Berlin (Live At St Ann's Warehouse) [Digipak] - Lou Reed

Take No Prisoners (Live) - Lou Reed

Advantages: superb sound, superb performances
Disadvantages: a couple of songs drag a bit

Lou Reed himself originally wanted to call this album Lou Reed Talk And Talk And Talks. It's certainly an odd album, pitched midway between a straight live album and stand up comedy. There's over 100 minutes of music but only ten tracks which gives you an idea straight away that these are not simple live renditions of Lou's songs. By 1978 Lou had pretty much come out of his mid 1970s drug period. He was still not entirely clean, but was in better shape than he had been for at least five years. He had a superb band behind him, led by keyboard player Michael Fonfara, and most of them had been touring with Lou for a few years. The musicians were capable of playing the most tender ballad before suddenly and shockingly roaring off like a locomotive at full speed. Lou had a habit of extending or shortening songs on a whim, but the band ...

adams66 25.09.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Take No Prisoners (Live) [Remastered] - Lou Reed

Lou's Best Moment

Advantages: Totally original
Disadvantages: none

Tracklisting 1. Berlin 2. Lady Day 3. Men Of Good Fortune 4. Caroline Says I 5. How Do You Think It Feels 6. Oh, Jim 7. Caroline Says II 8. Kids, The 9. Bed, The 10. Sad Song I wouldn't recommend this album to anyone who has just bought Transformer because they like Perfect day or Walk on the Wild Side or anyone with just a passing interest in the man. This is not an easy listen - its Lou Reeds concept album about the breakdown of a marriage between Jim & Caroline and the mental collapse that follows. It was produced by Bob Ezrin - a legendary producer who has worked with everyone from Lou to Pink Floyd to Janes Addiction - and the album sounds like it was recorded in Reeds head. Opening song Berlin sets the tone with its creepy opening bars and its sparse lyrics about how they met by the Berlin Wall ...

tilly77 16.05.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Berlin - Lou Reed

Mistrial - Lou Reed

Advantages: a couple of decent songs
Disadvantages: too much avearge material and average production

Arguably the least regarded Lou Reed album, Mistrial just seems to receive indifference from most people. It doesn't upset anyone, like Metal Machine Music did, nor does it excite audiences in the way that Transformer did. Mistrial consists of ten average songs, played competently, sung ok, and produced ok. And that's about it. There's nothing that really stands out, the resolutely 1986 production utilises very basic drum machines for the first and last time in Lou's history, and everything sounds rather boomy and upfront, but hollow and lacking in substance. The ttle track at least features a cracking melody, but Mama's Got A Lover, whilst not a bad song, sounds like a bad Lloyd Cole copy. A rather bizarre achievment sounds like a bad copy of someone who sounds like a bad copy of Lou Reed. "Video Violence" has a sparky sound but ...

adams66 17.09.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Mistrial - Lou Reed