Lou Reed | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The career of Lou Reed defied capsule summarization. Like David Bowie (whom Reed directly inspired in many ways), he made over his image many times, mutating from theatrical glam rocker to strung-out junkie to avant-garde noiseman to straight rock & roller to your average guy. Few would deny Reeds immense importance and considerable achievements. As has often been written, he expanded the vocabulary of rock & roll lyrics into the previously forbidden territory of kinky sex, drug use (and abuse), decadence, transvestites, homosexuality, and suicidal depression. As has been pointed out less often, he remained committed to using rock & roll as a forum for literary, mature expression throughout his artistic life, without growing lyrically soft or musically complacent. By and large, he took on these challenging duties with uncompromising honesty and a high degree of realism. For these reasons, he was often cited as punks most important ancestor. Its often overlooked, though, that he was equally skilled at celebrating romantic joy, and rock & roll itself, as he was at depicting harrowing urban realities. With the exception of Neil Young, no other star who rose to fame in the 60s continued to push himself so diligently into creating work that was, and remains, meaningful and contemporary. Although Reed achieved his greatest success as a solo artist, his most enduring accomplishments were as the leader of the Velvet Underground in the 60s. If Reed had never made any solo records, his work as the principal lead singer and songwriter for the Velvets would have still ensured his stature as one of the greatest rock visionaries of all time. The Velvet Underground are discussed at great length in many other sources, but its sufficient to note that the four studio albums they recorded with Reed at the helm are essential listening, as is much of their live and extraneous material. "Heroin," "Sister Ray," "Sweet Jane," "Rock and Roll," "Venus in Furs," "All Tomorrows Parties," "What Goes On," and "Lisa Says" are just the most famous classics that Reed wrote and sang for the group. As innovative as the Velvets were at breaking lyrical and instrumental taboos with their crunching experimental rock, they were unappreciated in their lifetime. Five years of little commercial success was undoubtedly a factor in Reed leaving the group he had founded in August 1970, just before the release of their most accessible effort, Loaded. Although Reeds songs and streetwise, sing-speak vocals dominated the Velvets, he was perhaps more reliant upon his talented collaborators than he realized, or was even willing to admit in his latter years. The most talented of these associates was John Cale, who was apparently fired by Reed in 1968 after the Velvets second album (although the pair subsequently worked together on various other projects). Reed had a reputation of being a difficult man to work with for an extended period, and that made it difficult for his extensive solo oeuvre to compete with the standards of brilliance set by the Velvets. Nowhere was this more apparent than on his self-titled solo debut from 1971, recorded after hed taken an extended hiatus from music, moving back to his parents suburban Long Island home at one point. Lou Reed mostly consisted of flaccid versions of songs dating back to the Velvet days, and he could have really used the group to punch them up, as proved by the many outtake versions of these tunes that he actually recorded with the Velvet Underground (some of which didnt surface until about 25 years later). Reed got a shot in the arm (no distasteful pun intended) when David Bowie and Mick Ronson produced his second album, Transformer. A more energetic set that betrayed the influence of glam rock, it also included his sole Top 20 hit, "Walk on the Wild Side," and other good songs like "Vicious" and "Satellite of Love." It also made him a star in Britain, which was quick to appreciate the influence Reed had exerted on Bowie and other glam rockers. Reed went into more serious territory on Berlin (1973), its sweet orchestral production coating lyrical messages of despair and suicide. In some ways Reeds most ambitious and impressive solo effort, it was accorded a vituperative reception by critics in no mood for a nonstop bummer (however elegantly executed). Unbelievably, in retrospect, it made the Top Ten in Britain, though it flopped stateside. Having been given a cold shoulder for some of his most serious (if chilling) work, Reed apparently decided he was going to give the public what it wanted. He had guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner give his music more of a pop-metal, radio-friendly sheen. More disturbingly, he decided to play up to the cartoon junkie role that some in his audience seemed eager to assign to him. Onstage, that meant shocking bleached hair, painted fingernails, and simulated drug injections. On record, it led to some of his most careless performances. One of these, the 1974 album Sally Cant Dance, was also his most commercially successful, reaching the Top Ten, thus confirming both Reeds and the audiences worst instincts. As if to prove he could still be as uncompromising as anyone, he unleashed the double album Metal Machine Music, a nonstop assault of electronic noise. Opinions remain divided as to whether it was an artistic statement, a contract quota-filler, or a slap in the face to the public. Later, Reed never behaved as outrageously (in public and in the studio) as he did in the mid-70s, although there was plenty of excitement in the decades that followed. When he decided to play it relatively straight, sincere, and hard-nosed, he could produce affecting work in the spirit of his best vintage material (parts of Coney Island Baby and Street Hassle). At other points, he seemed not to be putting too much effort into any aspect of his songs ("Rock and Roll Heart"). With 1978s Take No Prisoners, he delivered one of the weirdest concert albums of all time, more of a comedy monologue (which not too many people laughed hard at) than a musical document. Reed had always been an enigma, but no one questioned the serious intent of his work with the Velvet Underground. As a soloist, it was getting impossible to tell when he was serious, or whether he even wished to be taken seriously anymore. At the end of the 70s, The Bells set the tone for most of his future work. Reed would settle down; he would play it straight; he would address serious, adult concerns, including heterosexual romance, with sincerity. Not a bad idea, but though the albums that followed were much more consistent in tone, they remained erratic in quality and, worse, could occasionally be quite boring. The recruitment of Robert Quine as lead guitarist helped, and The Blue Mask (1982) and New Sensations (1984) were fairly successful, although in retrospect they didnt deserve the raves they received from some critics at the time. Quine, however, would also find Reed too difficult to work with for an extended period. New York (1989) heralded both a commercial and critical renaissance for Reed, and in truth it was his best work in quite some time, although it didnt break any major stylistic ground. Reed worked best when faced with a challenge, which arrived when he collaborated with former partner John Cale in 1990 on a song cycle for the recently deceased Andy Warhol. In both its recorded and stage incarnations, this was the most experimental work that Reed had devised in quite some time. Magic and Loss (1992) returned him to the more familiar straight rock territory of New York, again to critical raves. The re-formation of the Velvet Underground for a 1993 European live tour could not be considered an unqualified success, however. European audiences were thrilled to see the legends in person, but critical reaction to the shows was mixed, and critical reaction to the live record was tepid. More distressingly, old conflicts reared their head within the band once again, and the reunion ended before it had a chance to get to America. Cale and Reed at this point seem determined never to work with each other again (the death of Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison in 1995 seemed to permanently ice prospects of more VU projects). In 1996, the surviving Velvet Underground members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, performing a newly penned song for their fallen comrade, Morrison. Reed closed the 90s with an album that saw him explore relationships, 1996s Set the Twilight Reeling (many speculated that the album was biographical and focused on his union with performance artist Laurie Anderson), which didnt turned out to be one of Reeds more critically acclaimed releases. He also found time to compose music for the Robert Wilson opera Timerocker, and in 1998, released the "unplugged" album Perfect Night: Live in London. The same year, Reed was the subject of a superb installment of the PBS American Masters series that chronicled his entire career (eventually released as a DVD, titled Rock and Roll Heart). The year 2000 saw Reeds first release for Reprise Records, Ecstasy, a glorious return to raw and straightforward rock, a tour de force that many agreed was his finest work since New York. Another collaboration with Robert Wilson, POE-try, followed in 2001 and continued its worldwide stage run through the year. Including new music by Reed and words adapted from the macabre texts of Edgar Allan Poe, POE-try led to Reeds highly ambitious next album, The Raven. Animal Serenade, a double-disc set recorded at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles during his 2003 world tour, was issued in spring 2004. The live effort was Reeds tribute of sorts to his celebrated Rock N Roll Animal concert album, which was released 30 years before. In 2007, Reed released Hudson River Wind Meditations, a four-song experimental sound collage that celebrated both the best and worst aspects of Metal Machine Music. In 2011, he joined forces with heavy metal legends Metallica to create Lulu, an album of fresh studio material. Written by Reed, with James Hetfield et al. providing input on arrangements and dynamics, Lulu blended Lou Reeds trademark monotone vocals with the power and ferocity of Metallicas musicianship. However, Reed underwent a liver transplant at the Cleveland Clinic in April 2013, and although he subsequently proclaimed his strength and intention to return to performing and songwriting, he died of end-stage liver disease at his home on Long Island in late October of that year. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 46 Title: Transformer Released: 1972 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Vicious (02:57) 2 Andy’s Chest (03:21) 3 Perfect Day (03:44) 4 Hangin’ ’Round (03:37) 5 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 6 Make Up (03:01) 7 Satellite of Love (03:42) 8 Wagon Wheel (03:23) 9 New York Telephone Conversation (01:33) 10 I’m So Free (03:12) 11 Goodnight Ladies (04:21) |
| Transformer : Allmusic album Review : David Bowie has never been shy about acknowledging his influences, and since the boho decadence and sexual ambiguity of the Velvet Undergrounds music had a major impact on Bowies work, it was only fitting that as Ziggy Stardust mania was reaching its peak, Bowie would offer Lou Reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. Musically, Reeds work didnt have too much in common with the sonic bombast of the glam scene, but at least it was a place where his eccentricities could find a comfortable home, and on Transformer Bowie and his right-hand man, Mick Ronson, crafted a new sound for Reed that was better fitting (and more commercially astute) than the ambivalent tone of his first solo album. Ronson adds some guitar raunch to "Vicious" and "Hangin Round" thats a lot flashier than what Reed cranked out with the Velvets, but still honors Lous strengths in guitar-driven hard rock, while the imaginative arrangements Ronson cooked up for "Perfect Day," "Walk on the Wild Side," and "Goodnight Ladies" blend pop polish with musical thinking just as distinctive as Reeds lyrical conceits. And while Reed occasionally overplays his hand in writing stuff he figured the glam kids wanted ("Make Up" and "Im So Free" being the most obvious examples), "Perfect Day," "Walk on the Wild Side," and "New York Telephone Conversation" proved he could still write about the demimonde with both perception and respect. The sound and style of Transformer would in many ways define Reeds career in the 1970s, and while it led him into a style that proved to be a dead end, you cant deny that Bowie and Ronson gave their hero a new lease on life -- and a solid album in the bargain. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 46 Title: Lou Reed Released: 1972 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Stand It (02:37) 2 Going Down (02:56) 3 Walk and Talk It (03:40) 4 Lisa Says (05:33) 5 Berlin (05:16) 6 I Love You (02:19) 7 Wild Child (04:41) 8 Love Makes You Feel (03:13) 9 Ride Into the Sun (03:16) 10 Ocean (05:06) |
| Lou Reed : Allmusic album Review : Nearly 30 years after it came out, Lou Reeds solo debut suggests that neither Reed nor his new record company were quite sure about what to do with him in 1972. It would be years before the cult of the Velvet Underground became big enough to mean anything commercially, leaving Lou pretty much back where he started from in the public eye after five years of hard work, and he seemed to be searching for a different musical direction on this set without quite deciding what it would be; while the best tunes are admirably lean, no-frills rock & roll, there are also several featuring tricked-up arrangements that dont suit the material terribly well (at no other time in history would anyone believe that Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman would be a good choice as backing musicians for the guy who wrote "Sister Ray"). Lou also didnt appear to have done much songwriting since he left the Velvets in 1970; with the exception of the hilariously catty "Wild Child" and "Berlin," a song Reed would revisit a few years later, nearly every significant song on Lou Reed dated back to his tenure with the Velvet Underground, though it would be years before that bands recordings of "I Cant Stand It," "Lisa Says," or "Ocean" would surface. On its own terms, Lou Reed isnt a bad album, but it isnt a terribly interesting one either, and since superior performances of most of these songs are available elsewhere, it stands today more as a historical curiosity than anything else. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 46 Title: Berlin Released: 1973-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 49:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Berlin (03:25) 2 Lady Day (03:39) 3 Men of Good Fortune (04:37) 4 Caroline Says I (03:57) 5 How Do You Think It Feels (03:43) 6 Oh, Jim (05:12) 7 Caroline Says II (04:13) 8 The Kids (07:53) 9 The Bed (05:51) 10 Sad Song (06:59) |
| Berlin : Allmusic album Review : Transformer and "Walk on the Wild Side" were both major hits in 1972, to the surprise of both Lou Reed and the music industry, and with Reed suddenly a hot commodity, he used his newly won clout to make the most ambitious album of his career, Berlin. Berlin was the musical equivalent of a drug-addled kid set loose in a candy store; the albums songs, which form a loose story line about a doomed romance between two chemically fueled bohemians, were fleshed out with a huge, boomy production (Bob Ezrin at his most grandiose) and arrangements overloaded with guitars, keyboards, horns, strings, and any other kitchen sink that was handy (the session band included Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Aynsley Dunbar, and Tony Levin). And while Reed had often been accused of focusing on the dark side of life, he and Ezrin approached Berlin as their opportunity to make The Most Depressing Album of All Time, and they hardly missed a trick. This all seemed a bit much for an artist who made such superb use of the two-guitars/bass/drums lineup with the Velvet Underground, especially since Reed doesnt even play electric guitar on the album; the sheer size of Berlin ultimately overpowers both Reed and his material. But if Berlin is largely a failure of ambition, that sets it apart from the vast majority of Reeds lesser works; Lous vocals are both precise and impassioned, and though a few of the songs are little more than sketches, the best -- "How Do You Think It Feels," "Oh, Jim," "The Kids," and "Sad Song" -- are powerful, bitter stuff. Its hard not to be impressed by Berlin, given the sheer scope of the project, but while it earns an A for effort, the actual execution merits more of a B-. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 46 Title: Sally Can’t Dance Released: 1974 Tracks: 8 Duration: 33:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ride Sally Ride (04:07) 2 Animal Language (03:05) 3 Baby Face (05:05) 4 N.Y. Stars (04:01) 5 Kill Your Sons (03:40) 6 Ennui (03:43) 7 Sally Can’t Dance (04:12) 8 Billy (05:06) |
| Sally Can’t Dance : Allmusic album Review : On the live album Rock N Roll Animal, Lou Reed showed hed learned how to give his audience what they wanted, and do it well. Sally Cant Dance, on the other hand, was the polar opposite, a remarkably cynical album that pandered to the lowest common denominator of the market that had bought Transformer and Rock N Roll Animal, and didnt even do it with much flair. Reeds performances here are limited to vocals, except for some sloppy acoustic guitar on one track (this from the man who helped reinvent electric guitar with the Velvet Underground), and the sodden, overblown arrangements sink most of these tunes before they get past the first chorus; much of the time, Reed sounds like an afterthought on his own album. And while Reeds best songwriting ranks with the best rock of his generation, Sally Cant Dance is cluttered with throwaways that reach for the boho decadence of Transformer and come up empty (with special recognition going to the bizarre and truly puzzling "Animal Language"). Side two does offer two worthwhile songs: "Kill Your Sons," a powerful and deeply personal remembrance of Reeds bouts with shock treatment and brutal psychotherapy, which he would revisit in a much stronger performance on 1984s Live in Italy, and "Billy," a witty and surprisingly poignant remembrance of an old friend and how their paths in life diverged. But otherwise, Sally Cant Dance has the distinction of being the worst studio album of Reeds career; Metal Machine Music may have been a lot more annoying, but at least he was trying on that one. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 46 Title: Metal Machine Music Released: 1975-07 Tracks: 4 Duration: 1:04:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Metal Machine Music, Part I (16:10) 2 Metal Machine Music, Part II (15:53) 3 Metal Machine Music, Part III (16:13) 4 Metal Machine Music, Part IV (15:55) |
| Metal Machine Music : Allmusic album Review : One would be hard-pressed to name a major artist who ever released an album as thoroughly alienating as Lou Reeds Metal Machine Music; at a time when noise rock and punk had yet to make their presence known, Reed released this 64-minute aural assault that offered up a densely layered soundscape constructed from feedback, distortion, and atonal guitar runs sped up or slowed down until they were all but unrecognizable. Metal Machine Music seems a bit less startling today, now that bands like Sonic Youth and the Boredoms have created some sort of context for it, but it hasnt gotten any more user friendly with time -- while Thurston Moore may go nuts on his guitar like this for three or four minutes at a stretch, Metal Machine Music goes on and on and on for over an hour, pausing only for side breaks with no rhythms, melodies, or formal structures to buffer the onslaught. If youre brave enough to listen to the whole thing, its hard not to marvel at the scope of Reeds obsession; its obvious he spent a lot of time on these layered sheets of noise, and enthusiasts of the violent guitar freakout may find it pleasing in short bursts. But confronting Metal Machine Music from front to back in one sitting is an experience thats both brutal and numbing. Its hard to say what Lou Reed had in mind when he made Metal Machine Music, and Reed has done little to clarify the issue over the years, though he summed it up quite pointedly in an interview in which he said, "Well, anyone who gets to side four is dumber than I am." For the record, I did get to side four. But I got paid for it. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 46 Title: Coney Island Baby Released: 1975-12 Tracks: 8 Duration: 35:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Crazy Feeling (02:54) 2 Charley’s Girl (02:36) 3 She’s My Best Friend (06:00) 4 Kicks (06:04) 5 A Gift (03:45) 6 Ooohhh Baby (03:45) 7 Nobody’s Business (03:45) 8 Coney Island Baby (06:36) |
| Coney Island Baby : Allmusic album Review : From 1972s Transformer onward, Lou Reed spent most of the 70s playing the druggy decadence card for all it was worth, with increasingly mixed results. But on 1976s Coney Island Baby, Reeds songwriting began to move into warmer, more compassionate territory, and the result was his most approachable album since Loaded. On most of the tracks, Reed stripped his band back down to guitar, bass, and drums, and the results were both leaner and a lot more comfortable than the leaden over-production of Sally Cant Dance or Berlin. "Crazy Feeling," "Shes My Best Friend," and "Coney Island Baby" found Reed actually writing recognizable love songs for a change, and while Reed pursued his traditional interest in the underside of the hipsters life on "Charlies Girl" and "Nobodys Business," he did so with a breezy, freewheeling air that was truly a relief after the lethargic tone of Sally Cant Dance. "Kicks" used an audio-tape collage to generate atmospheric tension that gave its tale of drugs and death a chilling quality that was far more effective than his usual blasé take on the subject, and "Coney Island Baby" was the polar opposite, a song about love and regret that was as sincere and heart-tugging as anything the man has ever recorded. Coney Island Baby sounds casual on the surface, but emotionally its as compelling as anything Lou Reed released in the 1970s, and proved he could write about real people with recognizable emotions as well as anyone in rock music -- something you might not have guessed from most of the solo albums that preceded it. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 46 Title: Rock and Roll Heart Released: 1976 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Believe in Love (02:46) 2 Banging on My Drum (02:11) 3 Follow the Leader (02:13) 4 You Wear It So Well (04:52) 5 Ladies Pay (04:22) 6 Rock and Roll Heart (03:06) 7 Chooser and the Chosen One (02:47) 8 Senselessly Cruel (02:08) 9 Claim to Fame (02:51) 10 Vicious Circle (02:53) 11 A Sheltered Life (02:20) 12 Temporary Thing (05:13) |
| Rock and Roll Heart : Allmusic album Review : Rock and Roll Heart was Lou Reeds first album for Arista Records, and one senses that he wanted to come up with something saleable for his new sponsors. Uptempo numbers with pop hooks dominate the set, the 12 songs zip by in an efficient 38 minutes, and instead of Reeds trademark meditations on the dark side of life, the lyrics are (for the most part) lean bursts of verse and chorus, in which the artist sings the praises of good times in general and rock & roll in particular (then again, on "I Believe in Love," Reed pledges his allegiance to both "good time music" and "the iron cross," a bit of perversity to remind us whose album this is). But if Rock and Roll Heart sounds like "Lou Reed Lite," there are more than a few flashes of Reeds inarguable talent. His band is in fine form (especially Marty Fogel on sax and Michael Fonfara on keyboards). "Banging on My Drum" is a crunchy rocker that recalls his work with the Velvet Underground; "A Sheltered Life" is an amusing bit of VU archeology (the Velvets demoed the song, but this marked its first appearance on record); and the closer, "Temporary Thing," is a bitter, haunting narrative that foreshadows Reeds next album, the harrowing masterpiece Street Hassle. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 46 Title: Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed Released: 1977 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Satellite of Love (03:42) 2 Wild Child (04:38) 3 I Love You (02:19) 4 How Do You Think It Feels? (03:08) 5 New York Telephone Conversation (01:33) 6 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 7 Sweet Jane (03:39) 8 White Light/White Heat (05:17) 9 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 10 Nowhere at All (03:13) 11 Coney Island Baby (06:36) |
| Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed : Allmusic album Review : Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed was the standard record company "hits" compilation surveying Reeds five-year, eight-album sojourn at RCA from 1972 to 1976. Its 11 songs included two from Lou Reed, three from Transformer (among them, of course, this albums title track, Reeds sole chart hit), one from Berlin, two from Rock N Roll Animal (one of which is "Sweet Jane" minus the introductory fanfare), and the title tracks from Sally Cant Dance and Coney Island Baby, plus the previously non-LP B-side "Nowhere at All." It was a bulletproof selection, as unimaginative as it was dependable, which oddly was why it worked so well. Reeds solo career had seen some extreme tangents, and this album caught them, from the Dylan-ish "Wild Child" to the glam pop of the Transformer material, and from the heavy metal rearrangements of old Velvet Underground songs on Rock N Roll Animal to the attempts at straightforward adult singer/songwriter rock on songs like "Coney Island Baby." The regular albums had been uneven, but here Reed comes off as an accomplished dabbler in a variety of styles who really had something to say and said it, sometimes humorously, sometimes frantically, but always with conviction. Reed has been a prolific artist, and this album captures only a fraction of his catalog, but he is actually less eclectic as a rule than this collection makes him seem, so the result is an excellent introduction. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 46 Title: Street Hassle Released: 1978 Tracks: 8 Duration: 36:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Gimmie Some Good Times (03:19) 2 Dirt (04:46) 3 Street Hassle (11:00) 4 I Wanna Be Black (02:56) 5 Real Good Time Together (03:22) 6 Shooting Star (03:13) 7 Leave Me Alone (04:48) 8 Wait (03:13) |
| Street Hassle : Allmusic album Review : The rise of the punk/new wave movement in the late 70s proved just how pervasive Lou Reeds influence had been through the past decade, but it also gave him some stiff competition, as suddenly Reed was no longer the only poet of the New York streets. 1978s Street Hassle was Reeds first album after punk had gained public currency, and Reed appeared to have taken the minimal approach of punk to heart. With the exception of Metal Machine Music, Street Hassle was Reeds rawest set of the 1970s; partly recorded live, with arrangements stripped to the bone, Street Hassle was dark, deep, and ominous, a 180-degree turn from the polished neo-glam of Transformer. Lyrically, Street Hassle found Reed looking deep into himself, and not liking what he saw. Opening with an uncharitable parody of "Sweet Jane," Street Hassle found Reed acknowledging just how much a self-parody hed become in the 1970s, and just how much he hated himself for it, on songs like "Dirt" and "Shooting Star." Street Hassle was Reeds most creatively ambitious album since Berlin, and it sounded revelatory on first release in 1978. Sadly, time has magnified its flaws; the Lenny Bruce-inspired "I Wanna Be Black" sounds like a bad idea today, and the murk of the albums binaural mix isnt especially flattering to anyone. But the albums best moments are genuinely exciting, and the title cut, a three-movement poetic tone poem about life on the New York streets, is one of the most audacious and deeply moving moments of Reeds solo career. Raw, wounded, and unapologetically difficult, Street Hassle isnt the masterpiece Reed was shooting for, but its still among the most powerful and compelling albums he released during the 1970s, and too personal and affecting to ignore. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 46 Title: The Bells Released: 1979 Tracks: 9 Duration: 40:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Stupid Man (02:32) 2 Disco Mystic (04:29) 3 I Want to Boogie With You (03:54) 4 With You (02:22) 5 Looking for Love (03:27) 6 City Lights (03:22) 7 All Through the Night (04:59) 8 Families (05:57) 9 The Bells (09:18) |
| The Bells : Allmusic album Review : After the harrowing triumph of Street Hassle, Lou Reeds The Bells sounded like a bit of a step back; it returned Reed to the more listener-friendly, keyboard-dominated sound of Rock and Roll Heart, the lyrics lacked the caustic self-loathing of songs like "Dirt" or "I Wanna Be Black," and it even featured a four-and-a-half-minute funk workout called "Disco Mystic" (hey, this was 1979). But lyrically, The Bells found Reed moving away from the boho decadence of most of his 1970s work and toward a more compassionate perspective on his characters; "Families" and "All Through the Night" display an empathy and emotional depth Reed didnt often allow himself as a solo artist, and "Stupid Man" and "Looking for Love" rocked hard while making the loneliness of their protagonists felt. And the title cut, with Reed experimenting with a guitar synthesizer and free jazz hero Don Cherry inviting the spirit on trumpet, is both a brave exploration of musical space and a lyrically touching sketch of loss and salvation. An album thats worn well over time, The Bells gains depth with each playing and now sounds like one of Reeds finest solo efforts of the 1970s. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 46 Title: Growing Up in Public Released: 1980 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 How Do You Speak to an Angel (04:09) 2 My Old Man (03:14) 3 Keep Away (03:32) 4 Growing Up in Public (03:02) 5 Standing on Ceremony (03:31) 6 So Alone (04:10) 7 Love Is Here to Stay (03:11) 8 The Power of Positive Drinking (02:14) 9 Smiles (02:44) 10 Think It Over (03:24) 11 Teach the Gifted Children (03:25) |
| Growing Up in Public : Allmusic album Review : Growing Up in Public was a transitional album for Lou Reed; it was his last set with his long-running road band (dominated by keyboardist Michael Fonfara), and while the fleshed-out arrangements are of a piece with Reeds work on Rock & Roll Heart and The Bells, the lyrics of the best songs anticipate the directly personal, emotionally naked songwriting that marked the two extraordinary albums that would follow, The Blue Mask and Legendary Hearts. "How Do You Speak to an Angel," "My Old Man," and "Standing on Ceremony" deal with Reeds family issues with a direct force he hadnt summoned since "Kill Your Sons" (well leave it to others to debate their accuracy), and "So Alone" and "Keep Away" both offer a trenchant but heart-rending look at modern relationships. And "The Power of Positive Drinking" is amusing, but rather surprising coming from a guy who would give up alcohol and drugs a year after this was released. Growing Up in Public didnt get much notice on its initial release, but all these years later it sounds like a dry run for what was to be the most creatively fruitful period of Lou Reeds solo career. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 46 Title: Rock and Roll Diary 1967–1980 Released: 1980 Tracks: 20 Duration: 42:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Waiting for the Man (04:37) 2 White Light/White Heat (02:47) 3 I Heard Her Call My Name (04:37) 4 Pale Blue Eyes (05:43) 5 Beginning to See the Light (?) 6 Sweet Jane (03:18) 7 Rock and Roll (04:40) 8 Heroin (09:50) 9 Femme Fatale (03:07) 10 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 1 Berlin (?) 2 Men of Good Fortune (?) 3 The Kids (?) 4 Coney Island Baby (?) 5 Temporary Thing (?) 6 All Through the Night (?) 7 So Alone (?) 8 How Do You Speak to an Angel (?) 9 Keep Away (?) 10 Street Hassle (?) |
| Rock and Roll Diary 1967–1980 : Allmusic album Review : Given the large number of stylistic detours and periodic creative dead ends that have marked Lou Reeds career, it isnt surprising that his body of work doesnt readily lend itself to a neatly packed "greatest hits" album; while there are more than a few Lou Reed collections on the market, most of them fall short of the mark as a truly accurate representation of his body of work. While flawed, Rock and Roll Diary: 1967-1980 fares better than most; by necessity, it stops before Reed could enter his career renaissance period with 1982s The Blue Mask, and it doesnt glean as many of the scattered gems from his RCA period as one might hope. But its one of the few Reed collections that starts with his work in the Velvet Underground rather than the dawn of his solo career, and if the first half isnt the Velvets collection of your dreams, its a concise and telling picture of just how special their music really was, honoring both their sweet and bitter sides. The second half of Rock and Roll Diary looks at Reeds post-Velvets solo work, and while there are plenty of puzzling gaps (nothing from Coney Island Baby? wheres "Perfect Day" and "Kill Your Sons"?) and a curiously strong emphasis on the transitional Growing Up in Public, the songs that do appear are Reed in prime form, and the live workout on "Street Hassle" that closes this set ends the album on a high note. Rock and Roll Diary: 1967-1980 tries to summarize Reeds career as a major creative figure rather than pull together a handful of relative "hits," and if it doesnt quite achieve its goal, it comes close enough to remind anyone that Reed is one of the best and most intriguing figures in American rock & roll. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 46 Title: Historia de la música rock - 27 Released: 1982 Tracks: 8 Duration: 32:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Vicious (02:55) 2 Caroline Says II (04:13) 3 Lisa Says (05:33) 4 Im Waiting for the Man (03:39) 5 Walk on the Wild Side (04:53) 6 Charley’s Girl (02:36) 7 Baby Face (05:05) 8 Nobody’s Business (03:45) |
 | Album: 14 of 46 Title: The Blue Mask Released: 1982-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My House (05:25) 2 Women (04:57) 3 Underneath the Bottle (02:33) 4 The Gun (03:41) 5 The Blue Mask (05:06) 6 Average Guy (03:12) 7 The Heroine (03:06) 8 Waves of Fear (04:11) 9 The Day John Kennedy Died (04:08) 10 Heavenly Arms (04:47) |
| The Blue Mask : Allmusic album Review : In 1982, 12 years after he left the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed released The Blue Mask, the first album where he lived up to the potential he displayed in the most groundbreaking of all American rock bands. The Blue Mask was Reeds first album after he overcame a long-standing addiction to alcohol and drugs, and it reveals a renewed focus and dedication to craft -- for the first time in years, Reed had written an entire albums worth of moving, compelling songs, and was performing them with keen skill and genuine emotional commitment. Reed was also playing electric guitar again, and with the edgy genius he summoned up on White Light/White Heat. Just as importantly, he brought Robert Quine on board as his second guitarist, giving Reed a worthy foil who at once brought great musical ideas to the table, and encouraged the bandleader to make the most of his own guitar work. (Reed also got superb support from his rhythm section, bassist extraordinaire Fernando Saunders and ace drummer Doane Perry). As Reed stripped his band back to a muscular two-guitars/bass/drums format, he also shed the faux-decadent "Rock N Roll Animal" persona that had dominated his solo work and wrote clearly and fearlessly of his life, his thoughts, and his fears, performing the songs with supreme authority whether he was playing with quiet subtlety (such as the lovely "My House" or the unnerving "The Gun") or cranked-to-ten fury (the paranoid "Waves of Fear" and the emotionally devastating title cut). Intelligent, passionate, literate, mature, and thoroughly heartfelt, The Blue Mask was everything Reeds fans had been looking for in his work for years, and its vivid proof that for some rockers, life can begin on the far side of 35. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 46 Title: Legendary Hearts Released: 1983-03 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Legendary Hearts (03:29) 2 Don’t Talk to Me About Work (02:11) 3 Make Up My Mind (02:55) 4 Martial Law (03:56) 5 The Last Shot (03:23) 6 Turn Out the Light (02:49) 7 Pow Wow (02:32) 8 Betrayed (03:13) 9 Bottoming Out (03:43) 10 Home of the Brave (06:55) 11 Rooftop Garden (03:04) |
| Legendary Hearts : Allmusic album Review : If Legendary Hearts seemed like a disappointment in 1983, that was largely because the year before Lou Reed had released The Blue Mask, one of the finest albums of his career, and Legendary Hearts just wasnt quite as good. But pull it off the shelf today, give it a listen, and Legendary Hearts easily shuts down nearly anything Reed released in the 1970s; if its a less obvious masterpiece than The Blue Mask, it makes clear that Reed was once again in firm command of his strengths, and making the most of them in the studio. Guitarist Robert Quine and bassist Fernando Saunders were both back on board from The Blue Mask, and they reaffirmed their status as the linchpins of the strongest band of Reeds solo career, and drummer Fred Maher rocked harder (and with fewer frills) than Doane Perry. The bracing cross-talk of Reeds and Quines guitars had lost nothing in the year separating the two albums, and if Reed didnt seem to be aiming quite as high as a songwriter this time out, most of the tracks were every bit as intelligent and soul-searching as The Blue Masks lineup; if there were a few moments of comic relief, like "Dont Talk to Me About Work" and "Pow Wow," no one could argue that Reed hadnt earned a few laughs after songs like "Make Up Mind," "The Last Shot," and "Betrayed." On Legendary Hearts, Reed was writing great songs, playing them with enthusiasm and imagination, and singing them with all his heart and soul, and if it wasnt his best album, it was more than good enough to confirm that the brilliance of The Blue Mask was no fluke, and that Reed had reestablished himself as one of the most important artists in American rock. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 46 Title: New Sensations Released: 1984 Tracks: 11 Duration: 42:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Love You, Suzanne (03:18) 2 Endlessly Jealous (03:57) 3 My Red Joystick (03:36) 4 Turn to Me (04:22) 5 New Sensations (05:43) 6 Doin’ the Things That We Want To (03:55) 7 What Becomes a Legend Most (03:37) 8 Fly Into the Sun (03:04) 9 My Friend George (03:52) 10 High in the City (03:26) 11 Down at the Arcade (03:40) |
| New Sensations : Allmusic album Review : Lou Reed never struck anyone as one of the happiest guys in rock & roll, so some fans were taken aback when his 1984 album New Sensations kicked off with "I Love You, Suzanne," a catchy up-tempo rocker that sounded a lot like a pop tune. After reaffirming his status as one of rocks greatest poets with The Blue Mask and Legendary Hearts, what was Reed doing here? Lou was having a great time, and his pleasure was infectious -- New Sensations is a set of straight-ahead rock & roll that ranks with the most purely enjoyable albums of Lous career. Reed opted not to work with guitarist Robert Quine this time out, instead overdubbing rhythm lines over his own leads, and if the guitars dont cut quite as deep, theyre still wiry and in the pocket throughout, and the rhythm section of Fernando Saunders and Fred Maher rocks hard with a tough, sinewy groove. And while much of New Sensations finds Reed in a surprisingly optimistic mood, this isnt "Dont Worry, Be Happy" by any stretch of the imagination. On "Endlessly Jealous," "My Friend George," and "Fly Into the Sun," Reed makes it clear that happiness can be a hard-won commodity, and when Reed embraces lifes pleasures on "Turn to Me" and "New Sensations," he does so with a fierce joy thats realistic, unblinking, and deeply felt, like a man whose signed on for the full ride and is going to enjoy the good times while they last. Like Coney Island Baby, New Sensations showed that Reed had a lot more warmth and humanity than he was given credit for, and made clear that he could "write happy" when he felt like, with all the impact of his "serious" material. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 46 Title: City Lights (Classic Performances by Lou Reed) Released: 1986 Tracks: 9 Duration: 41:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Coney Island Baby (08:21) 2 Berlin (05:46) 3 Satellite of Love (06:54) 4 Senselessly Cruel (02:03) 5 Temporary Thing (05:19) 6 Gimmie Some Good Times (03:15) 7 City Lights (03:07) 8 Looking for Love (03:30) 9 Think It Over (03:25) |
 | Album: 18 of 46 Title: Mistrial Released: 1986 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mistrial (03:22) 2 No Money Down (03:10) 3 Outside (03:02) 4 Don’t Hurt a Woman (04:00) 5 Video Violence (05:36) 6 Spit It Out (03:40) 7 The Original Wrapper (03:38) 8 Mama’s Got a Lover (04:12) 9 I Remember You (03:12) 10 Tell It to Your Heart (05:13) |
| Mistrial : Allmusic album Review : Between 1982 and 1984, Lou Reed put together the best band of his solo career, recorded three superb albums, and left behind a fine live double after two rapturously received world tours -- not a bad track record from a guy who had been so inconsistent throughout the 1970s. One might well have argued that Lou was due for a disappointment, and Mistrial certainly filled that bill. On Mistrial, Reed opted to handle both lead and rhythm guitar parts as he had on New Sensations, but with a few shades less precision, and while Fernando Saunders once again did yeoman work as a bassist, as a co-producer he didnt fill out Reeds sound especially well. The decision to use a drum machine on most of these tracks gives the album a stiff feeling, and a texture that captures what was least fortunate about 80s rock, but most importantly Reed didnt have an albums worth of top-shelf songs on tap. "No Money Down" and "Tell It to Your Heart" are smart and funny sketches on the difficult art of romance, while "Mamas Got a Lover" is an unexpectedly sweet character study and "The Original Wrapper" is a game stab at hip-hop from a 44-year-old white guy. But "Outside" and "Spit It Out" are just filler, and "Video Violence" is a pretty strange attack on the media from a guy who tried to bring the mindset of William S. Burroughs and Hubert Selby, Jr. to rock & roll. Mistrial wasnt one of Reeds worst albums (its hard to imagine Sally Cant Dance ever being deprived of that honor), but it certainly lowered his batting average as he seemed to be on a hot streak -- as if his longtime fans needed to be reminded that he was fallible. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 46 Title: Wild Child Released: 1987 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:14:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Vicious (02:57) 2 Satellite of Love (03:38) 3 Wild Child (04:38) 4 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 5 Perfect Day (03:44) 6 New York Telephone Conversation (01:33) 7 White Light/White Heat (04:57) 8 How Do You Think It Feels (03:43) 9 Oh, Jim (05:12) 10 Caroline Says II (04:12) 11 Sad Song (07:09) 12 Lady Day (03:37) 13 Metal Machine Music (01:33) 14 Berlin (03:24) 15 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 16 I Love You Suzanne (03:15) 17 Mistrial (03:22) 18 Legendary Hearts (03:24) 19 Coney Island Baby (06:36) |
 | Album: 20 of 46 Title: Pop Classics Released: 1989 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:04:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 2 Vicious (02:59) 3 Perfect Day (03:44) 4 Caroline Says II (04:16) 5 The Bed (05:56) 6 Make Up (03:01) 7 Sweet Jane (03:40) 8 Coney Island Baby (06:39) 9 Vicious Circle (02:55) 10 Berlin (03:23) 11 Lady Day (03:41) 12 High in the City (03:26) 13 Satellite of Love (03:38) 14 Heroin (12:56) |
 | Album: 21 of 46 Title: New York Released: 1989-01-10 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Romeo Had Juliette (03:11) 2 Halloween Parade (03:33) 3 Dirty Blvd. (03:29) 4 Endless Cycle (04:03) 5 There Is No Time (03:46) 6 Last Great American Whale (03:42) 7 Beginning of a Great Adventure (04:57) 8 Busload of Faith (04:50) 9 Sick of You (03:26) 10 Hold On (03:24) 11 Good Evening Mr. Waldheim (04:36) 12 Xmas in February (02:57) 13 Strawman (05:54) 14 Dime Store Mystery (05:03) |
| New York : Allmusic album Review : New York City figured so prominently in Lou Reeds music for so long that its surprising it took him until 1989 to make an album simply called New York, a set of 14 scenes and sketches that represents the strongest, best-realized set of songs of Reeds solo career. While Reeds 1982 comeback, The Blue Mask, sometimes found him reaching for effects, New Yorks accumulated details and deft caricatures hit bulls-eye after bulls-eye for 57 minutes, and do so with an easy stride and striking lyrical facility. New York also found Reed writing about the larger world rather than personal concerns for a change, and in the beautiful, decaying heart of New York City, he found plenty to talk about -- the devastating impact of AIDS in "Halloween Parade," the vicious circle of child abuse "Endless Cycle," the plight of the homeless in "Xmas in February" -- and even on the songs where he pointedly mounts a soapbox, Reed does so with an intelligence and smart-assed wit that makes him sound opinionated rather than preachy -- like a New Yorker. And when Reed does look into his own life, its with humor and perception; "Beginning of a Great Adventure" is a hilarious meditation on the possibilities of parenthood, and "Dime Store Mystery" is a moving elegy to his former patron Andy Warhol. Reed also unveiled a new band on this set, and while guitarist Mike Rathke didnt challenge Reed the way Robert Quine did, Reed wasnt needing much prodding to play at the peak of his form, and Ron Wasserman proved Reeds superb taste in bass players had not failed him. Produced with subtle intelligence and a minimum of flash, New York is a masterpiece of literate, adult rock & roll, and the finest album of Reeds solo career. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 46 Title: Retro: Best of Lou Reed Released: 1989-03-12 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:11:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 2 Satellite of Love (03:38) 3 I Love You Suzanne (03:15) 4 Wild Child (04:28) 5 How Do You Think It Feels (03:40) 6 Lady Day (03:37) 7 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 8 Sweet Jane (live) (03:34) 9 Vicious (02:55) 10 Sally Can’t Dance (04:03) 11 Berlin (03:25) 12 Caroline Says II (04:13) 13 Perfect Day (03:44) 14 Kill Your Sons (03:35) 15 White Light/White Heat (live) (04:56) 16 I’m Waiting for the Man (04:39) 17 Heroin (07:12) |
 | Album: 23 of 46 Title: Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits Released: 1990 Tracks: 6 Duration: 26:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 2 Sweet Jane (04:31) 3 White Light/White Heat (05:01) 4 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 5 Nowhere at All (03:13) 6 Coney Island Baby (06:37) |
| Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits : Allmusic album Review : An unwieldy title for a collection that could, just as easily, have been titled after "Walk on the Wild Side" alone. That was, after all, the only track in sight that even came within sniffing distance of the Top 40, leaving the rest of this collections contents to revel only in the reflected glow of Lou Reeds own reputation as the purveyor of mighty rock classics. Drawing its contents from the same pool of RCA-era albums as any number of other Reed collections, Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits is one more in an absurdly long line of compilations aimed at casual buyers who want enough Lou to sing along with, but not so much that they might have to start making difficult decisions about which of his albums to pick up next. And, as such, it does its job very well. But you cant help thinking that the songs -- and the buyers -- deserve better. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 46 Title: Songs for Drella Released: 1990-04-11 Tracks: 15 Duration: 54:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Smalltown (02:03) 2 Open House (04:17) 3 Style It Takes (02:54) 4 Work (02:37) 5 Trouble With Classicists (03:41) 6 Starlight (03:28) 7 Faces and Names (04:12) 8 Images (03:30) 9 Slip Away (A Warning) (03:05) 10 It Wasn’t Me (03:30) 11 I Believe (03:17) 12 Nobody but You (03:45) 13 A Dream (06:33) 14 Forever Changed (04:51) 15 Hello It’s Me (03:04) |
| Songs for Drella : Allmusic album Review : John Cale, the co-founder of The Velvet Underground, left the group in 1968 after tensions between himself and Lou Reed became intolerable; neither had much charitable to say about one other after that, and they seemed to share only one significant area of agreement -- they both maintained a great respect and admiration for Andy Warhol, the artist whose patronage of the group helped them reach their first significant audience. So it was fitting that after Warhols death in 1987, Reed and Cale began working together for the first time since White Light/White Heat on a cycle of songs about the artists life and times. Starkly constructed around Cales keyboards, Reeds guitar, and their voices, Songs for Drella is a performance piece about Andy Warhol, his rise to fame, and his troubled years in the limelight. Reed and Cale take turns on vocals, sometimes singing as the character of Andy and elsewhere offering their observations on the man they knew. On a roll after New York, Reeds songs are strong and pithy, and display a great feel for the character of Andy, and while Cale brought fewer tunes to the table, theyre all superb, especially "Style It Takes" and "A Dream," a spoken word piece inspired by Warhols posthumously published diaries. If Songs for Drella seems modest from a musical standpoint, its likely neither Reed nor Cale wanted the music to distract from their story, and here they paint a portrait of Warhol that has far more depth and poignancy than his public image would have led one to expect. Its a moving and deeply felt tribute to a misunderstood man, and its a pleasure to hear these two comrades-in-arms working together again, even if their renewed collaboration was destined to be short-lived. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 46 Title: Magic and Loss Released: 1992-01-13 Tracks: 14 Duration: 58:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dorita (The Spirit) (01:07) 2 What’s Good (The Thesis) (03:22) 3 Power and Glory (The Situation) (04:23) 4 Magician (Internally) (06:23) 5 Sword of Damocles (Externally) (03:42) 6 Goodby Mass (In a Chapel Bodily Termination) (04:25) 7 Cremation (Ashes to Ashes) (02:54) 8 Dreamin’ (Escape) (05:09) 9 No Chance (Regret) (03:15) 10 Warrior King (Revenge) (04:27) 11 Harry’s Circumcision (Reverie Gone Astray) (05:29) 12 Gassed and Stoked (Loss) (04:18) 13 Power and Glory, Part II (Magic Transformation) (02:57) 14 Magic and Loss (The Summation) (06:39) |
| Magic and Loss : Allmusic album Review : With 1982s The Blue Mask, Lou Reed began approaching more mature and challenging themes in his music, and in 1992, Reed decided it was time to tackle the Most Serious Theme of All -- Death. Reed lost two close friends to cancer within the space of a year, and the experience informed Magic and Loss, a set of 14 songs about loss, illness, and mortality. It would have been easy for a project like this to sound morbid, but Reed avoids that; the emotions that dominate these songs are fear and helplessness in the face of a disease (and a fate) not fully understood, and Reeds songs struggle to balance these anxieties with bravery, humor, and an understanding of the notion that death is an inevitable part of life -- that you cant have the magic without the loss. Its obvious that Reed worked on this material with great care, and Magic and Loss contains some of his most intelligent and emotionally intense work as a lyricist. However, Reed hits many of the same themes over and over again, and while Reed and his accompanists -- guitarist Mike Rathke, bassist Rob Wasserman, and percussionist Michael Blair -- approach the music with skill and impeccable chops, many of these songs are a bit samey; the albums most memorable tunes are the ones that pull it out of its mid-tempo rut, like the grooving "Whats Good" and the guitar workout "Gassed and Stoked." Magic and Loss is an intensely heartfelt piece of music, possessing a taste and subtlety one might never have expected from Reed, but its good taste almost works against it; its a sincere bit of public mourning, but perhaps a more rousing wake might have been a more meaningful tribute to the departed. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 46 Title: Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology Released: 1992-04-14 Tracks: 45 Duration: 3:39:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Cant Stand It (02:35) 2 Lisa Says (05:33) 3 Ocean (05:06) 4 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 5 Satellite of Love (03:38) 6 Vicious (02:57) 7 Caroline Says 1 (03:56) 8 How Do You Think It Feels (03:43) 9 Oh, Jim (05:12) 10 Caroline Says 2 (04:12) 11 The Kids (07:49) 12 Sad Song (07:09) 13 Sweet Jane (07:57) 14 Kill Your Sons (03:40) 15 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 1 Nowhere at All (03:14) 2 Kicks (06:04) 3 Downtown Dirt (04:18) 4 Rock and Roll Heart (03:08) 5 Vicious Circle (02:53) 6 Temporary Thing (05:14) 7 Real Good Time Together (03:22) 8 Leave Me Alone (05:35) 9 Heroin (12:19) 10 Here Comes the Bride (06:07) 11 Street Hassle (11:00) 12 Metal Machine Music (01:33) 13 The Bells (06:31) 1 America (02:48) 2 Think It Over (03:26) 3 Teach the Gifted Children (03:14) 4 The Gun (03:41) 5 The Blue Mask (05:03) 6 My House (05:25) 7 Waves of Fear (04:13) 8 Little Sister (06:07) 9 Legendary Hearts (03:24) 10 The Last Show (03:24) 11 New Sensations (05:43) 12 My Friend George (03:56) 13 Doin the Things That We Want To (03:57) 14 The Original Wrapper (03:38) 15 Video Violence (05:36) 16 Tell It to Your Heart (05:13) 17 Voices of Freedom (05:14) |
| Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology : Allmusic album Review : In October 1990, Lou Reed interviewed Vaclav Havel, playwright, poet, president of the newly emancipated Czechoslovakia, and -- surprisingly? -- a Velvet Underground fan. During the course of their conversation, Havel handed Reed a book. "These are your lyrics, hand-printed and translated into Czechoslovakian. There were only 200 of them. They were very dangerous to have. People went to jail." Nobody will go to jail for owning Between Thought and Expression, but Reeds lyrics remain dangerous -- not, as in Communist Czechoslovakia, for what they are, but for what they say. Deactivating societys most fail-safe mechanisms, he tells secrets, lifts shrouds, and, at his best, depicts a reality so harsh, so harrowing, that it becomes almost fantastical. Nobody could live like that. Nobody could love like that. And, surely, nobody could think like that. Between Thought and Expression, three discs and four hours culling Reeds own personal favorites from a then-25-year career, presents that reality without distraction. From the Velvets through to the end of the 80s, with diversions through most of the intriguing alleyways that Reed glanced down during that latter decade, the box is strongest where Reed is at his most powerful -- the inevitable sequence that ran between 1972-1974 most of all. But reevaluate Reeds 80s output and you will be pleasantly surprised, while even the nadir of Rock and Roll Heart proves salvageable. For the collectors, a handful of unreleased cuts include early versions of "Downtown Dirt" and "Leave Me Alone," plus "Here Comes the Bride" emerges a Take No Prisoners outtake that is just as much fun as the rest of that album. "America (Star Spangled Banner)" sounds uncannily like one of those 60s pop classics that punk bands used to speed up, and theres also a new live version of "Heroin," to do with what you will. Indeed, if you ignore the absence of a handful of personal favorites (and overlook the fact that anyone who doesnt already own most of them probably thinks Lou Reed is an instrument that you play in the bathroom), youve got every key track in Reeds pre-New York repertoire, with even the oft-dismissed Metal Machine Music making a 92-second cameo appearance to keep the pedants at bay. Taking Reeds career stage by stage, there are better collections than this out there -- the Legendary box that splits between his two stints on RCA for one. But as a solid overview backed by an informative, Reed-approved booklet, Between Thought and Expression readily lives up to its makers reputation. And that of his lyrics. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 46 Title: A Retrospective Released: 1993 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Cant Stand It (02:35) 2 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 3 Satellite of Love (03:38) 4 Vicious (02:57) 5 Caroline Says I (03:57) 6 Sweet Jane (live) (04:30) 7 Kill Your Sons (03:40) 8 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 9 Nowhere at All (03:14) 10 The Blue Mask (05:03) 11 Legendary Hearts (03:24) 12 My Red Joystick (03:36) 13 The Original Wrapper (03:38) 14 Video Violence (05:36) |
 | Album: 28 of 46 Title: The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground Released: 1995 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:20:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sunday Morning (02:55) 2 I’m Waiting for the Man (04:25) 3 Venus in Furs (05:10) 4 Candy Says (04:04) 5 Pale Blue Eyes (05:41) 6 Beginning to See the Light (04:22) 7 Satellite of Love (03:42) 8 Nowhere at All (03:09) 9 Vicious (02:57) 10 Perfect Day (03:44) 11 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 12 How Do You Think It Feels? (03:08) 13 Sweet Jane (live) (03:37) 14 White Light/White Heat (live) (05:05) 15 Sally Can’t Dance (03:57) 16 Wild Child (04:20) 17 I Love You (02:15) 18 Berlin (03:25) 19 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 20 I Love You, Suzanne (03:10) |
| The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground : Allmusic album Review : Featuring a selection of tracks from the Velvet Underground and Lou Reeds solo career, The Best of Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground hardly lives up to its title. Instead of featuring the "best" or even the most well-known, the disc runs through a random selection of songs that doesnt justice to the Velvet Undergrounds legacy, nor to the erratic brilliance of Reeds solo career. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 46 Title: Set the Twilight Reeling Released: 1996-02-20 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Egg Cream (05:17) 2 NYC Man (04:55) 3 Finish Line (03:24) 4 Trade In (04:59) 5 Hang On to Your Emotions (03:46) 6 Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker), Part II (live) (03:37) 7 HookyWooky (04:19) 8 The Proposition (03:26) 9 Adventurer (04:17) 10 Riptide (07:47) 11 Set the Twilight Reeling (05:03) |
| Set the Twilight Reeling : Allmusic album Review : After contemplating the decline of New York City, the passing of his mentor Andy Warhol, his place in (perhaps) the greatest American rock band of all time, and the very nature of life and death, in 1996 Lou Reed finally began to consider a really important subject -- where to get a good chocolate egg cream. "Egg Cream" kicked off Set the Twilight Reeling, and for many fans it was a kick to hear Reed cranking up his amps and having some fun again, but much of the rest of the album turned out not to be as lightweight as the opener would have led you to expect. On Set the Twilight Reeling, Reed is preoccupied with relationships, as he tries to figure if he wants a long-term commitment ("Trade In"), if hes better off as a lone wolf ("NYC Man"), if hes in love ("The Proposition"), or if he just wants to fool around ("Hookywooky"). Reed rocks a lot harder here than on the two albums that preceded it (and plays plenty of great crunchy guitar), but much of the album is set in a mellow mid-tempo groove thats casual and comfortable but not especially compelling. And while "Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker), Pt. II" is an amusing attack on conservative politicians, his logic isnt exactly clear. Longtime fans are no doubt grateful that Reeds relatively unfocused and unsubstantial albums these days are such a vast improvement over his fallow period in the 1970s, but for the most part Set the Twilight Reeling sounds like a standard issue 1990s Lou Reed album -- smart, well-crafted, with plenty of guitar, but nothing terribly special, either. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 46 Title: Different Times: Lou Reed in the 70s Released: 1996-05 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:16:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Stand It (02:36) 2 Love Makes You Feel (03:10) 3 Lisa Says (05:31) 4 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 5 Perfect Day (03:45) 6 Satellite of Love (03:39) 7 Vicious (02:55) 8 Berlin (03:23) 9 Caroline Says I (03:57) 10 Sad Song (07:08) 11 Caroline Says II (04:13) 12 Sweet Jane (07:59) 13 Kill Your Sons (03:38) 14 Sally Can’t Dance (04:10) 15 A Gift (03:45) 16 She’s My Best Friend (05:59) 17 Coney Island Baby (06:36) |
| Different Times: Lou Reed in the 70s : Allmusic album Review : Lou Reed is very much an album-oriented artist, and those who think they may develop a serious interest in his work are better advised to seek individual titles than compilations. If you just want some of his best songs around the house, though, this is a well-chosen, economic 17-track survey of his best material from his best period as a solo act (the early to mid-70s). Drawing most heavily from the Transformer and Berlin albums, this has his most famous/notorious early solo works ("Walk on the Wild Side," "Vicious," "Satellite of Love," "Caroline Says"), some inferior but notably different remakes of songs he recorded with the Velvet Underground ("Lisa Says," "I Cant Stand It," "Sweet Jane"), and other high points like "Kill Your Sons" and "Coney Island Baby." | ||
 | Album: 31 of 46 Title: The Masters Released: 1997 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:10:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sally Can’t Dance (04:13) 2 Lisa Says (05:33) 3 Coney Island Baby (06:37) 4 Ride Sally Ride (04:06) 5 Kill Your Sons (03:40) 6 I Remember You (03:13) 7 Don’t Talk to Me About Work (02:10) 8 Outside (03:04) 9 Claim to Fame (02:50) 10 Think It Over (03:25) 11 So Alone (04:10) 12 City Lights (03:21) 13 Follow the Leader (02:12) 14 Leave Me Alone (04:49) 15 Sweet Jane (live) (07:53) 16 White Light / White Heat (live) (05:01) 17 Walk on the Wild Side (live) (04:29) |
 | Album: 32 of 46 Title: Perfect Day Released: 1997-09-29 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:15:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock and Roll Heart (03:08) 2 Perfect Day (03:44) 3 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 4 Men of Good Fortune (04:37) 5 How Do You Speak to an Angel (04:04) 6 Downtown Dirt (04:18) 7 Real Good Time Together (03:22) 8 Vicious Circle (02:53) 9 A Gift (03:45) 10 Think It Over (03:24) 11 My Friend George (03:56) 12 Legendary Hearts (03:24) 13 The Last Shot (03:23) 14 Leave Me Alone (05:35) 15 Temporary Thing (05:14) 16 The Gun (03:41) 17 Sad Song (07:09) 18 Growing Up in Public (03:02) |
| Perfect Day : Allmusic album Review : Lou Reeds calm, yet ominous song "Perfect Day" has been attracting attention since it first appeared on his Transformer album in 1972, particularly in the U.K., and particularly in the mid- 90s. In 1995, Duran Duran had a Top 40 British hit with it, and a version by Kirsty MacColl and Evan Dando also charted. Then, in 1996, the Reed recording was featured in the film Trainspotting, giving it a new lease on life. Someone at the U.K. branch of BMG Entertainments discount-priced Camden division seems to have thought that was a good reason to assemble a new compilation of Reeds work from the companys vaults -- he recorded for the BMG labels RCA Victor and Arista from 1972 to 1986 -- attempting to come up with a collection for someone unfamiliar with Reed or the song until its appearance in Trainspotting. Thus, we have this 18-track, 75-minute disc of songs culled from Reeds many albums of the period with an eye toward his calmer, more conventional side. You will not find anything as provocative as Reeds hit "Walk on the Wild Side" or "Street Hassle" here, nor anything as raucous as the live version of "Sweet Jane" from Rock n Roll Animal. But you will find the title tracks from Coney Island Baby and Rock and Roll Heart, along with other mid-tempo rockers and ballads. This is a kinder, gentler Lou Reed than the one most people think of when his name is mentioned. Of course, it isnt an inaccurate portrait of the artist -- he really did record all these songs -- but it certainly isnt the whole story. Think of it as "Lou Reed Lite." No wonder that, shortly after this album came out, "Perfect Day" was used for a chart-topping various artists charity single. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 46 Title: The Definitive Collection Released: 1999 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:15:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Blue Mask (05:03) 2 I Wanna Be Black (02:57) 3 Looking for Love (03:28) 4 Coney Island Baby (06:38) 5 Shooting Star (03:12) 6 Romeo Had Juliette (03:11) 7 I Want to Boogie With You (03:55) 8 Set the Twilight Reeling (05:03) 9 Vicious (02:57) 10 Street Hassle (11:00) 11 Vicious Circle (02:53) 12 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 13 Temporary Thing (05:14) 14 Cremation (Ashes to Ashes) (02:54) 15 The Bells (06:31) 16 Dirty Blvd. (live) (06:11) |
| The Definitive Collection : Allmusic album Review : Compiled by Lou Reed himself, The Definitive Compilation not only doesnt live up to the promise of its title, it proves that an artist is not always the best judge of his own work. Though he is obligated to throw on "Walk on the Wild Side," he bends over backward to avoid his most popular material, concentrating on selections from Street Hassle, The Bells, and Rock and Roll Heart, plus album tracks from The Blue Mask, Coney Island Baby, New York, Set the Twilight Reeling, Magic & Loss, and Perfect Night: Live in London. There are some hits (two from Transformer, "Vicious" and "Walk on the Wild Side"), plus some great songs (most notably "Coney Island Baby"), but the compilation really plays up his willfully difficult side. In that sense, it certainly is representative of Reed, who seems to never have wanted to be accessible, but its neither a good collection of his best solo material (which would have included some challenging material, as well) nor a good introduction for the curious. Its just another scattershot, ill-conceived, intermittently enjoyable compilation in a catalog filled with scattershot, ill-conceived, intermittently enjoyable compilations. | ||
 | Album: 34 of 46 Title: The Very Best Of Released: 1999-04-26 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:12:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Perfect Day (03:44) 2 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 3 Vicious (02:57) 4 Rock and Roll Heart (03:08) 5 The Gun (03:41) 6 I Love You Suzanne (03:15) 7 Carolin Says II (04:15) 8 Men of Good Fortune (04:37) 9 My Friend George (03:52) 10 Lisa Says (05:33) 11 I Want to Boogie With You (03:54) 12 Ocean (05:06) 13 The Last Shot (03:23) 14 I Wanna Be Black (02:56) 15 Sally Can’t Dance (04:12) 16 Coney Island Baby (06:38) 17 Berlin (03:25) 18 Satellite of Love (03:38) |
 | Album: 35 of 46 Title: Ecstasy Released: 2000-04-03 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:17:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Paranoia Key of E (04:28) 2 Mystic Child (05:01) 3 Mad (04:29) 4 Ecstasy (04:25) 5 Modern Dance (04:09) 6 Tatters (05:55) 7 Future Farmers of America (03:01) 8 Turning Time Around (04:21) 9 White Prism (04:00) 10 Rock Minuet (06:56) 11 Baton Rouge (04:54) 12 Like a Possum (18:03) 13 Rouge (01:01) 14 Big Sky (06:32) |
| Ecstasy : Allmusic album Review : Never let it be said that Lou Reed has lost the ability to surprise his audience; who would have thought that at the age of 58, on his first album of the new millennium, Reed would offer us an 18-minute guitar distortion workout with lyrics abut kinky sex, dangerous drugs, and (heres the surprise) imagining what it would be like to be a possum? For the most part, Ecstasy finds Reed obsessed with love and sex, though (as you might expect) his take on romance is hardly rosy ("Paranoia Key of E," "Mad," and "Tatters" all document a relationship at the point of collapse, while "Baton Rouge" is an eccentric but moving elegy for a love that didnt last) and Eros is usually messy ("White Prism"), obsessive ("Ecstasy"), or unhealthy and perverse ("Rock Minuet"). Reed genuinely seems to be stretching towards new lyrical and musical ground here, but while some of his experiments work, several pointedly do not, with the epic "Like a Possum" only the albums most spectacular miscalculation. Still, Reed and producer Hal Wilner take some chances with the arrangements that pay off, particularly the subtle horn charts that dot several songs, and Reeds superb rhythm section (Fernando Saunders on bass and Tony "Thunder" Smith on drums) gives these songs a rock-solid foundation for the leaders guitar workouts. As Reed and his band hit fifth gear on the albums rousing closer, "Big Sky," he once again proves that even his uneven works include a few songs youll certainly want to have in your collection -- as long as theyre not about possums. | ||
 | Album: 36 of 46 Title: The Raven Released: 2003-01-28 Tracks: 36 Duration: 2:05:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Conqueror Worm (02:16) 2 Overture (01:05) 3 Old Poe (00:40) 4 Prologue (Ligiea) (04:49) 5 Edgar Allan Poe (03:20) 6 The Valley of Unrest (02:26) 7 Call on Me (02:07) 8 The City in the Sea / Shadow (04:14) 9 A Thousand Departed Friends (04:55) 10 Change (02:18) 11 The Fall of the House of Usher (08:43) 12 The Bed (03:32) 13 Perfect Day (03:27) 14 The Raven (06:30) 15 Balloon (01:01) 1 Broadway Song (03:12) 2 The Tell-Tale Heart, Part 1 (02:24) 3 Blind Rage (03:25) 4 The Tell-Tale Heart, Part 2 (01:43) 5 Burning Embers (03:21) 6 Imp of the Perverse (03:12) 7 Vanishing Act (05:23) 8 The Cask (06:41) 9 Guilty (spoken) (02:45) 10 Guilty (sung) (04:54) 11 A Wild Being From Birth (05:34) 12 I Wanna Know (The Pit and the Pendulum) (06:58) 13 Science of the Mind (01:36) 14 Annabel Lee / The Bells (01:41) 15 Hop Frog (01:46) 16 Every Frog Has His Day (01:06) 17 Tripitenas Speech (02:19) 18 Who Am I? (Tripitenas Song) (04:30) 19 Courtly Orangutans (01:41) 20 Fire Music (02:44) 21 Guardian Angel (06:51) |
| The Raven : Allmusic album Review : Edgar Allan Poe was a man who usually looked on the dark side of life, had more than a few less-than-healthy romantic and sexual obsessions, was known to dabble in dangerous drugs, and was fascinated with the possibilities of the English language, so its no wonder why Lou Reed regards Poe as a kindred spirit. In his liner notes to the album The Raven, Reed touches on the parallels between their work when he writes, "I have reread and rewritten Poe to ask the same questions again. Who am I? Why am I drawn to do what I should not?...Why do we love what we cannot have? Why do we have a passion for exactly the wrong thing?" Reeds obsession with Poes work found a creative outlet when visionary theatrical director Robert Wilson commissioned Reed to adapt Poes works to music for a production called POE-Try, and The Raven collects the material Reed wrote for this project, as well as a number of dramatic interpretations of Poes work, featuring performances by Willem Dafoe, Steve Buscemi, Elizabeth Ashley, Amanda Plummer, and others. The limited-edition two-disc version of The Raven gives a nearly equal balance to words and music; while the single-disc edition is dominated by Reeds songs, the double-disc set features a much greater number of spoken-word pieces, most of which have been filtered through Reeds imagination, with a more intense focus on sex, drugs, and conflict as a result. While the condensed version of The Raven sounds like one of the oddest and most audacious rock albums of recent memory, the complete edition feels more like a lengthy performance piece (albeit a rather unusual one), and while it lacks something in the way of a central narrative, the focus on the letter as well as the spirit of Poes work seems a great deal clearer here. The pitch of the acting is sometimes a bit sharp (especially Dafoe, who seems to be projecting to the last row of the balcony), but the con brio performances certainly suit the tenor of the material and Poes writing style. Musically, The Raven is all over the map, leaping from low-key acoustic pieces to full-bore, window-rattling rock & roll, with a number of stops along the way. Reed also touches more than casually on his own past as well, with new recordings of "The Bed" and "Perfect Day" added to the sequence, and for a man not known for his ability to collaborate well, The Raven is jam-packed with guest artists, including David Bowie, the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Ornette Coleman, and Laurie Anderson, all of whom are used to their best advantage. The mix of ingredients on The Raven is heady, and the result is more than a little bizarre, but theres no mistaking the fact that Reeds heart and soul are in this music; even the most oddball moments bleed with passion and commitment, whether hes handing the vocal mic over to Buscemi for a faux-lounge number, conjuring up brutal guitar distortion while his band wails behind him, or confronting his fears and desires with just a piano to guide him. Truth to tell, Reed hasnt sounded this committed and engaged on record since Magic and Loss over a decade before; The Raven reaches for more than it can grasp, especially in its two-hours-plus expanded edition, and is dotted with experiments that dont work and ideas that dont connect with their surroundings. But the good stuff is strong enough that anyone who cares about Lou Reeds body of work, or Edgar Allan Poes literary legacy, ought to give it a careful listen. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 46 Title: NYC Man: The Collection Released: 2003-06-03 Tracks: 31 Duration: 2:36:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Who Am I? (Tripitena’s Song) (05:33) 2 Sweet Jane (03:01) 3 Rock ’n’ Roll (04:40) 4 I’m Waiting for the Man (04:39) 5 White Light/White Heat (live) (05:00) 6 Street Hassle (11:00) 7 Berlin (03:25) 8 Caroline Says II (04:13) 9 The Kids (07:49) 10 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 11 Kill Your Sons (live) (04:08) 12 Vicious (02:57) 13 The Blue Mask (05:02) 14 I’ll Be Your Mirror (live) (02:46) 15 Magic and Loss (The Summation) (06:35) 16 Ecstasy (04:30) 1 I Wanna Be Black (live) (06:29) 2 Temporary Thing (05:14) 3 Shooting Star (03:12) 4 Legendary Hearts (03:05) 5 Heroin (live) (08:22) 6 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 7 The Last Shot (03:23) 8 The Bells (09:20) 9 Perfect Day (03:44) 10 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 11 Satellite of Love (03:38) 12 NYC Man (04:55) 13 Dirty Blvd. (03:30) 14 Rock Minuet (06:56) 15 Pale Blue Eyes (05:41) |
| NYC Man: The Collection : Allmusic album Review : Lou Reed has been the subject of so many idiosyncratic, bewildering compilations that the release of yet another idiosyncratic, bewildering compilation can either inspire amusement or frustration. In the case of 2003s double-disc, 31-track NYC Man: The Collection, its nearly apoplectic frustration because this is yet another thoroughly botched attempt at a thorough overview that doesnt even function as a representative sampler or introduction -- something that is desperately needed in a discography as lengthy and uneven as his. Perhaps part of the problem is indeed that his discography is inconsistent, and thereby any collection that attempts to take it all in will be uneven, but this is especially wobbly, particularly because it tries to cover everything from the Velvet Underground to 2003s The Raven, all with no chronological sense, flipping from decade to decade without sense for either historical or musical logic. Then, theres the song selection itself: It opens up with an unreleased alternate take of "Who Am I" from The Raven, then often substitutes studio cuts with live performances, including a healthy selection from Live in Italy and Perfect Night: Live in London (only one cut from Rock n Roll Animal, strangely enough). It does contain many big songs -- "Walk on the Wild Side," "Satellite of Love," "Dirty Blvd.," "Coney Island Baby," "Perfect Day," "Street Hassle," "Vicious," plus a host of Velvet Underground songs, both in VU and solo versions -- but the songs that surround these tunes are all over the map. Sometimes theyre excellent album track selections, but more of the time, theyre not as good as songs that have been left behind, which include such cuts as "I Love You Suzanne," "Sad Song," "I Cant Stand It," "New Sensations," "No Money Down," "Romeo Had Juliette," "Egg Cream," "Doin the Things That We Want To," "Legendary Hearts," and "Whats Good," among others. Perhaps these arent Reeds best -- and, yes, his "best" will always be a subjective matter -- but they are popular, representative songs that would have fit a solo career overview better than much of what is here. Without them, and with the songs that are here, NYC Man is a muddled mess, containing some of Reeds best, but not enough to justify this as the "ultimate" Lou Reed collection. Yet another bungled Lou collection, then. | ||
 | Album: 38 of 46 Title: Platinum & Gold Collection Released: 2004-01-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Wild Child (04:35) 2 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 3 Vicious (02:58) 4 Satellite of Love (03:41) 5 Caroline Says I (04:01) 6 Sally Cant Dance (02:57) 7 Temporary Thing (05:16) 8 Coney Island Baby (06:37) 9 Shooting Star (03:13) 10 The Gun (03:41) 11 Tell It to Your Heart (05:15) 12 I Love You, Suzanne (03:17) |
 | Album: 39 of 46 Title: Greatest Hits: NYC Man Released: 2004-08-31 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:19:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I’m Waiting for the Man (04:39) 2 White Light / White Heat (05:01) 3 Pale Blue Eyes (05:41) 4 Sweet Jane (03:01) 5 Satellite of Love (03:38) 6 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 7 Perfect Day (03:44) 8 Berlin (03:24) 9 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 10 The Blue Mask (05:02) 11 Legendary Hearts (03:05) 12 Dirty Blvd. (03:31) 13 Magic and Loss - The Summation (06:36) 14 NYC Man (04:56) 15 Ecstasy (04:31) 16 Who Am I? (Tripitena’s Song) (05:34) 17 Satellite of Love 2004 (03:02) 18 Walk on the Wild Side (Bertallot radio remix) (02:49) |
 | Album: 40 of 46 Title: Hudson River Wind Meditations Released: 2007-04-11 Tracks: 4 Duration: 1:07:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Move Your Heart (28:55) 2 Find Your Note (31:35) 3 Hudson River Wind (Blend the Ambiance) (01:51) 4 Wind Coda (05:22) |
| Hudson River Wind Meditations : Allmusic album Review : At the time of the spring 2007 release of Hudson River Wind Meditations, four years had transpired since the release of The Raven, Lou Reeds extremely ambitious collaborative take on the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, and three since his last live album, the excellent Animal Serenade. What transpired during those years is anybodys guess, but if one had to judge by this, his debut album for Sounds True Audio, one would have to guess that it was somewhat drastic, at least by evidence presented. Reed states in his brief note to the album he co-produced with Hal Willner that "I composed this music for myself as an adjunct to meditation, Tai Chi, bodywork, and as music to play in the background of life -- to replace the everyday cacophony with new and ordered sounds of an unpredictable nature." Fair enough. The bottom line is that the music found here is electronic and not in any manner associated with Metal Machine Music. It follows -- loosely -- the dictums of Brian Enos notion of ambient music in that it can be listened to in the background and perhaps ignored, but not without very low volume, and not without trying. These four pieces -- the first two, "Move Your Heart" and "Find Your Note," last over an hour -- are movement-oriented, albeit very slow movement. They match the breath, they match the pulse, and if listened to in meditation or with movement, offer a base, a starting point, a way of moving through the time and space of sitting or slow action that can actually focus your attention on your practice. They are not cold or emotionless, and if anything, resemble the work in Reeds photographs of the Hudson River. They are nearly still but move -- the listener -- into places in the heart itself. Sure, this isnt the crazy dog of rock from the past 40 years, but he doesnt need to be. With Willner as a sympathetic editor and co-producer, Reed can let these pieces unfold by themselves with no set end point other than the silence between each track. Certainly this wont be for everyone, but for those seeking out a recording to help induce quiet in the midst of a crazy busy life, it will be indispensable. For those seeking an accompaniment to nearly any kind of spiritual practice or bodywork, this will deepen the atmosphere. For those seeking rock & roll, its best to look elsewhere. This one may score Reed some new fans, while causing some of his other ones to guffaw in cynical delight, but thats OK -- its a sure bet he could still take em in an alley fight. | ||
 | Album: 41 of 46 Title: Original Album Classics Released: 2008 Tracks: 57 Duration: 3:54:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Stand It (02:37) 2 Going Down (02:56) 3 Walk and Talk It (03:40) 4 Lisa Says (05:33) 5 Berlin (05:16) 6 I Love You (02:19) 7 Wild Child (04:41) 8 Love Makes You Feel (03:13) 9 Ride Into the Sun (03:16) 10 Ocean (05:06) 1 Vicious (02:57) 2 Andy’s Chest (03:21) 3 Perfect Day (03:44) 4 Hangin’ ’Round (03:37) 5 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 6 Make Up (03:01) 7 Satellite of Love (03:42) 8 Wagon Wheel (03:19) 9 New York Telephone Conversation (01:33) 10 I’m So Free (03:09) 11 Goodnight Ladies (04:31) 12 Hangin’ ’Round (acoustic demo) (03:57) 13 Perfect Day (acoustic demo) / Transformer Radio Spot (04:50) 1 Berlin (03:25) 2 Lady Day (03:39) 3 Men of Good Fortune (04:37) 4 Caroline Says I (03:57) 5 How Do You Think It Feels (03:43) 6 Oh, Jim (05:12) 7 Caroline Says II (04:13) 8 The Kids (07:53) 9 The Bed (05:51) 10 Sad Song (06:59) 1 Ride Sally Ride (04:07) 2 Animal Language (03:05) 3 Baby Face (05:05) 4 N.Y. Stars (04:01) 5 Kill Your Sons (03:40) 6 Ennui (03:43) 7 Sally Can’t Dance (04:12) 8 Billy (05:06) 9 Good Taste (03:30) 10 Sally Can’t Dance (single version) (02:54) 1 Crazy Feeling (02:54) 2 Charley’s Girl (02:36) 3 She’s My Best Friend (06:00) 4 Kicks (06:04) 5 A Gift (03:45) 6 Ooohhh Baby (03:45) 7 Nobody’s Business (03:45) 8 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 9 Nowhere at All (03:17) 10 Downtown Dirt (04:18) 11 Leave Me Alone (05:35) 12 Crazy Feeling (02:39) 13 She’s My Best Friend (04:08) 14 Coney Island Baby (05:41) |
 | Album: 42 of 46 Title: Playlist: The Very Best of Lou Reed Released: 2008-06-17 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:00:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Stand It (02:37) 2 Vicious (02:57) 3 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 4 Perfect Day (03:44) 5 Satellite of Love (03:42) 6 Caroline Says II (04:13) 7 White Light/White Heat (05:11) 8 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 9 Kicks (06:04) 10 Coney Island Baby (06:36) 11 Street Hassle (11:00) 12 Sweet Jane (04:03) 13 I Love You, Suzanne (03:18) |
| Playlist: The Very Best of Lou Reed : Allmusic album Review : Playlist: The Very Best of Lou Reed features an eclectic set of tracks defined on the back jacket as "the life-changing songs, the out-of-print tracks, the hits, the fan favorites everyone loves, and the songs that make the artists who they are." Reed, with his myriad personas and wildly uneven catalog makes for a difficult subject to dutifully chronicle, and Playlist is no better nor worse than other attempts. Through 13 cuts (four songs off of Transformer, two from Coney Island Baby, and a smattering of one-offs from Berlin, Rock N Roll Animal, Sally Cant Dance, New Sensations, Live in Italy, Lou Reed, and Street Hassle), listeners can decide for themselves whether or not bona fide Reed classics like "Satellite of Love," "Sweet Jane," and "Vicious" pair well with all 11 minutes of "Street Hassle," but at least they managed to leave out any Velvet Underground tracks this time around and let the focus stay on the mans far more prolific solo career. [Legacys Playlist series functions both as a conventional CD and as a CD-ROM, featuring a large .pdf file with complete liner and track info, CD-quality plus mp3-ready files, photos, wallpaper, and other extras.] | ||
 | Album: 43 of 46 Title: Greatest Hits: Steel Box Collection Released: 2008-07-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wild Child (04:35) 2 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 3 Vicious (02:57) 4 Satellite of Love (03:42) 5 Caroline Says I (04:01) 6 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 7 Temporary Thing (05:14) 8 Coney Island Baby (06:37) 9 Shooting Star (03:12) 10 The Gun (03:41) 11 Tell It to Your Heart (05:15) 12 I Love You, Suzanne (03:18) |
| Greatest Hits: Steel Box Collection : Allmusic album Review : Originally released in 2006 as Collections, the budget-priced Greatest Hits [Steel Box] compilation features 12 songs from Lou Reeds late-70s/early-80s output, including obvious hits like "Walk on the Wild Side," "Satellite of Love," and "Vicious," as well as deeper cuts like "Tell It to Your Heart" from 1986s wildly uneven Mistrial and "The Gun" from 1982s over-looked Blue Mask album. Its by no means definitive, nor does it make a lick of sense, but there are enough decent tracks to not turn it into a coaster. | ||
 | Album: 44 of 46 Title: The Best of Lou Reed Released: 2009 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 2 Satellite of Love (03:37) 3 The Kids (07:49) 4 Vicious (02:57) 5 Coney Island Baby (06:35) 6 The Blue Mask (05:02) 7 Shooting Star (03:10) 8 Perfect Day (03:44) 9 Sally Can’t Dance (02:55) 10 Andy’s Chest (03:21) 11 Wild Child (04:32) 12 Temporary Thing (05:14) |
 | Album: 45 of 46 Title: Perfect Day the Best of Lou Reed Released: 2009 Tracks: 36 Duration: 2:26:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Perfect Day (03:44) 2 Walk on the Wild Side (04:13) 3 Satellite of Love (03:41) 4 Vicious (02:57) 5 Berlin (03:25) 6 Men of Good Fortune (04:38) 7 Rock and Roll Heart (03:06) 8 The Gun (03:40) 9 I Love You, Suzanne (03:16) 10 Caroline Says 2 (04:14) 11 Sally Can’t Dance (04:10) 12 My Friend George (03:50) 13 I Want to Boogie With You (03:53) 14 Ocean (05:04) 15 The Last Shot (03:23) 16 Lisa Says (05:34) 17 I Wanna Be Black (02:56) 18 Coney Island Baby (06:39) 1 How Do You Speak to an Angel (04:10) 2 Think It Over (03:26) 3 Growing Up in Public (03:04) 4 Downtown Dirt (04:17) 5 Real Good Time Together (03:23) 6 A Gift (03:46) 7 Kill Your Sons (03:39) 8 Temporary Thing (05:16) 9 Wild Child (04:40) 10 White Light/White Heat (04:55) 11 Legendary Hearts (03:23) 12 How Do You Think It Feels (03:43) 13 Vicious Circle (02:54) 14 Leave Me Alone (05:32) 15 Lady Day (03:40) 16 Sad Song (07:08) 17 Make Up (03:00) 18 High in the City (03:25) |
 | Album: 46 of 46 Title: Lulu Released: 2011-10-31 Tracks: 10 Duration: 1:27:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Brandenburg Gate (04:22) 2 The View (05:21) 3 Pumping Blood (07:24) 4 Mistress Dread (06:53) 5 Iced Honey (04:38) 6 Cheat on Me (11:26) 1 Frustration (08:34) 2 Little Dog (08:02) 3 Dragon (11:10) 4 Junior Dad (19:29) |
| Lulu : Allmusic album Review : First and foremost, Lulu is a Lou Reed album. Metallica may receive collaborative billing, and Reed has made canny use of the bands skill set, but its clear after the first ten minutes that he is the auteur on this project, and most Metallica fans are going to be awfully puzzled by Lulu. Then again, Reeds fans may be scratching their heads, too -- Lulu is a purposefully difficult album, one that insists you meet it on its own terms, and the angry flood of sounds and ideas that pours from its ten long songs demands more than a little patience. Lulu had its genesis in a theater project by frequent Reed collaborator Robert Wilson, who was creating a new adaptation of the plays of Frank Wedekind; in these songs Reed sings from the perspective of a young woman who is corrupted by her experiences with men, as well as some of the characters she meets. The personal pronouns offer occasional clues as to whom Reed is channeling at a given moment, but for most of its 87 minutes, Lulu sounds like one long, bitter, spiteful rant as Reed pours out gallons of lyrical bile, mostly unfettered by rhyme schemes, and with rare exception Reed doesnt sing here, he mutters or shouts or barks like an angry beast. At the age of 69, time seems to be catching up with Reeds strength, but he uses it to his advantage on Lulu, and while he frequently sounds like a mean and slightly crazy old man here, it absolutely suits the tenor of the piece. Reed holds nothing back, and the torrent of curious, ugly, and puzzling images gets to be more than a bit much, rarely cohering into a larger whole. As for Metallica, its easy to see why Reed wanted to work with them -- for this music, he obviously wanted a massive wall of guitars, and James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett certainly deliver, and with the bands usual acrobatic soloing stripped from these performances, they summon a towering wall of chugging menace on "Dragon," "Frustration," and "Mistress Dread." Reed wanted Metallica for their strength and stamina, and they deliver, but when he needs subtlety or dynamics they often drop the ball, especially in Lars Ulrichs drumming, which is clumsier and busier than it should be, and Hetfields vocal interjections, which are full of arena-level bombast and sound silly compared to Reeds weary croak, making the frequent disconnect between the music and the lyrics all the more telling. Its not difficult to see what Reed was shooting for on Lulu, but one might argue Metallica were not the right collaborators for the project -- the huge, arty drone of Sunn 0))), the stop-on-a dime assault of the Jesus Lizard, or the limber noise of Shellac might have better served Reeds vision. Ultimately, Lulu is a brave experiment for both Reed and Metallica, but its one that falters as often as it succeeds. | ||