ChelseaDrugstore Wrote:
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> I am a Huge Mega Lou Reed fan. But NY album should
> be read not heard. To me it is so much about the
> words, they are so good and over powering that
> these aren't really songs to me. They're essays. I
> never listen to it and I listen to every Lou album
> to this day.
>
> "Wake me up before you go-go
> I'm not planning on goin solo
> Wake me up before you go-go
> Don't leave me hanging on like a Yo-Yo"


I really love this album, although I do think it is too wordy. The words overwhelm the music in some cases, and musically several of the tracks sound pretty similar in my opinion. It's still great, though, especially Busload Of Faith, one of my favorite all-time songs by any artist.

I remember getting this for Christmas the year it came out. My dad looked at it and said "Romeo and Juliet, I know this song." I said "um, that's not Romeo and Juliet, that's Romeo Had Juliet." He just scowled, said "oh" and put the record down like it was on fire.

Marvellous album, great lyrics. One of my most favorits Lou's records. The others: "Berlin", "Transformer", "R n'R Animal", "Songs For Drella" (with J. Cale), "Magic And Loss".

DPman: I definitely hear similarities between the production here and on the Winos, Main Offender at least. Main Offender has the advantage of being a few years later, after people woke up to some of the poor aspects of 80s production. But New York in that sense was ahead of its time. I think it played a big role in getting at least serious rock and roll albums back on a path to good sound (not that they've stayed there, necessarily. It was a big deal at the time, especially after lou had used programmed drums on Mistrial.

Another album that caused waves with its natural production and strong writing was graham parker - The Mona Lisa's Sister.

cprim: I don't get that you like "Coney Island Baby" _despite_ its being for Rachel. What difference does it make who lou had in mind when writing the song? Amazingly heartfelt song either way.

cc Wrote:

>
> cprim: I don't get that you like "Coney Island
> Baby" _despite_ its being for Rachel. What
> difference does it make who lou had in mind when
> writing the song? Amazingly heartfelt song either
> way.

Perhaps because the first time I heard the song/saw pictures of Rachel, I was 14 and had no idea. When I found out who Rachel was, it was a bit surprising - kind of changed the way I viewed the number. Can you blame me for adjusting my view of a song I thought was a love song to some girl Lou loved in high school, when I found out it was about a tranvestite prostitute? I was surprised that despite this, I still was blown away by the emotion of the song and it remained a favorite. I think knowing backstory on a song enhances one's enjoyment/understanding of it.
The whole record is a Valentine to her. On a semi-related note, Street Hassle was his "breaking up with Rachel" suite.

Yeah... it's too bad he now cuts out the last verse of "Street Hassle," as if to deny that period. It's the climax of the song. Unless it was a favor for sylvia, if she couldn't deal... I haven't seen Pass Through Fire, the newer edition of his lyrics, but the first one only had pts. 1 & 2.

cc Wrote:
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> Yeah... it's too bad he now cuts out the last
> verse of "Street Hassle," as if to deny that
> period. It's the climax of the song. Unless it was
> a favor for sylvia, if she couldn't deal... I
> haven't seen Pass Through Fire, the newer edition
> of his lyrics, but the first one only had pts. 1
> & 2.

Absolutely, I'm bothered by this too.

He's not with Sylvia anymore, but I think he just tries to keep his "wild years" quiet at this point. That was part of my point, I knew Lou as the Honda Scooter guy when I was 14 and first really listening to him. I still meet people who have no idea what a drug-crazed omni-sexual maniac Lou was, and are shocked when they find out. I think Lou tries to perpetrate the "man of letters" image at this point, and distance himself from 70's Lou. If Keith was #1 on the most likely to die list in the 70's, Lou was 1A. A lot of folks don't know this.

Street Hassle is the greatest song Lou Reed ever recorded (and not just because Bruce Springsteen does that monologue towards the end of it, either )

Didnt know it was a 'farewell to rachel' (not literally I hope as the girl in the song dies and they plan to dump her in the street to make it look like a 'hit and run').

Chilling stuff.

New York is consistent but i prefer Coney Island Baby.

I think The Bells is vastly underrated as well as Set The Twilight Reeling and Ecstasy.

Doesn't anyone else find New York a bit too clean sounding?

The dead girl is some "rookie" that one of Lou's ciurcle brought around who had a bit too much meth (supposedly).

The Rachel thing is the "Slip Away" part more than anything else - "love has gone away, took the rings off my fingers...".

Chilling is indeed the right word for it.

"Dirt" on the same album, is about Lou's then-manager.

Like it, too - very intense and solid moments

I don't think there's ever been a better metaphor for heartbreak than that: "took the rings off my fingers." So simple. Well, I guess "heartbreak" is a pretty good one, too. His singing on that pt. 3 is amazing.

Totally agree about his image control now. I mean, I'm glad he seems relatively happy and stable now. I don't mean to criticize him for it, but it's true that his wild days might seem far fetched to people who caught on to him with New York.

cc Wrote:
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>
> Another album that caused waves with its natural
> production and strong writing was graham parker -
> The Mona Lisa's Sister.
>

That's one of my favorites as well. I also love Parker's follow up to that album, Human Soul.

cosmoprim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Yeah... it's too bad he now cuts out the
> last
> > verse of "Street Hassle," as if to deny that
> > period. It's the climax of the song. Unless
> it was
> > a favor for sylvia, if she couldn't deal...
> I
> > haven't seen Pass Through Fire, the newer
> edition
> > of his lyrics, but the first one only had
> pts. 1
> > & 2.
>
> Absolutely, I'm bothered by this too.
>
> He's not with Sylvia anymore, but I think he just
> tries to keep his "wild years" quiet at this
> point. That was part of my point, I knew Lou as
> the Honda Scooter guy when I was 14 and first
> really listening to him. I still meet people who
> have no idea what a drug-crazed omni-sexual maniac
> Lou was, and are shocked when they find out. I
> think Lou tries to perpetrate the "man of letters"
> image at this point, and distance himself from
> 70's Lou. If Keith was #1 on the most likely to
> die list in the 70's, Lou was 1A. A lot of folks
> don't know this.
>

I didn't know about this whole Rachel thing. I knew Lou Reed was freaky, but I didn't know he was that freaky. Now I want to go out and get a book about his life. Can anyone recommend any good ones?

Victor Bockris (Keith's biographer) did one on him a few years back. Its certainly not as affectionate a portrait as the Keith book is.

I love it. One of his best along with The Blue Mask, Berlin, Songs For Drella, Transformer and Coney Island Baby.

JumpingKentFlash

I discovered NYC in 1989 (two journeys for the Stones) after listening this album.
At that time, you could feel the Reed's atmosphere in the streets (Crack's dealers, homeless, prostitutes...
Nowadays, NYC is safer but has lost his venom : you can walk along the Bowery without apprehension.

In 1989, i saw Lou on stage at the Olympia : one of my best concert ever.
First part was almost the entire NewYork album with fantastic Last american whale and Beginning a new adventure.
Then some oldies including One more for the road/Rock me babe, Rock&roll.
1st encore : Sweet Jane, Walk on the wild side and Vicious
2nd encore : Satellite of love, Street hassle
3rd encore (after 15 minutes, lights in the place on!!!) : Waiting for my man
All in all almost 3 hours in the Olympia.

Well,

I like Transformer, Berlin, Sally can´t dance, Coney Island, R&R heart, The Bells, Growing up in public, Street Hassle, The Blue mask, Misstrail, New sensations, New York, Magic and loss, Ecstacy and probably a few more.

Otherwise - I just don´t care for his music.

bassplayer617 Wrote:
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> While spending a day off with my daughter, who's
> ill, I'm revisiting some old favorites. This album
> ranks right up there with my "in your living room"
> faves. No slick production. This album was just
> recorded "as is", and has some great performances.
> Regardless of what you may think of Lou, this
> album just sounds immediate and alive, almost as
> if they made it up on the spot. Love it.
>
>
>
> Edited 1 times. Last edit at 01/12/06 23:41 by
> bassplayer617.



Yes, a great album. Romeo Had Juliette, Last Great American Whale, Halloween Parade, Dirty Blvd, Busload of Faith and Dimestore Adventure are all superb.

Bockris's biography is called Transformer and has a very ugly cover. There's a more restrained biography, maybe done a few years earlier, by Peter Doggett. I think the title is Growing Up in Public. Bockris spends a lot of time on lou's electroshock treatments as a boy. I think Doggett has more insights into the music.

Thanks for the book recommendations, Gazza and cc. I'm going to check those out.

As far as the book goes, by all means do not get the Bockris one. Bockris...I guess he tries to have his heart in the right place, but he is a) an idiot, b)too sensationalistic and c)not really a good writer.
Lou is one of the true poets of the English language. There are passages in his lyrics, too many to mention here on a STONES board, that are f*cking inspired.
"How do you think it feels, to be like a wolf and foxy?
How do you think it feels to always make love by proxy?"

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

ChelseaDrugstore Wrote:
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> As far as the book goes, by all means do not get
> the Bockris one. Bockris...I guess he tries to
> have his heart in the right place, but he is a) an
> idiot, b)too sensationalistic and c)not really a
> good writer.
> Lou is one of the true poets of the English
> language. There are passages in his lyrics, too
> many to mention here on a STONES board, that are
> f*cking inspired.
> "How do you think it feels, to be like a wolf and
> foxy?
> How do you think it feels to always make love by
> proxy?"
>
> "Wake me up before you go-go
> I'm not planning on goin solo
> Wake me up before you go-go
> Don't leave me hanging on like a Yo-Yo"

I just finished reading the Bockris Keith bio and you're right, he is too sensationalistic. Not to mention he got a few of his facts wrong.

I think bockris may have done some original research, though, so his book has some value. Maybe he just recycled old magazine articles I had never read, but for me there was new information in Transformer. However, most of it was about lou reed's personal life, which as a fan of his music I'm not all that interested in. So "sensationalistic" is right. Guess I would start with the doggett but go with bockris if you come across it.

One interesting thing I always remember from the doggett book was his observation that critics began to turn against lou when he turned to funk and r&b sounds on Sally Can't Dance. I mean, the album is not great in a number of ways, but lou was certainly sincere, even at the cutting edge, in exploring funk rhythms, as some of his later 70s albums showed. Only recently have critics taken that kind of music seriously. Coney Island Baby was the critics' favorite from that period, and it is very laid back, almost acoustic.

cc Wrote:
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> One interesting thing I always remember from the
> doggett book was his observation that critics
> began to turn against lou when he turned to funk
> and r&b sounds on Sally Can't Dance. I mean,
> the album is not great in a number of ways, but
> lou was certainly sincere,

Lou's own personal review of Sally Cant Dance was that "it sucked"

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > One interesting thing I always remember from
> the
> > doggett book was his observation that
> critics
> > began to turn against lou when he turned to
> funk
> > and r&b sounds on Sally Can't Dance. I
> mean,
> > the album is not great in a number of ways,
> but
> > lou was certainly sincere,
>
> Lou's own personal review of Sally Cant Dance was
> that "it sucked"
>


Right. But he probably had other reasons in mind. If he was in his mind when he said that.

Lou is a timeless songwriter / musician. I have never heard anything form him that sounds dated. Even the mid 80's period. He never ever sounded like a shmuck. He has always made cool music and written great songs. From the VU up to now he has always made excellent music. "Set The Twilight Reeling" from '96 is so underrated. I absolutely love that album. The Velvet Underground are simply one of the most amzing bands of all time. My all time favorite solo Lou has to be "The Blue Mask". The band he had on that album and the subsequent tour was AWESOME !! So much raw energy. Pure rock and roll

Oh yeah OOMH, there are several of his "not-so-well-known" albums that are totally underrated. Lou has for a long time not been a big seller anymore. "Twilight" is also one of my faves, and the "Blue Mask" is of course one of his masterpieces. The big diff on that album was Robert Quine who was amazing! There is one more album we hgave not mentioned so far "Legendary hearts" that I also like a lot.
The thing about "SallY' is that Lou supposedly was so out of his mind when recordinmg it that he does not rememebr any of it. Steve Katz just propped him up to sing and sent hima way. That si why that album is so schizoid.
IMO "Berlin" will alwasy be his masterpiece. One of the greatest albums ever done.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

Hey ChelseaDrugstore

If you like Quine,you absolutely must get a copy of Queen of Siam by Lydia Lunch, on this record Quine overdubbed his psycho guitar playing over the Van Planck Orchestra (guys who made all those crazy cartoon scores like the Flintstones etc),its amazing.
Also of course all the stuff he did with Richard Hell and The Voidoids is classic, one of the guitar greats for sure.

ChelseaDrugstore Wrote:
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> Oh yeah OOMH, there are several of his
> "not-so-well-known" albums that are totally
> underrated. Lou has for a long time not been a big
> seller anymore. "Twilight" is also one of my
> faves, and the "Blue Mask" is of course one of his
> masterpieces. The big diff on that album was
> Robert Quine who was amazing! There is one more
> album we hgave not mentioned so far "Legendary
> hearts" that I also like a lot.
> The thing about "SallY' is that Lou supposedly was
> so out of his mind when recordinmg it that he does
> not rememebr any of it. Steve Katz just propped
> him up to sing and sent hima way. That si why that
> album is so schizoid.
> IMO "Berlin" will alwasy be his masterpiece. One
> of the greatest albums ever done.


agree with you on "Berlin"

I also think "New Sensations" is a greatly overlooked record.