peppergomez wrote: Not to take anythiggn away from Reeds incredible songwriting talent, but he got very very very lucky to have been rescued from irrelevance and obscurity the way he did with VU. It allowed him to be relevant as a solo artist in a way he could have never achieved on his own because I very much doubt he would have ever emerged From Dylan's shadow and distinguieshed himself as something more than an imitator.
I'm not sure I'd agree that Lou was "rescued from irrelevance and obscurity" by anybody, he was the driving force behind putting the VU together in the first place. Sure he needed John, Sterl and Moe to create what he did, but they needed him just as much if not more. What would John have been without Lou? As you say Pepper, it was one of those amazing moments when the planets aligned and 4 people created something far greater than the sum of its parts, as all the greatest bands do.
And thanks again to the people who posted this, which I nearly overlooked as without listening to it I thought it was just somebody performing Heroin as a tribute to Lou! If you haven't already downloaded do it NOW, it's awesome. I wouldn't call it "sub-par folk", certain singer/songwriters today would sell their granny to come up with something half as emotionally laden and powerful as this (are you listening, Ed Sheeran?!). To think this was recorded nearly 50 years ago is just incredible...
peppergomez wrote: Not to take anythiggn away from Reeds incredible songwriting talent, but he got very very very lucky to have been rescued from irrelevance and obscurity the way he did with VU. It allowed him to be relevant as a solo artist in a way he could have never achieved on his own because I very much doubt he would have ever emerged From Dylan's shadow and distinguieshed himself as something more than an imitator.
I'm not sure I'd agree that Lou was "rescued from irrelevance and obscurity" by anybody, he was the driving force behind putting the VU together in the first place. Sure he needed John, Sterl and Moe to create what he did, but they needed him just as much if not more. What would John have been without Lou? As you say Pepper, it was one of those amazing moments when the planets aligned and 4 people created something far greater than the sum of its parts, as all the greatest bands do.
And thanks again to the people who posted this, which I nearly overlooked as without listening to it I thought it was just somebody performing Heroin as a tribute to Lou! If you haven't already downloaded do it NOW, it's awesome. I wouldn't call it "sub-par folk", certain singer/songwriters today would sell their granny to come up with something half as emotionally laden and powerful as this (are you listening, Ed Sheeran?!). To think this was recorded nearly 50 years ago is just incredible...
Don't get me wrong....Heroin is one of the mst impressive rock songs ever written, from a literary standpoint from day one, and from as musical standpoint once VU worked it up to its full potential. I am saying that the musical setting for it I that demo is to my ear sub-par Dylan. And I am not sure if Reed would have ever gotten the opportunity to move beyond that musical presentation, at least in terms of record company support, albums released on a major label with wide distribution, access to a producer like Thom Wilson, good equipment that played a huge part in their sound (Vox amp endorsement), etc. if it hadnt been for VU and Warhol. In other words, he might have vanished as a musician, at least commercially speaking.
Heck, even Cale himself would later characterize Reed as an unhappy folk singer when he first met him.
You have to look at the full context of the demo.
It was recorded as part of a group of songs at
Pickwick and Reed may have sang the song as "sub par Dylan"
because he was presenting it for possible inclusion on a
Budget knock-off folk album.
radiofreesimulacrum wrote:You have to look at the full context of the demo.
It was recorded as part of a group of songs at
Pickwick and Reed may have sang the song as "sub par Dylan"
because he was presenting it for possible inclusion on a
Budget knock-off folk album.
Yeah, that's possible, and a Foogle point, though my feeling is that Dylans persona was so much a part of the music zeitgeist at that time that it wouldn't surprise me if Reed was very influenced by him too.
I really like this new demo version. Reed sounds very young and vulnerable - it's quite a downbeat tender reading, very different from the more confrontational way he approached the song within the VU. And I don't think he sounds particularly Dylanish - although he definitely does on the PS&S demo recorded a month or two later.
peppergomez wrote:Yes. Thanks a lot. Very interesting period piece. Shows that if he hadn't hooked up with Cale and Morrison, Reed would have probably just been another Dylan wannabe, at least in his musical presentation (his lyrics would still be incredible). at best he might have released one or two singer songwriter folk albums in the sixties before vanishing, and being just a cult figure. I still consider it a minor miracle that all they creative forces (Reed, Cale, Morrsion, then Warhol) aligned as they did. really turned it from sub-par folk presentation (as on that recording) to the not amazing rock and roll ever made.
Not to take anythiggn away from Reeds incredible songwriting talent, but he got very very very lucky to have been rescued from irrelevance and obscurity the way he did with VU. It allowed him to be relevant as a solo artist in a way he could have never achieved on his own because I very much doubt he would have ever emerged From Dylan's shadow and distinguieshed himself as something more than an imitator.
We know they were also playing with the folk idiom on the PSAS released demos so this doesn't come as a complete shock and at the time folk protest was probably still the cutting edge as far as popular music was concerned - at least in the literary circles.
There's no doubt in my mind that Reed was always first and foremost a (very talented) singer-songwriter. It does appear that it was Cale (also Conrad and Maclise) who exposed Reed to the musical avant-garde. And afterwards Reed showed absolutely no interest in it ? even dismissing something Cale had contributed to the VU in interview after Cale had left (check the CD from Alfredo's book, I think). What I do find strange is how Cale himself gave up on the avant-garde afterwards ? becoming largely a singer-songwriter and perhaps showing how much Reed returned an influence.
Without Reed and Cale no VU? That's incontestable.
Wow! Thanks for this. I would have completely missed it, if it wasn't for you.
I don't think we should get too hung up on the Lou's Dylanesque folky rendition. People tried out different styles back then. Remember he also produced the proto-Velvets garagey You're Driving Me Insane. Presumably the whole tape would become public domain in May. I wonder if someone will release it.
Wow,Brave version,a sort "Dylan's flow" only at the beginnig but a full VU.song to me.I picked four Banana albun session pix up from this vid,tried my best fix out,hope you love them..!!
Thanks for the heads ups..Alfredo.
But there are no stars in New York sky, they're all on the ground. This is the place where she lay her head when she went to bed at night....
