You’ve captured the way I feel about this album - accessible, easy to put on...Not a favorite necessarily, but I seem to return to it a lot over the years. Ive always liked “Bottoming Out” and “Rooftop Garden” in particular.
Yep that is it for me also, Thomas. Sorta how I enjoy Coney Island Baby and some other Lou albums....really enjoy them but not ranked as high as others for me.
Ya know I've just discovered something about legendary artists that were huge in the 70s like David Bowie, Lou Reed and others came into the new wave 80s just fit right in also Lou Reeds influence in the 80s for proof of that my favorite band simple minds covered street hassle on their 1984 masterpiece sparkle in the rain and in 1989 Lou guested on their song this is your land check it out good review as always Jeff
Thanks for letting me know about the Simple Minds / Lou Reed connection, George. I will definitely check that out. I only know the big hits "Don't You" and "Alive and Kicking" by that band, and I really like both of them, so I should check out some of their other music. Cheers! Jeff
Critics underplay the power of context for music. I mean, I got a job and I heard Dont Talk Tô Me About Work almost everyday, even making a cover in a band... It is still one of mine favourite songs from Lou.
Indeed! I will be posting my "review" of Songs For Drella soon, and that album was SO IMPORTANT to me when it came out, so much so that any "review" I give it will be overly dripping with personal commentary if I am not careful. You are right - context is often very very powerful when it comes to appreciation of music. Thanks. Jeff
Ah, breakup albums. We feel bad for the artist and yet revel in the musical results. This is Reed's Blood on the Tracks, his Rumors, his Tunnel of Love, his Shoot Out the Lights. A pity it didn't work out with Sylvia, but if it had, would we have this incredible album to enjoy, to make us feel, to kick us in the stomach? So here we are, ghoulishly feeding off the remnants of another person's pain. On the other hand, if Reed didn't want to share his heartbreak with others, he wouldn't have recorded the album in the first place. I do think the production is a little anonymous which might be why this album tends to be overlooked, but if you focus on the songs, man. If I were to make a top ten list of Lou Reed songs, Martial Law (which recalls Foggy Notion by VU) and Home of the Brave would certainly make the cut. You talk about the guitar playing, which, granted, is excellent, but it's Fernando Saunders who really stands out, in fact I would say that this album has some of the most memorable bass riffs of any album I've ever heard. The title track ends with that laid back groove that puts you in a sort of benevolent trance, despite the cynicism of the lyrics, and God, that heart-wrenching motif that closes Home of the Brave! Anytime I feel like crying, you know what I mean, a good kind of crying, the transcendent tears of knowing you're in the presence of a likeminded soul, who has somehow managed to translate your own feelings into music, all I have to do is put on that song. How many Lou Reed songs can you say that about, that it made me cry? But geez... Genius, pure and simple. Okay, I'm starting to sound like a fanboy here, better shut up. Great video, Jeff.
Yes there are some marvelously powerful lyrics here on this highly enjoyable album. In fact, just going by the music alone one might realize the kick in the gut that some of these songs give the attentive listener. Great comment, thanks. Jeff
You’ve captured the way I feel about this album - accessible, easy to put on...Not a favorite necessarily, but I seem to return to it a lot over the years. Ive always liked “Bottoming Out” and “Rooftop Garden” in particular.
Yep that is it for me also, Thomas. Sorta how I enjoy Coney Island Baby and some other Lou albums....really enjoy them but not ranked as high as others for me.
Ya know I've just discovered something about legendary artists that were huge in the 70s like David Bowie, Lou Reed and others came into the new wave 80s just fit right in also Lou Reeds influence in the 80s for proof of that my favorite band simple minds covered street hassle on their 1984 masterpiece sparkle in the rain and in 1989 Lou guested on their song this is your land check it out good review as always Jeff
Thanks for letting me know about the Simple Minds / Lou Reed connection, George. I will definitely check that out. I only know the big hits "Don't You" and "Alive and Kicking" by that band, and I really like both of them, so I should check out some of their other music. Cheers! Jeff
@@CalicoSilver you definitely should Jim Kerr definitely has a strong David Bowie and Lou Reed influence in his vocal style
Critics underplay the power of context for music. I mean, I got a job and I heard Dont Talk Tô Me About Work almost everyday, even making a cover in a band... It is still one of mine favourite songs from Lou.
Indeed! I will be posting my "review" of Songs For Drella soon, and that album was SO IMPORTANT to me when it came out, so much so that any "review" I give it will be overly dripping with personal commentary if I am not careful. You are right - context is often very very powerful when it comes to appreciation of music. Thanks. Jeff
Ah, breakup albums. We feel bad for the artist and yet revel in the musical results. This is Reed's Blood on the Tracks, his Rumors, his Tunnel of Love, his Shoot Out the Lights. A pity it didn't work out with Sylvia, but if it had, would we have this incredible album to enjoy, to make us feel, to kick us in the stomach? So here we are, ghoulishly feeding off the remnants of another person's pain. On the other hand, if Reed didn't want to share his heartbreak with others, he wouldn't have recorded the album in the first place. I do think the production is a little anonymous which might be why this album tends to be overlooked, but if you focus on the songs, man. If I were to make a top ten list of Lou Reed songs, Martial Law (which recalls Foggy Notion by VU) and Home of the Brave would certainly make the cut. You talk about the guitar playing, which, granted, is excellent, but it's Fernando Saunders who really stands out, in fact I would say that this album has some of the most memorable bass riffs of any album I've ever heard. The title track ends with that laid back groove that puts you in a sort of benevolent trance, despite the cynicism of the lyrics, and God, that heart-wrenching motif that closes Home of the Brave! Anytime I feel like crying, you know what I mean, a good kind of crying, the transcendent tears of knowing you're in the presence of a likeminded soul, who has somehow managed to translate your own feelings into music, all I have to do is put on that song. How many Lou Reed songs can you say that about, that it made me cry? But geez... Genius, pure and simple. Okay, I'm starting to sound like a fanboy here, better shut up. Great video, Jeff.
Yes there are some marvelously powerful lyrics here on this highly enjoyable album. In fact, just going by the music alone one might realize the kick in the gut that some of these songs give the attentive listener. Great comment, thanks. Jeff
Great album!
Indeed, I enjoy this album very much too!
fernando saunders was the best 'companion' for lou reed's music....catch ya' on the next one...peace...rocky
He sure added some fun funk to Lou's music and livened things up a bit! ;-)