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

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Has this been polled? Couldn't find it. Anyway, was listening to this for the first time in a while and thought I'd maybe underrated it. Lots of throwaway tunes, but in kind of a good way. "Follow The Leader" almost sounds like Lou backed by the Headhunters.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
Temporary Thing 3
Rock and Roll Heart 2
A Sheltered Life 1
Follow The Leader 1
Vicious Circle 0
Claim To Fame 0
Senselessly Cruel 0
Chooser and the Chosen One 0
Ladies Pay 0
You Wear It So Well 0
Banging On My Drum 0
I Believe In Love 0


tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 15:55 (fourteen years ago)

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."

livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 8 August 2011 15:57 (fourteen years ago)

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.

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 8 August 2011 15:59 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:02 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:04 (fourteen years ago)

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?

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:05 (fourteen years ago)

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

Fonfara/Fogel era. Fongel?

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:06 (fourteen years ago)

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

livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:07 (fourteen years ago)

"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

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:07 (fourteen years ago)

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

livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:08 (fourteen years ago)

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.

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:09 (fourteen years ago)

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

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:10 (fourteen years ago)

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.

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:11 (fourteen years ago)

thing=think

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:11 (fourteen years ago)

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.

Richard Nixon's Field of Warmth (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:11 (fourteen years ago)

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

Mark G, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:11 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:12 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:12 (fourteen years ago)

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

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:12 (fourteen years ago)

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.

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:13 (fourteen years ago)

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."

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 16:19 (fourteen years ago)

You never heard the "Cycle Annie" outtake?

Scharlach Sometimes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 8 August 2011 16:57 (fourteen years ago)

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."

tylerw, Monday, 8 August 2011 17:00 (fourteen years ago)

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

Kent Burt, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:36 (fourteen years ago)

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

Kent Burt, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:37 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:39 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:41 (fourteen years ago)

^^^great song

Richard Nixon's Field of Warmth (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:47 (fourteen years ago)

impossible to boogie to, however

Richard Nixon's Field of Warmth (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:47 (fourteen years ago)

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

tylerw, Tuesday, 9 August 2011 16:54 (fourteen years ago)

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.

R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Wednesday, 10 August 2011 08:46 (fourteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Thursday, 11 August 2011 23:01 (fourteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Friday, 12 August 2011 23:01 (fourteen years ago)

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

historyyy (prettylikealaindelon), Friday, 12 August 2011 23:20 (fourteen years ago)

two years pass...

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"?

I Am the Cosimo Code (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 10 September 2013 14:51 (twelve years ago)


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