Hope you don't mind, I would like to say something about Lou Reed, who sadly died last week aged just 71.
Lou was incredibly important to me when I was a young teenager in the early 1970's. My sister Rene introduced me to his Transformer album circa 1973, which I thought was totally brilliant. I was 12, the toys had gone and music was my new love.
In the early Seventies British music was a heady cocktail of glam, progressive and heavy rock with a dash of soul. Punk was plotting round the corner. I was a budding Ozzie Osborne and a devoted Bowie fan too. So when I read on the sleeve notes that Transformer had been produced by Bowie it was a dead cert that I'd love Lou Reed. And I did.
Transformer was a slice of pure American urban cool and like his earlier work with the sultry Velvet Underground it tipped its hat towards the rise of Punk and New Wave that would follow Lou. From the opening Vicious to the final track Goodnight Ladies, it's all so good. I reckon I could sing every word even now, I played it that often. Besides the well-known single Walk on The Wild Side, the standout tracks for me were the pristine Perfect Day [yes, 1972!], Andy's Chest, Hangin' Round and the unforgettable Satellite of Love, which I found myself tearily singing aloud when I heard the sad news he'd gone.
Like any devoted Reeder, I wanted more. My next bit of Lou came in the form of Berlin, his 1973 follow-up to Transformer. A much more melancholic album, it has some of the most haunting songs I'd ever heard, only really equalled by The Smiths ten years later. Its a concept album narrating the tale of a tragic junkie couple who never had a chance. Not everyone's cup of tea, I loved it and still do immensely.
Berlin holds so many jewels its hard to not simply list them all, but for me I suppose the best were Lady Day, Caroline Says I and II, Sad Song and the heart-wrenching The Kids. This track is sorrow itself and the sound of the children shouting Mummy will stay with me forever.
After the tears of Berlin I was ready for some rock and boy did Lou deliver it during 1974 with what is arguably one of the finest live hard rock albums of all time, Rock n Roll Animal. Being a live set the tracks merge into each other effortlessly and so it starts with the blistering Intro, easily the best live guitar playing I've ever heard as it builds up to the opening song Sweet Jane. The whole album is fantastic and captures Lou at his finest moment surrounded by brilliant musicians.
When I dabbled in actually making music in the late Seventies in Alien Cage and Sirius we would all discuss well into the night the raw power of Lou's Brooklyn poetry and his rightful place beside our other heroes like Bowie, Be Bop Deluxe, Iggy Pop and the Movies . I recently revisited fellow band member George K and we spent a blissful evening playing old songs and listening to, amongst many others, Lou Reed's Rock n Roll Animal.
For some reason I missed completely Lou's other 1974 album Sally Can't Dance. More importantly I never got his first LP Lou Reed from 1972 despite it being on my Xmas List in 1973 [My Mum chose Squawk by Budgie from the list instead!]. The Faberge egg cover art remained with me my whole life though and I bought the LP a few years ago, bringing my own love of Lou Reed's music full circle.
Goodnight Lou, it was such a perfect day.
In the early Seventies British music was a heady cocktail of glam, progressive and heavy rock with a dash of soul. Punk was plotting round the corner. I was a budding Ozzie Osborne and a devoted Bowie fan too. So when I read on the sleeve notes that Transformer had been produced by Bowie it was a dead cert that I'd love Lou Reed. And I did.
Transformer was a slice of pure American urban cool and like his earlier work with the sultry Velvet Underground it tipped its hat towards the rise of Punk and New Wave that would follow Lou. From the opening Vicious to the final track Goodnight Ladies, it's all so good. I reckon I could sing every word even now, I played it that often. Besides the well-known single Walk on The Wild Side, the standout tracks for me were the pristine Perfect Day [yes, 1972!], Andy's Chest, Hangin' Round and the unforgettable Satellite of Love, which I found myself tearily singing aloud when I heard the sad news he'd gone.
Like any devoted Reeder, I wanted more. My next bit of Lou came in the form of Berlin, his 1973 follow-up to Transformer. A much more melancholic album, it has some of the most haunting songs I'd ever heard, only really equalled by The Smiths ten years later. Its a concept album narrating the tale of a tragic junkie couple who never had a chance. Not everyone's cup of tea, I loved it and still do immensely.
Berlin holds so many jewels its hard to not simply list them all, but for me I suppose the best were Lady Day, Caroline Says I and II, Sad Song and the heart-wrenching The Kids. This track is sorrow itself and the sound of the children shouting Mummy will stay with me forever.
After the tears of Berlin I was ready for some rock and boy did Lou deliver it during 1974 with what is arguably one of the finest live hard rock albums of all time, Rock n Roll Animal. Being a live set the tracks merge into each other effortlessly and so it starts with the blistering Intro, easily the best live guitar playing I've ever heard as it builds up to the opening song Sweet Jane. The whole album is fantastic and captures Lou at his finest moment surrounded by brilliant musicians.
When I dabbled in actually making music in the late Seventies in Alien Cage and Sirius we would all discuss well into the night the raw power of Lou's Brooklyn poetry and his rightful place beside our other heroes like Bowie, Be Bop Deluxe, Iggy Pop and the Movies . I recently revisited fellow band member George K and we spent a blissful evening playing old songs and listening to, amongst many others, Lou Reed's Rock n Roll Animal.
For some reason I missed completely Lou's other 1974 album Sally Can't Dance. More importantly I never got his first LP Lou Reed from 1972 despite it being on my Xmas List in 1973 [My Mum chose Squawk by Budgie from the list instead!]. The Faberge egg cover art remained with me my whole life though and I bought the LP a few years ago, bringing my own love of Lou Reed's music full circle.
Goodnight Lou, it was such a perfect day.
If Satellite of Love is not played at his eulogy I don't think a more fitting piece could be found.
ReplyDeleteA superb eulogy Woodsy. A great tribute to Lou Reed and an amazing era of music.
ReplyDelete