Live MCMXCIII

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: "Live MCMXCIII" (Sire)

Some bands make you stop. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing - stop. When I put on the Velvets, things tend to go that way. The kettle boils on, the cigarette burns out, the things I'm thinking of fade, worries dissolve. Nothing matters but the music.

The Velvet Underground are a rock 'n' roll band. Despite the Andy Warhol connection and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable and all that; despite the minimalist/loop/classical experimentation; despite the fact that their lyrical approach broke new ground for popular music, they are at heart a rock 'n' roll band.

When the Velvets reformed, some critics found it hard to accept that having "fun" was fairly top of their agenda. The group who composed 'Heroin' and 'Venus In Furs' was not supposed to have fun. (Nor make money, for that matter.) Well, why not? Because if the act of composing and playing is not about fun and joy and life-affirming vitality, then what is it about? Sure, the subject matter can at times be heavy, but if creativity is not an act of hope, then what is it?

As the first song on this double 23-track CD (There's 10-track single CD as well.), 'We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together', makes clear, Live MCMXCIII is about having just that. And in the best traditions of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry-inspired rock 'n' roll, this album rolls along on an oh so rock steady beat and a clanking, clipping rhythm.

The other-worldly elements are here, sure. 'Venus In Furs' is still out there, as is 'All Tomorrow's Parties', 'Heroin', 'Black Angel's Death Song', 'The Gift' and 'Mr. Rain'.

But Lou Reed - that rock 'n' roll animal, the one with a rock 'n' roll heart and diary - is what he has always claimed to be. And so too are Moe Tucker and Sterling Morrison. And even if John Cale came from a purely classical background, he was re-born in rock 'n' roll. Because the songs are evidence. 'Some Kinda Love' is nothing if not rhythm friendly. 'Guess I'm Falling In Love', 'Beginning To See The Light', 'Rock 'n' Roll', 'Sweet Jane' and 'I Can't Stand It', don't waste time either. No, they groove to it.

Then of course there are the ballads, like 'Pale Blue Eyes'. Not to forget the pop of 'I'll Be Your Mirror' - I find it hard/To believe you don't know/The beauty you are/But if you don't/Let me be your eyes/A hand to your darkness/So you won't be afraid." And then there are the nursery rhymes; 'Afterhours' and 'I'm Sticking With You'.

They're nearly all here - 'What Goes On', 'The Ocean' and a few other classics are missing - all here for their family reunion. They've changed, sure, but don't we all. No, it's not like 1969 or 1967 or 1965 for that matter. But they're here for 1993 and that's all right with me. The audiences loved it; you can feel the warmth flow between the rhythms. And I love this album. It's like meeting dear old friends many years on. The heart is still there. The spirit still flows. It still rocks. There's humour and humanity in abundance. It's alright, yeh know.

If you're a fan of the Velvets I'm sure you'll just love LIVE MCMXCIII. If you've never heard them and want to, I would have to recommend starting with the Banana album, and then working your way on way up. But start with this if you like, it'll do no harm at all. Because the Velvets never made a bad album. The tradition is intact.

• Gerry McGovern