Lou Reed was a lot of things in the world of rock music and those things weren’t always good. He wasn’t an artist that was easy to listen to. That lifeless, monotone of a singing voice did not instantly inspire fans to rush out and by his albums. But nearly 50 years after his first studio recording, the man is still recognized as an important cultural and musical figure in rock.
Reed could never be accused of being even slightly mainstream even though today some of his music might very well end up in the background of a Nissan commercial. Unfortunately, no artist is safe from big advertising firms with hipster tentacles feeling around for groovy sounds to move product. The thing that made Lou Reed special was the fact that he knew he an anti-hero from the word go, marketing point that was not lost on his friend and collaborator, Andy Warhol.
As a song writer, he painted pictures of New York City that where filled with junkies, prostitutes and other denizens of the streets. Check out “I’m Waiting For The Man” or “Sweet Jane” and while on the surface they seem almost upbeat, there is a blackness to them that other artists weren’t touching in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The song “Heroin” off that now eponymous Velvet Underground record (yeah, the one with the yellow banana on it) is a brutally simple track that leaves nothing to the imagination. What’s the big deal? Well, no other musician in their right mind would have put something like that on a record. It was real and pretty ballsy for anyone to do.
Lou Reed took chances and he didn’t always care what the results were. He was more interested in experimenting than writing pop songs and as a result he became a major influential force. Punk, glam and even metal owe him at least a brief thanks for what he started. The Stooges, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth and Pavement (just to name a few) would sound very different without Reed’s contributions.
While his recording career with the Velvet Underground was short (just four albums) his solo career yielded 22 solo albums and a host of live and boxed sets as well. He was more popular in Europe than in America where he’ll always be “that guy from the Velvet Underground” to most casual rock fans. Lou Reed is the kind of artist that you may never really understand as a whole but he had his moments and those moments helped change the course of rock music.
Lou Reed passed away on Sunday, October 27, 2013 at the age of 71.
