“The Velvet Underground and Nico,” one of rock’s most influential debut albums, is getting an overhaul. The 1967 bow of rock luminaries the Velvet Underground will be re-released March 5 by Polydor/UME in a digitally remastered double-disc version with bonus tracks and two separate mixes.
Disc one of “The Velvet Underground and Nico (Deluxe Version)” will include the originally released stereo album, with bonus selections from chanteuse Nico’s 1967 Polydor album “Chelsea Girl,” which featured backing by VU principals Lou Reed and John Cale.
The second disc includes a mono mix of the album, previously unavailable on CD in the U.S., the single mixes of album tracks “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” “Sunday Morning,” and “Femme Fatale,” and the previously unreleased track “Miss Joanie Lee,” taken from a January 1966 rehearsal at Andy Warhol’s New York artist enclave the Factory.
The original release of the Velvets’ debut reached No. 171 on The Billboard 200 — the highest chart showing the group experienced in its four-album career. Over time it has become one of the most highly regarded albums in the rock canon, with artists as diverse as R.E.M., Sonic Youth, and David Bowie claiming the album as a huge influence.
Last August, Universal released a three-disc document of the Velvets’ live performances, as recorded in 1969 by young fan and future Voidoids guitarist Robert Quine.
