Coney Island Baby (Aniv) [Original recording remastered]

Lou Reed | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 19, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000GG4XHO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,219 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No one knew what to expect from Lou after Sally Can't Dance and the perplexing Metal Machine Music . What they got was the best batch of Lou Reed songs in years, and this edition adds unissued bonus rehearsal tracks cut in '75 with VU bassist Doug Yule! They join the title classic; Kicks; Crazy Feeling , and the rest of this timeless rock gem.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing job -- get this!, September 27, 2006

By 

Wilson Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coney Island Baby (Aniv) (Audio CD)

Great sound, and the 6 bonus tracks are really quite terrific -- 3 of them were available on his box set or as a b-side or on comps, and those are tremendous. Then there are 3 others that were never before available and they're unbelievable, too!

I don't know how this snuck into the CD store, but it's a definite must-have for Reed fans, and it's one of his best solo efforts if you're just getting into him.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genuine bonus track, October 29, 2006

By 

James E. Anderson (Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coney Island Baby (Aniv) (Audio CD)

Differences in sound between the CD versions of the original album may be significant (although I think the original LP has superior sound overall) but for me the best thing about this CD is the earlier version of the song Coney Island Baby.

1. It is beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered.

2. I like the grittier sound to Reed's voice with lyrics more engagingly vernacular and conversational in delivery (rather than rehearsed umpteen times). The originally released version, although a work of art, always came across to me as a little too sappy in parts, particularly the ending with the (probably rehearsed) emotional catch in the voice.

I'm so glad this happened - I've now got closure on this great song!

If you're in any way a fan of Reed's art you gotta hear this! Thank you Lou Reed (vocals, guitar), Doug Yule (guitar, bass), Michael Fonfara (keys), Bob Meday (drums) and all others responsible.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly a Success, October 28, 2006

By 

J. Howe (Dover, NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Coney Island Baby (Aniv) (Audio CD)

The sound on this is great, especially when played on speakers that have clear highs. The three new bonus tracks are a great addition, and show what a different record this would have been if the original sessions had panned out. My only complaint is the choice to include the three songs from the box set. Yes, they sound sharper here, but I would have preferred three more unreleased outtakes or live tracks. What about the early version of "I Wanna Be Black" or "You Can Dance" (at least one live soundboard or multitrack of this exists on bootleg)? Or how about the harrowing live version of "Kicks" from the 1976 Roxy show that "Heroin" on the box set is taken from?

Complaints aside, the treatment of the original album is great and worth the price alone. Maybe we can cross our fingers and hope that other material is being held back for a rarities box set in the future. We can only hope, right?