Lou Reed

This live album is where most of the world discovered Velvet Underground songs. "Animal" only went to No. 45 on the charts, but it kept selling throughout the 1970s, and "Sweet Jane" became an FM rock classic. It hasn't aged as well as his other works, but it's a solid meeting of great songs and butt-rock guitars. Art and commerce both win.

This is a record to be played loud. Like a Formula One car, it doesn't really begin to
perform until it's pushed close to the limit. As background music it isn't much, but powered
up on a strong system loud enough to make enemies a quarter-mile away, Rock n Roll
Animal -- recorded live at Lou Reed's Academy of Music concert December 21st -- is, well,
very fine. Making enemies is all tied up with Lou Reed, anyway. I first heard Ree... More >

At its best, Reed's live music brings the Velvets into the arena in a clean redefinition of heavy, thrilling without threatening to stupefy. "Lady Day," the slow one here, would pass for uptempo at many concerts, the made-in-Detroit guitars of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner mesh naturally with the unnatural rhythms, and Reed shouts with no sacrifice of wit. I could do without Hunter's showboating "Introduction," and I've always had my reservations about "Heroin," but this is a live album with a reason for living. (Grade - A-)