Lou Reed

Biography

Youth

Lou Reed lives with New York ( I' m has New York city man ) where he was born easy parents: his/her father is accountant. He grew with Long Island and was initiated with the piano as of the 5 years age. But it is impassioned for the rock'n'roll, the doo wop, the literature, the modern jazz and the free jazz in particular (Gift Cherry and Ornette Coleman in particular) and prefers the guitar, which it learns by copying the discs from its collection. In 1958, it Co-writing and records So Blue in the style doo wop with the guitar within Jades.

At the 17 years age, it undergoes the traumatism of meetings of electric shocks (suggested with his/her parents by a psychiatrist) intended it “to cure” its homosexual leanings. This experiment devastator will be evoked in the song Kill Your Sons in 1975. It starts to consume treatments making very dependant prescribed following the electric shocks, and seeks to express its traumatism by words often of a great radicality: violence, provocation, strange, believed realism, modernity. Besides it will refer often, at the time of its career, in these believed terms, hard and shocking, thus inspiring several of its jewels. The blackness and the depth of the words of large Reed are born from sound lived immoral of the low districts, poor, without papers.

It follows the courses of “creative writing” of Delmore Schwartz, poet and traditional teacher of literature, which encourages it to write at the university of Syracuse and marks it much. It meets also beautiful Shelley, with which it has a two years connection. It becomes for Lou Reed, who idealizes it, a great source of inspiration, even after their separation.

Pickwick

After the university, he works in 1964 for the Pickwick discs as a type-setter author - and sometimes interprets. It produced discs of rock'n'roll imitating there the various styles with the mode for compilations at low prices. It engraves The Ostrich , a “new dance” absurdity on two agreements, where Lou suggests putting its head on the ground and going above with its own feet. The song will be at the origin of the term “Guitare Ostrich” which indicates a tuning of guitar with the open strings on the same note. For the needs for promotion, he seeks musicians able to play them on scene and engages John Cale, a pianist and altist Welsh of traditional formation. Hold records with low the You' Re Driving Me Insane and Cycle Annie sung by Lou Reed under the name of Beachnuts and of Roughnecks for compilation Soundsville .

The Velvet Underground

See also: The Velvet Underground

John Fixes, come to study in the United States with a purse, evolves/moves in the medium of the New Yorkean avant-garde and plays then of the viola in Theater off Eternal Music de LaMonte Young. He seeks to innovate, to shock. He takes Lou Reed with serious only when this one reveals the words of its personal capacities, and Heroin in particular. The guitarist Sterling Morrison, a friend of the university, joined them. They form Warlocks, play in the streets with a singer, Daryl, then in 1965 form Velvet Underground with Angus MacLise with counted. They often play behind a screen on which films of avant-garde to the Cineclub of Jonas Mekas are projected, and thus contribute to the music of several films amateurs. In December, Maureen Tucker replaces McLise for a first paid concert organized by Al Aronowicz.

A little later they are located with the Odd Coffee by Brigid Polk, a scenario writer marginal who attends the workshop of Andy Warhol, a former advertizing draftsman become painter. Warhol, a homosexual shy person and introvert, then knows a great notoriety with its fabrics and seeks to diversify. It is presented to the Odd Coffee and, with its associate scenario writer and business man Paul Morrissey, decides to become the manager of Velvet Underground, which, at the end of December, comes to repeat in their workshop, the Factory. The room is very attended by artists and marginal of the time. Warhol imposes the singer Nico to them, a German mannequin which, after some films (in particular the Dolce vita of Fellini), a recording with Serge Gainsbourg in 1962 ( Strip-Tease ) and a disc produced by the producer of the Rolling Stones Andrew Oldham ( I' m Not Saying , 1965), joined the court of the miracles of Factory.

Warhol finances the recording of some titles in a small studio of New York. It organizes then spectacles multimedia where it takes again the principle of playing in front of a cinema display, but projects its own films there. The actress Edie Sedgwick and the poet Gerald Malanga, a leather whip to the hand, take part while dancing on scene. The technician lights literally invents the principle of the light-show for the needs for the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, which after a series of spectacles discussed in Dom de Saint Mark' S Place at Manhattan, leaves to play Trip of Los Angeles, which is definitively closed by the sheriff for “pornography” because of the sulfurous topics evoked by Velvet Underground: homosexuality, drug, transsexuality, dead. They strongly mark the Doors, come to see them playing. Warhol finances new recordings, of which the artistic realization is ensured by the producer of Bob Dylan, Tom Wilson, an Afro-American who publishes the album on the label of jazz of which he is artistic director, Verve Records.

The Velvet Underground and Nico appears in March 1967. Andy Warhol is author of the cover of the disc, a self-adhesive banana which, when it is separated, reveals a fruit with the pink flesh beside the mention " Produced by Andy Warhol". Nico interprets three songs there: All Tomorrow' S Left , Femme fatale and I' L Be Your Mirror . Lou Reed uses on Venus in Furs and All Tomorrow' S Parties her tuning Ostrich. The album contains outstanding compositions, like I' m Waiting for the Man , Heroin , European Its , Sunday Morning . The realization, rather bâclée, watch which the impulse can have more importance than the completion, and will be a great inspiration for the punk movement whose this album is the first stone founder. The album shocks and does not have any success.

A second album appears in December 1967, White Light/White Heat , also ignored at its exit safe of a handle of fans. The group reaches one of the tops of its creativity unslung in the piece Sister Ray , realized in only one catch seventeen minutes. John Cale leaves shortly after the group and is replaced by Doug Yule. This last participle with the two following albums of the group: The Velvet Underground (1969) and Loaded (1970).

Before the exit of Loaded , Lou Reed leaves Velvet Underground and the music to withdraw himself in her parents until the end 1971.

Career solo

The producer Richard Robinson and his wife LISA ( LISA Says ) persuade Lou Reed to return to the music and to record in England an album, in which two musicians of the group Yes Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman take part. The disc is called Lou Reed and appears in 1972 at RCA. Although including/understanding good songs ( I Can' T Stand It , Berlin , Ocean ) made up at the time of Velvet Underground, the album disappoints and does not meet discounted success.

However, the same year, with the album To transform , produced by English David Bowie and Mick Ronson, Lou Reed finally reaches success near the general public with the song Walk one the Wild Side , which treats topic of homosexuality and life in certain districts of New York. It described the route of New Yorkean characters there that it knew at the time of Factory, which plunges in the forfeiture through in particular the catch of Drogue S. By producing this album, David Bowie pays homage to Lou Reed whom it regarded one of his idols and especially as a source of inspiration since the Velvet years.

The artistic apogee of Lou Reed without Velvet Underground is between 1972 and 1976, with the albums Berlin (1973) and Coney Island Baby . Then its discography conceals albums which will reach these heights never again. He seeks his reference marks with important albums but diverting such as Rock' N Roll heart in 1977, Street Hassel in 1978 and 1982 The Blue Mask .

Several albums live enrich its discography of which Rock' N Roll Animal appeared in 1974 and Lou Reed live , in 1975, which appears among the best discs of live of the rock'n'roll and the very funny Take No Prisoners of 1978. In 1985, it takes part in the album Sun City against the Apartheid on the initiative of Steven van Zandt. It made excel it Live in london of 1998, with very interesting versions of its first titles, I' L Be your mirror (first album Velvet Underground), or of more recent pieces like Sex with your parents (treating hypocrisy of certain American policies). Lou Reed is accompanied in this concert by Mike Rathke, who had insufflated this new dash with " to him; New York " , where it adopted spoken sung.

In 1989, Lou Reed remakes surface with a very successful album: New York . Through this album dedicated to her city with the rough and stripped sound, Lou Reed adopts “spoken sung”, through committed texts treating for example AIDS ( The Halloween Parade ) and of social exclusion ( Dirty Boulevard ). It described there bottoms New Yorkean funds, image of excesses of the modern world on a music incisor.

In 1990, appears a very beautiful album in homage to Andy Warhol Songs For Drella , which it composes and sings in company of John Cale, its former accomplice of the Velvet Underground. The legendary group reforms the June 15th 1989, the time in an unexpected concert at the time of a Warhol retrospective to Jouy-in-Josas, then in 1993 for a series in concerts.

Lou Reed signs two albums which are artistic successes Magic and Loss (1992) which treats loss of the close relations and Set the Twilight Reeling (1996), in which it recalls its attachment to New York.

Its last album is entitled The Raven , reference declining and post-punk to Edgar Allan Poe. It there takes again two old titles ( The Bed' and 'Perfect Day ), with David Bowie singing ( Hop Frog ) and recites a poem ( the Corbel - The Raven - of Poe). This album is original but very far away from the general public which it has of the evil to convince.

Lou Reed also published two volumes gathering her photographic works, Emotion in action and Lou Reed' S New York .

Discography

With Velvet Underground

See also: The Velvet Underground#Discographie

The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
White Light/White Heat (1968)
The Velvet Underground (1969)
Loaded (1970)
1969: The Velvet Underground Live (1974)
CONSIDERING (1985)
Another View (1986)
Live MCMXCIII (1993)
Peel Slowly and See (1995)
Fully Loaded (1997, remasterized version of the album Loaded )
Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Slaps (2001)

In solo

Albums studio

Lou Reed (1972)
To transform (1972)
Berlin (1973)
Sally Can' T Dance (1974)
Metal Machine Music (1975)
Coney Island Baby (1976)
Rock'n'roll Heart (1976)
Street Hassel (1978)
The Bels (1979)
Growing Up in Public (1980)
The Blue Mask (1982)
Legendary Hearts (1983)
New Feelings (1984)
Mistrial (1986)
New York (1989)
Magic and Loss
Set the Twilight Reeling (1996)
Ecstasy (2000)
The Raven (2003)
Hudson To rivet Wind Meditations (2007)

Albums live

Rock'n'roll “Animal Roll (1974)
Lou Reed Live (1975)
Live: Take No Prisoners (1978)
Live in Italy (1984)
Beauty And Rust (1992)
Live in Concert (1996)
Perfect Night: Live in London (1998)
American Poet (2001)
Animal Serenade (2004)

Collaborations

Songs for Drella with John Fixes (1990)
Bataclan '72 with John Cale and Nico (2004)
Tranquilize with The Killers (2007)

Best off and compilations of news

Walk one the Wild Side: The Best off Lou Reed (1977)
Diary Rock'n'roll: 1967-1980 (1980)
City Lights (1985)
Walk one the Wild Side & Other Hits (1992)
Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology (1992)
Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s (1996)
Retro (1998)
has Retrospective (1998) off
The Definitive Collection (1999)
Perfect Day (1999)
Very Best Lou Reed (2000)
Legendary Lou Reed (2002)
NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967-2003) (2003)

Anecdotes

Lou Reed would have been born under the name of " Louis Firbank". Actually, Lou knowingly let diffuse its lie at the time of Velvet Underground. It is besides under this truth-false patronym that he was established in Rock' roll Hall off Famed.
Lou Reed would exploit of the harmonica the recording " Countess from HongKong " , appeared on the box Peel Slowly & See. He contradicted this information, revealing that he cannot play of this instrument.
At the time of the publication of the album " Street Hassel" at the end of the Seventies, good number of journalists scoffed Lou Reed for her style very " Springsteen" , in particular on the piece-title. Nothing astonishing with that: it is the Boss himself which recites some lines of the long piece " Street Hassel" (09: 03 with 09:37).
a homage to Lou Reed is returned by the group The Serving on their last album How to Destroy has Relationship, with a song entitled Hey Lou Reed .
One can hear his title " Perfect Day" on the original soundtrack of the film Trainspotting

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