New Sensations [Original recording remastered]

Lou Reed | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 10, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: ICONOCLASSIC
• ASIN: B002M9FSAY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,455 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Love You, Suzanne

2. Endlessly Jealous

3. My Red Joystick

4. Turn to Me

5. New Sensations

6. Doin' the Things That We Want To

7. What Becomes a Legend Most

8. Fly into the Sun

9. My Friend George

10. High in the City

11. Down at the Arcade

Editorial Reviews

Lou Reed never struck anyone as one of the happiest guys in rock & roll, so some fans were taken aback when his 1984 album New Sensations kicked off with "I Love You, Suzanne," a catchy up-tempo rocker that sounded a lot like a pop tune. After reaffirming his status as one of rock's greatest poets with The Blue Mask and Legendary Hearts, what was Reed doing here? Lou was having a great time, and his pleasure was infectious -- New Sensations is a set of straight-ahead rock & roll that ranks with the most purely enjoyable albums of Lou's career. Reed opted not to work with guitarist Robert Quine this time out, instead overdubbing rhythm lines over his own leads, and if the guitars don't cut quite as deep, they're still wiry and in the pocket throughout, and the rhythm section of Fernando Saunders and Fred Maher rocks hard with a tough, sinewy groove. And while much of New Sensations finds Reed in a surprisingly optimistic mood, this isn't "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by any stretch of the imagination. On "Endlessly Jealous," "My Friend George," and "Fly Into the Sun," Reed makes it clear that happiness can be a hard-won commodity, and when Reed embraces life's pleasures on "Turn to Me" and "New Sensations," he does so with a fierce joy that's realistic, unblinking, and deeply felt, like a man whose signed on for the full ride and is going to enjoy the good times while they last. Like Coney Island Baby, New Sensations showed that Reed had a lot more warmth and humanity than he was given credit for, and made clear that he could "write happy" when he felt like, with all the impact of his "serious" material. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lou Has Himself Some Fun, February 15, 2005

By 

Timothy P. Young (Rawlins, WY, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Sensations (Audio CD)

"New Sensations" isn't Lou Reed's best record, nor is it his most daring or musically accomplished. However, it may well be the most consistently enjoyable album in his catalog.

From his live-staple opener "I Love You, Suzanne" to the mildly goofy "Down at the Arcade," this is the closest thing Lou's ever made to a party record.

Musically, it's a mix of his usual biting guitar, bass, drums sound, augmented by horns and keyboards. It's pretty smooth, though, so those expecting New York, The Blue Mask, or others like that should step back. The funny thing here is that while Fred Maher is credited as drumming, the drums are almost metronomic...I thought I was listening to a machine. Then I reminded myself that this came out in 1984, when sounding like a machine was a compliment.

Of course, it's not all lighthearted fun. "Endlessly Jealous" is a letter from an obsessive lover, "My Friend George" illustrates a memory of a violent, near-sociopathic friend, and the title track could serve as a lighter autobiographical companion to "The Day John Kennedy Died." I like this record a lot.

"If your father is freebasing
And your mother's turning tricks
That's still no reason you should have a fit
Remember I'm the one who loves you
And you can always give me a call...
Turn to me, turn to me, turn to me."
--"Turn to Me" (what else?)

That about says it all.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New Sensations, November 11, 2007

By 

W. Nalle (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Sensations (Audio CD)

On a roll after The Blue Mask and Legendary Hearts, Lou Reed didn't disappoint with New Sensations. The album's full of well-written songs backed up by some solid playing. Listening to it now, the album's got a slicker 80's feel than some of his others, and the 80's "big drum sound" can be distracting, especially on an otherwise terrific song like "What Becomes A Legend Most." Lou Reed provides the lead and most of the rhythm guitars himself, which is ok but I missed having another guitarist (like Robert Quine) to bounce the leads off of.
But like I said, there are some great songs here, including the luminescent "New Sensations," the quirky and funny "High In The City," and the poignant rocker "My Friend George." Lou Reed's always been a superb storyteller and the songs here are further proof of that.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good times in the city, July 23, 2007

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: New Sensations (Audio CD)

Wow, what a great album. From the rocking opener I Love You Suzanne this is one song after another of Lou at his melodic best, with horns, keyboards and backing singers used to great effect.

As a celebration of life, it does occasionally hint at the dark side (like violence in Endlessly Jealous, My Friend George and loneliness in What Becomes A Legend Most) but the overall impression is one of finding magic in everyday experiences.

My favourite tracks are Doing The Things That We Want To with its glorious girl chorus and the almost ethereal, breezy High In The City ("Don't wanna talk politics today/Feelin' pretty witty/Getting' high off of the city ..." and that just about sums up the mood of the album.