I find the debut's sound crisp rather than dull but I also listen to a fair bit of stuff recorded & played by muso dudes whose absolute ideal is clarity over color. to me the sound of the electric guitar on "I Love You", that intro figure, is one of the most memorable musical choices in Lou's discography - as soon as I think of it, I hear it in my head & love it.
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:18 (five years ago) link
think my main problem with the debut is the backup singers, they sound kinda lame. otherwise, i think it's a solid record!
― tylerw, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:26 (five years ago) link
yes it is! "Turn To Me" is easily in my top ten
― sleeve, Wednesday, September 19, 2018 9:25 AM (fifty-five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i love the way this song is just the riff suspended in empty space for the first two verses. it's a really good riff. album has a lot of really good riffs
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:27 (five years ago) link
i realllly love "fly into the sun"
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:33 (five years ago) link
"What Becomes a Legend Most" sounds like he's going for a Paul Young pastiche and it works.
So many good melodies on New Sensations jfc
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:37 (five years ago) link
Just wanted to say I'm not entirely convinced by Tom's assessment of Sterling Morrison's capacity as a guitar player. Obviously, the Velvets applied restraints to themselves in how they played (like Sterling is clearly restricting himself to a particular tessitura in what I assume is his six and a half minute solo in "I'm Gonna Move Right In").
I'd actually like to have a clearer view of what he and Lou do on guitars throughout those records but that's obtainable by more close listening and playing along.
― timellison, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:43 (five years ago) link
there's another article linked somewhere else on ILM that I can't find right now that has another account of the recording process, people involved complaining about all these heads on poles littering the studio etc.
― Harper Valley CTA-102 (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:45 (five years ago) link
xp there's a great quote by Mo (I think, could be Yule also) somewhere about how Lou and Sterling swapped their solos on any given night according to some inscrutable internal logic
― sleeve, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:45 (five years ago) link
i pretty much know who's doing what — any specific songs?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:47 (five years ago) link
I can usually distinguish Reed and Morrison. Usually.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:48 (five years ago) link
Not who's doing what but more like chord voicings, methods of plucking, how they approached solos, gear, etc.
― timellison, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:49 (five years ago) link
We've talked about this before but, yes, their lead sound/styles are totally different - even their rhythm playing is quite distinct.
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:50 (five years ago) link
"How in the world were they makin' that sound?/Velvet Underground"
― timellison, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:51 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAXYW-Bft5A
― sleeve, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:57 (five years ago) link
(Phil Milstein, from the quasi-bootleg What Goes On 3CD on Australian Raven label)
I can listen past the production. The arrangements and playing are great.
I don't think the arrangements or playing are great - it's true they are on "I Love You" though. I like the album btw!
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 17:58 (five years ago) link
even their rhythm playing is quite distinct.
Well...I don't see how the guitar on "Lady Godiva's Operation" sounds unlike a Morrison part.
― timellison, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 18:02 (five years ago) link
Maybe not in every single song!
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 18:05 (five years ago) link
Ha, that was the first one I checked...
― timellison, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 18:10 (five years ago) link
Adding my thanks to Shakey for the link - I just got up early and stretched out breakfast listening to Street Hassle and reading it, I don't think I've enjoyed the start of the day quite so much in a while.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Wednesday, 19 September 2018 21:18 (five years ago) link
lmao @ mistrial
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 September 2018 23:33 (five years ago) link
you're payin' a price where there's no price to paylove is trustno money down
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 September 2018 23:40 (five years ago) link
YET
"Tell It To Your Heart" is a classic.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 September 2018 23:41 (five years ago) link
yeah that song and "outside" are really good
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 September 2018 23:48 (five years ago) link
thought you were going to say "Mama's Got a Lover"
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 September 2018 23:50 (five years ago) link
lol i nearly did admit that i like that "the original wrapper" exists in lou reed's discography
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 September 2018 23:54 (five years ago) link
The video jukeboxes are-aplayin Madonna
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:00 (five years ago) link
I've never heard "Mistrial". I consider myself a Lou Reed fan too. Shame on me.
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:01 (five years ago) link
before the streaming age you could 99-cent copies on Amazon
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:03 (five years ago) link
No doubt!
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:03 (five years ago) link
wow even Discogs has nothing below $2.99 plus shipping, still too much!
― sleeve, Friday, 21 September 2018 00:06 (five years ago) link
Mistrial >>>>> Berlin
I love how Mistrial gets dismissed most often for "dated production" when fucking Bob Ezrin's despair-on-mothballs arrangements don't scream the seventies, and the songs suck.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:10 (five years ago) link
Now, you've gone too far.
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:18 (five years ago) link
The currents rage so deep inside us This is the age of video violenc
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:22 (five years ago) link
mistrial is up there with take no prisoners as his funniest record
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:28 (five years ago) link
the best video everhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiyX70ZqsVQ
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:28 (five years ago) link
"Growing Up In Public" is a hoot too.
― Zach Same (Tom D.), Friday, 21 September 2018 00:29 (five years ago) link
I think the time is ripe for an "Alfred's 80s records challops" thread
and I wish that it be a cheerful thread
― niels, Friday, 21 September 2018 06:46 (five years ago) link
I thought this was that thread?
Preferring Mistrial to Berlin isn't a challops. A B or B- is a better grade than a C+ or C.
― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 21 September 2018 11:04 (five years ago) link
I meant for a thread to include more artists than Lou!
― niels, Friday, 21 September 2018 11:30 (five years ago) link
idk i can't agree with alfred on berlin, outside of the arrangements all the songs on it seem v well written to me
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Friday, 21 September 2018 12:04 (five years ago) link
the (relatively) recent concert movie was v rewarding
― niels, Friday, 21 September 2018 12:50 (five years ago) link
I don't know Mistrial apart from the two singles, which are OK. But Berlin is an album I've lived with all my teen/adult life and means an awful lot to me, melodramatic orchestration and all. I hadn't realised until recently though that half the tracks were recycled from VU days. It's amazing that he was recycling VU tracks right up to Street Hassle and maybe beyond.
Listening to the eponymous 1972 album right now and it's sounding pretty good, albeit sort of Loaded II
― Zelda Zonk, Friday, 21 September 2018 13:35 (five years ago) link
^Right?
― growing up in publix (morrisp), Friday, 21 September 2018 14:38 (five years ago) link
I suppose Street Hassle's ranking might uh rankle.. It's not much beyond the great title track.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 7 October 2019 01:08 (four years ago) link