From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-digest) To: seven-seas-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-digest V3 #154 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-digest Friday, April 30 2004 Volume 03 : Number 154 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 10:33:14 -0700 (PDT) From: chris adams Subject: Re: seven-seas Ian McCulloch - Live & Acoustic in Lou Reed's Berlin A friend of mine had this record at a very young age--he musta been no more than 15 or 16, and, after one terrifying spin, it sat in a corner of his room, staring at him as if to say "C'mon, PLAY me...I dare ya." He eventually covered the album cover with, interestingly enough, an album by Laure Andersen, who these days is Lou's S.O. As with many emotionally "difficult" albums--Cohen's "Songs of Love and Hate," Dylan's "Blood On the Tracks," post-Priscilla Elvis--it's not often that I can play "Berlin" without risk of severe psychic damage. Best played when friends are around for intimate late-night hangout. But alone in winter? No way. - --Chris Theodore Turner wrote: Yes Chris! Berlin is the most dangerous record of all time....WARNING: do not play this record while alone in the middle of the (esp Winter) night...unless you are feeling VERY secure with things otherwise. Truly a work of Genius! Completely singular, terrifying and gorgeous. One interesting Experiment is to to ignore the above warning with repeated "Berlin" spins (and add lots of booze while going through old love letters etc) Then open the blinds at dawn to Lou's "Waves of Fear" (full blast) from "The Blue Mask". Then try to leave the house. - -Ted on 4/29/04 10:05 AM, chris adams at neonhalo9@yahoo.com wrote: > Ahhhh...nice quotation, Ted > > This is from Berlin, by Lou Reed, for those who don't know the album. It is, > inexplicably, pretty obscure--I say inexplicably because, for me, barring the > song "Street Hassle" and the "Transformer" album, his post-Velvets pinnacle. > Absolutely harrowing, gut-shriveling, brutal no-holds barred account of the > breakup of a marraige and the subsequent agony that produces. > > Sample lyrics: "Caroline says/as she gets up off the floor/you can beat me all > you want to/but i don't love you anymore." > > "They're taking her children away/because they said she was not a good > mother/they're taking her children away/because she was making it with the > sisters and brothers/the Welshman from India/and all of the others/that filthy > rotten slut couldn't turn anyone away...and I am the water boy/the real game's > not over here/but since she lost her daughters/it's her eyes that fill up with > water/and I am much happier/this way." > > All this set to a vaguely Wagnerian soundtrack. (To wit: it's got a crap beat > and the kids can't dance to it.) > > Naturally, it was a complete commercial failure when it came out ('74--tail > end of "the glam years.") As recording was coming to a conclusion, Bob Ezrin, > the producer, famously quipped "Awright, Lou--let's wrap up this turkey before > I puke." > > It is, of course, pure genius. > > --Chris Adams > > Theodore Turner wrote: > In a small cafe > We could hear the guitars play > It was very nice > Candlelight and Dubonnet on ice > > > > ====================================== > http://www.bunnymenlist.com > > ====================================== > Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs > > > > ====================================== > http://www.bunnymenlist.com > > ====================================== ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs ====================================== http://www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-digest V3 #154 ********************************