till forever on it goes ...

you deserve it, lou ...

blessings on you ...

[music-news.com]

Acoustic demo, 1970.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-15 14:58 by tatters.

A few posts back someone said that "technically Lou Reed was a one hit wonder". I'm not completely sold on that however as I think Rock-n-Roll Animal, though not a single, did sell quite a few copies as well as the Transformer album itself. BUT I've always liked to consider what might have happened if David Bowie had never produced Transformer and it came out sounding much less "pop" and Walk On The Wild Side never succeeded as a single. If Transformer had flopped Lou's career may have realistically died on the vine and he might have faded into obscurity and all of the sad possibilities that entails. So, in a way I think David Bowie may have single-handedly saved Lou's career and made him a legitimate 70's star.

He fits the accepted definition of a one-hit wonder in the sense that WOTWS was his only Top 40 single (it peaked at #16). It was, in fact, his only charting single ever.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-15 19:09 by tatters.

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tatters
He fits the accepted definition of a one-hit wonder in the sense that WOTWS was his only Top 40 single (it peaked at #16). It was, in fact, his only charting single ever.

Right, but as the previous poster mentioned, if you factor radio airplay, Rock n'Roll Animal was HUGE, especially "Intro/Sweet Jane" which was a staple on FM Rock stations for years, and might have been even more played than "Walk On The Wild Side" once that song fell off the charts.

^ Yes, that's true. I was posting with the tag "one-hit wonder" as a bit of tongue-in-cheek, but it is technically true--WOTWS was his only charting U.S. single ever. Not even Dirty Boulevard managed to crack the Top 100, much to my surprise--I thought it might have cracked the top 50 at least.

It is true that the Intro for Sweet Jane was heavily played on FM radio here in the States, and it was even used as bumper music for a popular FM talk radio show here in the Boston area in the late 2000s.

But I still maintain what I posted a few pages back--that most people who are not Lou Reed fans cannot name more than one or two of his songs, and maybe three at the most, whereas a multitude of Stones and Beatles songs are generally known to people who are not fans of either whether the songs in question were hit singles or not.

Case in point on the Lou Reed "one hit wonder" tag: I have the DVD that was released of Reed playing the Lollapalooza festival a few years back (released in 2011 from a Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois performance from 2009). People seemed to be enjoying his set, however you could hear people in the crowd yelling for Walk On The Wild Side--the song that is synonymous with Lou Reed to a more general audience. And when he finally did it the crowd erupted with enthusiasm, in contrast to the rest of his set, which, though well enough received, was obviously not familiar to the lion's share of that mainstream festival audience.



By the way, I would recommend the Lollapalooza DVD if you haven't seen it--however, to get across to such a large audience the music was heavily amplified, almost muddled, and it sort of took away from the dynamics that would better serve his material in smaller, more intimate venues. Below are some audience clips.

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stonehearted

Not even Dirty Boulevard managed to crack the Top 100, much to my surprise--I thought it might have cracked the top 50 at least.

I'd rate "I Love You Suzanne" as Lou's most obvious try for a second hit.

It is my belief that the average Joe six-pack over a certain age will only know of three Lou Reed recordings: Perfect Day, Walk On The Wild Side and Satellite Of Love. And even if they know of these numbers, they probably couldn't name the artist.

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tatters

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stonehearted

Not even Dirty Boulevard managed to crack the Top 100, much to my surprise--I thought it might have cracked the top 50 at least.

I'd rate "I Love You Suzanne" as Lou's most obvious try for a second hit.

He hated that... "They made me sing" was his usual response...

Laurie Anderson hands out roses from Yoko Ono at "New York: Lou Reed at Lincoln Center" Public Memorial, November 14, 2013

I think this is the best vocal performance Nico did with the Velvet Underground (it's actually a track that appeared on her 1967 album Chelsea Girls, but features Lou Reed and John Cale), hitting amazingly high notes in her parts in between verses in It Was A Pleasure Then (written by Lou Reed/John Cale/Christa Paeffgen). It also has Lou Reed's most melodically hypnotic avant garde guitar feedback experiment that he recorded during those times. As well, after the 5-minute mark John Cale's viola is even more violently and chaotically unhinged than in the latter parts of Heroin.





It was a pleasure then
Could you just be here again
To know what there was to see
When all the Sunday people
Were so quiet in the dark
Afraid to be better the next day
La la la ...

It was a pleasure then
When we could sit and stare again
Until the stars fell through the cloudy trees
Onto the grass
Stars to smile with us
Until they too had tears in their eyes
Tell us this and tell of how much we must not agree

It was a pleasure then
To see the dyiing days again
In the horror of the night
Never, never, never, never, never, lise
Keep it secret
For to hide somewhere at last
As long as we could see
The sky confessed this crime
Of futile tasting hate romance
Above our shattered minds
It was a pleasure, It was a pleasure
La la la ...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-26 02:48 by stonehearted.

OK, so I said I wasn't gonna listen to Mistrial, but a song came on shuffle and I'm not doing anything right now so I ended up listening to the whole song. I know about 3 songs off this album, and I figured I'd do an instant review because... well why not lol!

1. Mistrial - This is what convinced me to do the review. I've never heard the whole album before and when this came on I thought "wow, this sounds a lot better than I expected!" Its a nothing special song and it has that very 80s vibe, but its got a groove and I found myself nodding along and saying "rock it Lou!" Fun little song that I'm thinking might be a highlight as the whole album can't be like this. Definitely a good kick off track though and great guitar work from apparently Lou it seems like according to Wikipedia. Got a kick out of him spelling Mistrial as well.

2. No Money Down - one of the few songs I already know from the album and this is why I've never listened to it. It sounds so horrible dated, and I don't particularly like it. But for some reason, I'm not minding it this listen. I'll admit, I know the song because I saw that Beavis and Butthead once make fun of it in their show so I sought out the music video, which is hilarious. A robot Lou Reed tearing himself apart? Very funny. Eh, the song is kind of a dud but its honestly not as terrible as I remember it being. I'm expecting this isn't the worst song, but if it is its really not THAT bad. I'll admit I do kind of like it just in a funny way and because it makes me think of the video, which people should watch if they haven't seen it except its apparently not on Youtube anymore unfortunately.

3. Outside - Great bass on this album from Fernando. I guess that bass sound is the kind of 80s thing Lou was going for. That and the dumb drum sound from that time. Again though, a better song than I would expect. Doesn't really go anywhere, but thats not too different from other Lou songs, especially later on. He sets the palate and they just basically play around that for 4 minutes. I think he does it much better in the 90s, but this isn't terrible. I actually think his vocal delivery on the album kind of saves it. He sounds kind of into it, which keeps my attention and helps the music. Simple track, and probably one I wouldn't revisit alot, but not bad (I guess I could see that being the basis for most of this album).

4. Don't Hurt A Woman - Pleasantly surprised so far. Sweet softer song and one I could honestly see fitting in perfect with some of his later stuff. Good vocals mixed in with some heavy guitar work. Sounds like Tell It To Your Heart a bit (the one song I know from the album) but it works. These are the kind of mature songs Lou is good at. A top tier track along with the title track so far. Aside from the 80s tinge that all these songs have, its a great track that I encourage people to listen to if they haven't recently.

5. Video Violence - Oh man, 80s central here! I've heard OF this song but never actually heard it before. First one so far I can't really get into. Just a bit too 80s with the beat and the effects. Also nothing particularly about the lyrics I loved. I get the message of violence from the television, and thats a good observation, but I think its one of the few so far where the message is outweighed by the music. Its a bit too insufferable for me, and its also not the choice I would have from the first side as being the longest song. I'd prefer Mistrial to be this length and Video Violence to be cut to 3 minutes. The reason those other songs like No Money Down and Outside aren't terrible is because when you stick to that length, since the song's stay the same throughout, they don't quite get as annoying. Its more noticeable when the song is over 5 minutes. I'd give this one a rating of about 2 out of 5. I also think this is where the sound of the album starts to get grating (I'm just guessing for people). Especially hearing it now, it just sounds SO of that time and doesn't help the album to hold up as well.

6. Spit It Out - Not a big fan of this song. Not much else to say about it. Nothing about the lyrics that drew me in and again just a big 80s sound that I'm not really a fan of. I'd say this one is a big throwaway.

7. The Original Wrapper - One of the three songs I already knew from this album and I know it from the Perfect Night live album, where I like the arrangement a lot better. I've heard the studio version before, and it sounds a lot more like the rest of the album, but I have a soft spot for this one. It is pretty ahead of its time and he's really jumping on rapping in 1986. Its gone so far looking at it now that its easy to look back and kind of admire him for this. Stupid little melody, but the whole fact that he's saying he's the original rapper and having the whole "wrapper" thing. Something about the whole song just clicks for me as being tongue in cheek which makes me like it more. Prefer the live version (as I assume many of these would have sounded better live), but I dig this one. Funky little number that he makes work (although its kind of easier for me to say that hearing it now 30 years later and also knowing another version for a while that I enjoy).

8. Mama's Got A Lover - Kind of sounds like a cross between Outside and Don't Hurt A Woman to me. Sounds pretty classic Lou, like Don't Hurt A Woman, but has that "doesn't quite go anywhere" feel of Outside. But it works. Simple song with clever lyrics ("I'll send him a card on Father's Day") where I can get into it. Also, I'm a sucker for Lou songs where he uses his own whiny background vocals where he sounds so uninterested! Good guitar work from him as well. Also more great lyrics: "she's starting a new chapter, I wish she was on the last page." This one makes the grade for me.

9. I Remember You - Decent song. Kind of forgettable coming after Mama. Doesn't have the lyrical funniness and its the same sort of stationary song as the whole album. Fun, but one of my lower choices. Nothing glaringly wrong, so maybe it would grow on repeat listens, but another throwaway to me.

10. Tell It To Your Heart - I already knew this was the saving grace of the album so it helps me get through knowing this is the payoff at the end. Beautiful song that I know from Animal Serenade, where its played amazingly. But it holds up on this album as well and is definitely one of the highlights. Great lyrics, and great laid back arrangement that helps propel the song. Not much for me to say, as I already knew I loved this one, and coming at the end really works because it ends the album strongly. A Lou classic that should get more love than it does. Definitely one of the unanimously stronger songs from this album.

Overall, I thought this was a fun listen! Yeah, its a pretty forgettable album, and definitely one you have to be in the mood for, but thats not untrue of most Lou albums. Its just that 80s sound that, especially now, sounds hilarious as opposed to appealing. At least his softer albums that you need to be in the mood for like The Blue Mask are easier to hear 30 years later. I could see this being one I wouldn't recommend, but I'd say its better than its reputation leads you to believe. My favorite songs were Mistrial, Don't Hurt A Woman, Mama's Got A Lover, Tell It To Your Heart, and maybe The Original Wrapper. The rest is kind of forgettable, but thats still half an album I thought was pretty solid. Honestly, I think thats more than I like on something like The Bells. I've never really been able to get into his vocal delivery from that time period where he just sounds like he doesn't give a shit, and that stuff annoys me more than draws me in. Its probably easier to revisit that album, but I kind of like these songs a bit better (not to shit on The Bells, but it was just the first example I thought of).

Would love to know anyone else's thoughts on this album, just because its fresh in my mind. And hopefully people didn't find it annoying I did a track by track analysis lol! The thread has been going for awhile now so I assumed its kind of free game for anything Lou Reed at this point.

Mistrial is the one true stinker of Lou's 80's albums. The decision to use a drum machine most of the time wrecked it. The last three are the best songs on it. I'd give it about a 2 1/2 on a 5 scale.

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RollingFreak


Would love to know anyone else's thoughts on this album, just because its fresh in my mind. And hopefully people didn't find it annoying I did a track by track analysis lol! The thread has been going for awhile now so I assumed its kind of free game for anything Lou Reed at this point.

Yes, pretty accurate summary, RollingFreak. MISTRIAL is mildly infectious throughout, but a bit thin on the ground, when it comes to songs that are substantial enough to stand up alongside Lou's best work, aside from perhaps 'Tell It To Your Heart'. The rhythmic eighties sound, on songs like 'Outside', i actually rather like, and i also have a sneeking regard for the ballad, 'Don't Hurt A Woman', too. 'Spit It Out' is a song i'm not especially keen on either, and it comes under the 'clunky lyrics' tag, for me, which i think Lou was occasionally guilty of, when he began honing his lyrics increasing to a more conversational style, from GROWING UP IN PUBLIC onwards. I'n not crazy about 'No Money Down' and 'Video Violence' either, because i think that they are songs which primarily rely more on an eighties sound, than anything else. Despite some interesting social commentry on 'Video Violence', it has that bold, mid eighties loud sound of nothingness, which was all too common in that period. What i do like a lot about MISTRIAL, though, are Lou's vocals. They have a sharpness and an edge about them, that i think starts to fade a little on NEW YORK, and which becomes pretty much merely a speaking tool by the time of SONGS FOR DRELLA and MAGIC AND LOSS, despite those later albums possessing far greater artistic merit.

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Edward Twining

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RollingFreak


Would love to know anyone else's thoughts on this album, just because its fresh in my mind. And hopefully people didn't find it annoying I did a track by track analysis lol! The thread has been going for awhile now so I assumed its kind of free game for anything Lou Reed at this point.

Yes, pretty accurate summary, RollingFreak. MISTRIAL is mildly infectious throughout, but a bit thin on the ground, when it comes to songs that are substantial enough to stand up alongside Lou's best work, aside from perhaps 'Tell It To Your Heart'. The rhythmic eighties sound, on songs like 'Outside', i actually rather like, and i also have a sneeking regard for the ballad, 'Don't Hurt A Woman', too. 'Spit It Out' is a song i'm not especially keen on either, and it comes under the 'clunky lyrics' tag, for me, which i think Lou was occasionally guilty of, when he began honing his lyrics increasing to a more conversational style, from GROWING UP IN PUBLIC onwards. I'n not crazy about 'No Money Down' and 'Video Violence' either, because i think that they are songs which primarily rely more on an eighties sound, than anything else. Despite some interesting social commentry on 'Video Violence', it has that bold, mid eighties loud sound of nothingness, which was all too common in that period. What i do like a lot about MISTRIAL, though, are Lou's vocals. They have a sharpness and an edge about them, that i think starts to fade a little on NEW YORK, and which becomes pretty much merely a speaking tool by the time of SONGS FOR DRELLA and MAGIC AND LOSS, despite those later albums possessing far greater artistic merit.

Spot on analysis of exactly what I think as well. Magic And Loss is the one album I still haven't heard yet on my iTunes (but I have heard it before). I've been avoiding it because I remember it boring me last listen through, but now that its the sole album I haven't heard since his death (still feels weird to write that) I figure I will end up listening to it tomorrow. Won't do a track by track analysis because I'll probably hear it sometime in the car, but most likely I'll have a quick paragraph summary of my thoughts.

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RollingFreak

Spot on analysis of exactly what I think as well. Magic And Loss is the one album I still haven't heard yet on my iTunes (but I have heard it before). I've been avoiding it because I remember it boring me last listen through, but now that its the sole album I haven't heard since his death (still feels weird to write that) I figure I will end up listening to it tomorrow. Won't do a track by track analysis because I'll probably hear it sometime in the car, but most likely I'll have a quick paragraph summary of my thoughts.

Yes. In some ways MAGIC AND LOSS is the antithesis of an album like BERLIN, which may seem like a strange thing to say, as they are both rather sombre, and a little depressive in tome. BERLIN is rather bold and theatrical, which also goes along pretty much with Lou's voice at times, while MAGIC AND LOSS is almost skeletal in terms of much of the arrangement. With MAGIC AND LOSS the message being put across is conveyed in a very minimal kind of way, sort of very economical, you could say. I think Lou believed the message of those songs would be best served in the starkest of ways, with pretty basic arrangements, and without distractions. BERLIN, though, is much superior, for me, because it is less one dimensional, and although there are songs that are a little more minimal within their arrangement, overwhelmingly the songs are fleshed out on a much more grand scale, and Reed's mood, is constantly changing, from sadness, to anger, to bitterness etc. The problem with MAGIC AND LOSS is, if the concept doesn't necessarily grap you at the start of the album, there's little chance of there being anything to hold you as you make your way through. All the songs are variations on the one particular emotion, but with rarely any contrast. I liked Lou's singing so much ore on BERLIN, anyway, because he just sounded so much more vital. That may partly be down to age, perhaps, but Lou did prove through SET THE TWILIGHT REELING and ECSTASY, that he was still capable of pushing that little bit harder.

You can't really compare anything to Berlin. IMO (and it sounds like its yours too) thats his peak musically and vocally. His voice is just so perfect on that album (he really is singing a lot of the time) mixed with his just stone cold speaking voice on Sad Song which is exactly what those songs needed. And the oompf that Ezrin gave those melodies is perfect. The songs pop out at you and there's a power to Lady Day and Oh Jim and How Do You Think It Feels. Its an ambitious record, but the whole thing fires on all cylinders. Then again, thats why I've always thought its his best, because even more than Transformer, its Lou at his most inventive, especially in terms of musical arrangement, which is so refreshing and surprisingly works well for the guy who made a living on 3 chords.

I've heard and remember thats the case with Magic And Loss and its why I've avoided it. I'm just hardly ever in that mood and I don't think I've really experienced enough to relate to it but I'll give it a try. And yes, absolutely his final two true solo albums proved he hadn't missed a beat. I really am serious that I think maybe aside from New York or The Blue Mask, those last two are his best since the 70s. He didn't get the Berlin musicality back, but the songs were more diverse and fleshed out than he'd done in awhile and melodically very strong, and his voice was the best it had been IMO in decades. He found a happy medium between singing and talking, and more importantly doing those things with feeling. If there's anything about his passing that has struck me, its that he truly went out on top with two really phenomenal final albums (obviously excluding the live stuff, The Raven, and the meditations album). His late 90s until the mid 2000s period was maybe his most exciting since the late 70s or since 1983. It really was his second or third coming depending on how you look at his solo career. He totally came back in full force.

I agree RollingFreak. It will be interesting, however, to see with his passing, and also with the passing of time, how his career will be viewed. Will TRANSFORMER still be the Lou Reed album most lovingly associated with him? I think perhaps it will be, because of the Bowie connection, and the fact that it was perhaps the first (and maybe the only) time, Lou had positioned himself firmly in the middle of what was happening in a more commercial musical sense. The album is almost famous simply by association, although that may be a slightly misleading remark ultimately, as there are some very memorable songs to be found. Whether many of his later albums will be re-examined with a fresh perspective will be interesing too, because there is so much truly great music Lou has recorded which has gone relatively unappreciated (except by a few choice critics, and a few hardcore fans). I have often wondered about whether Lou got a bit tired of the TRANSFORMER references, especially by the fans of Bowie and glam, who didn't see much of what he did outside that narrow perspective, almost thinking of TRANSFORMER as being merely an extention of ZIGGY.

I like Lou Reed's music that he produced in the 60's and 70's a lot. I remember buying the record "Growing up in public" when it was released and feeling that a page had been turned, that Lou's music was different. Then I stopped paying attention to what he did in the 80's and the following decades. Lou Reed is great.
Rock and roll,
Mops

I came back to Magic and Loss last week after having not played it in a long time. Magic and Loss is indeed quite spare, but he uses a lot of MIDI on the guitars (e.g., Sword of Damocles and Harry's Circumcision) to vary the arrangements and give the illusion of more instrumentation than guitars, bass and drums. It's somber, minimal and short on melody, but whaddya expect? It's almost entirely about watching two friends die of cancer! However, it includes some of his most powerful lyrics, which seem more powerful in light of the events surrounding his passing.

Yeah, the mainstream will likely remember him primarily for Transformer because it provides an easy hook. But intelligent people will know better.

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RollingFreak
You can't really compare anything to Berlin. IMO (and it sounds like its yours too) thats his peak musically and vocally. His voice is just so perfect on that album (he really is singing a lot of the time) mixed with his just stone cold speaking voice on Sad Song which is exactly what those songs needed. And the oompf that Ezrin gave those melodies is perfect. The songs pop out at you and there's a power to Lady Day and Oh Jim and How Do You Think It Feels. Its an ambitious record, but the whole thing fires on all cylinders. Then again, thats why I've always thought its his best, because even more than Transformer, its Lou at his most inventive, especially in terms of musical arrangement, which is so refreshing and surprisingly works well for the guy who made a living on 3 chords.

Yes, i agree. BERLIN is very much Lou's most perfectly realised album, in terms of its concept, song quality, vocals, musicianship, and production etc. However, the only thing i think it lacks as a true representation of Lou's numerous music facets, is his guitar playing. Yes, he does play an acoustic on many of the tracks, but as an example of Lou's distinctive rhythm, lead and occasional forays into feedback, it fails to reflect. That's no criticism of the album, however, because those elements were very much surplus to requirements, and Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner's guitar playing was as perfect a match for the concept of the album, that one could ever wish for. It is just that, if one could make a case for Lou's eighties material, over some of his seventies it is that Lou became more involved with his own playing, and his later groups seemed more in sinc with Lou's more personal approach to his own musical facets. I'm not exactly making, for example, the point that THE BLUE MASK or LEGENDARY HEARTS, is superior as a concept, than say, TRANSFORMER, exactly, or that the songs are better. However, i think to a degree, those albums take you a little closer to Lou Reed's core as an artist.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-17 11:34 by Edward Twining.

Absolutely fair thought, and I agree I think thats very true. Definitely in the 80s he started getting involved guitar wise and his guitar playing from really 1980 and on became integral to his music, and to great effect. You're right that thats basically the only thing missing from his 70s work, and it is a very personal thing he added to his catalogue that clearly he loved enough to keep for the rest of his career.

Also, in case anyone was wondering lol, I did not hear Magic And Loss today. Got in the car, and as typically happens with that album, I wanted something more upbeat. Ended up hearing John Cale's Paris 1919, which I'm sure isn't new to anyone (its not new to me either), but god everytime I revisit that album I forget how good it is. Easily his "Transformer" of his career, being the most mainstream album and the one most people know by him. I obviously prefer Lou Reed's career to John Cale's by a long shot, but that album IMO is as good as anything Lou ever released. I would have loved to hear The Velvet Underground jamming on Macbeth.

There is a run of albums from Sally Can't Dance through Street Hassle excluding MMM that is just sensational. I've always loved these albums, especially Street Hassle. For me it just doesn't get much better in his career.

The Blue Mask is very good but New Sensations and Mistrial I don't like at all. I rarely listen to The Bells or Growing up in Public, perhaps I should give them anoth spin.

I like still listen to NY and Drella quite often but don't really give much listen to the others. I thought Extacy was interesting and did listen to that alot when it came out, will also have to listed to that again.

The 80's weren't kind to alot of older artests but Lou came back in 89 with the NY album which was and still is excellent.

Back to the record "Berlin", unfortunately we'll never hear it as it was originally conceived, since the record company obliged Lou to cut 14 minutes of interludes between songs, that allegedly would have confered an even more organic structure to the record. Anyway, it's definitely his best album, in my opinion, even if it's a demanding listen.

Yes, 1989's record "New York" is great, and here's a great video from that era:







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-17 21:09 by Wild Slivovitz.

Wow That video of Paranoia Key of E ... I remember bringing that CD home and within a few measures just smiling and thinking no matter how hit and miss it may be...nobody does it better than Lou Reed.

Just reading the tribute the fans paid to Lou n new York, where music was played for around three hours so very nice and moving.

Regarding some of the comments above on Reed's emphasis on guitar in the later part of his career, he discusses at length in a Raven-era interview from 2003 the evolution of his guitar sound and the importance of tone.

Interviewer: That ocean-liner-sized guitar sound on the album –– where does that come from?

Lou Reed: It took years to get that. But why bother to have these special amps and special guitars if so many of the listeners out there are gonna squash it and compress it to death? And why bother with a true band, why bother with the guitars, why bother with the words and this and that if all you really want is big, heavy bass and a loud drum?

All right, fine, but Jesus Christ, you know, the different tones of the guitar –– squash it all down and they all sound the same. People haven't heard good sound, and they don't know what it is in the first place, or they don't have equipment that would let them know in the first place. Even over a half-decent set of headphones you get to the point. But if you just want to download it and castrate it, fine. And if you say, "Well, I don't give a shit about your record," well, okay, you're right, you know, it's certainly not meant for you.

This record is meant for people who like sound. I mean, why would we spend –– you know, we could have recorded it in a really shitty place. I mean, it cost a fortune to go up to Portland, Maine, to master this that way. We don't have to bother to do that, we do it 'cause we love it. We want you to hear it, too, and let you love it. But if you chop it off, and you think you're smart, okay, knock yourself out.

Interviewer: I first began noticing your new guitar sound on that cut on your track "What's Good" from the Until the End of the World soundtrack, where you played that huge-ass epic Eastern-sounding motif. Is that kind of sound recorded under some kind of special circumstances or...

Lou Reed: Been working on the same thing for years.

Interviewer: I know –– it's a secret.

Lou Reed: It's not a big secret. It's the kind of pickups, with the kind of wood and the kind of speakers and the kind of amp and blah blah blah. If you want a real genesis of it, I would be going back to old Fender black face, old Fender tweed. You blow those up –– you do overdrive with them, add power to the distortion, keep marching on. It's all subjective taste, but the more you know about guitars, the more you know about sound. I want to have that great old tone, but I want to be able to do all this other stuff with it.

Full interview at: [www.bluefat.com]

I was amused by this from THE ANDY WARHOL DIARIES. Andy is with Lou in downtown Manhattan:

WARHOL: "The kids around were whispernig, `There's Lou Reed.' He tells them, `Go kill yourself.' Isn't that great?"

(From the July 20, 1978 entry.)