My introduction to Lou Reed was sloppy. I bought cutouts of albums including The Bells, Take No Prisoners and Metal Machine Music at a record store at the Metro North shopping mall when I was a kid. My initial response was understandable- "This guy's a jerk!"
Only when I absorbed the Velvet Underground's albums a few years later was I able to understand Reed's significance beyond those problematic albums.
The release of Magic and Loss in 1992 completely altered my perception of Reed. The meditation on death was released when the Grim Reaper was wreaking havoc all around me. Reed's new song cycle helped me come to grips with my grief and with my own mortality.
I've never waited for my man or kissed a he, but Reed's despairing songs on Magic and Loss speak directly to me. In spite of Magic and Loss, I never stopped thinking that Reed was a jerk. And I loved him just the same.
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I reviewed Ricky Skaggs's collaboration with Bruce Hornsby at Yardley Hall on Friday.
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The Kansas City-area debut of Vusi Mahlasela at Yardley Hall on Sunday thrilled me. The South African known as "The Voice" performed a solo set of freedom songs.
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My real-life friend Pete Lubin hilariously reviews Humble Pie's Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore. Loving Humble Pie as I do makes his knowing digs even funnier.
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My internet friend Pamela Espeland wrote a fascinating review of a Ginger Baker concert in Minneapolis.
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The three songs available for streaming from Tightrope, the new album by the 3 Cohens- Anat, Avishai and Yuval- are delightful. RIYL: odd instrumentation, klezmer, West Coast cool.
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Courtney Barnett's music is pretty interesting. RIYL: Michael Hurley, Roy Harper, Beck.
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Charles Bradley says the Eagles "saved my life" in his "What's In My Bag? segment.
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Samba Touré's Albala is exquisite. RIYL: Ali Farka Touré, earth, Jimi Hendrix.
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Black Friday vinyl of interest to There Stands the Glass: Blind Boys Of Alabama/Jason Isbell & John Paul White, Bob Dylan, the Flaming Lips, Nick Lowe, Nas and the Robert Glasper Experiment.
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Here's something you don't see everyday- a video of a "cover photo shoot" for a jazz album that features partial nudity. The inspirational twist makes it worth your while. The footage is related to Ted Nash's new big band album Chakra, which is RIYL: The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Charles Mingus, Steve Lacy.
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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
