Blue Mask [Original recording remastered]

Lou Reed | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 9, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00000HZTB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,842 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Lou's 1982 RCA album, his first after returning to the labelfrom Arista. Dedicated to his long-time inspiration, poetDelmore Schwartz, the album features guitarist Robert Quineand 10 tracks, including 'My House', 'Women' and 'The DayJohn Kennedy Died'. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Quine helps Reed craft a masterpiece., August 29, 2000

By 

Stephen Caratzas (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Mask (Audio CD)

"The Blue Mask" is often hailed by critics and fans alike as one of Lou Reed's greatest achievements, and it is deserving of the considerable praise. The disc contains some of Reed's most brutally honest writing in a concise set of songs exploring all aspects of human frailty - good, bad and ugly.

"My House", "Women" and "Heavenly Arms" are inspiring tributes: the former to Reed's mentor Delmore Schwartz; the latter to Reed's then-wife, Sylvia Morales. "Underneath the Bottle" details the struggles of addiction. "The Gun", "Waves of Fear" and the title cut are easily three of the most harrowing, unforgiving songs Reed has ever penned.

The real bounty, however, has to be the sheer beauty of the musicianship. Reed is once again playing guitar, having been inspired and goaded by ex-Voidoid Robert Quine, whose work here is among the best of his influential career. Quine's guitar - at turns shimmering, droning and apocalyptic - creates sublime moods and textural frameworks that serve the songs perfectly; Reed has not been fortunate to work with such a sympathetic musician since.

The quartet of musicians (filled out by Fernando Saunders on bass and drummer Doane Perry) respond to each other with the intimacy of a seasoned jazz combo. This is a real musician's album: dynamics are carefully observed, the space between the notes is respected, and all elements coalesce into a perfect whole.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Man's Got A Gun, July 9, 2002

By 

aaron toaso (Redondo Beach, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Mask (Audio CD)

Let me get this out in the open so we're all on the same page, I'm a Lou Reed fan. I enjoy virtually all of his solo records, never expected some sort of extension of his work with the Velvet Underground, and feel he has at times gotten unfairly treated by a music press expecting something that will never come, mainly, records that would touch as many people as his previous band's did. His epic solo catalogue is exactly that, a document of a single songwriter finding his way with different bands and, at times, different styles. The songs themselves more than stand the test of time, even on recordings when Lou got bogged down with exactly how he tuned his dozen guitars. That said, for my money "The Blue Mask" is his best record. Lou and Robert Quine couldn't sound better together; tough, lean complimenting sounds to great melodies and, naturally, wonderful lyrcis. Heavy, dense tracks like 'The Blue Mask' and 'Waves Of Fear' rock like Lou rarely does, cruching walls of sound punctuated with horrifying imagery that seem to always get personal in the most chilling fashion ("Make the sacrifce-mutilate my face-if you need someone to kill-I'm a man without a will"). But the true brilliance of the record is the quieter moments, odes of admiration to a former mentor, a love song to his wife that seems to be a modest stab at something almost radio friendly, and an effective time piece about America's lost innocence. These songs pull you inside the worlds of their protagonists, one moment your nursing a hangover and wondering why your leg hurts, the next remembering why you love your girlfriend. Oh yeah, and there's one about a guy with a gun, who knows how to use it...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Blue Mask, December 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blue Mask (Audio CD)

All one can really say is this: In the cold of November, Bicycle Dan strapped on the headphones, dialed up the Blue Mask, ate seven Energy Bars and played the Title Track three times before riding to victory in the Thanksgiving Cyclecross Challenge (technically, he was, however, disqualified after knocking over one of the course's obstacles). Lou's art is an inspiration to us all.

Res Ipsa.