Reed solo

[Chance]

I feel kinda weird. I must be the only hardcore Velvet fan who has barely any interest in Lou solo. A new album or tour means nothing to me. Back in the seventies and eighties, after discovering the Velvets, I went out and got about a dozen of his albums, but honestly, I haven't listened to much of them in 15 years. Except, perversely enough, "Metal Machine Music," which I love excessively. I'm okay with "Take No Prisoners," "The Bells," "Berlin," "Rock And Roll Animal," "Street Hassle," "Blue Mask," "Growing Up In Public," etc. But I don't feel a compulsion to listen to them the way I need/love to hear the mighty Velvets.

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade, mind you. Everyone who catches him on this European go-round, by all means have a ball! I respect him as an artist, he's always staked out his own ground regardless of what it'll do for his popularity, but I really don't get excited by what's going on with him. Couldn't really care less. Am I unique in this, or are there others among us?

[MJG196]

I dont get what the excitement over Lou's recent tours is either. He sounds so robotic now. No emotion...just...just tired.

[Stephen Says]

you do enjoy Transformer, don't you, Chance? It must have been disappointing to the kids who expected something as monumental as VU, but I say it's still got plenty of heart & personality. 'Makeup' is always stuck in my head... for some reason it makes me think of Nabokov novels.

[arjan]

I feel kinda weird. I must be the only hardcore Velvet fan who has barely any interest in Lou solo. I respect him as an artist, he's always staked out his own ground regardless of what it'll do for his popularity, but I really don't get excited by what's going on with him. Couldn't really care less. Am I unique in this, or are there others among us?

Nope, I'm with you. If he's in the neighbourhood, I'll go see him (he played Eindhoven, 2002'ish), as I would do with John. But his records... I've got the two first albums and New York, that's it. Owned a few others but sold them on. His latest albums do little for me and The Raven positively gives me a rash all over when I hear more than 5 seconds of it. Not to sound grim or anything

[Chance]

you do enjoy Transformer, don't you, Chance?

Don't have it, actually. Now there's an oversight, it's got the rep as one of his best. I like Bowie during that timeframe, he was killer, but I don't know about Lou as glam. Seems too garish/contrived, even if he thought some in the genre were stealing his ideas. Nobody over 14 should be wearing black nailpolish.

[simonm]

I can take it or leave it - but mostly I leave it, don't listen to solo Lou much. I have his 1st 4 or 5 LPs inc MMM, and Street Hassle and New York and Ecstasy ... and The Raven - I like it! Only seen him once live though, not really a "Fan".
I do think he can still be funny/good/interesting and has good work ahead of him.
More stuff w/ Laurie Anderson would be good, if he can keep the pretensions under control.

[Homme Fatale]

I love, I love, I love all his '70s albums. But I'm not really interested in any of the more "recent" ones, a song here, another there but that's it ("Modern Dance" being an example of really great recent material).

Seeing Lou live being a big deal to me has nothing to do with what I thought about his last album or whatever, it's because it's him. And he'll do a lot of songs that I hold dear anyway.

[Pernod time]

I love Coney Island Baby(especially),The Bells and Blue Mask, as much as the VU records, but others such as Transformer and Street Hassle I rarely play. I think New York was an overrated and even lousy album. The Raven is a real mess but interesting none the less. I saw Lou in 2000 at Montreux and it was a truly great gig, roaring live power, I think he's still a fine live artist.
Thats my take on it

[Stephen Says]

But everyone digs Take a Walk On the Wild Side, correct? My dad, who grew up around that time, had barely heard of the Velvet Underground, but when I said the name Lou Reed, he started singing that song. "Everyone from my generation knows him by that song..." He said he never knew anyone who talked about the Velvets, though. "You think they were such a big deal," he says, "but it was just that song that we all liked..." Course that's why they're the Velvet *Underground*.

[Doctor Bob]

Apologies to people who've already read the post I wrote yesterday on the 'EUROPEAN TOUR' thread. But Chance has put forward a much broader topic that I can't resist posting on separately. I can see completely why someone wouldn't relate to Lou solo despite loving the VU material because the entire ambience/sound/feel/production/atmosphere are worlds apart-and I know many Beatles fans feel the same about Lennon solo and Simon and Garfunkel fans about Paul Simon solo and countless other similar parallels. Then there's other peoples they like both-just watch me now! I own all of Lou's albums and this is my 26 Dollars' worth:

Lou Reed Eponymous: Mostly Velvets unreleased material interpreted by unsympathetic musicians-still, the beauty of tracks like Lisa Says shines through regardless, and the full-length version of Berlin

Transformer: Pretty overrated with a glam production that is largely outmoded and kitsch with its perhaps once provocative trans-gender themes. BUT WOTWS, Vicious, Satellite and Perfect Day are all pretty timeless. And the other songs are cool too but when I listen to the whole record I feel a little glammed-out...

Berlin: A staggering work of colossal genius, just utter, mammoth significance for me. But if a Velvets die-hard finds it too overblown and pompous and sessiony, I would see where they're coming from. In a lot of ways Chance, I feel that its just because you're a Die Hard VU fan that you don't appreciate this stuff as much as others-and fair enough

Sally Can't Dance: Some cute stuff going on in several tracks and I can listen to it as background but nothing amazing

RnR Animal/Lou Reed Live: Depends on your like or hate of the heavy riffs and shred guitar that characterize the duelling Hunter-Wagner Rock Band. Normally you either love it or hate it.

Metal Machine Music: This is an amazing record for a number of reasons, regardless of whether you ever listen to it or not, because of what it says about what Lou is capable of doing to fans, record execs, sales figures, and feedback signals all in one go!

Coney Island Baby: This is a great great record, showing Lou at his sentimental (and vicious) best, with exquisite play from Bob Kulick on lead guitar

Rock n Roll Heart: This is great also- a bunch of jazz musicians indulge these playful songs which prove that Lou needs all of 4 words and 2 chords to write numbers that are better than most peoples greatest hits (I'm Bangin on my drum, anyone?). Still, clearly trivial listening material by anyone's standards. But gloriously so!

Street Hassle: Failure of the Binaural Audiophile Experiment but what a great, epic, classic title track and what an incredibly impersonal rendition of 'We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together'. That's gotta be worth $10 alone!!! But then many fans may consider it a desecration-I just don't take stuff that seriously though

Take No Prisoners: Hilarious in part but also very powerful unconventional readings of the hits, with the gospel backing singers used to such good effect and Lou beginning to show us how differently he can arrange his vocals-a trait which infuriated many on Velvet Redux ten years later-but me gee I just love those ever-inventive inflections he keeps coming out with. Must have album!

The Bells and Growing Up in Public: Take 'em or leave 'em in my book, but some people adore them!

Blue Mask: Don't like this one. Sounds like it was recorded in a broom closet to me, really claustrophobic. But then I felt the same about Neil Young's Zuma, and Lou really loved that record so maybe I'm missing something.

Legendary Hearts: What an amazing title track, really love it-much of the album is for completists only though

New Sensations: Title track and 'Doing the Things that We Want to' are real highlights for me. Bob Dylan went to a Reed gig and saw him perform 'Doing the Things...' and said 'That's a great song...I wish I had written that song'

Mistrial: Sounds far too heavy to me, like the production isn't right-but I think of it as the stepping stone to the next record, which is the critically acclaimed...

New York: Lou has discovered Mike Rathke, and this is Rathke's finest moment. For me the New York LP is an amazing record that has a timeless quality despite being steeped in references to the political issues of late 80's in NYC. The guitar playing is just wonderful and Lou's phrasing is right on the money. Choice cuts? All of them!

Songs For Drella: Perhaps not technically Lou Solo but boy is this a fucking breathtaking record-this record just ruined me with its complete relentless beauty-I still listen to it most weeks and it blows me away each time. Lou's guitar playing on it is the best it has been since the WLWH album and the lyrics are equally good. I don't even know who I would be if I hadn't heard this record, studied it and almost memorized it-I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

Magic and Loss: Will Lou just not let up? This is the Rock Poet in all his glory-the art work and track titles display pretentions that are more than vindicated by the extremely high quality of pure feeling evinced in the recordings of sheer musical and lyrical genius

Set the Twilight Reeling: Nowhere near as great as the previous 3. A much more trivial record with several novelty songs done by numbers. HookyWooky gets me everytime though ("And each lover I meet up on your roof/I wouldn't wanna throw him off/Into the chemical sky to die under the wheels of a car on Canal Street")

Ecstasy: Right back on the money with his best produced solo effort. Absolute KILLER hooks on 'Paranoia Key of E', 'Ecstasy', 'Mad', such unusual acoustic guitar-fuelled venom on 'Baton Rouge', and perhaps the best track is 'Like a Possum' where Lou screams repeatedly that he is 'Calm as an Angel' against the background of an unremitting sonic assault that to me is the logical follow thru of the philosophy behind the WLWH days via Metal Machine.

OK guys I've had a lot of fun thinking through all this stuff and I hope my opinions didn't piss anyone off. Actually the only thing I probably achieved is making myself want to listen to all 37 albums again. All at once.