Customer Reviews

Animal Serenade

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Lou Reed made a real effort to SING on this concert tour and he sounds terrific. His singing is the best it's been in 30 years and his guitar playing is as subtle and powerful as anything on "The Blue Mask" or the Velvet Underground albums.

Highlights include
--"How Do You Think it Feels," which starts with a fine, feedback-laden guitar solo and ends with a driving rhythm-guitar shuffle and burn worthy of 1969 Live.
--"Street Hassle," on which Jane Scarpontoni on Cello, Lou and Mike Rathke hit a sublime groove. I wish they had played all of the movements, however.
--"Venus in Furs" with an insane Cello solo--not quite as powerful as seeing Jane straddle and attack the instrument live, but unbelievable nonetheless
--"Sunday Morning": "All those wasted years so close behind" sounds so much sadder and profounder from a 61 year-old Lou, who sings his heart out on this song.
--"Set the Twilight Reeling": an amazing song given the treatment it deserves.

That this is a quietly political album may be overlooked--"Men of Good Fortune often cause empires to fall", "I dreamed I was President of these United States; I dreamed I replaced ignorance, stupidity and hate", and the "dead bodies pilied up in mounds" of Heroin take on a new resonance in the post-911, George W. Bush era in which we live.

Whatever you think of "The Raven", composing that music and putting on that show reinvigorated Lou's theatrical instincts and skills, which are on full display here and only rarely tilt into cheesiness ("I'll be your mirror" ad hoc during Heroin, for example).

This is not a "perfect" album, nor was it a perfect show. The band sounds like they're walking through "Dirty Blvd.", "Vanishing Act" goes on way too long, and "All Tomorrow's Parties" sounds thrown off. And let's not talk about Fernando Saunder's weak Stevie Wonder-like song.

The appeal and power of "Animal Serenade" are, however, undeniable. This album, like the concert was, is surprising, moving, delightful and amazing. The only thing missing is a drummer--how about asking Maureen to join the band on the next tour, Lou?

I just want to highlight that this CD includes the first live performances I've heard of "Men of Good Fortune" and "The Bed." I was fortunate enough to see Lou Reed's Berlin tour in December 1973. In fact, I attended his unbelievable performance at The Academy of Music that was captured on "Rock and Roll Animal," (if only there were a DVD of that concert -- he was amazing, totally manic), and I was disappointed that he didn't perform more songs from that album, such as the above mentioned titles. (I still await to hear, one day, a live performance of "Caroline Says II" or its original version "Stephanie Says."

Also, this CD includes, to my knowledge, the first live performance of "Sunday Morning" in many, many years. I remember seeing Lou during his "Mistrial" tour and someone shouted out to hear "Sunday Morning" and he was highly dismissive of the request.

This CD is definitely worth picking up.

First, I'm writing this to correct the last writer who said there are indeed drums on the album. For the non-musicians out there, the "Roland Drums" used by Saunders are synthesized drums, not an actual drum kit. There is also "piano," which is Rathke playing a guitar synthesizer. Except for the excellent cello (see "Venus In Furs"), vocals, and Lou's guitar, most of the music here is synthesized, albeit played live on stage, not recorded or programmed.

Some seem vexed by the lack of drums on the album (not a lot of bass here either; but that's what the cello's for, right?). I find what makes this album so special is that this has caused Reed to completely rethink his arrangements of tunes old and new. It's the twenty-first century, and Reed shows that his music can be effective in any musical language at any time.

The cello and lack of drums allow many of the songs to reach much deeper psychological spaces than in the original versions. Lou's guitar can still come screeching to the fore much as he used to do in the Robert Quine-era band. "Ecstasy" especially gains from the contrast of subtle rhythmn with searing lead. And the band does rock out when it wants to, but with an interesting, unique sound due to the odd combination of instruments.

As for Lou's vocal abilities, he's not the young man unabashedly belting out "oh baby" at the end of "Rock and Roll" any more. His smoking and lord knows what else has pretty much ravaged his voice, much like Bob Dylan. Sure, he's missing notes, letting his voice croak as often as sing, but that's Lou now. Personally, I think you can hear him putting effort into his singing, and it shows with emotional and effective (if not technically perfect) readings of most songs here.

True, I'd rather have a new album of all-original material, but this is no "holding-pattern best-of" live disc, but a vision of Lou Reed doing what he does best: evading people's expectations and finding something new and exciting in the process. This is proof that MIDI and synthesizers don't always equal cold and mechanical. After forty years in the music business, Lou shows he's still a vital creative force (see also his "Ecstasy" album). This is his best live work since "Live In Italy" twenty years(!) ago.

I've been hanging out for this recording since I saw Lou on the most recent tour and he hasn't disappointed. This album captures perfectly the sense of moment and atmosphere the live show had. Rock's great "three-chord poet", treating his audience to a selection of his masterworks, slightly recalibrated in tune with his current persona. The mastering of the CD is amazing for a live recording. The depth of the bass, the bite of Lou's solo work, Jane's cello solo, all reach down to somewhere in my bones. Hope the DVD of the show isn't far away!

"Venus In Furs" alone is worth the price of this two-disc set. That song is amazing, the cello solo still gives me chills. Beyond that, an excellent (and eclectic) sampling of Mr. Reed's career (both solo and VU). Enjoy.

Lou Reed released the "The Raven" album in 2003 to less than critical or commercial acclaim. He toured in support of the album, and this live album comes from that tour, documenting the entire concert at the Wiltern in LA in June, 2003.

"Animal Serenade" (20 tracks, 2 CDs, 128 min.) finds Lou and his band with just guitar, bass and piano or cello on most of the tracks. That's right, no drums. Lou nowadays is more a story-teller/singer, and if you can accept that this is not going to be the Lou Reed of the "Rock & Roll Animal" live album of exactly 30 years ago, this in fact turns out to be a great album, perfect for an evening with friends over or a book to read. Smartly, Reed only includes just 4 songs of the disappointing "Raven" album, and instead delves deep into the catalogue, but presenting those songs into a new light, check out for example "Venus in Furs" and "Sunday Morning".

I will gladly admit that I did not expect this album to be as good as it turned out. For the disappointed reviewers that wanted the live Lou Reed of yesteryear, please check out "Live in Italy" (1984) or "Rock & Roll Animal" (1974), but for those wondering what Lou Reed is doing nowadays, this is highly recommended.

No drums? What happened to Lou's insistence that drums, bass and 2 guitars was all you need? Doesn't matter. I saw him in Melbourne on the Ecstasy Tour, and some in attendance were disappointed that he focused almost entirely on that album...but that's what you get with Lou Reed. This album is the perfect complement to that tour. Just sit back and listen...it's a good two hours. Songs like How Do You Think It Feels and Set The Twilight Reeling show the depth of Lou Reed's work. Now if only I had a recording of Paranoia in E from that Ecstasy Tour I could die happy...

A quietly powerful album. Understated, with lots of space. Moments of humor and intimacy. Old songs revisited and deepened. Takes time to listen to in order to reveal its depths. A walk down memory lane with troubled souls who may have spent time in the gutter but always found time to gaze at the stars. Unique.

Lou Reed is certainly hit or miss when it comes to live performances; however, this one definitely falls under the hit category. The recording captures Lou in a good and playful mood which translates into a good time for all. The songs cover a wide range of his career from Velvet Underground up to The Raven. It includes an incredible version of Venus in Furs with scathing cello playing by Jane Scarantoni. (worth the price of this CD alone, IMHO). I would have loved to hear how this ensemble tackled some of his songs from Magic & Loss; namely What's Good, Power and Glory, Sword of Damocles and Magic & Loss.

Lou @ his intimate Best ... I can feel the concert with his intricate self and choice of songs ... Very deep with joy and sorrow and let's not forget we humans are just a bunch of wild and tame Animals in a planet called Zoo ... Kool ...