration of the night.
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MojoDec 14, 2015If you can get past the redundancy--and what a redundancy it is. [Jan 2016, p.106]
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Dec 14, 2015While the music is frequently revelatory, capturing the post-Cale line-up chilled and stretching out, as on the 40-minute Sister Ray with Lou’s guitar on overdrive, most tracks have appeared before; on 1974’s 1969 Live, 2001’s The Quine Tapes and the third album reissue.