Lou Reed. Genius.

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TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
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  • historyisjunkhistoryisjunk Frets: 500
    edited September 2013
    Never entirely sure what that means. However, probably, almost certainly, YES. I think.
    It was his New York album that brought me to this conclusion.
    He is also self indulgent & a contrarian of the first order- I think I might like to meet him, but suspect this would depend on his mood.
    I also think he can be a great guitar player-  facepalm away...
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    New York was a brilliant album.

    But, apart from Street Hassle, was it the only brilliant thing that he managed to record, post-VU?

    I bought all the Lou Reed albums (post-VU) and was generally disappointed.  Until New York.  And then after New York as well.  His stuff on Jools (with Metallica - do Imremember that right?) was cringingly awful.

    Yet the VU stuff is still wonderful, 40/50 years later.  What happened?
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    He's done loads of unbelievably brilliant stuff, and also lots of unbelievably shit stuff. 
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  • LixartoLixarto Frets: 1618
    He's talented, and clever. But not a genius IMO.
    "I can see you for what you are; an idiot barely in control of your own life. And smoking weed doesn't make you cool; it just makes you more of an idiot."
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    He's done loads of unbelievably brilliant stuff, and also lots of unbelievably shit stuff. 
    Sadly no-one can tell the two apart.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • BucketBucket Frets: 7751
    edited September 2013
    I've only heard "Walk on the Wild Side" and Lulu.

    "Walk" is ok. Lulu is fucking shit, although I'd argue that Metallica came out of it worse - Lou is probably past caring what people want to hear and just does what he feels like. Metallica, IMO, destroyed what was left of their credibility by doing it. 

    Although James "The Table" Hetfield gained a brilliant new nickname.
    - "I'm going to write a very stiff letter. A VERY stiff letter. On cardboard."
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    edited September 2013
    Bucket said:
    Metallica, IMO, destroyed what was left of their credibility by doing it. 

    I bet they're crying into their enormous guitar-shaped swimming pools.

    From what I've heard of it it's not that much worse than Shatner's worst moments.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    Lixarto said:
    He's talented, and clever. But not a genius IMO.
    Agree.
    Much of his work is pretty sloppy.

    I put Neil Young in the 'genius' category.
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    Sporky said:
    He's done loads of unbelievably brilliant stuff, and also lots of unbelievably shit stuff. 
    Sadly no-one can tell the two apart.
    If you can't tell the album he did with Metallica from Transformer you may need your ears syringing. 
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    Bucket said:
    I've only heard "Walk on the Wild Side" and Lulu.
    .
    Master Bucket.

    Your homework this weekend is to listen to New York.  And Live, 1969  (VU).

    That's the good stuff.  The rest is a matter of taste ...
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    TTony said:
    Bucket said:
    I've only heard "Walk on the Wild Side" and Lulu.
    .
    Master Bucket.

    Your homework this weekend is to listen to New York.  And Live, 1969  (VU).

    That's the good stuff.  The rest is a matter of taste ...
    "Heroin" is still an amazing song.
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  • ftumchftumch Frets: 679
    edited September 2013
    Not a big fan of his but I think he's one of these artists that just works with his feeling, he's trying to create art so I guess you're gonna get some great stuff and some shit stuff. He's a bit too 'avant garde' for me, a bit black polo neck wearing goatee arty heroin addled warhole loving 'artiste'. Have you even heard that stuff he done with Metallica?!! Respect where it's due though I spose.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    If you can't tell the album he did with Metallica from Transformer you may need your ears syringing. 
    I had no idea he did the Transformers soundtrack!
    TTony said:
    Bucket said:
    I've only heard "Walk on the Wild Side" and Lulu.
    .
    Master Bucket.

    Your homework this weekend is to listen to New York.  And Live, 1969  (VU).

    That's the good stuff.  The rest is a matter of taste ...
    I actually quite liked the one he did with that anaemic pianist about Andy Warhol.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    Sporky said:
    He's done loads of unbelievably brilliant stuff, and also lots of unbelievably shit stuff. 
    Sadly no-one can tell the two apart.
    If you can't tell the album he did with Metallica from Transformer you may need your ears cutting off. 
    ^^^
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  • historyisjunkhistoryisjunk Frets: 500
    edited September 2013
    I didn't buy everything, so I'm probably less disappointed, I can genuinely understand why you are. I liked some of Set The Twilight Reeling, Rock N' Roll Heart & some other stuff- have an extremely good live CD I can't currently access, so can't name, which is incredibly good. Oddly I'm not that mad on Transformer*.

    I saw that metallica stuff- it was egregious. Someone should have been able to say NO to both parties, Likewise another performance where he played a silver Tele & produced woeful sounding versions of some classics.

    Perhaps he's happy with what he's done though... he is still producing new material (I think) & he's obviously still selling enough- maybe we just don't get it...given how much some people like Transformer* & Berlin for example.

    Edit- Shit, I can't even remember what his most famous record is called- thought "revolver" was wrong.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71952
    He is a genius, because the best of what he did changed the world. Like many geniuses (genii?) he can't tell which of his own stuff is good and which isn't, but that's probably not a bad thing because trying to decide if something was good would have stopped him being as creative as he has been at his best.

    If he'd only ever done The Velvet Underground And Nico and then the rest of his career had been unmitigated crap he'd still be a genius. It's not quite that bad, in fact.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • dogloaddogload Frets: 1495
    I think that with the exception perhaps of Berlin, and Street Hassle, his good stuff (i.e. The Velvet Underground and Transformer) was produced as collaborative efforts. In The VU he was part of a band that included John Cale - who is probably more of a genius than Lou and has certainly produced more good music post-Velvet Underground, both as a performer and as producer- and Sterling Morrison, who as a guitarist is rather under-rated and was an excellent foil for Lou's playing.
    Transformer was largely a result of Bowie's and Mick Ronson's production and contribution.

    @Sporky I think it's unfair to compare him to Shatner though. Nimoy perhaps.
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  • dindudedindude Frets: 8534
    TTony said:
    Bucket said:
    I've only heard "Walk on the Wild Side" and Lulu.
    .
    Master Bucket.

    Your homework this weekend is to listen to New York.  And Live, 1969  (VU).

    That's the good stuff.  The rest is a matter of taste ...

    No no no, Bucket, the "Banana" album by Velvet Underground is the starting point.
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  • I like the song Norah Jones and the Little Willies did about him.
    Its called Lou Reed.Really it is. :(|)
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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