They are too clinical, you are absolutely correct.

Also, I'm in 100% agreeance about Twilight and Ecstasy. Set The Twilight Reeling is arguably his best late work (I honestly put it right up there with New York). There are no bad songs on it and a lot that I really love. The title track, Riptide (both of which are much better live but version good on album), HookyWooky, Trade In, Hang On To Your Emotions. Then there's Egg Cream and Sex With Your Parents, which I've heard divided response about but I think both are great, especially the former. And a beautiful tribute to Sterling Morrison with Finish Line. Can't believe critics fawned over the 80s albums yet barely registered this one. Its obviously not as good as a 70s album, but this album is a powerhouse in terms of actually making a relevant and mainstream record.

I feel the same about Ecstasy, although I don't love it as much as Twilight. He went a bit more distortion-y with Ecstasy, which was really cool to hear, and sounded a bit more like classic "I don't give a @#$%&" Lou Reed. Kind of similar to Neil Young, but in the way that only Lou could do it. And a ton of quality songs there: Modern Dance, the title track, Future Farmers Of America, Tatters, Turning Time Around, Big Sky. As I believe I said earlier in the thread, thats a great album to go out on. Really very strong, and same with Reeling something I enjoyed a lot more than his 80s output. I'd rank Set The Twilight Reeling a bit higher, I guess out of personal preference and I do think its an overall stronger album and perfect lengthwise, but two really great albums that didn't get as much attention as they deserved. I would have killed for The Stones to make a record as good as those in the 90s.

I agree completely, RollingFreak.

I think THE BLUE MASK marked the change in Lou from his music appearing rather excessive, and even a touch overblown, within his late seventies output to appearing more steady and focused, within a more stripped down set up. By the time of the recording of THE BLUE MASK, Lou had dropped a lot of the more flamboyant aspects to his musical sound, just like personally he'd cut out many of the drugs, and was attempting to stop drinking. I sense with the previous album, GROWING UP IN PUBLIC, he was beginning lyrically to write in a way that resembled the spoken word, as in a sort of conversational way, which would extend on through the eighties, and would perhaps reach its peak of edffectiveness on NEW YORK. THE BLUE MASK though, represented the dawning of a new era. I tend to think the critics overrated it slightly, because lyrically i find the album a little clumky at times, and general song quality is a little uneven at times, too. However the best of THE BLUE MASK, is pretty indispensible within Lou Reed's catalogue of songs (My House' 'Women','Waves Of Fear', 'The Blue Mask' title track, and 'Heavenly Arms', especially).

Definitely. Although whats funny is you mention those songs as indispensible (and not that I disagree with you at all), but I would also have to add The Day John Kennedy Died and Average Man from that album as well as some of my favorites. John Kennedy is just so minimal yet really interesting song, and Average Guy is kind of a throwaway but very funnily great to me. Its nothing too special, but I think it says more than you think once you get past the kind of silly topic. Also, I think I laugh every time I hear the lyric "my temperature is 98.2". I mean thats just genius to me lol.

Agree though that The Blue Mask is kind of his turning point. I honestly don't know Growing Up In Public all that well, but Blue Mask just seemed a better album after a few years of subpar stuff. After Street Hassle, he did The Bells which is hit or miss IMO and Public which I've heard just OK things about. Blue Mask had at least a solid half of really good songs, and if we combine the ones we think are great we basically have the whole album there. After Blue Mask, he started kind of changing with the times and attempting different styles. Some working well on individual songs, but as an album the style would get kind of boring. I mean, nearly everything on Mistrial sounds exactly the same, and the songs seemed less deep than his previous stuff.

For me, the end of "classic" Lou is Street Hassle, although he still had that 5 year period afterwards where he was still really badass and just doing what he wanted. That period to me is just a notch under classic but different, and ended with his 1983 tour. Then you had the 5 year period where he tried to be "hip" (New Sensations, Mistrial, Honda commercials), then came the clinical period with New York, Magic And Loss, Drella. Then finally he pulled it back to a very raw and mature level with 1995 and on, which to me is equal or better than that 5 years period after Street Hassle. Whether or not he liked it, he was older now and stable (as opposed to the false sense of stability he had at The Blue Mask where he still wasn't really "comfortable"). He couldn't change things anymore after 1995 so he was smart to stop trying. Instead, he just kept releasing the music HE wanted to and it ended up being awesome. Again, kind of a Neil Young situation where he just aged very gracefully and managed to bang out a lot of really good albums in his older age.

New York is my favourite overall Lou Reed album. Coney Island Baby takes top spot for his '70s output for me.

I agree with the above comments on Blue Mask and Ecstasy. I like both of those records very much. I'll revisit Set The Twilight Reeling based on what I've read here. Never got too much into it, aside from NYC Man, which is great.

Legendary Hearts is underrated, IMO.

I never had a problem with Lou Reed's vocals during the periods mentioned above by some posters, because he was never much of a singer to begin with, at least never in terms of technique. As a poet, he was always more effective with the "spoken word" type of "singing" anyway, as in Wild Side. He was always more or less just reading, or "Reeding".

Take this live track from 1967. Even when he's trying to sing, he isn't really hitting any notes, or displaying any real emotion or vocal technique. He was emotive and "sang" through his guitar anyway and he had the lyrics and the songs, so like with Dylan he could get a pass even with a frankly terrible "singing" voice.





Speaking of Set The Twilight, I owned that one on cassette when it came out. Great album all the way through. The song Egg Cream was featured in the movie Smoke, as the credits roll.

(Possible) Lou Reed's last setlists on Spotify : [www.businessinsider.com]

Nicky Minaj, Albert Ayler, Roy Orbison, Prince, Waylon Jennings, Captain Beefheart, Ricky Nelson, Tom Waits, Miles Davis, Deerhof, Anthony & The Johnsons, Howlin' Wolf, Lonnie Johnson, Otis Redding, Etta James, Ty Segall, Leonard Cohen...

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RollingFreak
I didn't see the VU reunion although I just heard the album last week. I would agree it does sound like there's something missing from it. And I mean they basically played everything you'd want, with all the well known stuff plus some great rarities like The Gift, I Can't Stand It, Real Good Time Together. But for some reason the whole thing just sounds... off. Like they really aren't that into it. IMO Moe and Sterling shine and really do well. In fact, I don't think the live album even picks up till Moe does After Hours four songs in. John Cale and Lou are fine, although they just seem there. I would actually say Lou is my least favorite part of the record. His vocals, while not glaringly bad or wrong, just sound SO uninterested. Again, that could just be Lou, be he sounds like he's singing nothing with feeling. The whole concert just almost seems to planned and like a task to them. John Cale does fine. Its not a bad album, I don't know how the shows were, but there's definitely something off that keeps it from being as amazing as the tracklist seems to imply. And I can't even give how they should play better, because they play fine. Maybe the Velvet Underground just didn't work in the 90s, at least in that organized reunion type way.

I would also say, minor change, but if I were to change anything to make the setlist perfect, I would switch out Hey Mr. Rain for Sister Ray. If you're gonna do the 20 minute jam, it might as well be the famous one.

I think that's a pretty good assessment. They were playing it safe, and didn't seem to have any of the old fire. Still, it was a huge disappointment when the tour fell apart before they got to play any shows in America. I think Lou and John were at odds over who was going to have artistic control over a planned MTV Unplugged special, and ultimately broke up via a series of increasingly angry fax transmissions.

It's interesting to ponder exactly what the U.S. tour might have been like. What cities would they have played, and what kinds of venues? Where would they have played in New York? Would they have done a week at Carnegie Hall? Or would they have done a single night at Madison Square Garden? Would they even have been able to fill Madison Square Garden? Would the demand have been there? The live album only made it to #180 on the charts. Then again, that's just about the same way their first three studio albums charted. Loaded, believe it or not, never charted at all.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 03:01 by tatters.

I'm one of the few then who like the material from that 1993 live set, particularly the way some numbers like Some Kind Of Love are updated with then current sounds. I thought it made the music sound contemporary and up to date.

What does "the old fire" mean? Back in the day they were detached as well, taking everything with a bit of humor (as in Lady Godiva's Operation). They weren't actually living the depraved lives of the characters they were singing and playing about. Lou Reed wrote Heroin before he ever even took the stuff.

I thought they played and sounded great, as well as you could expect any people over 50 to play and sound with that type of material. They actually did a run-through in private first just to see if they could still play together before announcing that they would be reforming, because 50 to 55 was considered way too old for rock n roll back then.

I didn't know about the MTV Unplugged special. It was my understanding that artistic differences arose between Reed and Cale over the direction that would be taken for a proposed album of new original material, at least this is what John Cale indicated in an interview from around that time. I can't see how they would fall out over the set list and arrangements for an informal acoustic set.

They actually did set about working on new material, but only got as far as one new song (Coyote) before the renewed collaboration fell apart.

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stonehearted
I'm one of the few then who like the material from that 1993 live set, particularly the way some numbers like Some Kind Of Love are updated with then current sounds. I thought it made the music sound contemporary and up to date.

What does "the old fire" mean? Back in the day they were detached as well, taking everything with a bit of humor (as in Lady Godiva's Operation). They weren't actually living the depraved lives of the characters they were singing and playing about. Lou Reed wrote Heroin before he ever even took the stuff.

I thought they played and sounded great, as well as you could expect any people over 50 to play and sound with that type of material. They actually did a run-through in private first just to see if they could still play together before announcing that they would be reforming, because 50 to 55 was considered way too old for rock n roll back then.

I didn't know about the MTV Unplugged special. It was my understanding that artistic differences arose between Reed and Cale over the direction that would be taken for a proposed album of new original material, at least this is what John Cale indicated in an interview from around that time. I can't see how they would fall out over the set list and arrangements for an informal acoustic set.

They actually did set about working on new material, but only got as far as one new song (Coyote) before the renewed collaboration fell apart.

I think Coyote is a great song, I always loved that one. I think VU reunion was Ok, - I think it was one of the best reunions that I have heard, I loved it when they played obscure songs like Hey Mister Rain and they did amazing version " Some Kinda Love" it was even better than original studio version, Sterling was great on that tour, amazing guitarist. I really enjoyed the reunion. I don't understand why people didn't like it - I think it was great.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 09:06 by seitan.

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RollingFreak
Definitely. Although whats funny is you mention those songs as indispensible (and not that I disagree with you at all), but I would also have to add The Day John Kennedy Died and Average Man from that album as well as some of my favorites. John Kennedy is just so minimal yet really interesting song, and Average Guy is kind of a throwaway but very funnily great to me. Its nothing too special, but I think it says more than you think once you get past the kind of silly topic. Also, I think I laugh every time I hear the lyric "my temperature is 98.2". I mean thats just genius to me lol.


For me, the end of "classic" Lou is Street Hassle, although he still had that 5 year period afterwards where he was still really badass and just doing what he wanted. That period to me is just a notch under classic but different, and ended with his 1983 tour. Then you had the 5 year period where he tried to be "hip" (New Sensations, Mistrial, Honda commercials), then came the clinical period with New York, Magic And Loss, Drella. Then finally he pulled it back to a very raw and mature level with 1995 and on, which to me is equal or better than that 5 years period after Street Hassle.

Yes, i like 'The Day John Kennedy Died' and 'Average Guy', but i find the lyrics in places a little jarring, not the subject matter, mind, just the way Lou rhymes certain words in a very contrived way.

What i like about LEGENDARY HEARTS is the fine bass playing by Fernando Saunders, which is pretty evident throughout. That, and Lou's growing maturity as a singer/songwriter, really gives this album a warmth, which is often missing from some of Lou's seventies work. 'Legendary Hearts' the title track, is great, partly because its theme is a yearning to aspire to a more 'ideal' type of love, outside of the androgony of the drag queens and prostitutes etc, which was typically his usual way of expressing 'love', with perhaps a very different tone. Lou's battles with alcoholism are features too (The Last Shot' and 'Bottoming Out'), as well as him writing about american indians on 'Pow Wow'. In a sense, 'Pow Wow' marks the beginning of him including more multi-cultural subjects in his lyrics, as well as envronmental - 'Last Great American Whale' 'Adventurer' 'Modern Dance' etc. I like this aspect of his writing, because it shows him to be well read, and aware of things outside of his immediate proximity.

Getting back to STREET HASSLE, being the last of the 'classic' Lou, i actually think the follow up, THE BELLS may be a stronger album. However, i think the Lou of TRANSFORMER, BERLIN, SALLY CAN'T DANCE, and CONEY ISLAND BABY, etc. is still evident to a degree on STREET HASSLE, despite it having much stronger punk/new wave influences. With THE BELLS, and despite the album very much following on from where STREET HASSLE left off musically, the old Lou seems to disappear, as the quavering voice becomes more pronounced, and Lou's somewhat morose bass singing (on 'City Lights' and 'Disco Mystic)' plumb new depths. The jazz influences become ever more extreme and experimental, and Lou shows the first sign of a significant maturity in his songwriting (especially in the semi autobiographical 'Families'). There are times though, when i feel, THE BELLS may just be the best thing he's ever recorded.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 10:25 by Edward Twining.

The Beatles era was Lou's finest.
I think the stuff he did with the Beatles was brain melting.







Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 11:15 by seitan.

^ I didn't realize they'd collaborated.

That was actually pretty funny. It had me rolling over for a moment.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 12:13 by stonehearted.

and here's something bit obscure

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stonehearted



I never had a problem with Lou Reed's vocals during the periods mentioned above by some posters, because he was never much of a singer to begin with, at leastjavascript:editor_tools_handle_right() never in terms of technique. As a poet, he was always more effective with the "spoken word" type of "singing" anyway, as in Wild Side. He was always more or less just reading, or "Reeding".

Take this live track from 1967. Even when he's trying to sing, he isn't really hitting any notes, or displaying any real emotion or vocal technique. He was emotive and "sang" through his guitar anyway and he had the lyrics and the songs, so like with Dylan he could get a pass even with a frankly terrible "singing" voice.





Speaking of Set The Twilight, I owned that one on cassette when it came out. Great album all the way through. The song Egg Cream was featured in the movie Smoke, as the credits roll.

Yes right, but compare both of those vocals with these;








and then Berlin from 1972






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 17:03 by Edward Twining.

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seitan

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stonehearted
I'm one of the few then who like the material from that 1993 live set, particularly the way some numbers like Some Kind Of Love are updated with then current sounds. I thought it made the music sound contemporary and up to date.

What does "the old fire" mean? Back in the day they were detached as well, taking everything with a bit of humor (as in Lady Godiva's Operation). They weren't actually living the depraved lives of the characters they were singing and playing about. Lou Reed wrote Heroin before he ever even took the stuff.

I thought they played and sounded great, as well as you could expect any people over 50 to play and sound with that type of material. They actually did a run-through in private first just to see if they could still play together before announcing that they would be reforming, because 50 to 55 was considered way too old for rock n roll back then.

I didn't know about the MTV Unplugged special. It was my understanding that artistic differences arose between Reed and Cale over the direction that would be taken for a proposed album of new original material, at least this is what John Cale indicated in an interview from around that time. I can't see how they would fall out over the set list and arrangements for an informal acoustic set.

They actually did set about working on new material, but only got as far as one new song (Coyote) before the renewed collaboration fell apart.

I think Coyote is a great song, I always loved that one. I think VU reunion was Ok, - I think it was one of the best reunions that I have heard, I loved it when they played obscure songs like Hey Mister Rain and they did amazing version " Some Kinda Love" it was even better than original studio version, Sterling was great on that tour, amazing guitarist. I really enjoyed the reunion. I don't understand why people didn't like it - I think it was great.

One thing I liked was Cale singing the Nico songs. Made them seem more like a real group and not just Lou's latest backing band. It would be interesting to know what the exact division of labor was on the Drella album. Cale did handle some of the vocals, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wrote or was even the principal writer of those songs. "A Dream," for instance, which was recited by Cale on the record and in concert, was written entirely by Lou.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-13 16:57 by tatters.

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RollingFreak


I feel the same about Ecstasy, although I don't love it as much as Twilight. He went a bit more distortion-y with Ecstasy, which was really cool to hear, and sounded a bit more like classic "I don't give a @#$%&" Lou Reed. Kind of similar to Neil Young, but in the way that only Lou could do it. And a ton of quality songs there: Modern Dance, the title track, Future Farmers Of America, Tatters, Turning Time Around, Big Sky. As I believe I said earlier in the thread, thats a great album to go out on. Really very strong, and same with Reeling something I enjoyed a lot more than his 80s output. I'd rank Set The Twilight Reeling a bit higher, I guess out of personal preference and I do think its an overall stronger album and perfect lengthwise, but two really great albums that didn't get as much attention as they deserved. I would have killed for The Stones to make a record as good as those in the 90s.

MISTRIAL is Lou's weakest album of the 80s in my opinion. It's the one Lou Reed album where i can see parallels with the Stones output from around UNDERCOVER onwards. The MISTRIAL songs generally are a little too simplistic in the way they have been arranged, and need a little more fleshing out to accommodate more detail, for them to really stand up over repeated listens. As it is, many of the songs, such as 'Outside', 'No Money Down' and 'Mama's Got A Lover' are quite infectious, maybe more than is normally associated with Lou, but they are also unusually one dimensional, for him, too. I do like MISTRIAL though, despite the fact that Lou was trying to assimilate much of the mainstream sound of the time. It was something pretty much all the musical veterans were doing at the time, with the advent of new technology and MTV etc. it was a case for a while that without keeping up with the times, one was likely to risk extinction. My belief is Lou survived this period better than most, because he still maintained a level of ingenuity within his writing and delivery. I think his rap song 'The Original Wrapper' works because he felt inspired enough to write some very interesting social observations within its lyrics, and invest them with a lot of energy/vitality in his delivery. I think also 'Tell It To Your Heart', proved that Lou was still capable of writing really memorable songs, in the mould of 'Coney Island Baby'. I think even at his lowest ebb, Lou was still far more effective, than what the Stones were capable of, post TATTOO YOU.

Yes, ECSTASY was a great album, brimming with rawness and vitality. I agree that SET THE TWILIGHT REELING was an easier listen, and it would perhaps go down better with those who aren't necessarily acquainted with Lou's more exteme musical visions, not that ECSTASY is an especially extreme album. However, the 18 minute 'Like A Possum' is pretty extreme. I'm not sure lyrically it really offers much aside from seeming pretty outrageous. Some of Lou's more extreme ventures in the past have seemed vital, in terms of being the only way Lou could express his point, but with 'Like A Possum' i'm not sure there's any point truly to make, aside from an excuse to be extreme. I feel a little like that with Lou's collaboration with Metallica, too. I'm not sure LULU isn't just a case of appearing wildly alternative, just for the sake of it. I'm still sitting on the fence on that one, although the album offers some very interesting musical/lyrical elements in places. Lou was one (relatively) old man who wasn't prepared to grow old gracefully.

I know someone else who thinks 'the bells' is one of Lou's best efforts as well. Cheers!

I think there is a case to be made that of all the sixties icons that made music in the 1980s, Lou Reed had the best decade. Growing Up In Public may not be that great but beginning with The Blue Mask (my favourite song is The Gun on that record), Lou had a great run (Mistrial excepted). Agreed Fernando Saunders makes Legendary Hearts sound great (The Last Shot my fave). New Sensations is a great record in my mind. A bit of synth but a very un-Eighties record by and large. Love the guitar sound on it. Mistrial is a dog even if the songs aren't that bad - it is a true Eighties fiasco. New York is an absolute masterpiece. Saw him twice that year including an extended New York set at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Amazing. Love the guitars on New York as well. Lou's best song cycle.

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stewedandkeefed
I think there is a case to be made that of all the sixties icons that made music in the 1980s, Lou Reed had the best decade. Growing Up In Public may not be that great but beginning with The Blue Mask (my favourite song is The Gun on that record), Lou had a great run (Mistrial excepted). Agreed Fernando Saunders makes Legendary Hearts sound great (The Last Shot my fave). New Sensations is a great record in my mind. A bit of synth but a very un-Eighties record by and large. Love the guitar sound on it. Mistrial is a dog even if the songs aren't that bad - it is a true Eighties fiasco. New York is an absolute masterpiece. Saw him twice that year including an extended New York set at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Amazing. Love the guitars on New York as well. Lou's best song cycle.

yeah, Lou did better records in the eighties than Stones, Dylan or Bowie.

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seitan

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stewedandkeefed
I think there is a case to be made that of all the sixties icons that made music in the 1980s, Lou Reed had the best decade. Growing Up In Public may not be that great but beginning with The Blue Mask (my favourite song is The Gun on that record), Lou had a great run (Mistrial excepted). Agreed Fernando Saunders makes Legendary Hearts sound great (The Last Shot my fave). New Sensations is a great record in my mind. A bit of synth but a very un-Eighties record by and large. Love the guitar sound on it. Mistrial is a dog even if the songs aren't that bad - it is a true Eighties fiasco. New York is an absolute masterpiece. Saw him twice that year including an extended New York set at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Amazing. Love the guitars on New York as well. Lou's best song cycle.

yeah, Lou did better records in the eighties than Stones, Dylan or Bowie.

Paul Simon and Neil Young were great also in the 80's....

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DoomandGloom

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seitan

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stewedandkeefed
I think there is a case to be made that of all the sixties icons that made music in the 1980s, Lou Reed had the best decade. Growing Up In Public may not be that great but beginning with The Blue Mask (my favourite song is The Gun on that record), Lou had a great run (Mistrial excepted). Agreed Fernando Saunders makes Legendary Hearts sound great (The Last Shot my fave). New Sensations is a great record in my mind. A bit of synth but a very un-Eighties record by and large. Love the guitar sound on it. Mistrial is a dog even if the songs aren't that bad - it is a true Eighties fiasco. New York is an absolute masterpiece. Saw him twice that year including an extended New York set at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Amazing. Love the guitars on New York as well. Lou's best song cycle.

yeah, Lou did better records in the eighties than Stones, Dylan or Bowie.

Paul Simon and Neil Young were great also in the 80's....

Lou had a very varied musical palate, and that's why, despite taking on a more eighties sound in that period (and especially with NEW SENSATIONS and MISTRIAL), he somehow managed to incorporate them into his sound and make them convincing on his terms (except perhaps that MISTRIAL could have done with a little more substance, within its arrangements). A song like 'New Sensations' - the title track, actually benefitted from sounding contemporary for the time, and i think the album as a whole works pretty well. The basic guitar, bass and drums set up still existed, so he wasn't exactly going flat out to sound contemporary, but he chose which aspects to incorporate for his own ends, and think he pretty much achieved that. The only aspect of the production i don't think works, is the unneccesary heavy drum beat on 'What Becomes A Legend Most' which i find most irritating.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-14 09:53 by Edward Twining.

Documentary: The Making of Transformer

The Transformer documentary is great. My favorite part, and the most classic Lou moment of the whole thing, is right at the end after everyone has fawned over the album for an hour and he's like "its just an album. You move on." LOL such a bleak Lou outlook.

And he evidently did move on, which is why he went on to record so many more great albums down through the decades, because he refused to let fans and critics pigeonhole him into being defined by that one album, that one song.

Because technically, after all, Lou Reed was a one-hit wonder.

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RollingFreak
The Transformer documentary is great. My favorite part, and the most classic Lou moment of the whole thing, is right at the end after everyone has fawned over the album for an hour and he's like "its just an album. You move on." LOL such a bleak Lou outlook.

An amazing aspect of his personality is the fact he always oozed self confidence. I'm surprised the Documentary excluded the song "Wagon Wheel."

I think the lyric "Yeah you gotta live your life as though your Number One" and "Make a point of havin' some fun" exemplifies his self confidence and lighter side.

WW is obviously just a whimsical fun venture that seems to show no agenda but at the same time facilitates an appreciative edge of superiority - "Won't you be my Wagon Wheel" "Spoke Spoke."

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Chris Fountain

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RollingFreak
The Transformer documentary is great. My favorite part, and the most classic Lou moment of the whole thing, is right at the end after everyone has fawned over the album for an hour and he's like "its just an album. You move on." LOL such a bleak Lou outlook.

An amazing aspect of his personality is the fact he always oozed self confidence. I'm surprised the Documentary excluded the song "Wagon Wheel."

True. Its that he knows he's great, yet its the classic "everyone says this really mainstream thing I did was great. I'll show them really great" then does something like Berlin. I mean its excellent, and I'm sure he doesn't think much of Transformer. But come on Lou, it is really good. His comment though is totally in line with his personality, its just so funny that thats how it ends.

And yeah WTF no Wagon Wheel. And skipped my other favorite song Hangin Round! Blasphemous! Although I think I have a torrent of this with extras and he talks about Hangin Round, because I know I've seen him read through those lyrics like a poem on this program. But yeah, I don't think the extras have WW either, which is sad. Another personal favorite.

"Wake me, shake me! Please don't let me sleep too long!"

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DoomandGloom

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seitan

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stewedandkeefed
I think there is a case to be made that of all the sixties icons that made music in the 1980s, Lou Reed had the best decade. Growing Up In Public may not be that great but beginning with The Blue Mask (my favourite song is The Gun on that record), Lou had a great run (Mistrial excepted). Agreed Fernando Saunders makes Legendary Hearts sound great (The Last Shot my fave). New Sensations is a great record in my mind. A bit of synth but a very un-Eighties record by and large. Love the guitar sound on it. Mistrial is a dog even if the songs aren't that bad - it is a true Eighties fiasco. New York is an absolute masterpiece. Saw him twice that year including an extended New York set at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Amazing. Love the guitars on New York as well. Lou's best song cycle.

yeah, Lou did better records in the eighties than Stones, Dylan or Bowie.

Paul Simon and Neil Young were great also in the 80's....

My recollection is that Neil Young put out a string of albums ranging from lesser works (Hawks and Doves, Re-Act-Or, Old Ways, Life, and This Note's for You) to unmitigated turds (Trans, Everybody's Rockin', and Landing on Water) before finally getting his act together in 1989 for Freedom. The 80's were a pretty tough time to be a Neil Young fan. The 1986 Garage tour with Crazy Horse had its moments, though.

Paul Simon made his best album ever in '80s (Graceland), but was otherwise uneven.

Really enjoying reading all the contributions on this thread.
No mudslinging/Ronnie vs MT/etc etc

I didn't know Lou Reed was so well appreciated here, I guess we're all fans of great music.
(It's Friday 5:43PM in Sydney and I am drinking my 1st glass of red)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-11-15 08:44 by champ72.

Actually I have a vinyl picture disc which is a Lou Reed interview with a journalist called Lisa. 1972. Not sure if it's Lisa Robinson but she slags off Mick Taylor for showing up to a successful band and getting instant success. Lou says no no he deserves it, he's a great guitar player...