A bonus 7-inch, housed in its own unique die-cut picture sleeve and manufactured at Third Man Record Pressing includes the only vinyl release of six previously-unreleased bonus tracks providing a never-before-seen glimpse into Reed’s formative years, including early demos, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and a doo-wop serenade recorded in 1958 when the legendary singer-songwriter was just sixteen years old. An accompanying saddle-stitched, die-cut 28-page book features lyrics, archival photos, and liner notes Also included is an archival reproduction of a rarely-seen letter, written by Reed to his college professor and poet, Delmore Schwartz, circa 1964. The set includes a CD containing the complete audio from the package, housed in a die-cut jacket.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 June 2022 15:49 (one year ago) link
this previously unreleased collection of songs—penned by a young Lou Reed, recorded to tape with the help of future bandmate John Cale, and mailed to himself as a “poor man’s copyright”—remained sealed in its original envelope and unopened for nearly 50 years.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 June 2022 15:53 (one year ago) link
lmao when that harmonica solo comes in, incredible
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Monday, 6 June 2022 16:10 (one year ago) link
Velvet Underground Trainspotting Question
discussed here too
― curmudgeon, Monday, 6 June 2022 16:31 (one year ago) link
Hal Willner one of the producers listed below, so this has been in the works a while,wonder what he did. Guess the podcast might be worth checking out? (I suspect this whole thing might be more interesting historically than musically, like some of the Beatles demos: "Yep, that's a really early version alright, can see why they thought it needed more work, ho-hum.") Judging also by those earliest demos on Peel Slowly and See.
Featuring contributions from Reed’s future bandmate, John Cale, Words & Music, May 1965 presents in their entirety the earliest-known recordings of such historic songs as “Heroin,” “I’m Waiting for the Man,” and “Pale Blue Eyes”—all of which Reed would eventually record and make indelibly influential with The Velvet Underground. Also included are several more previously-unreleased compositions that offer additional insight into Reed’s creative process and early influences. Produced by Laurie Anderson, Don Fleming, Jason Stern, Hal Willner, and Matt Sullivan, the album features newly-remastered audio from the original tapes by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer, John Baldwin. Rounding out the package are new liner notes from acclaimed journalist and author, Greil Marcus, plus in-depth archival notes from Don Fleming and Jason Stern, who oversee the Lou Reed Archive. To help celebrate the release, Light in the Attic will also invite listeners to intimately experience Words & Music through a podcast hosted by TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe. In partnership with Little Everywhere and Ruinous Media, this special program will feature exclusive audio, archival materials, and interviews with many of the album's participants. Available on all podcast platforms on August 26th.
― dow, Monday, 6 June 2022 19:48 (one year ago) link
A coworker told a story last night about an incident (years ago) in which their wife was fawning over someone's dog on the street ("Oh, what a cute dog!," petting it profusely, etc.) – then as they walked away, they noticed that the dog owner was Lou.
― subject matter expert (morrisp),
Thought you were going to say "The dog was Lou."
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 6 June 2022 20:29 (one year ago) link
Rock 'n roll animal.
― subject matter expert (morrisp), Monday, 6 June 2022 20:34 (one year ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/06/arts/music/lou-reed-caught-between-the-twisted-stars.html
Love the cassette from his archive that has "Eagles One Of These Nights" scratched out on the label.
― birdistheword, Thursday, 9 June 2022 03:50 (one year ago) link
ha, yes
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 9 June 2022 11:55 (one year ago) link
It was research for writing and recording "Crazy Feelin'" on Coney Island Baby.
― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 9 June 2022 14:43 (one year ago) link
DON: There was always much more to our music than what met the eye or ear. Beyond the smooth surface lurked a heart of darkness, observing and reporting about all the dirty dealings on the West Coast. So naturally there was a feeling of kinship--and perhaps a little competition--with Lou Reed, who had the East Coast wrapped up in that department.
GLENN: The one I couldn't get over was Metal Machine Music...I just knew we could top that! So one weekend over at La Fontaine, we cleared out the den, rolled in the Marshalls, and busted out every acoustic guitar they had available at S.I.R. Things were going well until Linda [Ronstadt] called and invited out to see a production of Plaza Suite. Next thing I know, we're doing Don's Hotel thing as our next album instead of Cool Winds, Acoustic Waves.
DON: Well, yeah.
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 9 June 2022 15:26 (one year ago) link
Lol
― Double Elvis on the Dime (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 9 June 2022 15:27 (one year ago) link
The dog was Iggy
― rare lipstick or mohawks that somehow make them more valuable (President Keyes), Monday, 13 June 2022 02:33 (one year ago) link
That’s what I was figuring.
― The Crazy World of Encyclopedia Brown (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 13 June 2022 03:13 (one year ago) link
"New" Lou! Trigger warning: Tai-chi!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz4irXJFc4c
Guessing this is a "Mistrial"-era demo
― chr1sb3singer, Tuesday, 14 March 2023 14:41 (one year ago) link
hell yeah, hopefully a preview of a multi-disc Mistrial deluxe edition.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 March 2023 14:43 (one year ago) link
Me: "Man I would kill for a 'Take No Prisoners' box!"
Don Flemming: "Next best thing, Mistrial outtake about Tai-Chi!"
― chr1sb3singer, Tuesday, 14 March 2023 14:47 (one year ago) link
Assuming this is more book tie-in then taste of things to come
Haha yeah, they were probably like "now or never to release this one!"
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 March 2023 14:50 (one year ago) link
My phone woke me up at 3 AM with an alert about this so at least the algorithm works
― chr1sb3singer, Tuesday, 14 March 2023 14:52 (one year ago) link
this mf spittin fr
"tai is very pret-tay"tai chi is very slooowtai chi can make you healthyand sexier, you know"
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 14 March 2023 15:01 (one year ago) link
"I wanna be black belt!"
#IKnow
― Mark G, Tuesday, 14 March 2023 22:22 (one year ago) link
I sometimes feel a little guilty about my own Lou Tai-Chi fatigue so it makes me feel a little less alone in this to see others expressing something similar.
― Think Fast, Mr. Mojo Risin’ (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 March 2023 23:43 (one year ago) link
He missed out not making this song the single from Hudson River Meditations.
― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 15 March 2023 16:43 (one year ago) link
i actually think hudson river meditations is good for kind of zone out ambient
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 15 March 2023 17:24 (one year ago) link
How'd it take me so long to get to Live in Italy? This is great!
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 27 March 2023 20:55 (one year ago) link
Quinefest
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Monday, 27 March 2023 21:08 (one year ago) link
Absolutely.
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 27 March 2023 21:12 (one year ago) link
FWIW, this concert video is worth getting - again, with Lou, Quine, Saunders and Maher, I think in support of The Blue Mask at the Bottom Line in NYC. One of my favorites, and before things went sour between Lou and Quine:
https://www.discogs.com/master/613485-Lou-Reed-A-Night-With-Lou-Reed
Probably my favorite official live release from Lou's solo career, and even if you buy the DVD new, it's priced fairly low.
― birdistheword, Monday, 27 March 2023 21:31 (one year ago) link
My 18yo son has been on a comprehensive solo Lou dive during the past week. He was already fully versed in VU. So far the primary effect is he went out and bought a vinyl copy of Street Hassle.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 27 March 2023 21:38 (one year ago) link
good move
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Monday, 27 March 2023 21:54 (one year ago) link
What does he think about I Want To Be Black?
My 13 year old daughter loves Transformer and asked if she could borrow my CD copy. I handed her Metal Machine Music and told her that it was made around the same time and to let me know what she thinks. I heard it squalling from her room for about five minutes and then she came back with a confused look and told me that the CD was messed up.
― Cow_Art, Monday, 27 March 2023 21:56 (one year ago) link
hahaha
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Monday, 27 March 2023 22:02 (one year ago) link
We had a whole conversation about it, that it's about a white fantasy of "blackness," but also that it's more than a little problematic and definitely wouldn't fly in 2023. He mostly skips it when it comes on because he's appropriately ambivalent about it.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 27 March 2023 23:34 (one year ago) link
Also he loves Metal Machine Music, but I expected that because he's kind of a harsh noise fanatic/connoisseur.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Monday, 27 March 2023 23:35 (one year ago) link
oh that's right isn't he the one that's into like Merzbow and Hijokaidan and such?
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 01:24 (one year ago) link
Yep. These days he's into super extreme contemporary stuff, things you can only order on cassette. I appreciate his enthusiasm even if I don't share it. (I was initially a little worried about the whole white supremacist side of noise, but instead he's found what seems like a really tight-knit queer-friendly scene. Lou would approve.)
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 01:33 (one year ago) link
I'm afraid to ask, but what's the white supremacist side of noise? Is it something that's catching on?
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 28 March 2023 04:53 (one year ago) link
https://jeanhugueskabuiku.substack.com/p/about-vatican-shadow-link-with-the
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 05:48 (one year ago) link
(that link was re: yr 1st question, answer to the second is "not any more than in metal, maybe less"
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 05:49 (one year ago) link
I am playing the first Lou Reed LP, LOU REED.
It's good.
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 28 March 2023 10:37 (one year ago) link
Thanks sleeve. Disturbing stuff, hopefully more journalists will call it out.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 28 March 2023 17:23 (one year ago) link
I didn't know about those connections and I wrote a lengthy profile on Fernow for The Wire in 2011. Pissed me off quite a bit to find out.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 17:31 (one year ago) link
Yeah I was bummed because while my exposure to that musical world is very dilettantish, I actually like Vatican Shadow and saw him perform once.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 17:39 (one year ago) link
I mean it goes back to Boyd Rice/Non, Whitehouse etc
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 28 March 2023 17:52 (one year ago) link
New NYT piece up that's taken from Will Hermes's in-the-works biography, covering the time between the Velvets and Transformer, more or less.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 September 2023 22:21 (six months ago) link
Oh wow, I was starting to think he had given up on that project.
― Kizza Me on the Bus (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 22 September 2023 22:23 (six months ago) link
Ha I'd been half thinking that myself at points but I saw various posts from him that it was still happening. Just was putting in the work!
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 September 2023 22:26 (six months ago) link
It’s here!
― Dose of Thunderwords (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 3 October 2023 05:00 (six months ago) link
Hermes bio is stellar — definitely the best Lou bio ...
Also! This thing I put together ...
https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2023/10/03/sad-song-lou-reeds-berlin-at-50/
― tylerw, Tuesday, 3 October 2023 16:53 (six months ago) link