If there is one track that reminds me of my old Mum its this: Intro Sweet Jane from Lou Reed's Rock N Roll Animal LP from 1974. I was 13 when it was released and having loved the guy since 1972 when I first heard Transformer, getting straight into this new vibe was a no brainer.
I got it Christmas 1974 having just turned 14. My old Mum and Dad gave it me and my Mum will have gone to get it. I can see her now with her big hair, mallen streak and floral dress asking the bloke in Brady's record shop in Preston for Rock n Roll Animal by Lou Reed. Its for my son you know! Ha ha. I cranked up the music centre that Christmas morning whilst my Mum and Dad were still in bed! Yeah man. Its true, my Mum was my musical sponsor and I owe all my music to her.
As for Intro Sweet Jane, its easily the best intro to any rock song you are likely to hear. Even better than Thunderbuck Ram by Mott The Hoople or I Wish I was a Girl by The Pink Faeries! The whole Rock n Roll Animal album is live and has a gutsy raw rock feel to it captured brilliantly by Intro. This morphs effortlessly into Sweet Jane, a Reed staple and the live guitar riff is to die for. You'll want to play it on your own axe immediately!
Lou Reed was a buddy of Bowie's so being a big Bowie fan I naturally checked him out. The same went for Iggy Pop. These guys were doing street-style rock years before Punk came along and could knock most Punk bands into a cocked hat. I'm 54 now and still love Lou Reed.
I was really saddened last year to hear of Lou's passing. He was so young when he made his fabulous first few albums in the Seventies, not to mention his Velvet Underground days in the Sixties. For me Lou's riffed poetry lives on in his early solo albums, always ripe for a new audience to discover. Intro is a great way into the Reedster.
What do you think readers?
Great Track, Woodsy. I've also got versions by Mott the Hoople and The Sweet!
ReplyDeleteWow! Did they? I can imagine the Hoople having a go. They were Bowie's mates too. But The Sweet. I have got to hear that one! The Glam Kings!
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