LOU REED PART 1: New York

This was my first introduction to Lou Reed.  I was 14 years young and was about to learn about "Walk on the Wild Side," "Sweet Jane," and "Heroin" in less then two months.  It was going to come crashing at me at speeds over 100mph.  I was not ready for it, but I wanted hear it for my own good.  I maybe could have gotten something good out of it.  I had the cassette of New York that I got from one of those damn' cassette clubs that Columbia would do.  I heard "Dirty Blvd" and was taken aback and wanted to hear more.  I rewinded the cassette and started from the beginning and the first song had many undertones.  I had no reference for these undertones, but looking back he was talking about what made New York and what was happening in the underground.  It was scary and truth about what the city is all about.  

When I listened to New York for the first time all his references about New York, AIDS, homelessness and child abuse was very naive to me.  I was going back and forth from my living in Connecticut and visiting friends in NYC and every listen of the album I could see it in front of me.  I would see people asking for handouts, a kid in the corner with a black eye.  Once a while a person asking for money for drugs and seeing their arm needle marked up.  It was a wake up call and also made me afraid to travel by myself.  If you hang around the city long enough you can see new people to the city and it gets sucked in the black hole.

After first listen New York is a New York album I can only imagine who listens to this who is not from New York. He is also a first time Lou Reed fan and get's a little scared of what this city really has for opportunity and a place to live.  It really shows that Lou is a true New York City musician.  The lyrics below talk about how hard it is to be around the city.  If anything New York is a concept album.  It's dedicated to listen in one fifty-seven minute sitting and it requires all your senses. That is easy for Lou Reed to do, he has done that stuff most of his life.  

When I continued to listen I could here the great people he was playing with at that time to.  He had first Mike Rathke on guitar and played with him till Lou Reed's death.  He had the awesome Rob Wasserman on bass.  Another great musician we lost too soon.  Lastly he had Fred Maher on drums.  Fred is an excellent session drummer.  He has been on some classic albums from that era too.  A go to for studio work.  On "Dirty Blvd." he employed Dion, yes that Dion to sing backup vocals.  "Busload of Faith" should be in the hall of fame of songwriting.  Both examples of a well crafted songs.  

In and around this time Lou Reed's old band Velvet Underground (you remember them right?) because popular again.  So when I heard this I quickly grabbed the only Velvet Underground that the local library had.  I found the copy of Velvet Underground and Nico and realized that Lou has been doing this all along.  Sure some of it was obvious and some of it was subliminal.  This asserted me as one of the best songwriters.  I became a fan for life.  Not soon after I picked up the Between Thought and Expression and was hooked on his back catalog.  I took some risks and the next few years. I bought his newest albums an album with John Cale called Songs for Drella and Magic and Loss again very good, but not grabbing my arm like New York did. 

New York is a classic.  You should put it in the classic pantheon of great Lou Reed albums, you should even put it in the best of the 1980's albums as well.  In the years later, in 1995 I saw him live.  I was floored.  He commanded the audience like no other.  His band was tight and aways there when Lou called on them.  New York is an album that rewards the listener with patience and with a casual Lou Reed fan turning into a massive fan like myself.  Take some time and check out this masterpiece.  

Lyrics of Romeo Had Juliette written by Lou Reed:

Caught between the twisted stars the plotted lines the faulty map

that brought Columbus to New York
Betwixt between the East and west he calls on her wearing a leather vest
the earth squeals and shudders to a halt
A diamond crucifix in his ear is used to help ward off the Fear
that he has left his soul in someone's rented car
Inside his pants he hides a mop to clean the mess that he has dropped
into the life of lithesome Juliette Bell
And Romeo wanted Juliette
And Juliette wanted Romeo
Romeo Rodriguez squares his shoulders and curses Jesus
runs a comb through his black pony-tail
He's thinking of his lonely room
the sink that by his bed gives off a stink
Then smells her perfume in his eyes
and her voice was like a bell
Outside the streets were steaming the crack dealers were dreaming
of an Uzi someone had just scored
I betcha I could hit that light with my one good arm behind my back
says little Joey Diaz
Brother give me another tote those downtown hoods are no damn good
those Italians need a lesson to be taught
This cop who died in Harlem you think they'd get the warnin'
I was dancing when his brains ran out on the street
And Romeo had Juliette
And Juliette had her Romeo
I'll take Manhattan in a garbage bag with Latin written on it that says
"It's hard to give a shit these days"
Manhattan's sinking like a rock, into the filthy Hudson what a shock
they wrote a book about it, they said it was like ancient Rome
The perfume burned his eyes holding tightly to her thighs
and something flickered for a minute and then it vanished and was gone

It takes a few listen to catch all of what Lou Reed is saying in this song.  There are a lot of New York City references.