Pass Thru Fire: The Collected Lyrics (Hardcover)

by Lou Reed (Author) "Sunday morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: rock minuet, patrolman number, twilight reeling, Lou Reed Pass Thru Fire, White Light, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Lou Reed has spent more than three decades. . . gritty, and painfully intense . . . Pass Thru Fire. . . truly deserving of that permanence." -- New York Magazine

"Reed [is] one of music's most literary writers, adept at detailed observation and flavorful dialogue." -- Los Angeles Times

"Reed is one songwriter who really is a poet." -- Seattle Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

New York Post
"This paperback collection of Reed ruminations is not only a lyrical walk on the wild side, it's a typographic wonder."

“John Shelton Ivany Top 21”
“A comprehensive collection…A must-have for any fan…Crucial to understanding and appreciating Lou Reed."

Gallery & Studio, 2/09
“The revelation of Pass Thru Fire: The Collected Lyrics is how well many of Lou’s words hold up on the page.”

SwampLand.com
“I felt lucky when Pass Thru Fire arrived at my door. It made my day.”

Hartford Advocate, 3/7/09
“Perusing this 576-page volume should be a lesson in humility for any aspiring rock poet.”

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 496 pages Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (February 16, 2000) Language: English ISBN-10: 0786864524 ISBN-13: 978-0786864522 Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,258,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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First Sentence:
Sunday morning Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
rock minuet, patrolman number, twilight reeling, paranoia key, roll heart, video violence, anybody listening, dance dance dance, poor beginnings

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lou Reed Pass Thru Fire, White Light, New York, The Collected Lyrics, Lonesome Cowboy Bill, One World One Voice, Baton Rouge, Baby Face, John Kennedy, Miscellaneous Songs, Sister Ray, Valerie Solanis, United States

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 5 books:

• Pass Thru Fire: The Collected Lyrics of Lou Reed by Lou Reed on 29 pages
• Between Thought by Lou Reed in Back Matter
• Measure for Measure (Oxford School Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare on page 228
• Nothing But the Truth by New England Press Inc in Back Matter
• Measure for Measure (Signet Classics) by William Shakespeare on page 228

 

1 book cites this book:

• What Is Graphic Design? (Essential Design Handbooks) by Quentin Newark on page 16

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 by Joel Whitburn

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• roll heart
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Top Pop Singles 1955-1999 by Joel Whitburn Discusses: roll heart dance dance dance Baby Face Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	79% buy the item featured on this page: Pass Thru Fire: The Collected Lyrics 3.8 out of 5 stars (13) $34.95
	5% buy Lou Reed's New York 5.0 out of 5 stars (1) $36.50
	4% buy The Raven 3.0 out of 5 stars (2) $18.95
	4% buy Lou Reed: Emotion in Action 4.0 out of 5 stars (2) $29.10

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review 3.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Today's Troubador, February 2, 2000 By  D. Sean Brickell (gorgeous Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    While other troubadors, notably Dylan and Springsteen, enjoy the rewards of being part of the general public's consciousness, Lou Reed's honesty and unflinching vision earm him the title of rock's most perceptive lyricst. This book contains virtually all of Reed's long and impressive catalogue. In pure realism we take a walk on the wild side with New York City's addicts, whores, scam-artists, thieves, beggers and every other form of gutter life. A broad perspective such as this -- in the hands of lesser poets -- would seem a tragic commentary, but Reed manages to infuse just enough human spirit and optimism to keep his scenes above total chaos. The losers greatly outnumber the winners in Reed's world, if you keep score. But most of Reed's characters suffer life's misfortunes from imposed, not self-inflicted, situations. The noble "Pass Through Fire," even in the face of certain disaster. Lou Reed's book of lyrics is indispensible. I call it equipment for living. Get a copy today! 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Contains Some Of The Best Lyrics Ever Written!, May 7, 2000 By  M. Scagnelli (Brandon, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Lou Reed is an incredible songwriter. His style is unlike any other. One of the best things about Lou Reed's music is his lyrics. Reed's lyrics are really brilliant. This book shows that. Pass Thru Fire is something fans of Lou and The Velvets should own. It contains almost all of the songs Lou has ever written from The Velvet Underground & Nico, to his latest masterpiece, Ecstasy. I am very happy that it contains his lyrics from his days with the Velvets, which is when he wrote some of his best lyrics. This book even contains some very rare songs, including the early versions of Sweet Jane and New Age, and little known songs such as Temptation Inside Your Heart and Ferryboat Bill. Also, having the lyrics printed in the strange ways that they are just adds to the experience of reading it. I think the book would be a little boring without that. Anyways, all fans of Lou should own this book. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Lou's Incredible Lyrics Augmented by Wonderful Design, May 3, 2000 By  x (USA) - See all my reviews The collected lyrics of Lou Reed hold up quite well on the page in "Pass Through Fire." This is rare for a poetry book from a rock legend, since most lyric collections from rock stars tend to be rather silly (e.g., Mr. Mojo Risin's poetry). Reed's lyrics explore the full magnitude of the modern urban man's consciousness in all its moments of triumph and strife. The primary impulse in Lou Reed's lyrics is the impetus towards freedom. Sometimes the individual cannot attain it, and is relegated to a life of tremendous despair. But the impulse always awakens, even if it arises from the spirit of the junkie lying in the gutter a day too late. Buy "Pass Through Fire" and read it to your children, because if you don't help them experience life as Lou Reed knows it they too might end up on the "Dirty Blvd" without the intellectual means to escape.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars pass thru fire ... a must have ! From the horse mouth. After all these years, at last, we are finally able to read Lou Reed's lyrics as they were written. Read more Published 6 months ago by Moitrot Laurent 4.0 out of 5 stars this is how books ought to be written You could be totally illerate and still be able to read this book. The words are actually printed with emotion. Some, like tears, puddle down the page. Read more Published on April 28, 2004 by Stephanie Goodell 5.0 out of 5 stars Real words for real people Lou Reeds lyrics are some of the most important and greatest in rock history. The poet for the real man, lou reed wrote for himself and nobody else. Published on May 25, 2001 by James Sanders 1.0 out of 5 stars Read this to your kids? You've gotta be kidding me. I think Lou Reed is (or at least was) a terrific songwriter. I even think he is a pretty good lyricist. Read more Published on April 24, 2001 by Mike DeBonis 4.0 out of 5 stars Lou Reed - Linger On I have to admit that I loved the book. It provides, in one place, lyrics from I assume all Lou's albums going back to his earliest work with the Velvet Underground(and some... Read more Published on October 27, 2000 by emptyboat 2.0 out of 5 stars The layout of this book is horrible. I own all of Lou Reed's CD's and was thrilled to receive this book as a gift because I was genuinely looking forward to reading the lyrics in book form of my favorite song. Read more Published on April 30, 2000 by heidijoy 5.0 out of 5 stars Thru the Fire with Sweet Lou Hardbound lyrics from a hard-edged man. Some of the lyric-stories felt so intensely personal, it seemed almost as though I were trespassing on a personal experience. Read more Published on April 12, 2000 by Babette 5.0 out of 5 stars "I'M WAITING FOR THE MAN" Lou Reed's lyrics aren't for everybody, they're only for the extraordinary. Lou can definitely turn a phrase. Read more Published on April 3, 2000 by The Doctor 1.0 out of 5 stars Strictly for the fan club The remarkable thing about Reed's singing/speaking voice is the way it can invest unconsidered, slapdash, even pedestrian lyrics with poignancy and conviction. Read more Published on March 27, 2000 by shakerheights 3.0 out of 5 stars The right venue for Lou Reed Reading Lou Reed's lyrics is a lot more interesting than hearing him sing them. If only he'd lived at the same time as Hart Crane...he coulda been a contenda! Published on March 12, 2000 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (February 16, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786864524
• ISBN-13: 978-0786864522
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,258,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Today's Troubador, February 2, 2000

By	D. Sean Brickell (gorgeous Virginia Beach, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While other troubadors, notably Dylan and Springsteen, enjoy the rewards of being part of the general public's consciousness, Lou Reed's honesty and unflinching vision earm him the title of rock's most perceptive lyricst.

This book contains virtually all of Reed's long and impressive catalogue. In pure realism we take a walk on the wild side with New York City's addicts, whores, scam-artists, thieves, beggers and every other form of gutter life.

A broad perspective such as this -- in the hands of lesser poets -- would seem a tragic commentary, but Reed manages to infuse just enough human spirit and optimism to keep his scenes above total chaos.

The losers greatly outnumber the winners in Reed's world, if you keep score. But most of Reed's characters suffer life's misfortunes from imposed, not self-inflicted, situations. The noble "Pass Through Fire," even in the face of certain disaster.

Lou Reed's book of lyrics is indispensible. I call it equipment for living.

Get a copy today!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contains Some Of The Best Lyrics Ever Written!, May 7, 2000

By	M. Scagnelli (Brandon, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lou Reed is an incredible songwriter. His style is unlike any other. One of the best things about Lou Reed's music is his lyrics. Reed's lyrics are really brilliant. This book shows that. Pass Thru Fire is something fans of Lou and The Velvets should own. It contains almost all of the songs Lou has ever written from The Velvet Underground & Nico, to his latest masterpiece, Ecstasy. I am very happy that it contains his lyrics from his days with the Velvets, which is when he wrote some of his best lyrics. This book even contains some very rare songs, including the early versions of Sweet Jane and New Age, and little known songs such as Temptation Inside Your Heart and Ferryboat Bill. Also, having the lyrics printed in the strange ways that they are just adds to the experience of reading it. I think the book would be a little boring without that. Anyways, all fans of Lou should own this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lou's Incredible Lyrics Augmented by Wonderful Design, May 3, 2000

By	x (USA) - See all my reviews

The collected lyrics of Lou Reed hold up quite well on the page in "Pass Through Fire." This is rare for a poetry book from a rock legend, since most lyric collections from rock stars tend to be rather silly (e.g., Mr. Mojo Risin's poetry). Reed's lyrics explore the full magnitude of the modern urban man's consciousness in all its moments of triumph and strife. The primary impulse in Lou Reed's lyrics is the impetus towards freedom. Sometimes the individual cannot attain it, and is relegated to a life of tremendous despair. But the impulse always awakens, even if it arises from the spirit of the junkie lying in the gutter a day too late. Buy "Pass Through Fire" and read it to your children, because if you don't help them experience life as Lou Reed knows it they too might end up on the "Dirty Blvd" without the intellectual means to escape.