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Lou Reed dead?

knock said:
"Here Comes the Sun" (although I know that's from their more "commercial output" it's a proper feel good song.
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*cough* Who Loves The Sun *cough* ;)

Damn right on I'm Sticking With You. Lovely tune; even an advert couldn't spoil it. Although 'After Hours' probably makes better use of Moe Tucker's voice and is just unbelievably bittersweet.
 
She's my best friend and I found a reason are stand-out tracks for me.

But Sister Ray is really the ultimate for mine.
I also love the "closet mix" of Some kinds of love.

As for Lou's Solo career, I love the Berlin EP and feel that i wanna be black deserves a mention.
There is so, so much I love about this man's work.

Has anyone else ever listened to the first two velvets LPs on mxe and practically seen god?
It was as if I'd never heard either record before...when they are imprinted in my mind from listening to them thousands of times. Incredible stuff. One of Rock and roll's two finest slabs of vinyl.
Their other output (including the "lost albums", especially VU) are transcendently glorious as well.
A band truly in their own league. Nothing else has ever come close to such perfection IMO.
 
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Struggling to name my favourite VU track. Practically every one on their 1969 album is a masterpiece.

Perhaps itd be Lisa Says if i really had to choose just 1, Pale Blue Eyes coming in at a very close 2nd.

No. Title Length
1. "Candy Says" 4:04
2. "What Goes On" 4:55
3. "Some Kinda Love" 4:03
4. "Pale Blue Eyes" 5:41
5. "Jesus" 3:24
Side two
No. Title Length
6. "Beginning to See the Light" 4:41
7. "I'm Set Free" 4:08
8. "That's the Story of My Life" 1:59
9. "The Murder Mystery" 8:55
10. "After Hours"

Also from their collaboration with Nico.

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Sunday Morning" Reed, Cale 2:54
2. "I'm Waiting for the Man" 4:39
3. "Femme Fatale" 2:38
4. "Venus in Furs" 5:12
5. "Run Run Run" 4:22
6. "All Tomorrow's Parties" 6:00
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
7. "Heroin" 7:12
8. "There She Goes Again"

VU was also excellent.


"I Can't Stand It" – 3:21
Recorded May 20, 1969
"Stephanie Says" – 2:49
Recorded February 13, 1968
"She's My Best Friend" – 2:47
Recorded May 14, 1969
"Lisa Says" – 2:53
Recorded October 1, 1969
"Ocean" – 5:10
Recorded June 19, 1969

Side two

"Foggy Notion" – 6:41*
Recorded May 6, 1969
"Temptation Inside Your Heart" – 2:30
Recorded February 14, 1968
"One of These Days" – 3:50
Recorded September 23, 1969
"Andy's Chest" – 2:49
Recorded May 13, 1969
"I'm Sticking with You" – 2:26

I didnt get into their White Heat album very much. I think i only gave it 1 listen. I can go back to it again though, probably needs a few listens to get into that one.
 
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I don't know how widely known this is, but Lou was known to suggest to the odd interviewer he didnt devour alive, that the 4 officially released records were a four part narrative, with the songs and the records all being arranged in a way to form some kind of rock'n'roll novel, or series of novellas, or perhaps a four part play.
It's an intriguing concept...
From the dirty, rough edged street grind (with occasional moment of angelic bliss) of 'the velvet underground and Nico' to the chaotic amphetamine psychosis of white light/white heat (released, incidentally on the same day of 1968 as the Viet Cong's Tet Offensive), the most brutally loud and feedback drenched debauchery recorded to that point; tales of junkie sailor orgies, white magic, methedrine and all manner of squirmish subject matter to the "flower power" generation.

The self titled third album has themes of redemption (Jesus) sexual ambiguity (Candy Says) and ambivalence ("that's the difference between right and wrong/But Billy said, 'both those words are dead') and these themes are somewhat continued on the final album, Loaded, which has hints of nostalgia, and the desire to release the AM radio hit that never eventuates (rock'n'roll, Who Loves the sun, Sweet Jane as well as survival as a choice - I Found a Reason.
A great album that was butchered in the post editing as Lou had quit the band by the time Loaded was mixed, and many of his beautifully crafted songs were mutilated in the eventual release (bridges and whole verses removed to be more "radio friendly")
I would advise anyone who wants to listen to Loaded to either go for the "fully loaded" remastered version released a few years ago (with heaps of out-takes, some if which ended up on Lou's solo records.
The same goes for the third record; I think the Lou Reed "closet mix" is a far superior mix than the one that was officially released (reed went into the studio secretly and did his own mix, apparently). It is the mix on the "peel slowly and see" box set from the 90s, and the difference is most apparent in only one or two songs (Some Kinds of Love and Afterhours...but they're two of the best tracks!

Anyway, I could talk about Lou Reed, his importance and legacy - and the Velvet Underground all night.
But it's bed time in my part of the world.

Bye-b-bye bye-bye EADDers.
Good night from one sad rock and roll kid.
 
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spacejunk said:
I
A great album that was butchered in the post editing as Lou had quit the band by the time Loaded was mixed, and many of his beautifully crafted songs were mutilated in the eventual release (bridges and whole verses removed to be more "radio friendly")
I would advise anyone who wants to listen to Loaded to either go for the "fully loaded" remastered version released a few years ago (with heaps of out-takes, some if which ended up on Lou's solo records.
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It's fun to drop the "heavenly wine and roses" part on anybody else who may have grown up with the edited version of the album, that's for sure. ;)

I really wish there were versions of the Loaded material with only Lou's vocals, or possibly more of Lou's vocals; you probably know that he was meant to sing lead on most of the songs but had blown it his voice. There's something really corny about Yule's delivery when he's singing lead. Fantastic backing vocalist though, and sometimes it works. It just could've been that little bit better. As it is, it's still fantastic.

mydrugbuddy said:
I also have and remember liking his solo album Magic and Loss. I havent heard it for so long though that i cant remember my favourite tracks from that.
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Stunning record. I'll give you a reminder with What's Good?
 
Sammy G said:
probably know that he was meant to sing lead on most of the songs but had blown it his voice. There's something really corny about Yule's delivery when he's singing lead. Fantastic backing vocalist though, and sometimes it works. It just could've been that little bit better. As it is, it's still fantastic.
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Agreed. I think Yule was called upon to fill in for Lou when Lou's health problems got the better of him (he was a massive user of amphetamine, despite the stereotype of him being a heroin addict, due, i assume to an early song...) quite frequently, which may be why he thought he could continue to lead the group after Lou left.

One of many indignities in the Velvet Underground's often bleak tale.
Here's another ; the presence of Billy Yule playing (horribly conventional) drums on Loaded, because Mo was pregnant, and they didn't wait for her to be available to play again. That grates on me more than his brother Doug's vocals being littered around the place.
Incredible music - the best - but so unappreciated in their day, it's heartbreaking.
 
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The rock world was stunned over the weekend after learning Lou Reed had passed away. The musician’s cause of death was not originally confirmed with the news of his passing, but the details have now been made public.

Lou Reed had been suffering from liver disease, even going under the knife for a transplant back in the spring. The former Velvet Underground frontman was very optimistic after the initial transplant, describing himself as “a triumph of modern medicine,” adding that he felt “bigger and stronger than ever.” As if nothing had ever slowed him down, Reed also publicly stated that he looked forward to getting back onstage. [via Ultimate Classic Rock]

Unfortunately, Reed’s liver disease took hold once again. This time, it was determined that Reed’s affliction could no longer be treated. “We all agreed that we did everything we could,” Dr. Charles Miller tells the New York Times. The music legend chose to head home and spend his final days with wife Laurie Anderson.

Tons of musicians have already paid their respects to Lou Reed, but even more have now tweeted their condolences:
 
I'm not sure what actual decease prompted the need for a liver transplant, but having a transplant at 70 is pretty fucking rare.

The number of anti-rejection meds you have to be on is substantial, and the side effects of those can be immense, particularly leaving your immunity system wide open to a fuckton of other potential problems.
 
Sammy G said:
It's fun to drop the "heavenly wine and roses" part on anybody else who may have grown up with the edited version of the album, that's for sure. ;)

I really wish there were versions of the Loaded material with only Lou's vocals, or possibly more of Lou's vocals; you probably know that he was meant to sing lead on most of the songs but had blown it his voice. There's something really corny about Yule's delivery when he's singing lead. Fantastic backing vocalist though, and sometimes it works. It just could've been that little bit better. As it is, it's still fantastic.



Stunning record. I'll give you a reminder with What's Good?
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Good catchy choice.

Someone else mentioned Lou Reed Sword Of Damocles (HQ)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWm_RzQuWhk

greeat tune and very appropiate lyrics, wonder if he knew he was ill at this point.
 
Marmalade said:
I'm not sure what actual decease prompted the need for a liver transplant, but having a transplant at 70 is pretty fucking rare.
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I was wondering about the exact cause too. I can find a quote from a 1998 interview with John Cale where he mentions that both he and Lou had interferon treatment for liver damage (Lou while he was on tour) but doesn't specify when. Though obviously it was before 1998, which means Lou's liver had been troubling him a long long time.
 
Sammy G said:
I was wondering about the exact cause too. I can find a quote from a 1998 interview with John Cale where he mentions that both he and Lou had interferon treatment for liver damage (Lou while he was on tour) but doesn't specify when. Though obviously it was before 1998, which means Lou's liver had been troubling him a long long time.
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Given that, and considering his lifestyle, we can have an educated guess at the problem.

Not that it matters of course, RIP Lou you legend
 
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