Il 21 dicembre 1973 Lou Reed e la sua band tengono un concerto all'Academy of Music, un teatro in pieno centro di Manhattan a pochi isolati da casa sua. Tredici i brani in scaletta, o meglio quattordici contando anche l'intro iniziale strumentale, composta dal suo chitarrista principale Steve Hunter. Cinque episodi sono tratti dal repertorio del suo vecchio gruppo Velvet Underground, il resto dagli album solisti "Transformer" (1972) e "Berlin" (1973).
Pochi mesi dopo, nel 1974, esce "Rock'n'Roll Animal", ellepì singolo contenente sei dei pezzi eseguiti in quell'occasione (ben quattro di essi dei Velvet), ed il è successo definitivo per Lou: il potente e cromato appeal hard/glam rock con cui i brillanti musicisti al suo fianco rivestono le scheletriche marcette proto punk di fine anni sessanta nonché quel paio di cose più recenti, dilata la sua fama ai rocchettari di tutto il mondo. Molti in realtà prestano più orecchio allo smagliante suono d'insieme, all'impeccabile groove basso/batteria e al particolare feeling creato dal lavoro delle due chitarre soliste che alle stonate, ombrose e fascinose tiritere del tossico bisex ultra metropolitano momentaneamente prestato all'arena rock.
Lou per questo non è contento e in breve licenzia il gruppo, mantenendo la sola sezione ritmica per il successivo lavoro in studio "Sally Can't Dance". Altro buon successo, ma alla RCA, sua casa discografica, rosicano perché quel Lou Reed era maggiormente spendibile ed universale. Nel 1975 decidono poi, senza interpellare l'artista, di pubblicare questo nuovo disco dal vivo, con altre sei estratti dallo stesso, identico concerto di Manhattan di oramai due anni prima, con l'evidente desiderio di raschiare il fondo del barile.
La vendetta di Lou sarà terribile: "Metal Machine Music", cioè quattro intere facciate viniliche di puro, iconoclastico feedback generato da due chitarre elettriche lasciate per quarti d'ora appoggiate agli amplificatori regolati al massimo, mentre il nastro di registrazione gira: tra le cose più inascoltabili, incomunicabili ed inutili (se non a lui stesso) della storia del commercio musicale.
Per chiudere infine la faccenda, giunto dopo diversi anni il momento di masterizzare su ciddì il pluridecorato "Rock'n'Roll Animal" la RCA vi aggiungerà, come bonus tracks, l'ultimo paio di canzoni eseguite in quella serata ancora mancanti all'appello. In questo modo le due opere in questione contengono, nella loro forma digitale, l'intera performance all'Academy anche se in ordine sparso, senza rispettare l'effettiva scaletta.
Ci sono degli strani appassionati di musica che amano "Rock'n'Roll Animal" e non sopportano "Live", arrivando a dire che il primo è una bomba e questo suona moscio... com'è possibile? E' la stessa serata, sono gli stessi nastri! Lou Reed è quello: fine 1973, drogato perso, ossigenato biondo e pieno di rimmel agli occhi, senza chitarra addosso per fortuna (è negato, anche se non se la leverà più di dosso e ancor oggi ci ammannisce la sua scarsissima perizia, "assoli" compresi) e sospinto da cinque musicisti bravissimi e grandemente coesi.
Il suono è rotondo, cremoso, ricco. Le chitarre di Hunter e di Dick Wagner si scatenano nei rock proto-punk e pre-glam trasformandoli in sonoro hard rock melodico ("Vicious", I'm Waiting For The Man"). Quando invece le composizioni sono più d'atmosfera, malate e pericolose ("Oh Jim", "Sad Song"), salgono al proscenio le tastiere di Ray Colcord ed il metronomico incedere dello strumento di Prakash John, un bassista indiano pieno di talento. Gli incubi di "Berlin" e la lascività di "Transformer" sono resi in maniera professionale, ma anche attenuata dal gruppo, che palesemente si diverte di più quando il ritmo corre.
Sarebbe stato bello che queste sei canzoni fossero uscite da subito insieme alle altre otto in "Rock'n'Roll Animal", rendendo quel disco doppio e accomunandolo così a super classici di generoso minutaggio tipo "Made in Japan" dei Purple, "Absolutely" dei Doors o "Live At Filmore" degli Allman. Quest'opera invece, osteggiata dallo stesso protagonista, vive a stento nell'ombra del suo fratello maggiore, pur essendo della stessa pasta e soprattutto valore.
Chicca finale: la foto di Lou in copertina, osteggiante uno di quei cappellini a falda stretta che ancor oggi infestano New York, è uno scatto di Oliviero Toscani, ai tempi ad inizio carriera.Elenco tracce e testi
01 Sweet Jane (04:07)
Standing on the corner, suitcase in my hand
Jack is in his corset, jane is in her vest
And me, I'm in a rock'n'roll band
Ridin'a stutz bearcat, jim
You know, those were different times
Oh, all the poets, they studied rules of verse
And those ladies, they rolled their eyes
Sweet jane, sweet jane, sweet jane
jack, he is a banker
And jane, she is a clerk
And both of them save their monies
when they come home from work
Ooh, they be sittin' down by the fire
Oh, the radio does play
The classical music, said jim, the `march of the wooden soldiers`
All you protest kids, you can hear jack say, get ready
Sweet jane, come on, baby
Sweet jane, sweet jane
Some people, they like to go out dancing
Other peoples, they have to work
Just watch me now
And there's some evil mothers
Well they're gonna tell you that everything is just dirt
You know, that women never really faint
And that villains always blink their eyes
And that, you know, children are the only ones who blush
And that life is just to die
But anyone who ever had a heart
Oh, they wouldn't turn around and break it
And anyone who's ever played a part
Oh, they wouldn't turn around and hate it
Sweet jane, sweet jane, sweet jane ...
02 Kill Your Sons (05:46)
All your two-bit psychiatrists
are giving you electroshock
They said, they'd let you live at home with mom and dad
instead of mental hospitals
But every time you tried to read a book
you couldn't get to page 17
'Cause you forgot where you were
so you couldn't even read
Don't you know they're gonna kill your sons
don't you know gonna kill, kill your sons
They're gonna kill, kill your sons
until they run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run away
Mom informed me on the phone
she didn't know what to do about dad
Took an axe and broke the table
aren't you glad you're married
And sister, she got married on the island
and her husband takes the train
He's big and he's fat
and he doesn't even have a brain
They're gonna kill your sons
don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
Don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
until they run away
Creedmore treated me very good
but Paine Whitney was even better
And when I flipped out on PHC
I was so sad, I didn't even get a letter
All of the drugs, that we took
it really was lots of fun
But when they shoot you up with thorizene on crystal smoke
you choke like a son of a gun
Don't you know they're gonna kill your sons
don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
Don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
until they run, run, run, run, run, run, run away
03 Satellite Of Love (05:58)
Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I like to watch things on TV
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
Satellite of
Satellite's gone way up to Mars
Soon it'll be filled with parkin' cars
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
Satellite of
I've been told that you've been bold
With Harry, Mark, and John
Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday through Thursday
With Harry, Mark, and John
Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
Satellite of
Satellite of love
04 White Light/White Heat (03:55)
White light goin' messin' up my mind
don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' down to my brain
hey, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
forget it
White light
Ooohhh, white light
Ahhh, white heat
Ooohhh, yeah, white light
White light goin' messin' up my mind
don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White light, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' messin' up my brain
don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
forget it
Ooohhh, white light
Yeah, aaah, white light
White heat
Oh, baby, white light
white light, now, now, now
White light goin' messin' up my mind
don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' down to my brain, ooohhh
Oh, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
forget it
White light
Ooohhh, white light
Ooohhh, baby, white heat
Yeah, white light
07 Martial Law (03:40)
I've declared a truce, so stop your fighting
the marshall is in town
I won't put up with no big mouth yapping
at least not while I'm around
This is my friend Ace, he's from the 8th precinct
nothing goes on that he don't know
And we've been send cause your arguments
have been going on for too long
And before one of you hurts the other one of you
I'm declaring martial law
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city
The jails are filled with people like you
you oughta listen to your diddy-wah-diddy
What's a girl like you doing with that lamp
you better drop it down on the floor
And son, that isn't very smart
kicking a hole in that door
Hey, Ace will you take a look at this place
and get those neighbors out of the hall
I'm declaring martial law
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
'cause I'm the marshall in the city
And if you stand away, I've got something to say
that I might even help you
Keep your hands to yourself and keep your big mouth shut
don't you touch nobody with hate-hate-hate-hate
And if all you've got is poison in your mouth
make sure that you don't speak
It's 3:30 in the early morning
don't punch, don't scratch, don't bite
Try not to take the garbage of the day
any place but outside
Now me and Mr. Ace are gonna leave this place
and this fighting's gonna end
And if we're called back, I'm gonna knock you flat
and stack you end to end
Ah, I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city, ooohhh
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
'cause I'm the marshall in the city
10 Waves Of Fear (03:19)
Waves of fear, attack in the night
waves if revulsion, sickening sights
My heart's nearly bursting, my chest's choking tight
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, squat on the floor
looking for some pill, the liquor is gone
Blood trips from my nose, I can barely breathe
waves of fear, I'm too scared to leave
Waves of fear, waves of fear
waves of fear, waves of fear
I'm too afraid to use the phone
I'm too afraid to put the light on
I'm so afraid I've lost control
I'm suffocating without a word
Crazy with sweat, spittle on my jaw
what's that funny noise, what's that on the floor
Waves of fear, pulsing with death
I curse my tremors, I jump at my own step
I cringe at my terror, I hate my own smell
I know where I must be, I must be in hell
Waves of fear, waves of fear
waves of fear, waves of fear
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