Lou Reed - Doing The Things That We Want To

[twm]

[holaknopfler]

I've never been a very big fan of Lou, but this sounds nice. I have to listen to more music from him.

[vgonis]

Lou Reed has issued at least 5 albums alone or with VU that are all time classics. And every album he made was a surprise, although not always a happy one. May he rest in peace.

[JF]

great poet writer composer musician

Berlin is often quoted as the Sergent pepper from the 70ies, and I thinks it deserves it

Transformer, RnR animal and New York are all time classics too

all VU albums are worth to listen, and are all time classics. The most "cultissime" band in rock history.

Like said in the french magazine Telerama (http://www.telerama.fr/musique/retour-a-berlin-l-album-maudit-de-lou-reed-redevenu-culte,104218.php) :

He could sometimes seem a litlle arrogant, but he was very upset by a chronicle made about Berlin by the french rock critic Robert Christgau :
"This sinister album, musically mediocre, is an offense. Should be able to avenge such a disc, even physically hurt its author" (sorry for the "google" translation)

This rejection (the album was a commercial failure) of what he regarded as his most personal and accomplished work until then, has turned him into spite, bitterness, cynicism.

another quote from Patti Smith in 1976 :
"How such an unpleasant guy can write such beautiful songs"

[vgonis]

Every interview I have read of LR, had a peculiar twist, LR being too caustic with the reporter, like he thought he was wasting his time or something.
Berlin is a special album, but unlike Peppers, difficult to get into, and with harsh subjects, a downer. I like it very much (one of the 5 I was refering). Transformer, New York and Magic and loss are also favourites.

[JF]

Every interview I have read of LR, had a peculiar twist, LR being too caustic with the reporter, like he thought he was wasting his time or something.

one of Lou's quotes to a journalist : "Have we ever met ? yes ? and you're still alive ?" 

agree about Berlin : both depressive and something about "grace" at the same time, I may say

[vgonis]

Bob Ezrin produced. Have you heard the story of the song The kids? Ezrin brought his kids in the studio and told them his mother is  leaving them forever (or to some other accounts died - but probably see her at the end and cry out to her) in order to produce some genuine cries...   listen to 5:15. For those having kids it is always like a punch in the stomach. Both about the story of the song and the story of the recording technic.

[JF]

yes this song brings me to tears when I hear the kids' cries

I didn't know the story. well Ezrin was cruel IMHO....

indeed the cries become "happier" around 6-6:10, maybe did they see her at this time ?


when I was at cinema school we had to create a "radio-story"
We wrote a story with a child seeing his parents murdered,  so we had to record cries from a child. But we never told him such horrible things, we just told him to  shout "daddy mummy". We recorded few takes, and indeed, it was difficult to sound "genuine", because he was smiling at the same time, and you could hear it.

Maybe I sould have asked to ezrin....

[vgonis]

Which brough to my mind the Blow out movie by Brian de Palma. A re-write of Blow up, with an audio technician instead of photographer. Trying to create a genuine sounding scream, he ends up using a real one. The story is OK if you like Travolta, but the original Antonioni Blow up  is really a masterpiece.

[JF]

Yes I saw both films once

I like De Palma, specially his Hitckcocks references, and also classics like Carrie, Body double, snake eyes, or the Untouchables I saw again recently

My fav scene in Blow up is the Jeff beck's one 

[vgonis]

Mine is the scene in the park! The  photographic nature  of it, I suppose.

[dmg]

Mine is the scene in the park! The  photographic nature  of it, I suppose.

Every scene in an Antonioni film has a photographic nature to it!

[vgonis]

I mean the peeping tom taking photos part! 

[dmg]

I mean the peeping tom taking photos part! 

 

[Pottel]

Bob ezrin produced the wall.
Trust me, after that, anything goes..