Coney Island Baby - Lou Reed

Advantages: Sounds great, probably their best album
Disadvantages: None

...The Velvet Underground is one of those groups who became far more famous after their demise, haveing had little real success during their existence. The hype which accompanied their creation and launch was considerable if one takes into account this was the 60's when PR was rather less important and sophisticated than it is now. The band came from the hip "punk" (in the American sense of the word) scene of New York. Backed by the pop artist (as in fine art) Andy Warhol - everyone will have their five minutes of fame - the first album had featured Warhol's famous peeling banana cover and was billed as "The Velvet Underground and Nico". Nico was a mysterious German chanteuse more famed for her beauty than her husky - sometimes out of tune - voice. By the third, eponymous album, the love/hate relationship between Coney Island baby Lou... Read review

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Advantages: A good selection of songs
Disadvantages: none

...Track listing 1. Walk On The Wild Side 2. Satellite Of Love 3. I Love You Suzanne 4. Wild Child 5. How Do You Think It Feels 6. Lady Day 7. Coney Island Baby 8. Sweet Jane (Live) 9. Vicious 10. Sally Can't Dance 11. Berlin 12. Caroline Says II 13. Perfect Day 14. Kill Your Sons 15. White Light White Heat (live) 16. I'm Waiting For The Man (CD only.) - Reed, Lou/Velvet Underground 17. Heroin (CD only.) - Reed, Lou/Velvet Underground For anyone only familiar with Lou Reed through Walk On The Wildside/Trainspotting/Perfect Day then this is the ideal intorduction to his back catalogue. If you are a fan of Bowie it is an essential purchase - Reed is the darker twin of Bowie and their 70's careers owed alot to each other and their love/hate relationship. This selection takes in everything from Velvet Underground songs... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Sounds great, probably their best album
Disadvantages: None

...The Velvet Underground is one of those groups who became far more famous after their demise, haveing had little real success during their existence. The hype which accompanied their creation and launch was considerable if one takes into account this was the 60's when PR was rather less important and sophisticated than it is now. The band came from the hip "punk" (in the American sense of the word) scene of New York. Backed by the pop artist (as in fine art) Andy Warhol - everyone will have their five minutes of fame - the first album had featured Warhol's famous peeling banana cover and was billed as "The Velvet Underground and Nico". Nico was a mysterious German chanteuse more famed for her beauty than her husky - sometimes out of tune - voice. By the third, eponymous album, the love/hate relationship between Coney Island baby Lou... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great lyrics, good music
Disadvantages: Some may find lyrics too pessimistic

...Lou Reed embarked on a journey of rock and roll excess following his departure from Velvet Underground. It took David Bowie's mentorship to give the guy some measure of commercial success. It still did not stop him from doing things such as releasing an unlistenable album "Metal Machine Music". Many wondered if Reed was just another washed-up rockstar with little or nothing to say. And then he released "New York" a love-hate paean to his hometown - he is after all a "Coney Island Baby". The first notes tell you that Rees is going to rock. It has attack, rhythm and is going places. It is dirty, it is grungy, it is rock n roll. "Romeo Had Juliette" is a fitting opener to the album and if it ended there no-one could complain either. Reed compresses into four minutes all that is low and sordid and yet desperately worth living for... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful