This is an excellent review. You definitely have me thinking - and listening - differently about Lulu. So, thank you.

@CalicoSilver

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Steve.

Great review! I'm not a Metallica fan, but I have to say that both Metallica and Lou Reed are outstanding on this album. Yes, it is challenging, but so worth listening all the way through. I love it!! The passion of Lou's vocals on The Dragon are the most passionate I have ever heard from him, sometimes he's really spitting the words out. Then the last track ' Junior Dad' is just so moving. Bowie said that it was Lou's greatest album.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

I agree, Steven - it is great to listen all the way through. I find that to be the case with all of Lou's more ambitious projects like this. I really get wrapped up in this album when listening to it. Very powerful stuff. Bowie might just be right about this album. Thanks for the great comment. Jeff

@StevenSheridan23

Жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZIqVx6emcrPTd84.html at 06.02 Laurie Anderson talks of Lulu.

Only just found your channel, subscribed straight away. I love classical, jazz, electronic, true progressive rock. I don't particularly like Lou Reed, more a fan of his wife Laurie Anderson but I absolutely love this album.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for introducing yourself, Stuart. Glad to meet others who enjoy this strange but moving album. I love classical music also even though I haven't made many videos about it.....but that might change soon. Again, thanks and nice to meet you. Jeff

Hey Jeff, Very good talk here. Of course, understanding of context certainly helps, and maybe that in part defines a visionary....the rest will eventually catch up to them.....unfortunately it comes often too late for the artist or thinker to be aware of that acknowledgement themselves. Shall keep this in mind to listen to when in the right frame of mind. Thanks as ever for sharing. -Carm

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

Hi Carm. I'm glad to finally finish the Lou reviews. I've enjoyed them all and continue to really enjoy his music, but now that I've completed the series of album reviews for Dylan, Lou, and The Stones, I have more than completed my "mission" (haha!) here on KZread. Not sure what will be next, but I'm sure I'll think of something. Cheers! Jeff

As always, great review Jeff, and I think perhaps you're right that this album will be considered a classic one day. I really should check this album out. It's basically my favourite things rolled into one; Lou's poetic lyrics and punk sensibility + heavy fuckin metal! (As much as I'm not really a Metallica fan) Would you say those Wederkind plays are worth reading? Or are there any good performances of them?

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

I will be so bold as to say, as I did in the video, that if anyone wants to be able to truly appreciate the songs on Lou's "Lulu", one must read the Wedekind plays "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box". With that said, not everyone will enjoy these plays because of their....well, their theatricality.....theater is not for everyone, for sure. But it was not until I read the plays that I understood what Lou was going for in these lyrics. I've seen several performances and stagings of the Alban Berg opera "Lulu" and I like them.....some of them are quite "out there" for sure.....avant garde, etc......but again, whether anyone enjoys them depends not only on whether they enjoy opera, but also on whether they enjoy Berg's serialist compositional language and the theatricality of the various modernist stagings of the opera. I've only seen one non-opera staging of "Lulu" and it was OK.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

By the way, it is great to hear from you, Nick! It always is. Hope you are doing well, my friend.

@patrickcrowley9523

Жыл бұрын

Check out the German Silent movie Pandora's Box. I Don't know how faithful to the play it is; But I guarantee you will be bowled over by Louise Brooks.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

@@patrickcrowley9523 Indeed. I love that film. Brooks was amazing.

MOR- guess we are attracted often to opposite tendencies that don’t characterize and define us to others in conscious life -think of Richard Widmark - the opposite onscreen and offscreen persona -

I'm a big Lou Reed fan but much of the later material doesn't do it for me.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

Understandable. I feel the same way about a lot of once great enthusiasms. Neil Young and Todd Rundgren come to mind. At least Lou continued to try new things, which I found to be interesting. But I certainly understand why many fans would have moved on.

Jeff, as much as I love your videos, and Lou Reed, I'm not sure if I want to devote 25 minutes to anything called Lulu that isn't by Alban Berg. :) Seriously, though, I probably should revisit this album. Maybe if I watch the video it will inspire me to do so...maybe. I just remember thinking, eighty minutes of Lou screaming about cutting his breasts off over Metallica's meandering metal. But I'm willing to concede that I might have missed something.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, the lyrics on this album are hard to take if you don't know what he is singing about (the Lulu plays). The main point of this video was not to convince others to listen to the album (at least 99% of people will hate it) but to suggest to those Lou fans who might be turned off by the lyrics that there is a reason they are what they are. Still, one has to be somewhat receptive to the "meandering metal" (haha! I love that description) to enjoy the album, lyrics or not. As for Berg's opera, I've seen several stagings of it and have enjoyed them - some are modernist and some are ultra-modernist, haha! It is similar in some ways to Lou's project because (1) instead of Berg's serialist thorny music you have the metal music on Lulu, both of which create a tension and disturbing vibe to the libretto/lyrics, and (2) the staging of the opera, especially the more avant-garde stagings, remind me of the excessive "staging" that Lou offers up in his lyrics. Again, I really admire Lou for doing this, for trying a new "staging" of this theatrical masterwork. Cheers! Jeff

I see you removed all your Billboard Top 100 videos. My son Dominic & I were looking forward to you going beyond 1976.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

I recorded the Billboard commentaries for 1977, 1978, and 1979, and they were SO bad that I had almost nothing good to say about any if it, which reminded me that I never really intended on commenting about pop chart songs on my channel. I only did it for a particular few viewers who ended up not bothering to watch any of the stupid videos so I just took them down. Sorry if my doing so disappointed anyone but I really didn’t much want to keep them on my channel. Sorry. Jeff

@mowerdan8133

Жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver So glad you didn't go into the '80s! Ugh, I would have helped you take those down, lol.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

@@mowerdan8133 Yeah, it got worse in the '80s, I agree. The MTV thing was kinda fun for 15 minutes but......well, you know..... Anyway, I'm basically done with what I set out to do with this channel - I only keep making videos now and then just because part of me doesn't want to stop making them entirely. Many of my old favorite channels have stopped posting videos, probably for similar reasons. But I'm still here for now anyway, haha!

@mowerdan8133

Жыл бұрын

@CalicoSilver You've done a lot of extensive work with your videos, but we understand how it can reach a plateau stage. My son, Dominic (DrKombat64), and I have truly enjoyed your presence on YT. You really helped inspire my son to create his own music vlogs. He talked about you a lot. So you definitely left a lasting impression in our house with your videos.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

@@mowerdan8133 Oh, I was wondering if perhaps you were Dominic's father when you mentioned his name. Nice to meet you. Yes, I love Dominic's videos and I've enjoyed watching him develop into a very good and insightful music commenter. His wide knowledge of the music of our (yours and mine) days is frankly stunning, given his age. I'm really impressed by it, and I can tell that he learned a lot from you. Thanks for your kind words. Cheers! Jeff

I have not read the plays, but I do own and enjoy LuLu. I am not a completist on Lou owning about 10 cds of his, and I am not a fan of Metallica. So why did I buy it ? Well I heard The View and loved it and then I read all the bad reviews and thought well I'll keep my eye out for that. So one day in a Charity shop as we call them in Australia there was the Cd for one dollar ! While it is not on heavy rotation it is a rewarding experience. Speaking of Lou my favourite song of his at the moment is Street Hassle, even though it has Bruce on it.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

I love his Street Hassle song too, Philip. What a weird album that is, with the unique binaural recording process they used. But I love it. Thanks!

Lou definitely explored concepts that are uncomfortable to face for civilized society to retain its self made self mage.

@CalicoSilver

10 ай бұрын

Excellent point, Mark! Thanks for sharing this because I really appreciate hearing from people who seem to view Lou and his art in a similar way that I view it. And I love your "self made self image" point - excellent! And so so very true. Another thing, though.....I think that "civilized society" is very often too intellectually lazy to even bother trying to understand concepts like these. Thanks again. Jeff

Hello Jeff. I am not familiar with this Lou Reed album ,Not at all. and after hearing your analysis of the lyrics I can now honestly say that this record is not for me. Not at All. I find the lyrics (also looked them up on the internet) overly morbid,even obscene and morally suspect. I am of the opinion that Mr. Reed wrote, say , five or six great albums (give the man his due) any one of which is far better than ANYTHING by Mr, Bowie) I think that third rate artist/singer songwriter Laurie Anderson( e.g.Oh Superman,Oh myGod! What drivel) was a major influence,unfortunately . Their relationship reminds me of a novel by Jack London, namely Martin Eden, whose central theme is the relationship between the artist in the raw who finds himself,through his girlfriend , in a very polished milieu and along the way discovers what is really essential for a artist. Have a nice day!

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

I love Jack London. Great writer. No, Lou’s “Lulu” sure ain’t for everyone……or, I should say, hardly anyone. Haha!!! I’m not even sure I feel comfortable listening to it myself.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Reed's Lulu album was based on two plays that contained uncomfortable material. Reed is not condoning or promoting such behavior, no more than he condoned or promoted the behavior of the characters in his Berlin album. Still, it is not easy listening, one way or the other, and I certainly understand why someone wouldn't want any part of listening to it.

@alexandervaneijken7741

Жыл бұрын

@@CalicoSilver Well Jeff that goes without saying. Not for one moment do I think Mr. Reed condones such behaviour. The Berlin album happens to be my favourite album of his. I wonder however how many people in the U.S. are familiar with the work of Wedekind ,the basis for his project. For that reason alone I applaud you for bringing that to the attention of your youtube followers.

@CalicoSilver

Жыл бұрын

@@alexandervaneijken7741 Even those who purport to "review" this album and in doing so might briefly mention the Wedekind connection.....even THOSE folks have not read the Wedekind plays. Haha! But I have seen stagings of these plays advertised here and there, so there must be some familiarity at least within the theatrical community. Probably even more familiarity within the operatic community since Berg's opera Lulu seems to be staged relatively frequently. But among those who "review" Lou Reed albums.....naaaah. ;-)