I was initially excited about seeing this and dutifully played the albums while reading the lyrics.
When I was at high school we used to drop in to the record shop and flick through the records .Lou Reed’s were always a favourite. In 1980 “Growing in public” came out it become a favourite of that period. The song “My old man” seemed to particularly resonate with me. The whole album is clever and the next few albums are more accessible that some of his earlier albums.
Like Bowie he would go back and revisit songs he was not happy with. He redid an early song “Berlin” and developed a whole album around it. This is a slower and somewhat sad album, but if you listen carefully it celebrates life in all its many forms.
He can write powerful sharp observant lyrics “Songs for Drella”, with John Cale and “Magic and loss” are filled with powerful imagery.
What I didn’t like about the book is that it could have been a lot more visually interesting. It could have had some album art and then the lyrics for the album. There are also no listings of who played on the albums. At the end of the book it lists the albums and they all say words by Lou Reed, but there is no listing for the music. Again some details from the album would have helped.
So a bit disappointed with this as I thought it would be a book I would have to purchase, but still a good read.
The library has a number of other books about Lou Reed, check the catalogue.
Reviewed by Rob Middleton
Catalogue link: I'll be Your Mirror
No comments:
Post a Comment