Finally someone who appreciates Lou's guitar playing. He is one of the most underrated, and unique guitar players in the rock and roll business

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

I agree 100%. One of the reasons is that he never seemed to try to be a "great guitar player" like so many guitarists seem to be pre-wired to aim for, for some reason. He was a musician first and liked the sound of the guitar so he used the guitar to make music, and not for the goal of being a "guitar player".

@lindag.2857

9 ай бұрын

@@CalicoSilver Having seen Lou in over a 40 year history, he had gotten better with age. But he loved playing and it showed and you could hear it.

I listened to the Boy from NYC extensively a few years ago to figure out what it was about his art that attracted me. I finally decided that it was his ability to convey emotion, to command a crowd, to create a human event. This was in addition to other great qualities, of course. I was saddened by his passing.

@CalicoSilver

9 ай бұрын

Indeed, his passing hit me also. But I am starting to get used to my heroes passing away……

Hey Jeff. I've been watching Laurie Anderson's Norton Lectures. Classic Laurie monologues. She even talks about Lou and some of his songs. I'd recommend looking these up on KZread.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Stephen. I will do so.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha!! I'm already cracking up while watching the first lecture "The River" when she says that she was mistaken for Loni Anderson. Haha. I can tell these are going to be greatly rewarding to watch. Thanks, Stephen.

@stephenrostkoski837

2 жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver Glad you're enjoying them. I've been watching these during my lunch breaks.

Good video, Informative, honest, good job Jeff, keep em' coming 👍

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Simon! I appreciate it. Cheers! Jeff

Great video Jeff. I agree with all your points. If Lou quit music completely after the Velvets Loaded, he would still be a rock and roll legend. But then add Berlin, Street Hassle, Magic and Loss, etc .... the prolific quality his output is astounding. BTW, if you haven't seen the latest Velvet documentary, you'd probably enjoy it but I doubt that you would learn anything that you didn't already know. I always thought of his public persona (aloof, pugnacious, etc) as one of the most manageable ways that a celebrity can deal with the public without letting him drive him insane. People rarely think of a celebrity as a real person. Never consider the fact that as they approach a well known person; that person has no idea what agenda a "fan" is bringing. What exactly do they want from me? Are they sane? Are they dangerous? Lou's persona aloud him to keep the public and media at an arms length. I've heard stories of how he treated his friends and he comes across as loyal, caring and devoted.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

I made a video last year (and took it down after a while) about artists who fans think are "rude" and reasons I think they come across that way. You are right: people have no idea what these artists put up with.

@Slothrop67

2 жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver I think that no one has had to deal with crazy fans more than Dylan. From finding hippies sleeping in his bed when he and his wife came home to that guy that constantly went through his garbage and random fans that think he has the answers to humanity's problems. I think that I'd be tempted to pull a Brando and buy an island in the middle of the pacific.

All good points, especially the one about listening to an album a few times to really start getting it. I've always found the best music requires a few listens before it begins to reveal itself. David Bowie's albums, especially, were like that for me. I get the feeling Bowie was not your type of thing, but he created some fantastic, creative music. Always took two or three listens before I started to realize how great the album was. As far as Berlin goes, it was a masterpiece. The kind that makes you want to jump off a building after listening to it, but a masterpiece nonetheless! Rock 'n' Roll Animal was a great album, mostly because of Hunter and Wagner, but I get your feeling about it. They should have called it "Hunter, Wagner & Reed!" Having been at that concert, makes it even better for me.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

I've had a few Bowie albums over the years and liked them for awhile but they never clicked long-term for me. It seemed that I always admired and respected him for his creative genius more than I enjoyed the music itself. I feel the same way about Frank Zappa and some others who are amazingly unique and prolific masters at what they do, but I never seem to get past a few tracks on any given album. Nothing against them - it is all on me. Thanks for your great comment - I really appreciate it! Cheers. Jeff

@ExplodingPsyche

2 жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver I was a big Zappa fan when I was a teenager, but after he broke up the original Mother's I drifted away. Even though the later stuff was musically more sophisticated and he had great players, it lost much of the bizarreness (see what I did there?) of the early stuff.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

@@ExplodingPsyche I have enjoyed his "classical" music, actually. What a creative guy.

@ExplodingPsyche

2 жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver Truly one of a kind. A classical composer in a rock musician's clothing, so to speak.

A lot of good points

Have you ever listened to John Cale's solo albums...very good too...Guts is a good on to start with ...it is a compilation of tracks from his Albums on Island records. Slow Dazzle is great too.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

I had a few of his '90s albums, Al, and liked them. I've heard a few of his '70s albums and liked them OK. But I've never given him enough time to sink in yet....and I should. Thanks for the Guts recommendation - I will check it out.

A unique singer, a find his voice draws you in to the story he is singing, all the great singer song writers have a amazing vocal style from lou, bob dylan, Tom waits and others.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

You are exactly right, Gavin. The great majority of my favorite performing artists have "bad voices", but I love their singing styles and how they express their lyrics.

Eloquent, accurate and celebratory...perfect! Thanks once again Jeff. And like Dylan, Lou's most famous songs are not necessarily representative of his greatest work... I know many 'still' go to a Dylan gig expecting a guy with an acoustic guitar and harmonica to come out singing " Blowin' In The Wind" straight off of Freewheelin' ...!!!

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

I love Dylan + guitar + harmonica......probably more than even with his bands......but I certainly don't expect to hear his songs done in recognizable fashion.....and actually prefer the opposite!

Great list, Jeff. I never understood the "too depressing" criticism of any art. Would you say something is "too happy" to enjoy? (Well, maybe I would sometimes.) Lou's music can be a little more complex than it appears. Elvis Costello interviewed him once and Lou explained that most people leave out a chord in the famous "Sweet Jane" riff. He even played it to show how it should be played. Most people, including me, never noticed the missing passing chord. A great interview between two musicians, BTW.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I remember seeing that Costello interview - good show he had back then. Haha, "too happy" music would be a good topic, haha! ABBA, perhaps? Hahaha. (I have to be honest....I am perplexed at the wide-ranging enthusiasm for ABBA even to this day by grown men and women! hahaha.....but who am I to talk, with my Partridge Family enthusiasm??!!!)

hey jeff....can't wait to hear the twelve more reasons (ha)....lou is the man...i appreciate what you said about the 'characters' of new york being recognized.....his lyrics give them an honesty of emotion....and the brilliant berlin....so unappreciated....everything you said, from his lyrics to his interviews to not following trends, even though we never knew what to expect, we always got lou....and that's all we ever wanted....catch ya' in the new year my friend...peace...rocky

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Even though I've only been to NYC a few times (and loved every minute of it), and I can't say that I relate to being a New Yorker at all, I can still appreciate Lou's love for the city and its people. Yeah, I've already thought of some other things I love about the guy that could go on a 2nd list of 12 more reasons.....

I agree with all of your points Jeff, particularly about his guitar playing… But first and foremost, I’ve always found his music to be full of catchy hooks - with as you mentioned, an intuitive feel for basic, early rock n’ roll. Also I’ve always been struck by how he managed to overcome his limitations as a vocalist with his sense of rhythm and phrasing. A very unique artist. Nice video.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Thomas. Yes he never seemed to be bothered by his vocal limitations.....as if being a "good singer" was never that important in rock and roll! And he was right. I am also amazed at how many great songs he managed to get out of three chords. Thanks again. Jeff

Love it! Reason number one really resonates with me, I love guitarists who have a unique and immediately identifiable sound, and who express their own personalities through their playing, for me that's so much more impressive than the likes of, say, Clapton, or Gilmore, no matter how technically proficient they are, whose playing I sometimes find a bit tedious. But I basically agree with all twelve of your reasons. And though I'm not a fan of Dylan, I suppose I do admire him, so I'm glad to hear that qualifies me as having a brain.

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Amen, Chris. Both Lou and Neil Young are on my Top 10 Guitarists list, for similar reasons. I am bored to tears by Clapton, even while acknowledging his abilities. Haha, glad that I didn't offend anyone (yet) with my silly Dylan comment. ;-)

Agree with everything you said (except for not liking Hunter & Wagner. Along with Berlin, Rock & Roll Animal is probably my favourite Lou release)! What initially attracted me to him was that pure rock n roll ethos. At the time I discovered Lou, I was looking for no nonsense rock, and boy did I get it and then some! I remember the first album I listened to was Transformer (of course it was) and going for a long walk listening to it, and following it up with another pure rock classic, The Replacements' Let It Be. From that day forward, I was a Lou fan. His utter disdain (perhaps even hatred) for journalists is so welcome in this day and age. That line from the Take No Prisoners performance of Wild Side ("It's the journalists, those fucking journalists. Why don't we shoot those journalists? You don't need those assholes.") is classic. His street-level lyrics are perfection. He was a true, honest to God street poet. Somehow he managed to capture nearly every facet of life in the gutter, and it's moments of transcendent beauty. Truly sad that he's left this world. If only he had stuck around for just a few more years, just imagine the amount of people he would have pissed off!

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

Hunter and Wagner are amazing guitarists. They've often blown me away. But I much prefer pretty much any other live Lou album over R&RAnimal. Haha, sorry. Yes, so-called "journalists" should be held responsible for the damage they do, which is immeasurable. How they can do what they do and still remain vertical is beyond me.....and yes, I know that sounds harsh, but I can think of no lower form of life (just as Lou himself said to them.....he was RIGHT). Great comment, Nick. Thanks!

Number 13 he was the perfect jerk, and always love him for that

@CalicoSilver

2 жыл бұрын

To whom was he a jerk? People who richly deserved it, for the most part. In fact, Lou tolerated a lot more than I would have ever tolerated from these vacuities. So no, I don't think he was a jerk at all. He was merely an intelligent person surrounded by idiots and users. That is my opinion, anyway.

I love you but find Lou to be a no talent. Bowie made him palatable. His association with Cale improved his performances. That’s it.

@CalicoSilver

5 ай бұрын

I objectively agree with you. Lou Reed is the only musical artist about whom I can not in ANY way defend my enthusiasm. It is a mystery to me, even. I often wince at how bad he is, objectively speaking. But I sure do love the guy.