A Sheltered Poll: Lou Reed's Rock and Roll Heart

One of his weakest albums. The title track is worthwhile only for how he pronounces "French new wave films" or whatever.

I voted for "Banging On My Drum."

Not very good this album. "Follow The Leader" reminds me of Bowie's "Look Back In Anger"... or, to be precise, "Look Back In Anger" sounds to me like Lou Reed's "Follow The Leader" with lead vocals by the Walker Bros. (circa "Nite Flights") and backing vocals by John Lennon.

guess this is sort of the beginning of the Fonfara/Sax era for Lou.

kind of love the giant guitar intro of the title track, dumb as it may be.

But, uh, "Rock and Roll Heart"... first side is pretty good, second side is mostly not. Title track ("I guess I'm just dumb, 'cause I know that I ain't smart"... yeah, right Lou) and "Temporary Thing" are the best songs. "BOM Drum" and "IBI Love" ae entertaing enough. And "Ladies Pay", is that Lou on guitar on that one? Words are pretty stupid, "Nobody is standing guard upon the door/ And nobody is feeding any of the poor"... what?

guess this is sort of the beginning of the Fonfara/Sax era for Lou.

Fonfara/Fogel era. Fongel?

Lou's first self-produced album, and, yeah, he plays all the guitar, according to the credits.

"I guess I'm just dumb, 'cause I know that I ain't smart"

"I guess I'm just dumb, 'cause I knows I ain't smart" that should be

No less than three songs from this on Between Thought and Expression.

Well, they're good ones, right? title track, temporary thing, vicious circle.
Ladies Pay seems to be the one song where Lou's guitar style is really a big part of the song. Not particularly great playing though.

Weird that Punk/ New Wave was about to break and Lou knew all about those bands and yet he came out with this kinda lightweight 50s style, honkin' sax thing

The Springsteen influence? I thing Clive Davis took him to see da boss around this time.
Senselessly Cruel almost sounds like it could be a song Paul Simon discarded.

thing=think

agree this is a pretty weird record - it's not exactly terrible but there's nothing on it that's very great either. was totally surprised by Follow the Leader the first time I heard it. The Sheltered Life version on here is funny but also pretty half-assed.

Is "Follow the leader" the same as the Velvets?

yeah. sounds pretty different, obviously, but same lyrics.

was just listening to the VU version, too -- they seem to be on the verge of inventing garage disco or something.

Ladies Pay seems to be the one song where Lou's guitar style is really a big part of the song. Not particularly great playing though.

But at least he sounds like he's trying to get back to a Velvets wall of sustained guitar thing

Yeah! He's trying to get back to that sound, just maybe the wrong song for it. He should've cut loose on "banging on my drum" or something.

the version of "Sheltered Life" is hilarious -- ultimate example of Lou pulling old material out of his ass? Surprised he didn't try a version of "Do The Ostrich."

You never heard the "Cycle Annie" outtake?

haha, that'd be great if there was a whole 70s Lou pickwick session. "this one's called 'tiger in my tank,' it's in ummm G."

This album is pretty stinky, but I dig "Temporary Thing" a lot - one of Lou's meanest lyrics.

Oh, and I really hate what he did to "Sheltered Life." Lou, Lou, Lou...

lou's actually playing temporary thing on his current tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujg_EF5V9LE&feature=related

and this too! weird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDhoy6IeVb4&feature=related

^^^great song

impossible to boogie to, however

if lou wants to boogie with you, you better damn well boogie

Listened to this album last night, mostly insubstantial and underwritten but still quite entertaining. That's Lou bangin' out those two chords on piano on "Senselessly Cruel" isn't it? Fonfara would (could) never play that moronically. Voted "Temporary Thing" as it is a genuinely great song.

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no one gives a shit about this album (fyi I voted for rock and roll heart though).

Never paid any attention to this album, never bought it, never heard it, but "Vicious Circle" came on in bar last night and that was pretty good. A sequel to "Vicious"?