Customer Reviews

Perfect Night

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It almost was a perfect night. Just before this show Lou Reed had found an acoustic guitar that he described as "having the sound of diamonds" and a way of amplifying it so the instrument's real sound would reach the audience. Like any good artist would he wanted to share the find. He put a four piece ensemble together with guitarist Mike Rathke, bass player Fernando Saunders and drummer Tony Smith. They went on stage and played a tight set that pumped up both the audience and the band.

It drew from many of the nooks in Reed's catalogue. There was some newer material and a helping of the old. It all became new again that night. Reed likes to play around with material a little. It doesn't always work but there are always surprises. However it went all the songs got inspired readings.

The set opened with a commanding performance of "I'll Be Your Mirror". It was a hit when it was first released. It sounds as if it would be a hit if was released today. The song is as fresh now as it was thirty years ago. They follow it up with "Perfect Day". He could have named this one "Perfect Song"; it's that good. "Coney Island Baby" almost ended up as an obscure piece. When Reed first wrote it his management described it as "one of the worst things they'd ever heard". According to him that was the "end of the management". Listen to the impassioned treatment he gives it here and decide who was right.

Most of the set is up to the standard set by the opening numbers. Not all of the material scores points with me. I could have done without "Original Wrapper" and "Sex With Your Parents" but that's just a matter of personal taste. Those songs are just as well put together and just as well executed as the rest of the material in the was. Highlights are abundant. The performances of "Busload of Faith" and "Riptide" are riveting. He must of pulled this reading of "Talking Book" straight from his heart. Listen to it. Think about it. Feel it. There's something new there each time it's played. He couldn't have picked a better piece to close with than "Dirty Boulevard". The song combines scathing social commentary with a fine melody and a healthy injection of rock and roll passion. It's performed with fierce energy here.

Reed is one of the best writers of song in the business. He knows the technical side of the craft well. He was a staff writer for a company that wrote jingles for commercials before taking to the stage. He never lost the raw edges of a creative purist though. That's a mixture that's rare in the industry. His catalogue is a rich one and though he's never the one who sells the most records he's one the other musicians would never want to be without. This set will give anyone not familiar with his work a good insight as to why that's the case.

Listen and learn.

I must admit I am kind of surprised after reading some of the reviews here. I agree that this might be a tough record for someone not too familiar with Lou to get into, but for those of us that would consider ourselves pretty big fans of the solo Lou should kind of know what to expect in terms of his vocal abilities and just type of songs he likes to play live. One can expect that he will perform a good deal of his newer work, whether or not it lives up to the standards of the Lou Reed legacy, some of his Transformer/New York crowd pleasers reinterpreted for live performance and a few lesser known but equally fantastic songs. And everything is set to a tight, muscular stripped down rock peformance, which has pretty much been his musical approach since Blue Mask. With this being said, I think the song selection is excellent and that the album is a nice companion piece to the Rock and Roll Heart PBS documentary. Songwise: I'll be Your Mirror is an amazing song, in any musical setting, Kicks rocks (!!) being the coolest solo Lou song in my opinion, with the possible exception of Vicious which gets a fantastic workover. Its great to hear him play Coney Island Baby again, however, I think a good deal of the original passion has been lost since Lou is (ahem) well not really the man he was in the mid70s. Riptide is a great, melodic track from Set the Twilight Reeling. The Time Rocker songs are interesting, a testament to Lou's more avant-garde sensibility. I do prefer alot of the original studio versions to these tracks, however, that is often to be expected. In my opinion, a live album is an interesting document of an artist at a certain period of time, that is best appreciated by diehard fans. I would have loved to hear a live interpretation of "Berlin" (the song) or "How do you think it feels" over "The Kids", or perhaps a live version of "Andy's Chest" instead of one of the lesser new compositions, but those are pretty minor complaints. Instrumentally-- Lou is a great guitar player. His style is simple, but emotive and very much suits his vocals and musical persona. Fernando Sauders is really quite good on bass and has survived as a Lou collaborator much longer than most. I actually prefer Mr. Reed's newest style of singing that favors a gruff, growly tone as opposed to the more talky New York drawl that ruled in the 80s and the mock-punk whiney vocals of the street hassle era. Lou is an artist, a truly great one, who has had his ups and downs. Despite this known fact, he has produced a body of work that rivals some of rocks true song writing luminaries, including Dylan AND Lennon. Its now 2002 and Lou is still going pretty damn strong for a man people thought was washed up in 1970, then again in '75. Then again in 1980, once again around 1987, and pretty much every year since. He is a true rock surviver and a musical hero of many. Buy this album. Enjoy an uncompromising artist in a business of pretenders and posers. Also: pick up Songs for Drella, New York , Blue Mask, Berlin, Coney Island Baby, Transformer, Rock and Roll Animal---and of course everything the VU ever touched. All are 4 or 5 star albums. swoop swoop...rock rock ****

This recording is as impressive as "New York" in terms of overall quality. This "unplugged" version of Lou still has power even without the electric guitar. In fact, the guitar sound that Lou has on this CD is very clean and it evokes strong feelings in the listener. "Vicious" is a very different, and good, song but by far the best song on the CD is "Coney Island Baby." Lou continues to grow as a musician and he seems to really love playing with his band. A great CD choice for anyone who loves rock music.

This recording illuminates the most delicious element of Lou Reeds work over the years... his lyrical gift and the focus which a stripped down band provides for this attribute. From the opening chords of "I'll be your Mirror" to the closing bars of "Dirty Blvd" there is no doubt that the musicians, although brilliant and coordinated in all regards are only the supporting cast to Lou Reeds verbal imagery. The pace of the work is varied, as with most of the studio works, but this only shows off the more initmate tracks against the fat guitar, luscious bass & drum numbers. Any one who saw this show was truly fortunate... those of who did not should be grateful as we can be, read the technical notes with kudos to the engineering and mobile recording persons and BUY THIS DISC! Peace, William of Texas

In some respects, this is the most interesting live Lou Reed album. Most Reed live albums so far has focused on the famous Velvet and early Solo cuts (Sweet Jane, White Light/White Heat, Heroin, Rock'n'Roll, Walk on the Wild Side and Satelite of Love, along with a few others), while this album focuses on newer and lesser known tracks, from the late 70s, 80s and 90s.

Generally speaking, the band is in fine form, and so is Lou Reed, the problem, though, is in the song selection. Some songs come off really well, others fail completely.

I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR, the sole Velvet track here, is beautiful musically, demonstrating the guitar effect Reed talked about, but the vocals are hard to live with.

The recent hit PERFECT DAY is reproduced here in a stripped to the bone structure which does the song no justice. Similar treatment is given to the Berlin track THE KIDS, with only slightly superior results.

VICIOUS, though, another song from Reed's arguable peak in the early 70s, comes off very well. Completely re-worked into a grim killer instead of a Power punk tale, 'vicious' here is what live concerts SHOULD be all about - rethinking old songs.

After a four song run through the classics, newer material come with BUSLOADS OF FAITH and KICKS, tracks off New York and Conny Island Baby respectively. Both of these songs are OK, you can Rock to them but you won't fall in love with them.

Next come two new tracks, from a Reed collaboration with Director Brian Wilson. TALKING BOOK is forgetable stuff, only slightly comming to live in the last moments. INTO THE DEVINE, though, is the real McCoy, a terrific, energetic song with frightfully powerful lyrics (I think you're so beautiful, I think you're so fine, and I think, I would miss you, if you disappeared into the devine).

After that comes one of the best songs in this record, CONNY ISLAND BABY. This late 70s song is a tale only Lou Reed could write... love rescuing one from an abusive Football couch? Well, Reed's words are better than mine (Remember that the city is a funny place... something like a circus or a sewer... and the glory of love, might see you through).

The next track is also strong 'NEW SENSATION', I haven't heard the original, but something tells me it wasn't anything as vicious as this. Lou Reed's screaming Motorcycle tale hits the bull's eye again.

Sadly, the same can not be said about 'WHY DO YOU TALK' a time Rocker song, and the worst number here. Why three Time Rocker tracks were included while Magic and Loss and especially Songs for Drella were left unrepresented is a mystery to me. Lou Reed sings 'Why won't you shut up' in this song, he could've taken his own advise.

Things go better with RIPTIDE, a track from Lou Reed's latest record (at the time) Set the Twilight Reeling. Originaly an electric track, it comes off very nicely accoustic.

SEX WITH YOUR PARENTS and THE ORIGINAL WRAPPER are songs which are bound to speak differently to different audiences. I personnaly love them, but even I wonder if they're really the best songs to put in Lou Reed's first live album in 15 years...

Fortunately, this set closes with a terrific live version of Dirty Blvd., which is one of the best songs Reed has ever written. This powerful version is much better than the original, and the perfect ending for what must have been, if not a PERFECT night, than at least a hellova concert.

A "Perfect Night" is nearly perfect. I say "nearly" because there are a few tracks that I could do without, but on the whole this is a remarkable album. The pace of the song selection works masterfully, particularly the first half. The album opens up with a beautiful rendition of the Velvet's "I'll Be Your Mirror", followed by an absolutely stunning version of "A Perfect Day", "The Kids", and then a blistering run through "Vicious", "Busload of Faith", and "Kicks". "Vicious", in particular, rips with subtle guitar shifts weaving in and out, building to first one peak then riding hard onto another. Reed's voice, which he has used to great experiment through the years, has never sounded better. Like Dylan, Reed continues to endure and challenge. I highly recommend this album to both Reed fans and those who might be interested in checking him out for the first time. I would also highly recommend New York, Coney Island Baby, Transformer and the entire Velvet Underground collection.

Perfect Nigh: Live in London was a live album that Lou Reed made during some down time he had before his next disc.
Nothing ground breaking, just Lou Reed and his band going through some old tunes infront of a live audience in England. Nothing to write home about. A nice tight performance from Lou and company.

Recommended for Lou Reed fans.

If 6 0f 8 readers found the rating of 1 star helpful, they will be missing the true essence of Lou Reed. Lest we all remember that most of Reed's career, back to the earliest "Factory" days were live performances. This CD is a great example of his perfection without a studio mix and overdubbing. I suppose someone could cite early Bob Dylan for the same faults that the aforementioned reviewer found with Lou...."talkin"?? C'mon Carlos...get with it.Lou Reed never sounded better.

As a lifelong fan of Lou Reed I found this disc simply irresistable, as it truly does deliver the goods in spotlighting one of America's most fascinating artists. But then again, I should also admit a certain prejudice toward the slick overdubbed "perfection" of the American music industry. This recording is as simple as a day at the park, and as honest and starkly realistic a portrait of Reed and his work as anyone could possibly desire. Reed puts himself out in front of his tight backing band in full light, warts and all, and gives the listener an unabashed glimpse of what is in his heart and what is on his mind. While, as others have noted, some tracks may be difficult for some (e.g.- Sex With Your Parents), they are quintessential Reed tracks, and even in that particular song there is something Reed wants to say, and he does so blatently, in true Lou Reed style. It is his interpretation of the world he inhabits that makes his songs what they are, and his delivery here is that of one who has survived his visions and lived to tell the tale. Years after its release it is still a strong recording that has not aged a bit. Greatest hits, Billboard top 40 it ain't. Instead, this is as intimate a portrait of Lou Reed as anything he has ever recorded. For Lou Reed fans, for fans of artistry, of songwriting, of the creative arts, this is one record you must own, and will probably listen to often.

I'm a huge Lou Reed fan but this is a weak live performance. This is a like a quasi-unplugged performance with most of it just Lou and guitar (with a little percussion) The main problem, I think, is that many of Lou's songs, although simple melodies, have a certain orchestral quality that usually work better with other musicians accompanying him.

Now, I am not totalling ripping this cd because there is some good stuff on here. "Perfect Day" is gorgeous. "I'll be your mirror" is done completely different, and improves upon the original Velvet Underground version. A total re-working of "vicious" and "kicks" are interesting yet these songs are rockers and should remain that way. This context works best in the intricate story telling songs "The Kids" and "Coney Island Baby" since the lyrics are the most interesting part of the songs.

The rest of the songs are okay but inferior to the recorded versions. "Dirty Boulevard" is the weakest song since this version is way too watered down.

Lou Reed is a true artist and I respect that he takes chances. He is also no spring chicken as he interprets some of these songs. I feel that this is inferior to the subsequently released live work "Animal Serenade" which was recorded with a fuller musical accompaniment