Author:Ethan Roy, Barry Wood, Andy McArthur, Stephen Lambe
I think everyone would agree that 1972 – 86 captures Lou Reed’s best work. I remember buying the Transformer album, mainly due to Walk on the Wild Side and the Bowie connection. I still dig out the Berlin album too, even though it’s not an easy listen, and the Rock n Roll Animal live set has my favourite version of Sweet Jane. His masterwork for me though is the epic title track to the Street Hassle album – just stunning. Of course, there were also quite a few duds during the period, so for me it’s very much a case of cherry picking with his back catalogue, and listening to the wheat rather than the chaff. This is an interesting read though, ideal for the newcomer to Reed’s music, and it got me digging into albums I’d not heard in a long time.
I am partial to Metallica so it was a real pleasure to read this book while rejoicing in the likes of Master of Puppets and For Whom The Bell Tolls. The run of albums up to the Black Album is still essential listening, although over the years their sound changed from thrash (Kill ‘Em All) to heavy metal (And Justice For All) and eventually to a more radio friendly hard rock approach (Black Album). I have a particular fondness for the live S & M set too, where their epic songs work very well with Michael Kamen’s sweeping grandiose orchestrations. They seemed to lose their way for a while, but even though their albums appear at increasingly long intervals these days they seem to have found their feet again, with this year’s 72 Seasons set, their best for a while, proving there’s still life in the old dogs. Well researched and put together with some interesting viewpoints, this is well worth a read for fans of the band.
I don’t know a huge amount about The Byrds other than a passing acquaintance with the Sweetheart of The Rodeo album. They are one of those bands for whom a best of set does the job perfectly for me as there were certainly plenty of fine songs – Eight Miles High, Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn, So You Wanna Be a Rock n Roll Star and Chestnut Mare, a song I remember buying on single – an unusual choice for me but there was just something about it that struck a chord. Anyway, the story of all their albums is here, and it provides a nice potted history of their music for those keen to learn more about the band.
The Yes book is a revised edition of one of the earliest and best On Track books (and one of the highest selling too). It’s been updated to include the two most recent studio albums, The Quest and Mirror in the Sky, and to extend the coverage of the now numerous live releases. If, as I am, you’re a huge fan then this is a must read book, – comprehensively researched and well written by a real devotee of their music. Everything you could want to know about the individual songs is here, along with plenty of detailed background information on their recording and the band itself. Perfect for those avid followers of Yes music, and if that means you then you should also check out the author’s Decades book on the band in the 1980’s.
Length of Read:Short
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Other books in this ever expanding series.
One thing you’ve learned
There’s nothing beats learning more about your favourite artists.
1989’s New York and 1990’s Songs For Drella (with John Cale) were two of Lou Reed’s best, but the last two essential listens. He was sober at the time, and produced his best work when clean.
Interesting – I always put Songs for Drella in the John Cale column…
Magic and Loss is essential too, and I really like Set the Twilight Reeling and Ectasy. For me the 89-96 period is his best period of consistent solo work, as the review says 72-86 is all over the place in terms of quality, some great stuff, some very poor efforts. I think New York is his best solo album
@Bargepole – is the Yes update worthwhile if one already has the earlier book? Ta.
There’s about an extra dozen pages so probably not unless you’re really keen on the last two albums.
That’s decided me – I’ll skip it.
Dull fact: Street Hassle was recorded binaurally (the dummy head with microphones in the ears) and sounds a bit weird when heard on loudspeakers (but better on headphones). There were problems with phase in the recording & mixing.
Lou liked to think he was a tech head. Cant say I ever listened to it on headphones.
I think he always brought up the technical aspects in interviews to try and avoid talking about anything else (mostly successfully)
The Byrds are one of my favourite bands, and were/are incredibly influential – far beyond their record sales. I probably play them more than the Beatles these days, possibly because I didn’t have their whole discography until relatively late and only had the first album and a compilation for a long time. Obviously, Johnny Rogan’s books are the motherlode regarding the band, and are highly recommended, but they are doorstops!