Lou Reed the Rock and Roll Animal

Imagine...the lights of the theater are dim...the rustle and mumble of the audience is all that can be heard...the lights go out. Then, from the darkness of the stage the unmistakeable searing tone of a Gibson Les Paul overwhelms the crowd noise. The rest of the band quickly jumps in for a few minutes that let you know that this will be no ordinary show. The intro winds down...a series of power chords ring out then transitions into a familiar riff. A spotlight focuses on the microphone at center stage. the singer steps up..."Standin' on the corner, Suitcase in my hand..."

In 1974, Lou Reed assembled a killer band, unveiled a different look, a gave us incredible new reworkings of some of his best work as a member of the legendary Velvet Underground. Rock and Roll Animal is simply one of the best live albums of the Rock Era.

There are only five tracks on this LP and with over 40 minutes of music, the tracks are long. Side 1 consists of 2 songs. The already mentioned Sweet Jane and Heroin. Side 2's cuts are White Light/White Heat, Lady Day, and Rock and Roll. All the songs were penned by Reed. For me, the highlight is Sweet Jane. This is one of Rock's great songs and this version jumps off the vinyl with the power of it's performance. Heroin is 13+ minutes describing the lure, exstacy, and torture that are all part of the addiction to the drug. Reed's voice may be an acquired taste but somehow suits the songs perfectly.

The band! simply. SMOKES! Led by the dual guitars of Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter the musicians nearly steals the show. This group had their roots in the great Detroit rock scene of the late 60s. They also provided a lot of the muscle behind some of Alice Cooper's work during that time. The great songs don't stand alone, the band completes the performance.



The album itself features shaky focus pictures of an androgynous looking Reed with black being the color that dominates. Inside the book style album cover is a black and white photo of the band with the sparse credits above them.

Live albums are, for the most part, lesser versions of music that was much better served with the benefit of studio production. Most of those albums should be titled "We don't have any good new material so let's put out these live versions of our best known songs to fulfill our contract obligations". Rock and Roll Animal is one of the very notable exceptions. As with all the records I talk about on this blog, this one should be listened to in it's entirety...don't miss anything on this album.