Cheap Raven (Music) (Lou Reed) Price

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Customer Reviews of Raven

Although Lou Reed's solo career has known its ups and down, and has only rarely managed to approach the peak that he reached as the leader of the Velvet Underground, it is nonetheless a fine one, both exciting and unpredictable. And ever since his latter day masterpiece, New York, Reed has produced work, that if not flawless, is of impressive quality.

Upon hearing Reed's 'update' of Edgar Allan Poe, one is tempted to describe it as one of Reed's most experimental album. But the noisy and pointless 'Like a Possum' from 2000's Ecstasy is by itself more experimental then anything Reed has attempted here. Nonetheless, THE RAVEN is very much an experimental album, and with the possible exception of 1990's SONGS FOR DRELLA, his most varied album.

One of the things I like most about Reed is that, unlike many Rock musicians, he does not seem to have mellowed down with age. Hard rockers like 'Edgar Allan Poe', and especially the radical 'Blind Rage', show us that Lou lost none of the ferocity of the man who invented Punk Rock.

The album has much more then just angst, though. 'Call on Me' is a beautiful ballad, one of the best Reed has ever written. 'Burning Ambers', based upon Poe's Tell-Tale Heart, is Reed's experiment with A-Cappela music, and is a definite highlight. The instrumental titles 'A Thousand Departed Friends' is a beautiful mix of Jazz, Rock and touches of Funk.

I hardly want to form the impression that all of Reed's experiments are successful. The bizarre Cabaret version of 'Perfect Day' is completely uncalled for, as are nearly all the poetry readings. In fact, there is a sequence of songs, from Perfect Day to the terrible bar jazz of 'Broadway song' that is nearly unlistenable.

'The Raven' is notable for its guest stars, too. The Blind Boys of Alabama bring a gospel charm to 'The Pit and the Pendulum'. Laurie Anderson sings on the aforementioned 'Call on Me', while Ornette Coleman contributes fine saxophone to 'Guilty', a mediocre rocker.

By far the best contribution is by David Bowie, whose lovely take on 'Hop Frog' is both hilarious and delightful.

Yet the absolute highlight of the album is the single. With 'Who Am I?', Reed has written what is surely his best single since the 'New York' album. Although I have heard several uninspiring live versions of this song, here it just bristles with life. The instrumentation is part of the charm, and the production is among Reed's finest. The lyrics, about Reed's (and Poe's) search for meaning, for the "passion that breaks reason in two", are pure Rock'n'Roll poetry.

Putting Poetry into Rock'n'Roll has been Reed's project from the earliest days of the velvets. In 'The Raven', flawed as it is, Reed, with Poe, manages to once again do just that.

Reed's best album but you have to give it (a lot of) time...
Initially I hated this album and was sorely disappointed. After listening to it for three weeks, it has won me over completely. This is Lou Reed in all of his glory and with all of his frequently aggravating excesses. You have to take The Raven as a package: 12 great songs, 6 mediocre songs and 3 fine poetry readings with verses added by Reed.

The album starts off poorly: the instrumental "Overture" may work in concert but is just filler here. The show tune, "Edgar Allen Poe," is a somewhat clever but mostly grating summary of Poe's work set to the tune of "Future Farmers of America." It is fun to hear Reed, with his NY accent, naturally rhyme "Poe" with "Door."

Things then get better. "Call on Me" starts off pretentiously, discussing the "other selves' mournings", but becomes a thing of beauty, transitioning into a stanza of verse read by Laurie Anderson and concluding with her singing the refrain. The instrumental, "A Thousand Departed Friends," sounds not like "Metal Machine Music" as some have suggested, but more like the instrumental conclusion of "What Goes On" on "1969 Live," where musical repetition grows ever so slightly in intensity and tempo and you wish it would never end. An apt tribute to the victims of 9/11.

Reed's stripped down remake of "The Bed" from "Berlin" is perfect: it captures the original's pathos while eschewing its bathos. Speaking of remakes, Reed has a singer name Antony perform "Perfect Day"; Antony's warbly high tenor is almost surreal in its beauty: I've never heard anyone quite like him. When Antony sings background vocals on tracks like "Science of the Mind" and "Guardian Angel," the combination of Reed's voice and his is almost a religious experience.

Other highlights include "Burning Embers," where Reed adopts a Tom Waite-like singing voice and sounds convincingly like the undead. "Vanishing Act" is the "Oh Jim" of The Raven: simple and powerful lyrics with minimal accompaniment. "I Wanna Know" is bizarre and fun: a gospel call and response tune(!) where Reed sings his heart out about Poe's concept of "preverseness" and the lead singer of the Blind Boys of Alabama offers a powerful echo. "Hop Frog" with David Bowie is just plain fun: pure power pop with lyrics for a children's song. "Who Am I" is simply magesterial--a beautiful track--and "Guardian Angel" reaches the sublime when Antony and Reed sing together. Finally, "Change" is an impassioned and somewhat humorous song about fear and aging.

The poetry readings are all fine and entertaining.

Now for the ugly. "Balloon" is a nothing a capella song echoing but not improving upon "I'm a Little Teapot." Reed wastes Ornette Coleman on the insipid "Guilty." "Blind Rage" is poorly conceived: if one experiences "blind rage," then one usually isn't capable of saying "I'm in a blind rage!" It's as if Reed suddenly introduced lyrics like "I'm experiencing existential despair!" into "Heroin." He knows better than this. "Broadway Song" is a throwaway, ironic show tune; its only value is the novelty of hearing Steve Buscemi sing a Reed song.

Reed has rarely sung with more heart and soul, ranging from soft and soulful ("Science of the Mind") to impassioned and yearning. Reed is experimenting and extending his usual musical and lyrical range. There are some failures, but these are more than outweighed by the glorious successes. As to whether Reed is "true to Poe," I don't particularly care: I'd rather have a Lou Reed album than a soundtrack.

Lou Reed is very cool
Much of this panoramic record comes from collaboration with Robert Wilson. So it's much like those Tom Waits dual records from a year ago. But this combines dramatic readings by actors like Willem Dafoe and Amanda Plummer, and music inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, which Reed calls "the most classical of American Writers" and sees him in a tradition with William Burroughs and Hubert Selby. Even David Bowie and Ornette Coleman make appearances here, and Julian Schnabel does the artwork. Reed had to scour NYC for any notable figures with a Poe [prejudice]. Some highlights include Antony singing "Perfect Day" and Reed himself on "Who Am I?" Musically it's all over the place, combining jazz, rock and roll, and folk music. One of Reed's most listenable albums for a long time.