bleach wrote:Well Doug Yule wasn't featured ..
.. but he got a "thanks to" mention in the credits so clearly he helped in some way.
Lou Reed is dead
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threechordwonder
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Re: Lou Reed is dead
.. but he got a "thanks to" mention in the credits so clearly he helped in some way.
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Sheila Klein
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Re: Lou Reed is dead
Lou Reed's Complex Spirit Is Invoked at a Reunion of His Inner Circle
by Jon Pareles
New York Times
December 17, 2013
Righteous guitar noise began and ended the memorial for Lou Reed on Monday night at the Apollo Theater. It was a celebration, for an invited audience of family and friends, of what more than one speaker called his "complexity": his kindness and his asperity, his spirituality and his earthiness, his groundbreaking music and his silent meditations.
"He lived for beauty," said his widow, the performance artist Laurie Anderson. "Lou knew what he was doing and what he was going for. His incredible complexity and his anger were part of his beauty."
Early arrivals heard Marc Ribot and Doug Wieselman, with their electric guitars cranked up, playing a dissonant, pealing, improvisational duet that eventually resolved into "When the Saints Go Marching In." At the end, Patti Smith led a band in the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray," adding more-uplifting lyrics to its tale of drugs, sex and murder, as Ms. Anderson and members of Mr. Reed's tai chi class demonstrated graceful moves.
Through three hours of music and remembrances, the songs Mr. Reed wrote for the Velvet Underground and through a constantly changing solo career -- hard-nosed and unflinching, unguarded and tender, ferocious and delicate -- were set alongside his dedication to tai chi and Buddhism and his 21 years with Ms. Anderson. "There was never a single doubt that we loved each other beyond anything else, from the time when we first met until the moment he died," she said.
The memorial took place 50 days after Mr. Reed's death on Oct. 27, Ms. Anderson explained, at the end of the 49 days of what Tibetan Buddhists call the bardo, a transitional state after death.
She also noted that the Apollo is on 125th Street, a few blocks from the corner where, in a definitive Velvet Underground song, the narrator waits in "I'm Waiting for the Man." Mr. Reed's longtime producer, Hal Willner, and Paul Simon cited Mr. Reed's lifelong admiration of African-American music, from doo-wop to Ornette Coleman to Nicki Minaj.
Ms. Anderson said that Mr. Reed wrote songs in single bursts. "He would wake up in the middle of the night and just write the song down and it was complete," she said. "He never changed a word. He thought, 'First thought, best thought.' "
Mr. Simon sang the Velvets' "Pale Blue Eyes," marveling at its beauty and admitting there were lines he never understood. Emily Haines, from the Canadian band Metric, sang "All Tomorrow's Parties," and Jenni Muldaur sang the pensive "Jesus." Deborah Harry rocked through "White Light/White Heat."
Ms. Smith chose "Perfect Day" for what she called "Lou's most poignant lyric": "You made me forget myself/I thought I was someone else, someone good." The a cappella doo-wop group the Persuasions reworked Mr. Reed's "Turning Time Around." Antony Hegarty, who appeared in the stage production of Mr. Reed's album Berlin, performed a slow, poignant, tremulous "Candy Says." Julian Schnabel, who filmed Berlin, calmly recited the patricidal, carnage-filled "Rock Minuet."
The saxophonist John Zorn represented Mr. Reed's improvisational side with a squealing, scurrying, exultantly perpetual-motion yawp of a solo. And Philip Glass, on piano, accompanied a recitation of the Kaddish prayer.
Maureen Tucker, the Velvet Underground's drummer, read a message from John Cale, its keyboardist and violist, saying: "Regardless of our differences, we never really drifted too far from what initially brought us together. I guess that's what real friendship is, and I miss my friend."
Mr. Willner recalled that Mr. Reed's albums, including Berlin and Metal Machine Music, were venomously reviewed at first, only to be acclaimed later. The tai chi master Ren GuangYi gave a silent demonstration.
Videos of Mr. Reed showed him performing as a bleached-blonde rocker, deadpanning his way through droll interviews and popping up in films. And at the end, Ms. Anderson spoke about life together as a couple. "We talked nonstop about everything conceivable for 21 years," she said. "We talked about how to make something beautiful, what to do when you fail, and how to make something supremely ugly."
She added: "Almost every day we said, 'You are the love of my life,' or some version of that, in one of our many private and somewhat bizarre languages. We knew exactly what we had, and we were beyond grateful."
Mr. Reed's last words, Ms. Anderson said, were "Take me out into the light!"
by Jon Pareles
New York Times
December 17, 2013
Righteous guitar noise began and ended the memorial for Lou Reed on Monday night at the Apollo Theater. It was a celebration, for an invited audience of family and friends, of what more than one speaker called his "complexity": his kindness and his asperity, his spirituality and his earthiness, his groundbreaking music and his silent meditations.
"He lived for beauty," said his widow, the performance artist Laurie Anderson. "Lou knew what he was doing and what he was going for. His incredible complexity and his anger were part of his beauty."
Early arrivals heard Marc Ribot and Doug Wieselman, with their electric guitars cranked up, playing a dissonant, pealing, improvisational duet that eventually resolved into "When the Saints Go Marching In." At the end, Patti Smith led a band in the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray," adding more-uplifting lyrics to its tale of drugs, sex and murder, as Ms. Anderson and members of Mr. Reed's tai chi class demonstrated graceful moves.
Through three hours of music and remembrances, the songs Mr. Reed wrote for the Velvet Underground and through a constantly changing solo career -- hard-nosed and unflinching, unguarded and tender, ferocious and delicate -- were set alongside his dedication to tai chi and Buddhism and his 21 years with Ms. Anderson. "There was never a single doubt that we loved each other beyond anything else, from the time when we first met until the moment he died," she said.
The memorial took place 50 days after Mr. Reed's death on Oct. 27, Ms. Anderson explained, at the end of the 49 days of what Tibetan Buddhists call the bardo, a transitional state after death.
She also noted that the Apollo is on 125th Street, a few blocks from the corner where, in a definitive Velvet Underground song, the narrator waits in "I'm Waiting for the Man." Mr. Reed's longtime producer, Hal Willner, and Paul Simon cited Mr. Reed's lifelong admiration of African-American music, from doo-wop to Ornette Coleman to Nicki Minaj.
Ms. Anderson said that Mr. Reed wrote songs in single bursts. "He would wake up in the middle of the night and just write the song down and it was complete," she said. "He never changed a word. He thought, 'First thought, best thought.' "
Mr. Simon sang the Velvets' "Pale Blue Eyes," marveling at its beauty and admitting there were lines he never understood. Emily Haines, from the Canadian band Metric, sang "All Tomorrow's Parties," and Jenni Muldaur sang the pensive "Jesus." Deborah Harry rocked through "White Light/White Heat."
Ms. Smith chose "Perfect Day" for what she called "Lou's most poignant lyric": "You made me forget myself/I thought I was someone else, someone good." The a cappella doo-wop group the Persuasions reworked Mr. Reed's "Turning Time Around." Antony Hegarty, who appeared in the stage production of Mr. Reed's album Berlin, performed a slow, poignant, tremulous "Candy Says." Julian Schnabel, who filmed Berlin, calmly recited the patricidal, carnage-filled "Rock Minuet."
The saxophonist John Zorn represented Mr. Reed's improvisational side with a squealing, scurrying, exultantly perpetual-motion yawp of a solo. And Philip Glass, on piano, accompanied a recitation of the Kaddish prayer.
Maureen Tucker, the Velvet Underground's drummer, read a message from John Cale, its keyboardist and violist, saying: "Regardless of our differences, we never really drifted too far from what initially brought us together. I guess that's what real friendship is, and I miss my friend."
Mr. Willner recalled that Mr. Reed's albums, including Berlin and Metal Machine Music, were venomously reviewed at first, only to be acclaimed later. The tai chi master Ren GuangYi gave a silent demonstration.
Videos of Mr. Reed showed him performing as a bleached-blonde rocker, deadpanning his way through droll interviews and popping up in films. And at the end, Ms. Anderson spoke about life together as a couple. "We talked nonstop about everything conceivable for 21 years," she said. "We talked about how to make something beautiful, what to do when you fail, and how to make something supremely ugly."
She added: "Almost every day we said, 'You are the love of my life,' or some version of that, in one of our many private and somewhat bizarre languages. We knew exactly what we had, and we were beyond grateful."
Mr. Reed's last words, Ms. Anderson said, were "Take me out into the light!"
Re: Lou Reed is dead
There are youtube videos up of what sounds like an amazing event that Phil posted about, including this one with Hal Wilner. At the end of it he plays a tape from May 1965 of Lou in the Pickwick Studios playing Heroin alone -- predating the tracks on the first disc of PSAS. Stunning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oha1LyQDCs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oha1LyQDCs
Re: Lou Reed is dead
Hey bleach, he was credited at the end with some select others:bleach wrote:Well Doug Yule wasn't featured as part of 'Lou Reed Remembered' tonight (1hr BBC4) so either theres another longer version/another documentary in the pipeline or Doug was edited out (story of his life really)..
Bargain bin gold, favorite bands, concerts, photos, and my record collection: All Good Music
Re: Lou Reed is dead
A video of the entire event is up here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Wie9U7ggMmarknaveh wrote:There are youtube videos up of what sounds like an amazing event that Phil posted about, including this one with Hal Wilner. At the end of it he plays a tape from May 1965 of Lou in the Pickwick Studios playing Heroin alone -- predating the tracks on the first disc of PSAS. Stunning.
I clipped out Heroin w/ Audacity for everyone.
Song only
Studio chatter + song
Bargain bin gold, favorite bands, concerts, photos, and my record collection: All Good Music
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Sheila Klein
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Re: Lou Reed is dead
I have pulled out the audio of that "Heroin" version, and posted an MP3 of it at:
http://tinyurl.com/m79xgs2
--Phil M.
http://tinyurl.com/m79xgs2
--Phil M.
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iaredatsun
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Re: Lou Reed is dead
Thanks to everyone who posted, ripped and re-ripped this. It must be the track that Richie Unterburger talks about in his VU book. The scene where someone plays him a Lou Reed recording of Heroin on a cassette in a car in an anonymous carpark. Hurray for Hal Wilner.
underground, overground
Re: Lou Reed is dead
Olivier of course has it listed on his site:
"May 11, 1965
Pickwick Studios, near Long Island City, New York
John Cale - Lou Reed - Jerry Vance or Jimmie Sims
Buzz Buzz Buzz (one complete take + a couple of attempts breaking down)
Why Don't You Smile Now
Heroin (take 1)
Heroin (take 2)
Untitled Piano Piece 1
Untitled Piano Piece 1
A full review of this demo tape is available in White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground Day by Day by Richie Unterberger. Buzz Buzz Buzz is a Lou Reed original, not a cover of the 1957 hit by The Hollywood Flames. Untitled Piano Pieces are by John Cale alone."
Maybe one day we'll get to hear the whole tape...
"May 11, 1965
Pickwick Studios, near Long Island City, New York
John Cale - Lou Reed - Jerry Vance or Jimmie Sims
Buzz Buzz Buzz (one complete take + a couple of attempts breaking down)
Why Don't You Smile Now
Heroin (take 1)
Heroin (take 2)
Untitled Piano Piece 1
Untitled Piano Piece 1
A full review of this demo tape is available in White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground Day by Day by Richie Unterberger. Buzz Buzz Buzz is a Lou Reed original, not a cover of the 1957 hit by The Hollywood Flames. Untitled Piano Pieces are by John Cale alone."
Maybe one day we'll get to hear the whole tape...
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schnittstelle
- Head held high
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Re: Lou Reed is dead
Thank you very much MJG and Sheila for posting the audio files.
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peppergomez
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Re: Lou Reed is dead
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.
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.