tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post654468458839767144..comments2023-07-05T09:38:50.097-04:00Comments on Pratt Songs: Lou Reed: Transformertaotechuckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18275520227023393969noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-8018138652040172732009-10-13T16:04:53.524-04:002009-10-13T16:04:53.524-04:00I'm not a huge Lou Reed fan, but I do think he...I'm not a huge Lou Reed fan, but I do think he has written some pretty powerful songs. If anyone truly believes that Reed is painting a rosy and false picture of drug addiction as an exciting way of life, I suggest you listen to his second solo album "Berlin". A darker, bleaker portrait of the life of an addict is very difficult to find.M. Thomasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-511653279989800712008-11-01T08:20:00.000-04:002008-11-01T08:20:00.000-04:00JD,I never said Lou Reed didn't live the stories h...JD,<BR/><BR/>I never said Lou Reed didn't live the stories he sang. I said Lou Reed is a lame storyteller who is musically overrated.<BR/><BR/>Whether or not the characters in Wild Side are real is irrelevant. The fact is, he gives an introductory statement about each one but never goes any deeper than that. I could walk out my front door and write a song that says, "Hangin' round outside my front door, there goes Tracey, she's a used-up whore. Walks the streets every night, waitin' for a man to give a ride, she says hey, take a walk on the wild side."<BR/><BR/>But so what? Do you know from those lyrics that Tracey got arrested on outstanding warrants in the spring and did six months in jail? Do you know that she gave up her kids because she's too strung out to raise them? Do you know that every time she manages to stay clean for more than a day or two, she makes a point of stopping me and telling me how proud she is?<BR/><BR/>Lou Reed doesn't do shit to really tell us about the characters. I have no doubt that he hung out with some fascinating people in his Factory days (and yes, I'm well aware that he was part of Warhol's crew. Doesn't mean he's talented. That's like saying Valerie Solanas was talented because she gave Warhol a script to read.), but he never <I>tells</I> us anything meaningful about those people.<BR/><BR/>I stand by my statement. Lou Reed writes songs for people who will never, ever even encounter the wild side. He's like a cheesy tour guide who tells a sentence about each landmark as you zoom by on an air-conditioned bus.taotechuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275520227023393969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-1373049010020969062008-11-01T00:59:00.000-04:002008-11-01T00:59:00.000-04:00Do some research. He spent his Velvet Underground ...Do some research. He spent his Velvet Underground years hanging around in Warhol's Factory studio doing drugs and having sex with manwomen. The man knows what he's talking about, believe me. It's not like he's pretending he had a wild life to sell records. Also, whoever said David Bowie was overrated, seriously, have you ever listened properly. Probably in my top 3 artists. Take a Walk on the Wild Side is written about the Factory days, and about many of the characters he met there, who, if you researched properly, are REAL PEOPLE!<BR/>Anyway, have fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-78130084418762002092008-10-06T19:57:00.000-04:002008-10-06T19:57:00.000-04:00I was hoping you wouldn't notice that Spanish Harl...I was hoping you wouldn't notice that Spanish Harlem was a 60s song ....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-54642967965692224262008-10-01T20:57:00.000-04:002008-10-01T20:57:00.000-04:00Oh, forgot to mention: Ben E. King released Spani...Oh, forgot to mention: Ben E. King released Spanish Harlem in 1961. Thanks to PBS for implanting that tidbit in my mind!<BR/><BR/>Sorry for splitting hairs, but I sometimes can't help myself.Master Ciananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09116684931603193909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-74683598737945402742008-10-01T20:54:00.000-04:002008-10-01T20:54:00.000-04:00Professor: Spanish Harlem, eh? Interesting compa...Professor: Spanish Harlem, eh? Interesting comparison.<BR/><BR/>Chuck: I don't see it, man. To me, the song takes elements from its musical contemporaries and does its own thing with 'em. I think that whole "do de doo" bit has more in common with CSNY and various other hippy musicians than with 50s stuff. Rock in the 50s didn't really even have any of that kind of vocal flourishing. Shitty doo-wop did, did it not do?<BR/>No, it did not. Doo-wop was croonier in its "doo"ings. And Guys like Link Wray and Gene Vincent couldn't be bothered with that shit.<BR/><BR/>I think the chord progression is general enough to fit a 50s template, but it would fit a lot of other musical aesthetics as well.Master Ciananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09116684931603193909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-35129549257128926042008-09-30T21:00:00.000-04:002008-09-30T21:00:00.000-04:00The '50s influence is less blatant in that song th...The '50s influence is less blatant in that song than it is in others on the disc, others that I cannot name because I have happily returned the disc to the library.<BR/><BR/>On "Wild Side," I think I hear it mostly in the chord progression. And yes, the back-up vocals sound very late '50s to me, but maybe I'm wrong on that.taotechuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275520227023393969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-85238718641032139302008-09-30T20:57:00.000-04:002008-09-30T20:57:00.000-04:00I have read that the bass player on "Wild side" do...I have read that the bass player on "Wild side" double-tracked the bass to boost his studio fee -- can anyone confirm this?<BR/>Master Cianan, I hear the ambience (what a waffly word) of 50s music in "Wild side", too -- its sparseness reminds me of "Spanish Harlem" for some reason.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-73532629793966018032008-09-30T03:22:00.000-04:002008-09-30T03:22:00.000-04:00As much as I'm with you on the "Phooey on Lou Reed...As much as I'm with you on the "Phooey on Lou Reed" sentiment, I don't hear retooled 50s rock anywhere in that song. Don't tell me it's the "do de doo" bits, because the 50s were over before "do de doo" ever sounded like that.Master Ciananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09116684931603193909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-21561832256777011412008-09-28T10:02:00.000-04:002008-09-28T10:02:00.000-04:00I wonder about that too, Professor. It seems there...I wonder about that too, Professor. It seems there are a handful of artists (I'd put The Beach Boys among them) who every musician claims as an influence, even though there's no discernible trace of that sound in the music.taotechuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275520227023393969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-55662729916546257322008-09-27T19:27:00.000-04:002008-09-27T19:27:00.000-04:00I'm pleased to hear that I'm not the only one who ...I'm pleased to hear that I'm not the only one who things Lou Reed is actually pretty crappy. Along with Neil Young and David Bowie, one of the most over-rated players around. I think those who cite some of these characters as seminal influences may never have actually listened to them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-78545498172002426412008-09-27T09:49:00.000-04:002008-09-27T09:49:00.000-04:00I like your Ramen one, though. Like Lou Reed is s...I like your Ramen one, though. Like Lou Reed is something that we've all been in the unfortunate situation where we <I>had</I> to eat it, but would rather have had something a bit more tasty instead. Hmmm, maybe I should trash Velvet next time; I'm gearing up for something horrible.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-37857699925083828622008-09-26T21:43:00.000-04:002008-09-26T21:43:00.000-04:00Interesting food analogy, Hatter. I think you migh...Interesting food analogy, Hatter. I think you might be right on this one.taotechuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275520227023393969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2430710325284250743.post-64583119470008074382008-09-26T16:24:00.000-04:002008-09-26T16:24:00.000-04:00See, I never accepted his legend. Lou Reed is lik...See, I never accepted his legend. Lou Reed is like the geek that was never smart, but looked so geeky that you just assumed he had to be. For all his involvement with the "wild side", the guy has done little to show me he has any clue what he's talking about. Musically, he's not even wild -- more of a bore than anything. That's why when Bowie covered "Waiting For The Man," you realize how shitty a song it was until Bowie infused some life into it. Lou Reed is pretty much the musical equivalent of Andy Warhol. Therefore, if he were food, he'd Campbell's fucking soup.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com