Lou Reed "New York" C/D?

great comeback album. rather laid back. lots of lyrics to digest. but "magic and loss" touched me more when it came out. haven't listened to both for a decade or so.

Comeback from what, one bad album? The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, New Sensations -- each better than New York. At the time there was a lot of rockist-inflected praise of NY, e.g. "Lou's back to writing about Important Things again."

The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts, New Sensations -- each better than New York.
i don't think i have even listened to those albums. there were some songs from them on that retrospective 3 cd box "between thought and expression" and they didn't leave any impression on me.

The Blue Mask is far and away Lou's best record.

"Lou's back to writing about Important Things again."

lolz as if Lou ever wrote about Important Things in the first place

remember that unintentional laff riot Berlin?

Shakey says on a thread like this

this was the first lou reed record i ever heard, so it's got some sentimental value for me. oddly enough i recall seeing a snippet of the "dirty Blvd." video on MTV when i was 9 or 10 years old -- and weirdly enough it resonated with me enough that when I saw it on tape at the public library not too long later, I checked it out. Didn't have the slightest idea what Lou was talking about most of the time (i still don't in some cases!), but i think it's a pretty solid record. Nice guitar sound, some really good tunes ("Romeo Had Juliette" "Dirty Blvd." "Halloween Parade"). I think what makes this one stand out among Lou's other records from the past 20 years or so is his phrasing -- the guy's got good flow! A lot of his more recent stuff suffers because he's jsut kinda barking the words in this haphazard manner. anyhoo, for me, classic. after all, any record with moe tucker on drums -- even for just two songs -- is ultra classic.

think what makes this one stand out among Lou's other records from the past 20 years or so is his phrasing -- the guy's got good flow

Quite OTM. You named the three songs on which you hear most distinctly how good it is.

I'll take Manhattan in a garbage bag with Latin written on it that says, "It's hard to give a shit these days."

I loved New York at the time, it hasn't aged well. I too considered it something of a return to form since I thought "Legendary Hearts" was crap and that New Sensations was about half good.

xpost yeah that's what i mean -- that whole song ("Romeo") i can kind of imagine KRS-1 or someone covering. great lyrics, great delivery. not a whole lot of "singing," per se, but it's supercool. i think that's what my 9 year old self responded to.

Yeah, I listened to it a ton at the time, and I didn't know much Reed then, haven't heard it in years. I think I have the whole album memorized. Something about the words really sticks in my head, not saying they're good. Liner notes kind of embarrassing: Listen to this like a movie and You can't beat two guitars, bass, and drums or whatever he says.

ha ha, yeah, he says the album should be listened to in one sitting "like a book or a movie." apparently lou reads all of his books in one sitting. that loveable jerk!

I just googled some lyrics and was surprised at how instantly I could recall the exact inflection and delivery of various lines, even though I haven't heard the album in at least 15 years.

Romeo Rodriguez shrugs his shoulders and curses Jesus runs a comb through his black ponytail

"sick of you," "dirty blvd.," "busload of faith," "beginning of a great adventure," there's enough good songs to tip it slightly toward classic. suffers and/or benefits from a monochromatic texture that gives it a distinct personality but tends to blur the songs. "dirty blvd." still sounds really good in concert.

"New York" is a lot like "The Blue Mask." They're both late Lou Reed albums that seem to get an awful lot of critical praise, but when it comes down to it, they're really not <I>that</I> great. The title track on "The Blue Mask," for instance, is great ("Make the sacrifice. Mutilate my face!"), but most of the rest of the album is a bit of a snoozer. Same with "New York." "Romeo had Juliette" is a reasonably good song, and I've always had a soft spot for "Dirty Blvd" (though I kind of like the over-the-top version on the "Perfect Night: Live in London" album a bit more...) Other than that, glancing at the track list, the only songs that really seem to stand out are "Busload of Faith" and "There Is No Time."

The rest is pretty mediocre material.

can anyone defend Good Evening Mr. Waldheim?

Lou Reed probably would try.

The title track on "The Blue Mask," for instance, is great ("Make the sacrifice. Mutilate my face!"), but most of the rest of the album is a bit of a snoozer.

What about "Waves of Fear," "The Gun," "Underneath the Bottle," and "The Day John Kennedy Died'? And the twin-guitar interplay as "My House" begins -- like a jazz combo finding its groove -- remains the best instrumental section of Lou's solo career.

When Robert Quine died I played Waves of Fear about 400 times in a row.

I sorta got scared after that.

Definitely one of the best albums of the time. I think it holds up very well.
As others have mentioned, the guitar sound is great and his delivery (vocals) is impassioned yet perfect.

Relevant for Bush x 2:

This is no time for my country right or wrong
Remember what that brought

always was turned off by the ghastly cover art... until i involuntarily heard a couple of tracks in a discount cd store. it's not too bad. but as much as i like his early stuff, i'm not about to turn into a completist.

listening to this now for the first time in oh 20 years

some pretty good rapping here

The first three songs = terrific.

I think New York is primo Lou. 'Strawman' is on my Lou Reed Top 10, and the whole thing is pretty solid in my book.

yeah honestly this is remarkably better than I remembered it. the playing is workmanlike but solid, engaging lyrically, nice attention to detail.

it occurs to me, surveying his entire output, that while Lou has an ear for performances and delivery he has never, ever really had any clue about what makes a recording SOUND good/interesting. when it comes to sonic aesthetics, it's like the dude is retarded - he needs someone else to take the reins/drive the bus.

who is the other voice on Dirty Blvd...?

credits say it's lou and the engineer

lol do I detect a sub-motorik beat on There Is No Time? the sonic samey-ness of this album is starting to wear on me.

btw this is his only studio album certified gold.

R&R Animal is his only other gold album.

weird, really? not even Transformer?

okay I'm into Beginning of a Great Adventure and I am starting to hate this record

"Dirty Blvd." – 3:29

* Dion DiMucci – background vocals

^^was wondering if my faulty memory made up that connection... I remember seeing the video and it having a black guy lip-syncing that part and me thinking "uh waht I thought Dion was a white guy"

Not surprising. Beginning of a Great Adventure is the closest to a clunker on there.

couldn't get past Sick of You. sound of this album just grates after a little while. files = deleted

did you make it to the Waldheim/Pope/Jesse Jackson/Farrakhan jam? Is it just dated references or is that song seriously disjointed and hard to follow?

nah that's on side 2, I couldn't make it that far. seriously the monotony of the guitar sound and Lou's droning voice is just uuuuh urgh make it stop after like 15 minutes.

Sally Can't Dance hit top ten, but didn't go gold.

xpost
I believe you - funny I have such vivd memories of being into that record and the lyrics and the cover, but can't remember much about the sound of the songs at all other than Romeo and Blvd. I certianly didn't think it was hard to get through at the time - I distinctly remember listening to it over and over and digging the deep cuts. Of course access to music was different then and if I owned a tape, I listened to the whole thing a bunch of times no matter what.

well let's be clear here - Lou's not singing, so there are basically no melodies. like, anywhere. the lyrics are good and the deadpan delivery works in a limited way, but the backdrop provided by the instrumentation is so lifeless and monochromatic. just, oh here's this three chord sequence over and over and over, plus a guy talking, with no discernible production value to speak of (everything is clean, and straight, un-effected, flat).

i dunno, i like the guitar sound here for the most part.

but i know what you mean with this album getting insanely monotonous.

I bet dude from Hold Steady dug that record

i just dl'd this

romeo had juliette honestly gave me irl goosebumps

yeah he knocks it out of the park on that one. probably one of my top ten Lou songs.

runs a comb through his ... black. pony. tail.

hahaha whoever did the mp3s ids on this did halloween parade like:

"Halloween Parade [(Aids)]"

in case you didn't catch the lyrics!

man i gotta go get this again.

it's not like even on the edge of being ridiculous, it frequently goes over the line to totally ridiculous but still stays powerful

the perfume burned his eyes
holding tightly to her thighs
and something flickered for a minute
and then it vanished and was gone

fuck, can 't believe i still remember that

xp i think "(AIDS)" is on the jacket like that, oh lou...

Moe acquits herself well on "Dime Store Mystery."

Lou does put (AIDS) on the lyric sheet, yeah.

man if he would have kept up the quality from the first three tracks this might be like top 3-4 lou solo albums

yeah I dunno if the song quality nosedives or the sound wears out its welcome - maybe both

The songs on the second side are as monochromatic as the sound.

That's why I can't 'fully endorse this album over the early eighties trilogy and Set the Twilight Reeling.

i have a soft spot for "beginning of a great adventure" -- it's kinda funny! guess lou never got around to starting that particular adventure ...

i love how "there is no time" sounds like Warrant soundchecking for the first 20 secs

I burned a couple of CD's in 2008 with "There Is No Time." Apt campaign anthem.

Is Magic And Loss worth checking out at-all?

Not at all.

Ha, okay.

It's basically a chunk of prose with light musical accompaniment.

i love how "there is no time" sounds like Warrant soundchecking for the first 20 secs

― m@tt (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, May 28, 2010 5:22 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

omg new favorite all-time ilx post

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/945232_10151671912570953_1618308881_n.jpg

This was so refreshing in a sea of 80s production. I mean, if only Patti Smith et al's 80s albums had sounded this live and clean...

agreed, though lou was hardly blameless in this era
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xZahGphXgyU/SGUk-wm35uI/AAAAAAAAGNE/tw6dLq3qYjk/s400/REED+Lou+1986+MISTRIAL.jpg

Is Magic And Loss worth checking out at-all?
absolutely. it's a very special, a very personal album. i think it may be my favourite album by lou reed.

LOU REED: NEW YORK

3CD/DVD/2LP Deluxe Edition Of The Legendary Artist’s Sire Records Debut
Features Newly Remastered Sound, Unreleased Studio And Live Tracks,
Plus The DVD Debut Of “The New York Album” Concert Video

Available From Rhino On September 25

Lou Reed struck a chord with critics and fans alike more than 30 years ago with New York, his Sire Records debut and 15th solo studio album overall. Its raw sound and evocative lyrics would go on to earn the legendary singer-songwriter-poet a gold record, a Grammy® nomination, and a #1 hit on the Modern Rock charts with “Dirty Blvd.”

Rhino explores this gritty classic on an expansive collection that includes a newly remastered version of the original 1989 album on CD and – for the first time – on double 180-gram audiophile vinyl. The set also includes 26 unreleased studio and live recordings of album tracks from the Lou Reed Archive, as well as the DVD-debut of “The New York Album,” a long-out-of-print concert video recorded during the New York tour. In addition, audio from the set will be available through digital and streaming services.

NEW YORK: DELUXE EDITION will be available from Rhino on September 25. The 3CD/DVD/2LP set comes packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book that includes new liner notes written by music journalist David Fricke, essays from archivist Don Fleming, and was produced for release by Laurie Anderson, Don Fleming, Bill Ingot, Jason Stern, and Hal Willner.

New York captures Reed in exceptional form and is packed with incredible songs like “Busload Of Faith,” “Halloween Parade” and “Dirty Blvd.” The entire album has been remastered for the first time ever for this collection. The second disc presents unreleased live versions from the Lou Reed Archive of every album track compiled from multiple performances. To avoid duplication, none of these live tracks were taken from the set’s accompanying DVD.

The third disc showcases unreleased early versions of several album tracks from the Lou Reed Archive, including “Last Great American Whale,” “Sick Of You” and “Dirty Blvd.” Also featured is the non-LP track “The Room,” as well as live versions of “Sweet Jane,” a song Reed originally recorded with The Velvet Underground, and “Walk On The Wild Side,” from his second solo album, Transformer (1972.)

This set also includes “The New York Album,” a concert video that was originally released in 1990 on VHS and Laserdisc. It has never been available on DVD, until now. It features Reed performing the entire New York album live in Montreal at the Theatre St. Denis. The DVD concludes with an audio-only interview with Reed.

NEW YORK: DELUXE EDITION

Track Listing:

Disc One: Original Album (2020 Remaster)

“Romeo Had Juliette”

“Halloween Parade”

“Dirty Blvd.”

“Endless Cycle”

“There Is No Time”

“Last Great American Whale”

“Beginning Of A Great Adventure”

“Busload Of Faith”

“Sick Of You”

“Hold On”

“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim”

“Xmas In February”

“Strawman”

“Dime Store Mystery”

Disc Two: “New York” - Live

“Romeo Had Juliette” *

“Halloween Parade” *

“Dirty Blvd.” *

“Endless Cycle” *

“There Is No Time” *

“Last Great American Whale” *

“Beginning Of A Great Adventure” *

“Busload Of Faith” *

“Sick Of You” *

“Hold On” *

“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim” *

“Xmas In February” *

“Strawman” *

“Dime Store Mystery” *

Disc Three: Works In Progress/Singles/Encore

“Romeo Had Juliette” (7” Version)

“Dirty Blvd.” (Work Tape) *

“Dirty Blvd.” (Rough Mix) *

“Endless Cycle” (Work Tape) *

“Last Great American Whale” (Work Tape) *

“Beginning Of A Great Adventure” (Rough Mix) *

“Busload Of Faith” (Solo Version) *

“Sick Of You” (Work Tape) *

“Sick Of You” (Rough Mix) *

“Hold On” (Rough Mix) *

“Strawman” (Rough Mix) *

“The Room” (Non-LP Track)

“Sweet Jane” (Live Encore) *

“Walk On The Wild Side” (Live Encore) *

DVD

“Romeo Had Juliette”

“Halloween Parade”

“Dirty Blvd.”

“Endless Cycle”

“There Is No Time”

“Last Great American Whale”

“Beginning Of A Great Adventure”

“Busload Of Faith”

“Sick Of You”

“Hold On”

“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim”

“Xmas In February”

“Strawman”

“Dime Store Mystery”

Audio Only Bonus

A Conversation with Lou Reed

Vinyl Track Listing

Side A

“Romeo Had Juliette”

“Halloween Parade”

“Dirty Blvd.”

“Endless Cycle”

Side B

“There Is No Time”

“Last Great American Whale”

“Beginning of a Great Adventure”

Side C

“Busload of Faith”

“Sick of You”

“Hold On”

“Good Evening Mr. Waldheim”

Side D

“Xmas In February”

“Strawman”

“Dime Store Mystery”

* previously unreleased

looks good!

Very cool (tho I'm not sure I would single out “Busload Of Faith" as an "incredible" song)

Is Magic And Loss worth checking out at-all?
absolutely. it's a very special, a very personal album. i think it may be my favourite album by lou reed.

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Friday, May 24, 2013 3:22 PM (seven years ago) bookmarkflaglink

"what's good (the thesis)" sounds like it was lifted directly from "only life". feels very full circle

i need to re-visit "new york". will never forgive myself for selling my LP like an idiot

Wow yeah there haven't been many Lou reissues have there? Looking forward to a Drella one, if it happens.

there's some good stuff on this but man, not even hall of famers get to use 'statue of bigotry' in two separate songs

New Sensations >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> New York for reissues

xp In which other song did he use it? (I tried Googling, so as not to waste your time by asking, but I’m just seeing “Dirty Blvd.”)

"Hold On"

Huh, on the same album – guess I forgot about that! (I must have listened to this tape 1,000 times in middle school & high school.)

Wow yeah there haven't been many Lou reissues have there?

According to the DeCurtis biography, Lou was extremely reluctant to release outtakes etc, scuppering plans for lots more unreleased material on the Between Thought and Expression box set, for example. So I guess this is a bit of a Max-Brod type situation, even if 'officially' sanctioned by Anderson and well-curated by Fleming et al.

Yeah, the only ones I can think of are the expanded editions of Transformer, Rock'n'Roll Animal, and Coney Island Baby. Buddah put out a few more, but iirc they were just CD debuts without extras.

I remember in the Bockris Lou bio that when they put the box set together, the tapes for The Bells were missing (presumed destroyed), and they had to spend $50 on a sealed vinyl copy to transfer.

I'd like to see some Robert Quine era stuff, just to have things like the original-even-more-disturbing "The Gun" and Legendary Hearts mixes that restore Quine's guitar playing - all that's been discussed many times in Reed and Quine's interviews.

Actually, I completely forgot that Reed's archive is at the NYPL. Someone posted about their visit, reviewing VU-era material.

“Busload Of Faith” (Solo Version) might be interesting

what's a work tape?

and what's the remastering supposed to do? this record sounds great

I always liked Lou's liner notes for this one

Is the box set getting deleted? It looks like Amazon is clearing out their stock and offering it for like $38 before taxes, WELL below half the retail price.

Is the concert video worth having? I already have the album - I have no use for the in-studio detritus and I don't think the remaster is supposed to be better unless you need to have this on vinyl - so the live material is the only thing I'd be interested in.

I saw the tour at the time, and also saw the video on VHS. It seemed very dark, maybe the DVD format will help that. There's not a lot of changes to the New York material - they do an a cappella breakdown on "Halloween Parade", and I think Lou expands his monologue on "Beginning of a Great Adventure".
The show I saw was pretty desultory, especially after the Feelies who were amazing.

I also saw this tour, in Chicago, and the Feelies’ set was unfortunately very muddy and monochromatic, due to an indifferent PA mix. Lou and his band sounded great, especially drummer Robert Medici who absolutely killed.

I bought the LP on release, but have since given it away. Interesting that it’s a 2-LP set now; I remember the original record sounding surprisingly good for something longer than standard LP length.

I bought the LP on release, but have since given it away. Interesting that it’s a 2-LP set now; I remember the original record sounding surprisingly good for something longer than standard LP length.

Yeah, it can be done, but I think some compromises would be unavoidable. Bob Dylan's Desire and Elvis Costello's King of America were two more 57-minute albums that were squeezed on to one LP, and when MFSL reissued both, I was surprised they cut the former at 45 rpm on to two records while keeping the latter to one LP at 33 1/3 - maybe it had something to do with sales projections?

The old CD is actually mastered well, and I'd rather just let it play in one sitting.

For $40 the New York deluxe set is definitely a steal — the live stuff is sharp, the works-in-progress disc isn't exactly essential but it's cool. DVD looks good to me ...

xp The original tape sounded pretty good!

This is my favorite Lou Reed album, but I have fond memories of listening to the vinyl at a formative age...