New York City figured so prominently in Lou Reed's music for so long that it's surprising it took him until 1989 to make an album simply called New York, a set of 14 scenes and sketches that represents the strongest, best-realized set of songs of Reed's solo career. While Reed's 1982 comeback, The Blue Mask, sometimes found him reaching for effects, New York's accumulated details and deft caricatures hit bull's-eye after bull's-eye for 57 minutes, and do so with an easy stride and striking lyrical facility. New York also found Reed writing about the larger world rather than personal concerns for a change, and in the beautiful, decaying heart of New York City, he found plenty to talk about -- the devastating impact of AIDS in "Halloween Parade," the vicious circle of child abuse "Endless Cycle," the plight of the homeless in "Xmas in February" -- and even on the songs where he pointedly mounts a soapbox, Reed does so with an intelligence and smart-assed wit that makes him sound opinionated rather than preachy -- like a New Yorker. And when Reed does look into his own life, it's with humor and perception; "Beginning of a Great Adventure" is a hilarious meditation on the possibilities of parenthood, and "Dime Store Mystery" is a moving elegy to his former patron Andy Warhol. Reed also unveiled a new band on this set, and while guitarist Mike Rathke didn't challenge Reed the way Robert Quine did, Reed wasn't needing much prodding to play at the peak of his form, and Ron Wasserman proved Reed's superb taste in bass players had not failed him. Produced with subtle intelligence and a minimum of flash, New York is a masterpiece of literate, adult ock & roll, and the finest album of Reed's solo career.
As the 80's drew to a close in NYC, you could feel the city getting safer, less of a zoo. This was a relief in many ways, as the wanton violence brought about by the crack cocaine epidemic made parts of New York very dangerous. But there was also a sense of sadness because you could see the sweaty, funky, crazy, unpredictable side of NY getting tamed down. I for one loved the old Times Square, goi
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If I were living in Manhattan or virutally any other borough right now, I could go see the following performances (in no particular order):Damien Rice/The Swell SeasonTaj Mahal (sorry, Jess!)The entire Wainwright clanElectric SixGood for the JewsAimee MannThe Killers*All* either tonight or tomorrow night. I didn't even put a dent in the list of shows going on in the next two days in that city....
More >
As the 80's drew to a close in NYC, you could feel the city getting safer, less of a zoo. This was a relief in many ways, as the wanton violence brought about by the crack cocaine epidemic made parts of New York very dangerous. But there was also a sense of sadness because you could see the sweaty, funky, crazy, unpredictable side of NY getting tamed down. I for one loved the old Times Square, goi
More >
If I were living in Manhattan or virutally any other borough right now, I could go see the following performances (in no particular order):Damien Rice/The Swell SeasonTaj Mahal (sorry, Jess!)The entire Wainwright clanElectric SixGood for the JewsAimee MannThe Killers*All* either tonight or tomorrow night. I didn't even put a dent in the list of shows going on in the next two days in that city....
More >
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 "New York")
