Live Animals!

LOU REED - "Rock and Roll Animal", 1974 (RCA)

THE SKINNY: What could be more appropriate than having “Rock and Roll Animal” in our “Live Animals” section? My first exposure to Lou Reed apart from “Walk on the Wildside” and “I Love You Suzanne” was picking up a used copy of this near the end of my high school tenure in around 1986 or so. I was immediately blown away by the bombast of the entire production. Fast-forward twenty years later to 2006. The same vinyl copy, a different turntable and the same feeling of power surges through my headphones like nothing has changed one iota. This, after hearing numerous Reed recordings and the vastly overrated VELVET UNDERGROUND, is still a stalwart collection of very memorable classic rock tunes. Call it overwrought glam, excessive 70’s boogie rock or whatever. The blissfully blithe feeling I get when I crank this sick sucker up will never diminish despite what you and your hipster friends may think. And…despite having the dubious distinction of being one of the best live rock albums of all time, "Rock and Roll Animal" was/is universally loathed by critics, VELVET UNDERGROUND fans and even Reed himself. Having listened to a sizable chunk of solo Reed, almost all VU, and even reading one of Reed’s biographies; I can honestly say that I do not take much stock into even what Lou Reed himself thinks of his own music.

I also really could care less what the majority of most music journalist types may think and the last folks I care to authenticate an alliance with on the subject are the clueless closed-minded current crop of insidiously idiotic indie rock turd burglars who think music was born when the abysmal “Velvet Underground and Nico” came out. Most serious music has to have a degree of competence and rank amateurs just don’t cut it. While I can appreciate the VU’s rhythmic influence on campy acts such as THE CRAMPS and HALF JAPANESE (whose “Our Solar System” is noisy nerd-rock classic) whole-heartedly, I still think that they were weak in their execution of Reed’s material. In short-they were his worst group and quitting them was among one of his best career moves. Just about every line-up, starting with his debut “Lou Reed” (which featured Steve Howe and a pre-YES Rick Wakemen strangely enough) all the way to 2000’s “Ecstasy”, has fared way better. From Jack Bruce and Aynsley Dunbar on “Berlin” to Robert Quine (I could care less that the guy bootlegged VU shows and I think I hear his playing with Reed in guitar god Ira Kaplan’s [YO LA TENGO] axework far more than the VU) and Fernando Sanders on “The Blue Mask”, rock music could do no wrong.

Which brings us to this particular stellar line-up of musicians vastly improving VU material. The only non VU tune here is “Lady Day” from the aforementioned masterpiece “Berlin”. These guys replaced the original ALICE COOPER band. Now ponder that for a minute. We are talking about fucking Neil Smith, Bruce Dunaway, Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton for the sake of Alla!! These guys rose to the occasion. The musicianship here is of that caliber. Anyone who cannot appreciate Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter’s double guitar assault should, as cliché as it sounds, have his or her pulse checked. It hardly gets more soulful than these two. Ray Colcord’s tasty organ chops add quite a bit of atmosphere and fill out the sound rather nicely. The rhythm section of bassist Prakash John and drummer Pentti Glan is about as fluid and soulful as anyone in their right mind can expect. It is a travesty that there is not a concert film to go with this. These guys had almost the same passion and intensity for their music as the crazy bearded cavemen in the Middle East have when it comes to stoning an evil adulteress to death! Rock out Habib, indeed! Get it? Stones. Rock. Stone and Roll. Ha!

THE "RAISE THE LIGHTER MOMENT": It’s really hard to narrow it down, but there are definite highlights here. When “Sweet Jane” kicks in and Lou takes the mike after the killer intro leads is hard to top. Although his crew may have had to carry his drug-addled ass to the stage, Reed rocked the house with one of his best vocal performances ever. Had he pontificated his point better on the on the original VU version, it might actually be listenable. The dual lead guitars on the chorus of “Heroin” make one want to get down on their knees and pray to gods of the rock almighty. When said song starts to build with speed and dynamics towards the end, I cannot help jumping up and cheering them on. However, it kind of sucks when the record skips after I’ve done it. Time for a CD copy? Not only are the guitar solos impressive, but the other players get their chance to shine as well. The bass solo on “Rock and Roll” is a beautiful thing and is light years ahead of anything that jaundiced jerkoff John Cale ever did for the instrument. Prakash John’s mastery of his Rickenbacker finger style peaks throughout the rest of the album as well. Ray Colcord’s spooktacular creepishness during the solo on “Heroine” is quite a trick and his overall purist B3 sound is quite a treat. It’s too bad the drummer did not get a spot, but that’s the brakes, babycakes. So there you have it. One of the greatest songwriters of all time with a killer band backing him. And if’n you don’t like it, you can kiss my big white crap apple!

- Herring