The Velvet Underground's 1969 Album Gets Vinylphyle Upgrade

09-20-2026

(UMe) The Velvet Underground's influential 1969 classic The Velvet Underground is the latest addition to UMe's Vinylphyle series, presenting Lou Reed's intimate original "Closet Mix" of the album as a meticulously crafted new premium vinyl edition.

Marking a striking evolution for one of rock's most influential bands, the record traded the abrasive experimentation of its predecessors for a quieter, more melodic approach that revealed a new emotional depth in Reed's songwriting.

Available to order today exclusively via uDiscover Music, the album is presented on 180-gram black vinyl pressed at RTI and housed in a tip-on gatefold jacket with a four-panel insert featuring source tape scans and newly commissioned liner notes by four-time Grammy nominee and author Scott B. Bomar.

Cut by Joe Nino-Hernes, The Velvet Underground is an AAA cut from the 1969 "Closet Mix" stereo album master, Reed's intimate original mix featured on the earliest pressings of the album in 1969.

Originally released in 1969, The Velvet Underground represented a dramatic shift from the confrontational sound of the band's first two albums. Songs including "Candy Says," "Pale Blue Eyes," "Beginning to See the Light" and "After Hours" brought warmth and vulnerability to the group's singular sound, while retaining the uncompromising perspective that had already set The Velvet Underground apart. The result was an album that stood distinctly apart from the two that preceded it and revealed another dimension of Reed's songwriting.

The new edition follows last year's acclaimed Vinylphyle release of The Velvet Underground & Nico, one of the first titles issued in the series, continuing Vinylphyle's exploration of the band's groundbreaking catalog through carefully sourced, premium vinyl presentations.

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