Lou Reed RIP

This man was a genius,a quality songwriter & performer & had a highly recognizable guitar sound.Put together some great albums which I'm revisiting tonight,along with those mentioned above,another favourite of mine is Set The Twilight Reeling.

(27-10-2013 18:57 )mr williams Wrote:  

(27-10-2013 18:37 )mickster Wrote:  The irony was Bowie produced Reed's Transformer album and was Lou's only real UK commercial success

Actually, he had two albums which did better than Transformer (no. 13). The follow-up "Berlin" reached no. 7 and twenty years later "Magic and Loss" reached no. 6, his highest placed UK album.

They may have reached higher chart positions ,but only had very short chart runs Berlin 5 weeks & Magic and Loss 6 weeks.Transformer charted for 26weeks in '73 a further 2 weeks in '82 and 10 more in '98 when re-issued .Commercially in the UK tTransformer was Lou's biggest success .It also charted for a single week with a third re-issue in 2004.
The album contained Lou's most well known songs in Walk on the Wild Side ,Perfect Day ,Sattelite of Love and Vicious .

Dear Lou Reed.......you made my ears grow wider and those of millions more. Take a piece of Berlin to heaven. Your work here is done. I`m glad I spent it with you

With the current music scene full of fakes and phonies with barely an ounce of talent or personality between them, we can ill afford to lose the likes of Lou Reed

" Last Great American Whale...."

"They say he didn't have an enemy. His was a greatness to behold. He was the last surviving progeny. The last one on this side of the world".

"Busload of Faith"

"You can depend on the worst always happening. You need a Busload of Faith to get by."

"Beginning of Great Adventure".

"Hey I hope it's true what my wife said to me. She says , baby , it's the Beginning of a Great Adventure"

RIP.

(27-10-2013 22:44 )mickster Wrote:  

(27-10-2013 18:57 )mr williams Wrote:  

(27-10-2013 18:37 )mickster Wrote:  The irony was Bowie produced Reed's Transformer album and was Lou's only real UK commercial success

Actually, he had two albums which did better than Transformer (no. 13). The follow-up "Berlin" reached no. 7 and twenty years later "Magic and Loss" reached no. 6, his highest placed UK album.

They may have reached higher chart positions ,but only had very short chart runs Berlin 5 weeks & Magic and Loss 6 weeks.Transformer charted for 26weeks in '73 a further 2 weeks in '82 and 10 more in '98 when re-issued .Commercially in the UK tTransformer was Lou's biggest success .It also charted for a single week with a third re-issue in 2004.
The album contained Lou's most well known songs in Walk on the Wild Side ,Perfect Day ,Sattelite of Love and Vicious .

Intentional or not, he wasn't really about commercial success and it doesn't do justice to his influence - I liked the quote from Brian Eno who said
"The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."
Sad day - another icon of my youth passed.

Any commercial career virtually ended with the Double Album "Metal Machine Music"
Was he taking the piss ?
Bet that sold less than V.U.

(27-10-2013 23:49 )munch1917 Wrote:  With the current music scene full of fakes and phonies with barely an ounce of talent or personality between them, we can ill afford to lose the likes of Lou Reed

Whats the betting cowell will be getting the x factor crap pack to do a lousy charity record vrrsion of perfect day for xmas

I've just counted, and I own 9 CDs by Lou Reed or Velvet Underground.
I also have his biography which I bought some years ago but never got around to reading. Might have to make a start on it now.
A quote from another book - "Rock the rough guide" (1996)
"One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz." Lou defines rock'n'roll

Lou was once asked why he hadn't sold more records? replied, "Music is a business, and I aint no business man" The man was pure quality. R.I.P. Lou.