Some of you might say the wonders of this performance are self-explanatory. Some of you wiseacres might say he should take his own advice. Lou would say you and all those gabby fans are missing the point. This is Lou Reed, after all…as his music was meant to sound!
Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!
On tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Shut-In Mr. Moderator restores The Velvet Underground’s “Rock ‘n Roll” to its original studio majesty. Studio magic! The hell with how Lou Reed thinks he intended the song to sound. You snooze, you lose, Lou.
Later in the show your host sends warm wishes to some fellow Townspeople and makes a case for a trio of blues legends committing an actual crime.
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-83.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 83][Note: You can add Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your iTunes by clicking here. The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player.]
No joke, I don’t recall ever seeing a kinder, gentler, more melodic Lou Reed in concert. His interplay with bandmates is warm and at an all-time high. Even his dancing (see 7:25 mark) isn’t horrendous. Enjoy!
Mr. ShoLo Rising
Sweet Lou checks in on our discussions now and then. This morning, in response to ladymisskirroyale‘s Splitting Hairs commentary and a response within that thread by 2oo0 Man, he sent me a note with a link to the following live performance and these words:
Hey Rock Town Hall,
2K is right on regarding a rocker’s responsibility to allow his mane to cascade down his back. Tell your ’80s UK pouffy hair bands to stick it! Get back to me when any one of them tops this ‘do.
I’d like to propose a new RTH Glossary entry, the Retirement Fund Song (aka Rock IRA). Now I would never dare think that artists as idiosyncratic and with as much integrity as Van Morrison and Lou Reed would ever consciously write a song with the goal of funding their retirement, but by chance they have succeeded wildly with “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” and “Perfect Day,” respectively. Think of all the special occasions folks will attach to those songs. Think of all the times those songs will be covered by a diverse set of artists. Think of the royalties those covers will generate.
Perhaps the original rock ‘n roll Retirement Fund Song was The Beatles‘ “Yesterday,” written and performed almost solely by Paul McCartney but powerful enough to fund the planned retirement of his songwriting partner John Lennon. Again, I have no reason to believe Paul consciously wrote “Yesterday” with retirement in mind, but in these tough economic times I can imagine today’s rockers feeling more apt to plan ahead.
To help a future generations of retired rockers, can we define the makings of a Retirement Fund Song (as opposed to any old “hit song”)? For instance, it would seem obvious that the song must be easy for other artists to cover and be romantic and/or nostalgic in lyrical content, but let’s get down to brass tacks. Let’s map out a rock ‘n roll retirement strategy around a legacy-making song that should be a part of the catalog of any artist with an eye toward a second vacation home.
I am a bit of a turdhunter. The pursuit of miserably failed works by certain sincerely beloved artists gives me a degree of pleasure and a sense of understanding of the human condition. Lou Reed is the artist whose trail I am as likely to follow for his steaming turds as I am his increasingly spare pearls of street-savvy rock ‘n roll. I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out that my close personal friend Townsman hrrundivbakshi continues to follow his man Prince for the same reason. There’s something to be learned from the corn-studded turds of a particular artist.
Are you or have you ever been a turdhunter? Who’s your prey? What piece of dung by said artist gave you the most meaningful insight?
Lou's Cans
Ever wondered what it really sounded like to hear Lou Reed‘s music the way it was meant to be sound? Now you can. Reed and audio manufacturer Klipsch have collaborated on the limited-edition Klipsch Signature Audio Edition Lou Reed X10i headphones, available next month. These headphones will enable listeners to hear Lou’s music as it was meant to sound, as only he can hear it!
With an unwavering passion for live music and a legacy of iconoclastic sound that’s influenced rock musicians around the globe, The Velvet Underground star knew Klipsch was the only brand that aligned with his vision and expectations for a headphone he would be proud to call his own.
The timing of the release of these limited-edition, “Louphones” coincides with the release of Lulu, Reed’s long-awaited, inevitable collaboration with Metallica, the band Reed was meant to collaborate with. “If you’re not listening to Lulu on my cans,” says Reed, “you might as well skip this album altogether and wait for my next one, which should really capture the way my music was meant to sound.”
Reporting on this story was provided by bostonhistorian.
