Customer Reviews

New Sensations

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

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.

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.

A POP album! From Lou Reed! Who is not a pop guy! So I know what you're thinking: "Lou Reed? Doing a pop album? WTF?" But it's good! Okay, so "Turn to Me" is kind of annoying, and "My Friend George" is too repetitive for me, but hey... other than that? Melodies! Hooks! '80s production! Wait, the last one's a bad thing. But the other two aren't at all. "I Love You, Suzanne" was the hit, and it's mindless catchy fun in a style totally unlike that of the raging New Yorker. "Endlessly Jealous" and "My Red Joystick" (three guesses what his "joystick" really is...) are in the same style, and they really work because Lou is a fantastic songwriter; the title track has a soothing, relaxed atmosphere; "Doin' the Things that They Want to" has nice guitar parts and a big climactic energy release; "Fly Into the Sun" is catchy and has a nice beat behind it, as well as more of those atmosphere tricks Lou puts on this album. "High in the City" has a great steel drum part. And "The Great Defender," despite the rather banal lyrics, has an unforgettable refrain and fadeout. Even with the annoying production, and the fillers, it's still a very solid album - not many songs I'd call "classics," but so well-written I don't care.

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 ... 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.

Not a weak track on the record, save for "Legend," perhaps. If this album is not really "Lou Reed-y," then so be it. Who wants "Heroin, Part 20" anyway. The playing is good, singing's good, the mood is right. It's like a somewhat lighter "Legendary Hearts," which got 5 stars.

Everyone seems to think that Lou Reed is nothing but a downbeat, serious artist that doesn't know how to loosen up. But NEW SENSATIONS is one of those rare albums that shows Reed is far more mellow than he's made out to be. Not surprisingly, the production on this album is forever rooted in the '80s, so if you think it's a little dated, you're not alone. With synthesizers instead of guitars being more prominent on this album, this can really be looked at as Lou Reed's last (and therefore most successful) attempt at being commercial. Why NEW SENSATIONS didn't become a huge success is a mystery to me because it sounds like it should have been. While not Reed's best album, it certainly is one of his most interesting and entertaining.

New Sensations is by far Lou's happiest, most upbeat album. It starts off strong with the hit "I Love You, Suzanne" with the intro being from the Contours' "Do You Love Me". Lou plays all the guitars on this album and his playing is great. Saunders and Maher sound even better than on Legendary Hearts. Lou also decided to add a keyboard player Peter Wood. The synths are very light adding a little atmosphere to the music but never overwhelming any of the other instruments. "My Red Joystick" is a humerous song about male-female relationships with Biblical references. Lou shows he can still rock with "Turn to Me". The chorus of "New Sensations" kinda reminds me of "I Need A Hero" by Bonnie Tyler. We also get a power ballad in the form of "Doin' the Things that We Want To". "My Friend George" seems to be about a vigilante, something there were alot of at the time. "High In the City" is a reggae-like song. It kinda reminds me of how Neil Diamond, another Jew from Brooklyn also did a little reggae just ten years earlier. This is Lou Reed's feel good album. They really need to release it in the States along with like half his catalog that's out of print.

To END THIS MYSTERY, And anyone who stays high in the city everyday all day! not only for lou Reed fans This Album is a whole other level anyone who doesn't like this is crazy, TURN TO ME is life changing, one of the smoothest albums of the 80's Period Point blank. Not a bad track on entire album. Endlessly Jealous must of been hard for him to admit, it's the story of all people who get high in the city so cop it, LOU REED IS New York City straight up, I'm convinced no other artist can capture city life like this man, NOBODY!! He Keeps it too real and gets no respect.

Like many of the reviewers, I have owned New Sensations since it was first released and it has stood the test of time...and then some. Not my favorite Lou Reed (or Velvets) album, but probably the one I listen to most often when I need a good laugh or want to feel uplifted (not many Reed albums can claim the latter). My Red Joystick and Turn to Me are hilarious and catchy (ditto the comment on the guitar intro on Turn to Me) and New Sensations, Doin the Things That We Want To and Fly Into the Sun are introspective masterpieces. It's difficult to articulate how connected you feel when you listen to these songs, especially since I have not had the life and experiences of Lou, but that's the beauty of the music, I suppose. It's amazing how he can handle topics ranging from aging, to nuclear holocaust, and the angst of divorce/separation with such aplomb. I think I'll be listening to this album until "my teeth are ground down to the bone, and there's nothing between my legs." Enjoy!