Customer Reviews

Sally Can't Dance

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

 

 

The throwaway lyrics and pop persuasions of this album are what make it one of MY favorite Lou albums. Lou himself may hate it, and that's fine. This album doesn't have the depth of 'Berlin'. It doesn't have the artistry of 'The Blue Mask'. And it doesn't have the zeal of 'Metal Machine Music'. But it's still a damn fun album. 'Animal Language', 'N.Y. Stars', and the title track rank among the most interesting, fun, and listenable Lou songs. Sure, it's trashy and it's glam, but hell, don't we all want to be trashy and glam every once in awhile? I used to put on a trashy black vinyl jacket and some wrap-around black sunglasses and dance around my room listening to this album when I was 17. Good stuff.

You wouldn't think of rhythm and blues or soul stylings to necessarily show up on a typical Lou Reed record, but the real question should be - is there such a thing as a typical Lou Reed record? The other reviewer's notwithstanding, I would rate this to be one of Lou's finest efforts. And it's greatness may be for the same reasons that Lou himself laments that he does not like it. He claims he was hardly trying and gave up all control over the production. In rare cases a great artist going through the motions can produce imaginative and powerful music. Such is the case here.
Steve Katz's production teamed with the same set of muscians from "Berlin" and "Rock'n'roll Animal" create a decadent scene containing some of the most memorable characterizations of any of 70's era Reed records. Powerful and lush Horn arrangements awash in soulful guitars. Lounge style Piano and solid backbeats illuminating the upfront vocals sung this time, not spoken by a mellow yet disillussioned Reed. Brimming with certain conviction and melancholly, Reed is the drunk, drugged and depressed blonde nightclub rockstar. He wearily describes shattered lives and relationships (Baby Face, Billy) broken dreams (Ennui) effects of electric shock therapy (Kill your sons) debauchery (Ride Sally Ride) and even a girl "in the trunk of a ford" (Sally Can't Dance).

Most of Sally Can't Dance's detractors cite the ambivalence on Reed's part along with the sellout "Soul" style production as reasons for the failure of this record. I feel, however that the sound strikes a perfect background for the time in which this record was made and the dis-quieting anger and frustration prevelant throughout. It's as if the dirt and filth from the mid-seventies New York street corner got a soul jam going on and Reed was there, as always to capture it in all it's beautiful ugliness and perversity.

Not quite a masterpiece, but an underrated gem that requires repeated listenings to hear the subtleties and emotion that boils below the surface. Not quite as in-your-face as most Lou Reed music, but just as disturbing and powerful.

With all the bad reviews, fans hating it, and even Lou himself not liking it, one would expect Sally Can't Dance to be a horrible album. It isn't by any means Lou's best album, but it is still very good. I might give it four and a half stars, actually. Ride Sally Ride, Kill Your Sons, Sally Can't Dance, Animal Language, and Billy are all great songs. So forget about all the bad reviews about this album and get it. After all the years of being trashed, it still remains a good album.

A decadent and disposable Lou Reed album for sure, but most of the material is pretty good, some great. I give this a very strong three stars as opposed to a weak three stars for "Rock and Roll Heart".

This is not Reed's best set of lyrics (he readily admits he was hardly trying here), but the music is quite accessible and mostly fun. Nice use of horns for a bit of a soul and funk feel to some of the tracks. Highlights include "Billy", "Kill Your Sons", "Ride Sally Ride" and the title track. Just don't pay too much attention to most of the lyrics (something you wouldn't usually say about a Lou Reed record).

Lou Reed apparently shrugged off much of his "artistic responsibilities" to produce a quickly-made piece of trash for people to buy. However, in retrospect, Lou's funky horns and rather unflattering material sound fairly cool by today's standards. The album also contains semi-classic Reed songs, such as Kill Your Sons, Billy, Sally Can't Dance and Ride Sally Ride.

A curse upon ye who dares purchase this album. It's really bad, and I'm not being harsh. The production is a garbled mess and the songs are ridiculous at best.

"Ride Sally Ride" is notable not for its topicality but for Lou's ability to use the word "contusion" in a song. A slow start, and a good example of the sound of this record: heavy layered keyboards (this is Lou's first collaboration with Michael Fonfara), thudding beats and a lot of sax.

"Animal Language" will melt your brain, there's no way around it. This is not a fun, wacky song, it's just a series of backup singers bow-wowing and meow-ing while Lou belts off a series of silly, vaguely obscene lyrics.

"Kill Your Sons" is about the only song worth remembering from this record, but it may be better found on the box set or various compilations which won't give you a headache. Lou is guilty of exploiting his youthful traumas here and the guitar noodling is rather lame, but when compared to the rest of "Sally Can't Dance" it looks pretty good.

The title track is Lou's only number one single (though how many people remember this one over "Walk on the Wild Side?") and is a weird, stilted sort of funk song. Again, the choices for guitar and keyboard sounds sound dated and sludgy rather than original and groovy (which is what I imagine they were going for).

"Billy" takes it out on a mellow note, but anyone who has bought the record rarely makes it this far. Find it on vinyl if you absolutely must. There's little pleasure to be had and not many laughs, either.