Customer Reviews

Coney Island Baby (Aniv)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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?

you will be floored, the sound improvement over the original release is unreal....this is one of his best...this and "blue mask"

I bought this new version because of the great job Buddah Records did a few years back with Rock and Roll Heart and The Bells in remastering. I was hoping for more of the same from RCA/Legacy but it's not quite as good.
Whereas on those albums you can clearly hear every intricant sound in it's full glory (sounds are present on the Buddah releases that you can't hear on the originals that will just blow you away), the only thing I really noticed is that the overall sound level is higher and the sound more crisp. That may be in part that more care was taken in the original RCA release (Rock and Roll Heart and The Bells were released on Arista)and not much left to be improved upon. What I don't like is the high end hiss is still clearly audible (especially noticable on Coney Island Baby) but that may be from the original recording.
The bonus tracks are well worth the reinvestment though. Yes, three were on Between Thought and Expression but there is some improvement on those. The bonus version of She's my Best Friend is absolutely killer.
All in all a great disc and nice packaging make this well worth the money.

One aspect of Lou Reed that some of us love best is his economy of style, encompassing everything from the lyrics to the music to his very voice... And we also love the stories, sometimes told between the lines. The Velvet Underground was a warmup act, although the best of that era stands with the best of it all. Still... there is an element of youthful "showing off" in the Velvets, which is excusable because the artist was, after all, young. When a little bit older, and at the other extreme of the repertory, there was Berlin, into which Reed infused all of the seriousness the Velvets left out, and many have argued that there was too much seriousness in that one. Coney Island Baby strikes a balance, and gives us the grown-up artist, with his economy, his storytelling, his compassion and sardonic humor, touched with a smattering of melancholy. Looking closely, one may also catch a glimpse of Hubert Selby passing through.

Lou Reed-Coney Island Baby *****


Coney Island Baby may be the very best thing that Lou Reed ever recorded with or without The Velvet Underground. Released right after the failure of his only bad solo album, whos name I wont even type Coney Island Baby is Reeds most peronal and beautiful album ever. He was given a second chance by his record company and he was in love with a transvestite which already made for an interesting album. This was the first but certainly not the last time that Reed would fall in love and record a polished album becuase of it and sing in a real radio friendly voice.

As mentioned before the songs are Reeds most personal only The Blue Mask can compare with passion felt in one of his albums. 'Crazy Feeling' 'Shes My Best Friend' and 'Coney Island Baby' are so autobiographical it makes you want to cry when you hear Reed sing the songs. 'Kicks' is an extended jam that is very cool it reminds me of the bridge to 'Cant You Hear Me Knockin' by The Rolling Stones. As always the subject matter in one way or another finds a way to tie back to Reeds beloved city, New York. When a person spends their entire career singing about the same thing in one form or another you think that you wold grow old and tired of the artist well not with Reed and not when the subject is such a broad topic as New York is, and that is exactly what the title track of the album does, it ties everything Reed has ever sang about up to that point and made it all come together and make since with that one track. Songs like the self sure 'Gift' and 'Charleys Girl' show a pure cockey side of Reed that because it is him comes across as cool more then it does cockey. As the album comes to a close it leaves you wanting more which is odd for Lou Reed album because his albums usualy leave you fulfilled at the end but this one if so good that when it is over you dont want it to stop.

The new reissue of the album comes with six additional songs as bonus tracks after the original album has ended. 'Nowhere At All' 'Downtown Dirt' 'Leave Me Along are all songs that could have been placed on the album originaly and would have fit in perfectly making this already brilliant album even better.Then three alternate takes of 'Crazy Feeling' 'Shes My Best Friend' and the title track 'Coney Island Baby' are what closes the cd. These add something more to the overall greatness of the album because they show you what Reed started out with on those songs and where he went with them until he was satisfied.

Coney Island Baby is an album that people enjoy who dont even like Lou Reed. This the one to own if you ask me. Transformer is good but CIB in my opinion owns that album. The Blue Mask, Berlin, and New York are the only album Reed released that even compare to this album and even then they fail and miserably at that.

This is my third favorite Lou Reed album, after Blue Mask and Rock and Roll Animal. "Coney Island Baby" (the song) ranks up there with his finest songs, and, to my mind, gets a boost because it seems so genuinely vulnerable ("wanna play football for the coach"). In comparison, other songs are not quite as strong (hence 4 and not 5 stars), but, they're all memorable and bear up well under repeated playing. If you love Lou Reed, this album is a must.

Awesome! A must have album by Lou Reed! This version has great liner notes and bonus tracks. Get it today!!

CONEY ISLAND BABY recorded after the debacle that was METAL MACHINE MUSIC, is Reed at his most accessible. Songs full of melody with real hooks to them, lyrics that are funny, poignant, and personal sung in a tone that varies from jaunty to haunting, this is Reed for people who are afraid of the Lou Reed they've heard about. There's still challenge here for one who listens closely, but it is covered by a veneer of polish and nostalgia. This is a nice entry into Reed's long and eclectic career, and can be enjoyed by the casual or long time fan. The extras are interesting add-ons, but the original 8 songs from the happy-go-lucky "Crazy Feeling" to the evocative title track hold together as well as anything Reed has ever done.