Lou Reed: end of an era
Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 21:49 One of the first records I ever bought was 'Sweet Jane' by the Velvet Underground.
The song was originally released in 1970 on Loaded – the band's fourth album – but Lou Reed had left even before the record came out.
I bought it as a single in 1973 when it was re-released to cash in on Reed's success with 'Walk On The Wild Side'.
Johnny Walker featured it as his 'Record of the Week' on Radio 1 but it didn't make the charts.
The small independent record shop in South Street, St Andrews, 400 yards from my school, didn't even stock it so I had to order a copy. It arrived a week later and I remember going to collect it.
To this day 'Sweet Jane' remains my favourite Lou Reed song, although it's hard to choose one. The original studio version still sounds incredibly fresh, even though I've heard it thousands of times.
On my iPod however I've got numerous live and cover versions, some by bands I'd never heard of, and each one is very different.
You could put together a compilation featuring 15 or more versions of 'Sweet Jane' and it would be one of the most eclectic albums in your collection.
Anyway, in 1973 no-one would have dreamt that 40 years later Reed would die aged 71 and be hailed as a "rock legend" and much more.
It was unthinkable. Your average Radio 1 listener would have dismissed him as a one hit wonder and not even readers of NME, who knew better, would have predicted a long and successful future, such was his well-documented lifestyle.
I ought to give my sister some credit because it was she who inadvertently introduced me to Reed via Transformer, the 1972 album produced by David Bowie.
I remember sneaking into her bedroom when she was out, removing the album from its sleeve, and putting it on her portable record player.
I was only going to listen to the first few tracks but there wasn't a dud song on the album. It just got better and better and I listened to the whole thing, pausing only to turn the record over.
After buying 'Sweet Jane', I worked my way back. A compilation album, 'Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground', was released on cassette and I bought that.
It introduced me to tracks from the first three VU albums including 'Venus and Furs' (I had never heard anything like that before!) and 'Sister Ray', a 17-minute epic I played as loudly as I could on my tiny Phillips cassette player.
To cut a long story short I went on to buy every Lou Reed album ever released with the exception of Metal Machine Music, an infamous double album that features four sides of 'experimental' feedback.
I bought every live album plus numerous compilations.
I collected every Velvet Underground album as well, including live recordings and a box set.
And then there were the live performances – Brixton Academy in 1982 (I think), Wembley Arena (1989), Hammersmith Odeon (1992), Hammersmith Odeon again (2007) and Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (2008).
At those last four concerts Reed played a single album from start to finish – New York, Magic and Loss, and Berlin.
Ah, Berlin. That was the album that followed Transformer but it was so different it was a commercial disaster.
It was described as one of the most depressing records ever made.
Where Transformer was a pop record, full of hooks and amusing lyrics, Berlin was the complete opposite.
It was difficult on first hearing - I was 14 - but I grew to love it and it remains my favourite album ever.
When Reed and his band performed Berlin live in 2007, supported by an orchestra and children's choir, it was a genuinely moving event.
I was also at the Playhouse in Edinburgh in 1993 when a re-united Velvet Underground featuring the original line-up played a short but lucrative European tour.
Purists didn't like it but I'm glad I was there. I've got the live album from that tour too.
So tonight really is the end of an era for me.
No more Lou Reed albums. No more Lou Reed concerts. No more 'Lou Reed is horrible to journalist' stories. (Boo hoo.)
But what a fantastic legacy.
He's not to everyone's taste (relatively few, in fact), but he's been a huge part of my life and I'm very grateful.
See also: The scary genius that was Lou Reed (James Delingpole, Telegraph Blogs)
The soundtrack to much of my life (Mark Mardell, BBC News)
Lou Reed created music that will live on for as long as songs are sung (Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph)
PS. By coincidence, my birthday is the same day (March 2) as Reed's. Spooky.
I should also mention – and it still bugs me almost a quarter of a century later – that in 1986 I recorded a documentary about the Velvet Underground that was broadcast on The South Bank Show.
The following year the tape was in my VHS machine when it was stolen by burglars who broken into our house in Camberwell and took not only the video machine but also the TV.
To the best of my knowledge the programme has never been repeated nor is it available on DVD. Very annoying.
Reader Comments (7)
Try Youtube. Type in Lou Reed on South Bank Show. It runs for about 52mins.
Thanks!
"Anyway, in 1973 no-one would have dreamt that 40 years later Reed would die aged 71..."
He was one of those people I thought would never get to 71!
Is there a bad track on Transformer? The wonderfully named Herbie Flowers has just been interviewed by James Naughtie of all people and gave the impression that Lou Reed was not only a lovely guy but a generous musician.
Hi Simon as I am reviewing my CVs today and writing emails I've been having a bit of a Youtube Lou Reed fest on my headphones.
Here is the Southbank Show URL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS7QnF6ieKY
Transformer remains one of my all-time greatest albums to this day. RIP Lou Reed.
I wouldn't have pegged you for a Lou Reed fan, Simon! Heh! I was into Velvet Underground quite heavily in the late 60s / early 70s, but moved on to other things and sort of lost touch somewhat. I still drag 'Transformer' out quite regularly, though. He was something of a dark icon in his day. He will be missed.
Thanks Dave – just watched the South Bank Show documentary for the first time in 26 years. Every bit as good as I remember it.