RIP Lou Reed

For new sounds, old sounds and favourite sound discussion...

Moderators: sunny, BzaInSpace, runcible, spzretent

beaker73
Known user
Posts: 291
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 2:59 pm

RIP Lou Reed

Post by beaker73 »

Just saw on twitter that Lou Reed died, according to Rolling Stone.
Damn, was spinning Transformer last night, inspired by the recent Lou Reed talk here. One of the last greats gone. A Sad sad day....
"I've been drinking all night long, but my hands are steady"
Starfish
Known user
Posts: 1189
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: MidWest, UK

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by Starfish »

So many, many great songs.
If I had to pick one, right now, it's going to be Street Hassle.
RIP Lou
runaway
Known user
Posts: 470
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: the shadows

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by runaway »

Sad sad news
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

Just saw the story myself. Fuck, what awful news. I'm gutted. One of the greatest ever has left the building. I'll be spinning many a solo record tonight in recognition, and my mind instantly turns to "Like A Possum". Endlessly long, atonal, uncompromising and polarising - the best of Lou, in other words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0rYAzTpOXw
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by runcible »

Bloody hell. Pretty sad stuff...

That's now half the Velvets gone.
Hofstadter
Known user
Posts: 628
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:46 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by Hofstadter »

Sunday Morning........
jack white
Known user
Posts: 1710
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Tralfamadore

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by jack white »

you know, some people got no choice
and they can never find a voice
to talk with that they can even call their own
so the first thing that they see
that allows them the right to be
why they follow it, y'know, it's called bad luck.


Forever.
RIP.
gonna burn brightly
for a while
angelsighs
Known user
Posts: 4876
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by angelsighs »

:(
wow this is totally unexpected. I always thought of him as kind of invincible, like Keith Richards

RIP

when all is said and done, the Velvet Underground were one of the greatest and most influential bands ever. simple as that.
Ian
Known user
Posts: 445
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:55 pm
Location: Brighton, UK
Contact:

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by Ian »

How many people get to leave a legacy like his, though? Those first three Velvets albums are untouchable. (Loaded might be as well, I've never been able to crack it.)

Loads of solo stuff that I don't know, and look forward to checking out, but I've been playing Songs For Drella a lot lately. Am I right in thinking this doesn't have a great reputation? I think it's amazing. And, of course, it's a tribute to a dead friend.

Goodnight Lou.
I have a passion sweet Lord...
http://www.spacemen3.co.uk
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

Just told by the missus who read it on FB. She said... "you won't like this news". Gutted. How weird is it we were just discussing him here the other day. Last week's solo binge will continue for a bit I think...

'I Heard Her Call My Name' sticks out as some kind of insane high point but the reality is Lou Reed was an extremely gifted songwriter. Pure genius. So many incredible songs - you could pick a random 15 tunes from the entire Velvets canon for example and have an incredible compilation.

I know they'll fucking use 'Perfect Day' in any media reports and stuff but they should use Metal Machine Music or 'Sister Ray' if they really want to represent him. That's Lou totally fucking with the norm and pushing stuff as far as it can go and that's how I choose to remember him. Have to get Lulu now. Been meaning too. Anything that caused that much negativity from rock snobs and dumbass Metallica fans has got to be amazing, right? :wink:

Also - the guy's a true guitar hero and six-string pioneer. He never gets mentioned alongside wank like Clapton, Beck, and all those million-notes-per-second twats but he's better than them all. 'Ostrich Guitar' and insane feedback manipulation. Some of his playing, again on 'I Heard Her Call My Name', is totally unprecedented and even now sounds like nothing else on earth.

"MY WEEK BEATS YOUR YEAR"

Image

It also appears that Mick Hucknall was one of the first to publicly comment on Lou's death... I'm sure Lou would have appreciated the bizarreness!
O P 8
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

BzaInSpace wrote:
I know they'll fucking use 'Perfect Day' in any media reports and stuff but they should use Metal Machine Music or 'Sister Ray' if they really want to represent him. That's Lou totally fucking with the norm and pushing stuff as far as it can go and that's how I choose to remember him. Have to get Lulu now. Been meaning too. Anything that caused that much negativity from rock snobs and dumbass Metallica fans has got to be amazing, right? :wink:
Yes, get Lulu. Lou was immensely proud of it, and rightly so. I don't listen to Metallica much so I can't be sure, but I think the music is much more drone-based and repetitive than their usual work; perhaps this is what irked the Metallica fans so much. Me? That's why I love it. "Dragon" perfectly represents what Lulu is all about: long, furious, punishing and uncompromisingly brutal both muscially and lyrically, with some excellent LR guitar. I recommend you check it out :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFFuAPWYxcU
rameses
Known user
Posts: 762
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: At the Abyss, peering in.

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by rameses »

Very sad. I'm going to dig out VU and listen to it late into the night (no work tomorrow) :cry:
It's nice to be liked,
But it's better by far to get paid.
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

Putting on Magic And Loss as the first of this evening's tributes. This is going to be a bittersweet listen and no mistake :(
spzretent
Site Admin
Posts: 5587
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Motor City

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by spzretent »

Seems wrong to listen to anything else today. What an amazing trail you blazed Lou. Thank you for the countless bands you have influenced along the way.
http://www.lilmoxie.com
Detroit, Music, Sports and Other Stuff(including Spiritualized, Spacemen 3)
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

gutted, gutted, gutted. i only spoke to him last month, sat in the room whilst he laughed, joked, impersonated nico, warhol, film stars etc. gutted


When you pass through the fire, you pass through humble
You pass through a maze of self doubt
When you pass through humble, the lights can blind you
Some people never figure that out

You pass through arrogance, you pass through hurt
You pass through an ever present past
And it's best not to wait for luck to save you
Pass through the fire to the light

Pass through the fire to the light
Pass through the fire to the light
It's best not to wait for luck to save you
Pass through the fire to the light

As you pass through the fire, your right hand waving
There are things you have to throw out
That caustic dread inside your head
Will never help you out

You have to be very strong, 'cause you'll start from zero
Over and over again
And as the smoke clears there's an all consuming fire
Lyin' straight ahead

Lyin' straight ahead
Lyin' straight ahead
As the smoke clears there's an all consuming fire
Lyin' straight ahead

They say no one person can do it all
But you want to in your head
But you can't be Shakespeare and you can't be Joyce
So what is left instead

You're stuck with yourself and a rage that can hurt you
You have to start at the beginning again
And just this moment this wonderful fire
Started up again

When you pass through humble, when you pass through sickly
When you pass through I'm better than you all
When you pass through anger and self deprecation
And have the strength to acknowledge it all

When the past makes you laugh and you can savor the magic
That let you survive your own war
You find that that fire is passion
And there's a door up ahead not a wall

As you pass through fire as you pass through fire
Tryin' to remember it's name
When you pass through fire lickin' at your lips
You cannot remain the same

And if the building's burning move towards that door
But don't put the flames out
There's a bit of magic in everything
And then some loss to even things out

Some loss to even things out
Some loss to even things out
There's a bit of magic in everything
And then some loss to even things out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0jHPRO98lM


http://vimeo.com/13400050

rip :cry: :cry:
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
redcloud
Known user
Posts: 2755
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:32 pm
Location: Portland, OR.

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by redcloud »

Sad, sad news.
Hofstadter wrote:Sunday Morning........
Yes indeed.

RIP Lou.
Last edited by redcloud on Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

That song finished literally twenty seconds before I saw your post, the Dr :(
Last edited by mc on Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
redcloud
Known user
Posts: 2755
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:32 pm
Location: Portland, OR.

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by redcloud »

mc wrote:That song finished literally twenty seconds ago :(
Putting it on now.
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

Lou Reed

Goodbye dear friend
Goodbye gentle heart
The shy boy in shades
Who tried to act hard
Who was brash and rude
In public
But in private wrote
‘I’ll be your mirror’
Who loved his friends
And distained his enemies,
If even that
Who took popular music
And set it past the future
There still is no one who can match
The sounds that you made
Who transcended the limitations
Of popular music and wrote
Serious art
One of the holy trinity
(Dylan and Cohen the others)
Who made popular music literate
And stood up for those who could read
‘There’s nothing worse than active ignorance’
Goethe wrote that
‘You are the shadow setting in the sun’
I wrote that
As I bid fare-thee-well
My heart breaks again
The mean-spirited, lost
And fragile, beautiful child
Who turned the world on its head
Last edited by The Dr on Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

mc wrote:That song finished literally twenty seconds before I saw your post, the Dr :(

:(
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

It was a harrowing listen, Magic and Loss, given the occasion and the subject matter. My girlfriend is currently undergoing treatment for bowel cancer; she's doing well so far and the treatment is aiming for a cure, but it's a particularly poignant album just now. RIP Lou, and my heart goes out to Laurie Anderson :(
blancheflower
Known user
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: london

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by blancheflower »

The Black Angel's Death Song
Real Good Time Together
Rock 'n ' Roll Heart
Goodnight Ladies
Beginning To See Light
Dirty Boulevard
Strawman
Kill Your Sons
I'll Be Your Mirror
Hey Mr Rain
Kicks
The Bed
Metal Machine Music (side 3)
Sweet Jane (especially the version of Take No Prisoners)
The Gift
Animal Language
Pale Blue Eyes
Train Comin' Round the Bend
Sad Song
Sword of Damocles
Downtown Dirt
Leave Me Alone
I Love You Suzanne
Sunday Morning

What Goes On? Not much without you Lou.
Kurious Oranj
Known user
Posts: 308
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:56 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by Kurious Oranj »

RIP

think if i had a gun to my head id probably say VU was my favorite band

think ill give the legendary guitar amp tapes a spin
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

mc wrote:It was a harrowing listen, Magic and Loss, given the occasion and the subject matter. My girlfriend is currently undergoing treatment for bowel cancer; she's doing well so far and the treatment is aiming for a cure, but it's a particularly poignant album just now. RIP Lou, and my heart goes out to Laurie Anderson :(
my deepest wishes go out to her for speedy and complete recovery. in twenty years time you'll be able to sit back together and listen to magic and loss, and remember how you both beat, what william burroughs calls 'Fucking undisciplined cells!'

all the best my friend :)
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

The Dr wrote:
my deepest wishes go out to her for speedy and complete recovery. in twenty years time you'll be able to sit back together and listen to magic and loss, and remember how you both beat, what william burroughs calls 'Fucking undisciplined cells!'

all the best my friend :)
Thanks very much mate, that's hugely appreciated :)

We definitely won't be listening to Magic & Loss together in twenty years, though - she can't stand Lou Reed! ;) Bless her, she's putting up with the tribute evening nevertheless. Right now Baton Rouge is playing - such a sad, poignant song - which means the mighty Like A Possum is only minutes away...
shalloboi
Known user
Posts: 894
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 1:25 am
Location: chicago, il
Contact:

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by shalloboi »

i didn't hear this news until i got to work.

very sad news indeed. it occurred to me that a lot of people i know remember how they felt the first time they heard the beatles, but for me it's always been the velvets. hearing their stuff while i was in high school did so much to shape the way i understood and thought about music- one of the reasons i was so late getting into the more classic 60s stuff is because it always sounded kind of frivolous and worthless when you compared it to the velvets.

i love how so many people are mentioning 'like a possum'- that's always been one of my favourites of his. my wife and i sing it to each other a lot- definitely going to crank that one when i get home. the first song my wife and i sang together in my band was a cover of 'candy says.'
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

mc wrote:It was a harrowing listen, Magic and Loss, given the occasion and the subject matter. My girlfriend is currently undergoing treatment for bowel cancer; she's doing well so far and the treatment is aiming for a cure, but it's a particularly poignant album just now. RIP Lou, and my heart goes out to Laurie Anderson :(
I wish you both all the luck in the world. Positive thinking can make a difference... best wishes.
O P 8
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

Can't find a YT link anywhere but if you haven't heard it before, I challenge you to listen to 'Fire Music' from The Raven. That shit is incredible. Like Metal Machine Music for the 21st Century, condensed to three minutes. Inspired by 9/11 which makes it even more scary and intense than it already is.

Literally mindblowing, it's like music as a weapon. Extraordinary.

Actually - it's probably just as well it's not on YT as inevitably it would be compressed with shit sound quality. I remember a great interview with Lou in 'The Wire' (hope I still have that somewhere...) which was full on guitar arcana and a pleasure to read. He was talking about how most new music is compressed and limited and spaceless and totally balanced in stereo - he had this thing about wanting records to be unbalanced and actually move physically. Gotta see if I can track this down, it was fascinating. Anyway, he specifically said this track would be ruined if compressed in a crappy mp3 format.

But yeah... listen to it.
O P 8
spzretent
Site Admin
Posts: 5587
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Motor City

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by spzretent »

A nice article by a friend of mine for the Seattle Stranger.
http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/ ... -1942-2013

mc:
Healing thoughts and prayers coming from Motown for you and your girlfriend.
http://www.lilmoxie.com
Detroit, Music, Sports and Other Stuff(including Spiritualized, Spacemen 3)
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

BzaInSpace wrote: I wish you both all the luck in the world. Positive thinking can make a difference... best wishes.
Cheers mate, much appreciated :D

And yes - Fire Music :shock: If only more than 3 minutes of it existed...
semisynthetic
Known user
Posts: 1444
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 5:39 pm
Location: Undefined; drifting ever further and further away

RIP Lou Reed

Post by semisynthetic »

What another terrible loss. A nice fellow with a great sense of humor; his ego long whittled down to something like "the jokes on me"; a great musician; a man intrinsically woven into Music and Music History. Gravity seemed greater after I heard the news. Very, Very Sad indeed.
"Everything is a Poison; it is the amount or degree that separates one Poison from another"
Paracelsus
BROKENHEART
Known user
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:16 pm

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BROKENHEART »

So very sad. I just can't imagine what bands we would have missed out on if it were not for Lou and the VU .
Thanks Lou you were the Man .
angelsighs
Known user
Posts: 4876
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by angelsighs »

BzaInSpace wrote: . Some of his playing, again on 'I Heard Her Call My Name', is totally unprecedented and even now sounds like nothing else on earth.
amen to that a million times! a lot of Lou's reputation seems to rest on him as a songwriter and frontman...comparitively few mention what a smoking guitar player he was. the dirty, scorching and wild playing on I Heard Her Call My Name is simply incredible.
heisenberg
Known user
Posts: 423
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:14 pm

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by heisenberg »

RIP Lou. Definitely the further ending of an era with this sad news. An artist whose music reached as far as anyone else I can think of, without him ever compromising the art itself. Rare is it that someone reaches such ubiquity without losing both that undiluted focus in their work, and the high regard he was held in.
nickh
Known user
Posts: 591
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2004 1:52 pm
Location: London

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by nickh »

Aged 15 I had a crappy old cassette of Transformer that I wore out, that tape led me to the Velvet Underground and they probably changed the way I listened to music for ever.

I feel a Velvets marathon is on its way…

Bye man.
redcloud
Known user
Posts: 2755
Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:32 pm
Location: Portland, OR.

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by redcloud »

Even our local Portland news had Lou on the main headlines last night. They called him the "father of indie music".
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

redcloud wrote:Even our local Portland news had Lou on the main headlines last night. They called him the "father of indie music".
Ooft!

I remember once a journalist said to him that he was "the godfather of goth" - Lou went understandably bananas!

Listening for the massively delayed journey in today started with Coney Island Baby. That was emotional. Hearing Lou's deadpan voice was spine tingling stuff. Sad and beautiful. Despite Coney Island Baby having this critical reputation for being some kind of lifeless, detached album to me today it sounded so full of live and love. Some of the lyrical matter (and the likes of 'Kicks') aside to me it sounds like a really happy album.

Also got through most of Berlin. This is perhaps the opposite to what I wrote above. Never actually cared for Berlin too much, but today it seemed like a fitting day to revisit it.

I know it's seen as some kind of artistic highlight of Lou's but I've often found it too overwrought and the vast Ezrin production puts me off - the drumkit sounds like a mile wide for start! Anyway, was a more reflective listen to it today, but I still believe I would prefer this album if it was stripped right back, just Lou and his guitar, like on 'Oh Jim'.
O P 8
TheWarmth
Known user
Posts: 3959
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Chicago, IL
Contact:

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by TheWarmth »

I guess I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. I've got my vinyl rip of the first VU/Nico album (from the recent boxset) on now, trying not to be totally bummed out.
PopeJez
Known user
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2010 7:30 am
Location: South UK

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by PopeJez »

I've literally no idea what music would sound like today with the influence and bravery of VU and Lou.

A true icon.
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by runcible »

It's amazing but in this period where people are genuinely moved by the guy's death and fitting tributes are appearing all over the world, the Daily Mail, by some distance the most vile newspaper in this country, produces an article of genuine nastiness. I mean it's just horrible in the way they portray Lou and his legacy. I have been disgusted by The Daily Mail as long as I can remember, but this is a new low, even for them.

Many are mourning Lou Reed for many reasons. The influence he has had over music in general is immeasurable. The Velvets importance is impossible to describe. Much of the guy's solo material is written into people's minds without them even knowing it. He was SO important. Yet the Mail comes out with this:
http://www.donotlink.com/bRC

I know we're celebrating Lou's achievements but it's worth reminding people that some only choose to see the other side of the story and ignore everything else. Personally speaking the Velvets Live 1969 will be this evening's fitting soundtrack.
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

"Peter Hitchens and Amanda Platell in Porn Dungeon Horror"

Post by BzaInSpace »

Disgusting... although I'd expect nothing less from The Daily Heil. Those sanctimonious, hypocritical Nazi scumbags are the lowest of the low.

And it's such a badly written article, using ancient quotes and full of innuendo, and it basically says:
Lou Reed took illegal drugs and so deserved to die.

Get this: "Sometimes, the drug allusions were fairly obvious such as in songs with titles such as White Light/White Heat and Waiting For The Man..."

I'd really like to hear the utter fucktard that wrote this (Tom Leonard) to explain just exactly how 'White Light/White Heat' is a "fairly obvious... drug allusion". I mean what do you think he would say?

I like to think that Lou would have chuckled at this.

Meanwhile, the rest of us can do the world a favour by fire-bombing The Daily Mail offices out of existence. Who's up for it?

Only joking... honest :wink:
O P 8
suskind
Known user
Posts: 87
Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 8:32 am
Location: Nomad

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by suskind »

very sad news, spent all day yesterday listening to VU and his other works, very sad
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

"The news I feared the most, pales in comparison to the lump in my throat and the hollow in my stomach. Two kids have a chance meeting and 47 years later we fight and love the same way -- losing either one is incomprehensible. No replacement value, no digital or virtual fill...broken now, for all time. Unlike so many with similar stories - we have the best of our fury laid out on vinyl, for the world to catch a glimpse. The laughs we shared just a few weeks ago, will forever remind me of all that was good between us."
John Cale, 27th Oct, 2013


Glad those two were laughing with each other at the end.
O P 8
heisenberg
Known user
Posts: 423
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:14 pm

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by heisenberg »

The Daily Mail thing... Yes he took a shitload of drugs. But I bet he had some fucking amazing times on them, and also found time to influence and change popular music forever. Fuck you, Daily Mail. Go back to picking over Diana's corpse and let the people who have a clue about life after 1939 write about Lou Reed.
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

BzaInSpace wrote: I know it's seen as some kind of artistic highlight of Lou's but I've often found it too overwrought and the vast Ezrin production puts me off - the drumkit sounds like a mile wide for start! Anyway, was a more reflective listen to it today, but I still believe I would prefer this album if it was stripped right back, just Lou and his guitar, like on 'Oh Jim'.

you may prefer the live at st ann's warehouse version. it is the live recording of berlin that then toured the world, much to lou's delight


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0quZbsqkxo

this is oh jim. the rest of the show should be on the site too...if not it's all on dvd available :wink:
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

a guy at work said he only knows perfect day so i put together a velvets and lou cd for him to try as a sample

https://hotfile.com/dl/252621352/fd9401 ... p.rar.html

lou reed

wind coda
the bells
smalltown
caroline says I
dirty blvd
perfect day
how do you speak to an angel
there is no time
power and gloy II
caroline says II
vanishing act
coney island baby
the blue mask
work
romeo and juliette
sad song
magic and loss


velvets

sister ray
some kinda love
who loves the sun
i'm waiting for the man
stephanie says
i'll be your mirror
cool it down
candy says
she's my best friend
venus in furs
i heard her call my name
pale blue eyes
i can't stand it
sunday morning
rock n roll
femme fatale
i found a reason
after hours

it was only afterwards i relaised i'd missed of heroin- but can't fit everything. the view from lulu was meant to be on there too...forgot. isn't it cool. mr reed's last album was called loulou

(ps do people d/l my cds ie 'folk', if not it would be helpful to know :D )
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
olan
Known user
Posts: 1968
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:42 am
Location: Liverpool

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by olan »

There is a particularly good article on Lou in The Guardian written by Neil Gaiman.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/o ... ed-sandman

The last line is a killer......
shalloboi
Known user
Posts: 894
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 1:25 am
Location: chicago, il
Contact:

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by shalloboi »

The Dr wrote:a guy at work said he only knows perfect day so i put together a velvets and lou cd for him to try as a sample

https://hotfile.com/dl/252621352/fd9401 ... p.rar.html

lou reed

wind coda
the bells
smalltown
caroline says I
dirty blvd
perfect day
how do you speak to an angel
there is no time
power and gloy II
caroline says II
vanishing act
coney island baby
the blue mask
work
romeo and juliette
sad song
magic and loss


velvets

sister ray
some kinda love
who loves the sun
i'm waiting for the man
stephanie says
i'll be your mirror
cool it down
candy says
she's my best friend
venus in furs
i heard her call my name
pale blue eyes
i can't stand it
sunday morning
rock n roll
femme fatale
i found a reason
after hours

it was only afterwards i relaised i'd missed of heroin- but can't fit everything. the view from lulu was meant to be on there too...forgot. isn't it cool. mr reed's last album was called loulou

(ps do people d/l my cds ie 'folk', if not it would be helpful to know :D )
very nice comps! i'm downloading this when i get home immediately- embarrassingly i barely have any of lou's solo stuff (i have 'transformer,' 'ecstacy' and 'berlin'- that's it) even though i have nearly all of the velvets stuff.

i'm imposing an all vu marathon today at work- listening to 'loaded' right now. the two live albums from 1969 are getting some time as well- forgot how fantastic those two records are!
runcible
Site Admin
Posts: 5443
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Yorkshire, England

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by runcible »

The Dr wrote: velvets

sister ray
some kinda love
who loves the sun
i'm waiting for the man
stephanie says
i'll be your mirror
cool it down
candy says
she's my best friend
venus in furs
i heard her call my name
pale blue eyes
i can't stand it
sunday morning
rock n roll
femme fatale
i found a reason
after hours
You also missed out What Goes On - possibly the most influential rhythm guitar track I can think of. That song launched a thousand bands.
plastic37
Known user
Posts: 408
Joined: Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:48 pm

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by plastic37 »

Here's a link to the 1985 South Bank Show about the Velvet Underground.
For me (now aged 41) this was a massive moment.

http://youtu.be/AS7QnF6ieKY

I can't say that i rushed out and brought the records. I wasn't buying many records back them and no one i knew had them to tape. The big thing was that i thought they were totally cool and all the bands that came after and name checked them instantly had a head start for me.

OD To Street Hassle
Heavy Tourism
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

runcible wrote:
The Dr wrote:
You also missed out What Goes On - possibly the most influential rhythm guitar track I can think of. That song launched a thousand bands.

yeah, it wa son there but then i put stephanie says instead. that song has been floating around in my head for the last few days. it was a toss up
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

shalloboi wrote:
The Dr wrote:a

very nice comps! i'm downloading this when i get home immediately- embarrassingly i barely have any of lou's solo stuff (i have 'transformer,' 'ecstacy' and 'berlin'- that's it) even though i have nearly all of the velvets stuff.

i'm imposing an all vu marathon today at work- listening to 'loaded' right now. the two live albums from 1969 are getting some time as well- forgot how fantastic those two records are!
o it is good to know people download them :D if no one did then it would be a waste of time but if one person does and enjoys them- discovers new music, ie Hofstadter with the girl groups comp- then it is more than worth while :D
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
johnnyboy
Known user
Posts: 929
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2007 4:39 pm

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by johnnyboy »

Man oh man, there's not much else to say is there. Everyone dies, we all know it's going to happen, but hearing the news late on Sunday evening was like a punch in the heart. Truly saddened by this. As mentioned in this thread we were just talking about Coney Island Baby and other Lou albums last week. He was so cool. His music, voice, lyrics will live on and on and on. Imagine another 20 years from now and some kid hearing Run Run Run for the first time, so fantastic.

Goes without saying that all I've been listening to since Sunday is Lou and the VU. I had White Light White Heat on my headphones for the morning commute today and it took me off somewhere else. Memories of hearing it for the first time, playing it on my old Walkman. That evil overspill of sound in Sister Ray, dangerous, edgy, sexy, groovy, dark, relentless.

God bless his Rock and Roll Heart.x

(as for the Daily Mail, jesus, what can you say??!! Utter scumbags)
Laz69
Known user
Posts: 2632
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:09 am
Location: Scotland
Contact:

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by Laz69 »

I have realised the depressing truth that many more of my musical "heroes" are going to be heading off this mortal coil over the next few years... i don't like this...

:cry:
mc
Known user
Posts: 984
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by mc »

Taking advantage of a day off and an empty house to blast my vinyl copy of Metal Machine Music at full tilt while I cook dinner. My oh my, it's quite the experience :D
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

mc wrote:Taking advantage of a day off and an empty house to blast my vinyl copy of Metal Machine Music at full tilt while I cook dinner. My oh my, it's quite the experience :D
johnnyboy wrote:... I had White Light White Heat on my headphones for the morning commute today and it took me off somewhere else. Memories of hearing it for the first time, playing it on my old Walkman. That evil overspill of sound in Sister Ray, dangerous, edgy, sexy, groovy, dark, relentless.

God bless his Rock and Roll Heart.x)
Most of the stuff that's been written on here is heart-felt and genuine and displays a deep and true love of Lou and his music. Not a TV junkie so can't comment there but certainly so far what I've seen on online has been disappointing - either sickeningly vindictive (The Daily Fucking Mail - thankfully rare) or just self-serving trivia - look at some of these tweets for example, christ!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24703353

Simon fucking Cowell, Ricky Gervais and Ian Broudie.

Alex Kapranos from Frank Ferdinand also wrote about how he once cycled past Lou.

All we need now is some from Mil*y Cy*us and Liam Gallagher and then we can declare culture and civilization truly dead...
O P 8
jack white
Known user
Posts: 1710
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Tralfamadore

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by jack white »

why do you let it get to you? why do you even bother reading it?
you should have better things to do w/your time.
you should be celebrating him.

was thinking there earlier how amazing it is the influence & reach one man can have.
i mean how would we even be here if it wasn't for lou reed?
it's brilliant how sound works. & storytelling. art i guess.
sweet jane on the radio. like the man himself said. it's a lifeforce. so much good has come from lou reeds work it's impossible to calculate. not just on rock music history but on a personal level. the comfort & understanding he afforded & offered unconditionally. (well maybe not quite unconditionally some times, but that's also when he was often his most charming & honestly boyish).
cause it is true that his voice was different from those other pioneers. not that he didn't want to sell as much as possible, but the beatles & stones were easier to sell, there weren't quite representative of where lou reed was coming from. his voice was closer to literature & jazz & charles mingus than it was to the pop charts & radio jingles of england. he really was one of the first masters of a new blend of american culture.
it was his eloquence & intelligence which separate him from those that followed him out of those streets, not necessarily his attitude, tho i'm sure it helped him survive. i mean anyone can have an attitude but how many delivered a career comparable to reeds?
he fully deserves all the admiration heaped upon him & hopefully he continues to resonant to those who need him most.
gonna burn brightly
for a while
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

jack white wrote:why do you let it get to you? why do you even bother reading it?
you should have better things to do w/your time.
you should be celebrating him.
Thanks for that "Jack". I'll be sure to check in on you with anything else I "should" be doing, cheers.

Take a look at the rest of the pages here, and last week's discussion on Coney Island Baby. Celebrate? Damn right I am, and have been. Today's commute was made infinitely easier by the last disc in the Peel Slowly... set: Loaded and late outtakes. Most of those songs are better than other artists entire careers.

Even just considering what Reed did and what he has put out there forever, it's very weird, I can't quite get around these events. It feels like a good friend of mine has died - I can't put it any other way...

Why do I let it get to me? Well, simply put, I don't. I actually find the likes of the indignant piety of the likes of The Mail hilarious actually, and it's also interests me to compare the vast gulf of credibility, honesty and artistic merit between Reed and all these vacuous arseholes who surely hope some of Reed's aura will rub off on them by mentioning him as today's soundbite. I mean Simon Cowell... really? Can you think of anyone so far apart from Lou Reed? (Apart from the transvestism of course).

You have to understand that a lot of this is written for laughs. I also like to think the "take no prisoners" shit when going to town on these dickheads is directly influenced by Lou... :wink:

Ultimately it's all about the discussion. And mentioning this nonsense (as I stated in my last post) just confirms the pretty amazing network here - like I said, this place is probably the last word for reading and discussing Lou.

Such as this:
Jack White wrote: was thinking there earlier how amazing it is the influence & reach one man can have.
i mean how would we even be here if it wasn't for lou reed?
it's brilliant how sound works. & storytelling. art i guess.
sweet jane on the radio. like the man himself said. it's a lifeforce. so much good has come from lou reeds work it's impossible to calculate. not just on rock music history but on a personal level. the comfort & understanding he afforded & offered unconditionally. (well maybe not quite unconditionally some times, but that's also when he was often his most charming & honestly boyish).
cause it is true that his voice was different from those other pioneers. not that he didn't want to sell as much as possible, but the beatles & stones were easier to sell, there weren't quite representative of where lou reed was coming from. his voice was closer to literature & jazz & charles mingus than it was to the pop charts & radio jingles of england. he really was one of the first masters of a new blend of american culture.
it was his eloquence & intelligence which separate him from those that followed him out of those streets, not necessarily his attitude, tho i'm sure it helped him survive. i mean anyone can have an attitude but how many delivered a career comparable to reeds?
he fully deserves all the admiration heaped upon him & hopefully he continues to resonant to those who need him most.
Well I agree with all that. I love his voice. That stark, smooth voice. Chilling and beautfiul. So emotional for me. Remember when those wanks over on Eve*ett Tr*e's blog got stuck right into Jason when Sweet Heart/Sweet Light came out? The worst thing that ET could seemingly say about it was, other than some bizarre post-feminist prejudice bullshit, was that "it sounded like Lou Reed". Like it was a bad thing...

Lastly. Seems that everybody's favourite junior Satanist did in fact comment on Reed's death:
Miley Ray Cyrus @MileyCyrus wrote:noooooooooo notttttttttt LOU REED
I like to think Lou would have been proud.
Last edited by BzaInSpace on Wed Oct 30, 2013 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: typos
O P 8
ro
Known user
Posts: 1594
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2005 5:45 pm
Location: LET THE LIGHT BE FOREVER GREEN

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by ro »

Been avoiding this for several days now.
yes, it does feel like a punch in the heart, doesn't it?
I never met Lou Reed
but what a friend he was to me!
A million times, walking with me and my Walkman, playing over the radio or the stereo or in my head.
A million sorrows, a million songs, a million joyous freak-outs. Quality time.
There he was when I noticed college radio in 1984, "in a sailor's suit and cap.. " how funny I thought that was at age 15
And when we rewinded the tape over and over so it wouldn't get eaten at the end of "All Tomorrow's Parties", even now when I hear that, it brings me back to that afternoon of sitting on the sidewalk drawing that corner building in the summer air
And later in Brooklyn, White Light White Heat on top volume through in the halls, and when we visited the rabbits, "I'm Sticking With You"
And "Sister Ray" blasting at the house party with the Hare Krishnas
And much later, me alone with "Sister Ray" and my Demons
And in "Berlin" for my best friend's addiction years.. trying to make sense of it
And and how even through those years, "Pale Blue Eyes" was still home for us
And when I was manic, and had wedded myself to "Rock and Roll", I kept telling Lou Reed "thank you, thank you, thank you, my life was saved my rock and roll"
And Loaded on repeat in the car, driving, "singing" (I can't sing) as loud as possible, just driving the same roads, three times through the record, yelling "OH! Sweet Nuthin"
And walking in the full moon light, tears and wine and cigarettes and headphones, "Please don't slip away.. "
And last year, our corny wonderful impromptu New Year's Eve midnight sing-a-long: "I've been set free...

so this is more about me and my memories than about Lou Reed or VU, but not really, and I know you all know what I mean by that.

thanks, Mister Rain, ride into the Sun..
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

jack white wrote: i mean how would we even be here if it wasn't for lou reed?
it's brilliant how sound works. & storytelling. art i guess.
sweet jane on the radio.

:wink:


Jenny said when she was just five years old
You know there's nothing happening at all
Every time she puts on the radio
There was nothing goin' down at all
Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
She couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by Rock 'n' Roll

Despite all the amputations
You could just dance to a rock 'n' roll station

Jenny said when she was just five years old
My parents are gonna be the death of us all
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars--
Ain't gonna help us at all

Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
She don't believe what she heard at all
She started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by Rock 'n' Roll

Despite all the computations
You could just dance to a rock 'n' roll station
And it was alright.

:D :D :D
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
The Dr
Known user
Posts: 1381
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:32 pm
Location: some forgotten memory/ midday of eternity

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by The Dr »

"Last week I promised Lou to get him out of the hospital and come home to Springs," Anderson writes. "And we made it!" She continues: "Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature. He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air. Lou was a prince and a fighter and I know his songs of the pain and beauty in the world will fill many people with the incredible joy he felt for life."

Anderson's letter follows a flood of tributes, praise, and remembrances dedicated to Reed. Since his passing, the late legend's album sales have surged dramatically.

Read Anderson's entire obituary for Reed below.

To our neighbors:

What a beautiful fall! Everything shimmering and golden and all that incredible soft light. Water surrounding us.

Lou and I have spent a lot of time here in the past few years, and even though we’re city people this is our spiritual home.

Last week I promised Lou to get him out of the hospital and come home to Springs. And we made it!

Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature. He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air.

Lou was a prince and a fighter and I know his songs of the pain and beauty in the world will fill many people with the incredible joy he felt for life. Long live the beauty that comes down and through and onto all of us.

— Laurie Anderson
his loving wife and eternal friend
“You're not Dostoevsky,' said the citizeness

'Well, who knows, who knows,' he replied.

'Dostoevsky's dead,' said the citizeness, but somehow not very confidently.

'I protest!' Behemoth exclaimed hotly. 'Dostoevsky is immortal!”
angelsighs
Known user
Posts: 4876
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by angelsighs »

Steve Albini:-
"His music will either hit you or not, but one thing ought to matter to anybody who thinks music or art is worth pursuing for its own sake; Lou Reed, he did not give a fuck. Did not give a single fuck. I think of myself as not giving a fuck most of the time, but once in a while I wish to christ I could give not a fuck as thoroughly as Lou Reed"
davedecay
Known user
Posts: 1307
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2004 5:04 am
Location: PA, USA

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by davedecay »

old friend of mine's radio show tribute to Lou

http://www.mixcloud.com/Casetta/show-07 ... -lou-reed/
BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

angelsighs wrote:Steve Albini:-
"His music will either hit you or not, but one thing ought to matter to anybody who thinks music or art is worth pursuing for its own sake; Lou Reed, he did not give a fuck. Did not give a single fuck. I think of myself as not giving a fuck most of the time, but once in a while I wish to christ I could give not a fuck as thoroughly as Lou Reed"
Awesome quote thanks!
O P 8
Kurious Oranj
Known user
Posts: 308
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:56 am

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by Kurious Oranj »

BzaInSpace
Site Admin
Posts: 3864
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: HELL

Re: RIP Lou Reed

Post by BzaInSpace »

"...Driving out of Vegas Sunday morning, my phone started to buzz with text messages about Lou Reed’s passing. The first was from my friend Pete Kember, aka Sonic Boom, a member of the great English band Spacemen 3, who once reworked Reed’s “Street Hassle” into their own “Walkin’ with Jesus”..."

Er...
O P 8
Post Reply