Curious about the history (if any) of collaboration between Lou Reed and the Stones, which...well, in this case would probably only be Reed's collaboration with Mick Jagger. (Hard to imagine any other band member into VU, no?)

If not the collaboration, the commentary of each about the other. Off the top of my head, I know Jagger has said that Stray Cat Blues was blatant rip-off of Heroin by the VU. (See the quote circa late '70's; it's in the Dalton book...) Also, there's a famous photo of Mick with Bowie and Lou Reed at some night club circa '73 or so (the caption for this photo also appears in a cheesy Jagger bio--by Christopher Anderson I believe--and it instructs readers to note Mick's fingernail paint! As though that were somehow scandalous...or something...)

Anyway, does anybody know of other quotes each has said about the other, or if they've ever collaborated at all?

Again from memory, but Lou Reed's liner notes on "New York" (a great album) include the comment: 2 guitars, bass, drums...equals great rock and roll. Or words to that effect. Well, that's the Stones back in the day...

Waiting for the Man...Sweet Jane...Dirty Blvd....Yeah, Lou Reed has sensibilities, musically (not necessarily lyrically), that at times reflect the Stones. Love those simple chords...love the guitar rock...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-07-02 09:52 by rocker1.

Musically there are clear parallels between the two bands in the 60`s. The Stones began to investigate social taboo subjects in their songs by 1965, drugs, sexual frustration, alienation (Paint It Black, Mothers Little Helper, Satisfaction etc) The Velvets then took this idea of bringing "reality" subjects into pop music to an extreme with their first album with songs about taking Heroin and Sado-Masochism (Venus in Furs). As flirters with the dark side I can imagine Mick Jagger was impressed by this record and pushed the envelope even further on with Beggars Banquet (Sympathy with Satanism and Street Fighting Man, away from personal politics into political revolution, even though it seems very dilletant now the Stones were very scary to a generation of parents at the time). Both bands then continued their decadent song content but both became influenced by country rock around 1969 (Let It Bleed and Loaded).Mick Jagger is also the poser/socialite par excellence so he was probably impressed not only by hanging around with Lou Reed, considered at the time as the poet of the underworld but also Andy Warhol the most feted artist of the period. For Lou`s side it was good publicity to be photographed with the biggest rock star in the world, but he never got him into bed unlike Bowie

Mick said in an interview that he 'nicked' Stray cat blues off the V.U.

John Cale came back to England in late 66 and was hawking demos of the Velvets around and gave a copy to Marianne to pass to Mick.

That guy in the pictures doesn't look like Lou Reed at all.

Actually they are my 2 favourites!!! Oooow man, how I love "Sweet Jane", "Rock&Roll", "Heroin", and so on and so on.....

Brian hung out with Nico a lot during 66' and 67', according to that 71' Rolling Stone Keith interview it was him who introduced her to The Velvets or something like that.

The guitar interplay of the VU and pre-Mick Taylor Stones. Interdependent and built around the rhythm with economical (yet just right) guitar breaks.

When Keith spoke at NY Public Library last year, Lou Reed was sitting in the audience a couple rows in front of me.

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Koen
That guy in the pictures doesn't look like Lou Reed at all.

It is.

heroin took it's toll on Reed as well.

Great band...for quite awhile they were my personal #2, although I still consider them a top 10 favourite of mine.

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schillid
When Keith spoke at NY Public Library last year, Lou Reed was sitting in the audience a couple rows in front of me.

Very cool. Didn't know he was there. So perhaps there is a mutual appreciation between these bands. Cool.

Ronnie Wood plays guitar on John Cale's song The Philosopher.
But Ronnie was still with The Faces then... (1972).

N

Thanks Ned Flanders thats interesting I never knew that must dig the song out from my Cale archive

Compare these intros:

plagiarism

The VU version would be great if they skipped the backing vocals

__________________________

Johnny Marr of The Smiths admitted to nicking those intro riffs for this song's intro:

..........Brian & Nico Monterey 1967

................................................... And is that Dennis Hopper??



ROCKMAN

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Rockman


..........Brian & Nico Monterey 1967

................................................... And is that Dennis Hopper??

I thought the same thing -- gotta be Dennis Hopper.

Andrew Oldham produced Nico's first single (which was prior to her involvement w/VU):