Lou Reed - American Poet Live

Post Velvet Underground Lou was pretty & camp but none of the faux glam of the 'Transformer' LP is evident in this excellent stereo recording. You get Lou the lyrical punk plus a 3 guitar bass & drums garageband ensemble backing the master of dry wit & observation on a speed-induced trawl through tracks from his first solo LP 'Lou Reed' and the Glam classic 'Transformer'. A few Velvet Underground essentials are thrown in for good measure. Lou's interview spot is his usual catty camp 70's persona. His comments include wishing Doug Yule would die. Ouch!It all adds up to a fascinating stripped down glimpse into Lou Reed before he left the 'garage' and 'Transformed' into the pale faced heavy metal skeleton that barfed out the seminal 'Rock & Roll Animal & Lou Reed Live' Lp's. Don't expect any of the subtle tones or timbre of 'Transformer' in this record. The band 'play the parts' but it's upbeat, driving and very New York. The presentation is more in keeping with the live sound of The Velvet's 'Loaded & Max's Kansas' Era, even including a few, at that time, unreleased Velvets songs,some of which formed the bulk of his 1st LP and others later appeared on 'Berlin' and the Velvet's 'VU & Another View' Collections. This is a great record and unique document of a man in musical transition and as such is an ideal companion to the other live Solo LP's dotted throughout his almost 50 year lyrical journey as Godfather Of Punk, New York Poet and visionary Icon. Buy it, enjoy it and bug your friends and family by playing it loud!