Take No Prisoners

While most punks discovered his music through the Velvet Underground, as a kid growing up in a small town on Long Island the first Lou Reed songs I ever heard were from his later solo period. “Walk on the Wild Side” was a staple of classic rock radio during the '80s and every now and then Reed would make an appearance on MTV looking tough, bored, and mysterious. When I was a teenager New York and Songs for Drella were my two favorite Reed albums- until I discovered the Velvet Underground and then The Best of the Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed became my tape of choice for all things Lou.

A true New Yorker (Brooklyn, Long Island, Syracuse, Manhattan), Reed is often called the godfather of punk or a punk pioneer although there is nothing really punk about his music. It is Reed's independence, experimental approach, and take no prisoners attitude as an artist which attracted all the punks and which inspired me in my own development as an artist. Lou Reed respected art and perhaps it was his time with Andy Warhol that taught Reed to view art as a job which not only pays the bills but also requires discipline. Good art, bad art, it didn't really seem to matter to Reed. He was making his music for personal reasons (and by most accounts he was a gifted guitar player).

Andy Warhol and Lou Reed

One wonders how much of Reed's public persona was just an act (he often played the role of a macho, street-smart curmudgeon and verbally abused audience members) and I actually find most of his solo albums to be unlistenable. Yet even if Lou Reed never reached his full potential as an artist- not many of us do- there is still no denying his influence on a generation of singers and musicians- including me. Here are some of my favorite Lou Reed songs from his long solo period. Enjoy!

01. Lou Reed – “The Day John Kennedy Died” (1982)

02. Lou Reed and John Cale – “Nobody But You” (1990)

03. Lou Reed – “I Love You, Suzanne” (1984)

04. Lou Reed – “Coney Island Baby” (1976)

05. Lou Reed – “New Sensations (Live)” (1997)

06. Lou Reed and John Cale – “Hello It’s Me” (1990)

07. Lou Reed – “Smalltown (Live)” (2003)

08. Lou Reed – “Perfect Day” (1972)

09. Lou Reed – “Vicious” (1972)

10. Lou Reed and John Cale – “Smalltown” (1990)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify... 

... or check out the playlist on YouTube

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