During the mid '60s the mantle of the counterculture was passed from the beats to the hippies, probably the night that Bob Dylan and The Beatles smoked pot together in 1964. People stepped away from writing novels and poetry at their typewriters, choosing instead to pick up electric guitars to write rock songs. Yet, The Velvet Underground (Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker) carried on in the beats' tracks, specifically the work of William S. Burroughs as Reed related dark, gritty tales from the shadows and evenings of city life, detailing heroin addiction and sadomasochism in honest frank detail. The stories, while unique to rock music at the time, weren't created purely for shock value. They were well-told songs filled with empathetic characters and intriguing situations.

Each album saw their sound change as members left the band. Nico left after their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, taking her deep, haunting vocals that strengthened the female narratives. When Cale was fired after White Light/White Heat due to the ego clash with Reed, he took most of the avant-garde sound with him, giving way to more of a mainstream rock 'n' roll sound on The Velvet Underground. Doug Yule was brought in as Cale's replacement, but would eventually be everyone's replacement. He, and a number of others, played the drums for Tucker on Loaded when she left due to her pregnancy. He also took over when Reed quit during the making of the album. Morrison split to go teach, leaving Yule the band name under which he created the much-maligned Squeeze.

The Velvet Underground's limited fame in the late '60s was reached with help from Andy Warhol. He had them play at The Factory and assisted in getting their first album produced, including contributing the artwork for its cover. The band wasn't necessarily successful in terms of album sales, but their influence can be seen in the bands that came after them in punk, new wave, and alternative.

Velvet Redux Live MCMXCIII is taken from a previous 1993 VHS release. The band was recorded during a three-night residence at the Parisian venue L'Olympia while on a brief reunion in Europe where they headlined shows and opened for U2 on their Zooropa tour.

They open with "Venus in Furs", a song that references the 19th Century novel by Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch. This slow, brooding dirge is still unique and refreshing due its dark, seedy story and Cale's outstanding viola work.

Due to their artistic reputation and roots, it's forgotten that, in essence, they are a rock 'n' roll band. "White Light/White Heat" has the artifice stripped and the tempo sped up, revealing a Chuck Berry song underneath. "I Heard Her Call My Name" is also a straightforward rock song. And speaking of "Rock 'N' Roll" the band delivers an up-tempo version

In place of Nico, who passed away in 1988, John Cale sings, or to be more accurate reads, the vocals to "Femme Fatale." Of course, his voice doesn't have the same distinctive quality as Nico, but he does more than an adequate job singing. Reed sings Nico's part on "I'll Be Your Mirror". For some inexplicable reason, Cale also takes the lead on "I'm Waiting For The Man".