The Velvet Underground

“THE COMPLETE MATRIX TAPES”

Polydor Records

There’s been a load of Velvet Underground material floating about of late, but this is probably the most important and the most revealing.

Captured in the dimming days of 1969, just months after the group issued its third LP and months before the band, with newest member Doug Yule in the ranks, would return to the studio to record the mighty “Loaded” LP, this is a band that was equal parts dangerous, demanding, assured, sarcastic, arty, unreal, sincere, tentative, patient, searching, ironic, unpretentious, formidable and surprisingly capable of pure entertainment.

The Velvets played a total of 18 gigs in the Bay Area in November and December 1969, several of them at the Family Dog and a number at the Matrix. Nov. 26 and 27 saw the band roll up to the latter venue and roll out these long-revered shows.

Some of this material has leaked out onto other releases in the past, some of it as early as live LP in 1974, other tracks have popped up on recent deluxe editions, but there’s nothing like having it all in one place for one long celebration of the night.

— Jedd Beaudoin,

PopMatters.com

Justin Bieber

“PURPOSE”

Def Jam Records

It’s pretty tough to deny the power of Justin Bieber (or at least of his singles). The August-released “What Do You Mean?” is an earworm that became as immediately ubiquitous as Adele’s “Hello.” And “Sorry,” with its tropicalia and house flavors mashup, has just as much potential for suffocation.

“Purpose” is a strategic and concerted effort to adultify Bieber. Come to think, “Journals” of 2013 tried to do the same thing. Maybe he should stop trying to persuade us he’s grown up and just write grown-up songs.

Some of these songs are absolutely tragic. “Love Yourself,” “Life is Worth Living,” “Children,” and “All in It” are ghastly attempts at life-affirming, positive-thinking gestures of gratefulness (for example, to God in “All in It”). “Children” is a laughable riff on the cheesy notion that the children are our future (“Who’s got the heart? Whose heart is the biggest?” he bleats).

Travis Scott manages to make “No Sense” way worse than it already is. Halsey brings a subtle, welcome female presence in with “The Feeling” but reminds us how self-centered and masculine Bieber’s world is. Nas and Big Sean don’t make “Purpose” any worse, but they can’t help the 21-year-old narcissist here. His team has chosen the right singles thus far, but with this album they’ll run out of those soon.

ON TOUR: March 13, 2016 — Moda Center, Portland; www.rosequarter.com.

— Bill Chenevert,

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Queen

“A NIGHT AT THE ODEON”

Universal Records

It seemed not too long ago that Queen had just a couple of live albums. Plenty more have popped up over the years since front man Freddie Mercury’s passing, ones that conveniently give listeners glimpses of the Queen eras not documented on “Live Killers” and “Live at Wembley ’86.”

A new one has just been added to their canon: a live broadcast of Queen playing a full set on Christmas Eve, 1975, at London’s legendary Hammersmith Odeon.

Queen’s reputation of being a barnstorming live act and Freddie Mercury’s reputation of being a frontman to end all frontmen is succinctly captured on “A Night at the Odeon,” even if you’re only going for the audio package (the show is available on DVD and Blu-ray).

The crowd roars when the band is introduced. Brian May chugs out the eight-note D chord to “Now I’m Here.” Mercury’s echoed introduction draws another surge of noise from the crowd. Then the rhythm section that “Rolling Stone” magazine once described as “explosive” and “a colossal sonic volcano whose eruption makes the earth tremble” makes its entrance.

At this point, the band is off and running like it was a day at the races. Roger Taylor and John Deacon pound on their instruments as if they would have no trouble doing so all night. May’s Red Special ceases to be a violin and behaves more like a bulldozer when he takes the stage. Mercury, as usual, sings like he has an endless supply of energy. Combined, Queen have the audience in their collective palm.

— John Garratt,

PopMatters.com