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The Velvet Underground - 'Sister Ray' (White Light/White Heat - 1968)

Let’s press on with more from our epic season, but a reminder that on Sunday, The Run Out Grooves will be hitting those run-out grooves at a DJ set in Reading. Details here

In 2002, Rolling Stone picked their list of the coolest 50 records of all time; number one was this effort from Lou Reed and Co. It’s hard to argue that the slightly weirder follow-up to one of the most influential and unique debuts is not a cool record; it is. It is not my favourite Velvet Underground record; it might even be my least favourite.¹ We’ve previously covered Loaded and the debut on here, and I’m sure their third record is one I will get to in due course in 2024.

Despite my misgivings about where White Light/White Heat might sit on the cool/good quadrant, it does have a lot going for it. The opening title track and ‘Here She Comes Now’ are top-tier VU, and the Welsh-accented, shaggy dog story ‘The Gift’ is a joyous deviation from what you would expect to hear on a late-sixties rock record. Whatever your views on whether ‘Sister Ray’ outlives those 17 minutes or not, it is fair to say that few songs capture the anarchic spirit of the late 1960s quite like it.

It is just shy of a whole side of vinyl. A 17-minute cacophony and fury encapsulate the band's raw energy and unapologetic dive into themes others dared not touch then and for most of the following fifty years. By the end of 1967, people were starting to turn away from the ethos of the first summer of love, which manifested in two ways. The likes of Dylan, The Band, The Stones and The Beatles stepped back from the edge of LCD-soaked psychedelia and rolled back looked to a more pastoral sound; they would soon be joined by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Crosby, Stills and Nash. On the other side of the ledger, territory was ceded to be explored by Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Cream and others who would move rock into heavier and harder territory by the start of the following decade. The Velvet Underground were on the second path; before they knew it, the world had shifted around them. 1968 was a year of political assassinations and a growing disillusionment with the establishment channelled through reaction to the Vietnam War.

Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker, the architects of this piece, recorded 'Sister Ray' in a single take. This feat speaks volumes about their band synergy and commitment to an unfiltered, unvarnished sound. There was no overdubbing; what you hear is what they played, a cacophony that defies traditional song structure and musical conventions. The recording process was so intense that engineer Gary Kellgren left the band to their own devices, a testament to the song's challenging and unconventional nature. It ventures into an underworld of drug use, violence, and sexual transgressions. The lyrics unfold as a chaotic narrative, weaving together the lives of eight characters embroiled in a heroin-fueled orgy.

Reed has said there was a real Sister Ray;

This black queen, John and I were uptown, out on the street, and up comes this person – very nice, but flaming. It was a propos of nothing. ‘Duck and Sally inside’ – it’s a taste of Selby, uptown. And the music was just a jam we had been working on” – provisionally titled Searchin’, after one of the lyrics.

Reed's lyrics for 'Sister Ray' are a narrative of debauchery, violence, and drug use, delivered with his characteristic deadpan vocal style. The song depicts a sordid scene of a drag queen-led party gone awry, complete with sailors, shootings, and sexual escapades. The lyrics are jarring, not just for their content but for their bluntness. Reed doesn’t romanticise or moralise; he narrates, offering a window into a subculture that was rarely acknowledged in mainstream society.

Reed has also said.

I wrote the lyric – I think – while we were riding to and from a gig. I just wrote it out straight. … It’s just a parade of New York night denizens. But of course, it’s hard to understand a word of it. Which is a shame, because it’s really a compressed movie.

and

‘Sister Ray’ was done as a joke – no, not as a joke, but it has eight characters in it and this guy gets killed and nobody does anything. It was built around this story that I wrote about this scene of total debauchery and decay. I like to think of ‘Sister Ray’ as a transvestite smack dealer. The situation is a bunch of drag queens taking some sailors home with them, shooting up on smack and having this orgy when the police appear.

Musically, ‘Sister Ray’ is a masterclass in minimalist structure evolving into complex soundscapes. Starting with a simple funk riff, the song spirals into a maelstrom of noise, feedback, and dissonance. In his signature deadpan style, Reed's narrative lyrics are interwoven with Cale's frenetic organ playing, Morrison's raw guitar sound, and Tucker's rhythmic drumming. Despite its abrasive sound, the song is a carefully constructed piece, showcasing the band's ability to balance chaos with musicality. The song's structure, eschewing traditional verse-chorus patterns, is a precursor to the experimental and noise rock genres. As the song climaxes, with Reed’s guitar and Cale’s organ in a frenetic duel, it transforms into an audacious, unrelenting sonic battlefield. The song's conclusion is a cathartic release of energy. After minutes of building tension, the song climaxes in a crescendo of sound.

Reed’s description of ‘Sister Ray’ as a "compressed movie" is apt. The song is cinematic in its scope, painting a vivid tableau, and Rolling Stone's recognition of White Light/White Heat as one of the coolest records of all time is a testament to its enduring impact and the avant-garde approach of The Velvet Underground. Yet, the actual coolness of the album, particularly of ‘Sister Ray’, lies in its authenticity and ability to capture the essence of an era without even trying.

The Run Out Grooves Infinite Grooves

1. I’m not considering Squeeze or any posthumous stuff here; I am thinking about the first four records up to Loaded.