I believe Lou Reed should be inducted into the Hall as a solo artist for just his range in musical styles he has used in his solo work. People should go back to the beginning and just listen to what he has to offer. His lyrics took on subject matter that wasn't being talked or sung about in rock and roll music so frankly. His late 1980's and up into the mid-ninties is pretty strong material as well. I think he still has a couple of good albums still in him yet.

Posted by CKM on Saturday, 04/20/2013 @ 20:28pm

I wouldn't be surprised to see him back on the ballot within the next few years. And I think he's got a better shot of induction with the current voting committee than he faced before.

Posted by DarinRG on Saturday, 04/20/2013 @ 21:22pm

came across this article that may be interesting to fans of Lou Reed, Tupac, Phish, Motorhead, AC/DC

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-subtle-clues-your-favorite-band-secretly-sucks/

Posted by Darrin A on Saturday, 09/7/2013 @ 14:02pm

That article is so dumb.

I miss Seanbaby...

Posted by GFW on Saturday, 09/7/2013 @ 14:58pm

RIP :(

Posted by Gassman on Sunday, 10/27/2013 @ 13:36pm

Rest in peace man

Posted by Jason Voigt on Sunday, 10/27/2013 @ 13:56pm

My most sincere condolences to Laurie Anderson and the rest of Lou's family. This is indeed a very sad day. He was a great artist. I hope that this brings about the immediate inductions of both Lou Reed (posthumously) and Laurie Anderson into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. :-(

Posted by Enigmaticus on Sunday, 10/27/2013 @ 14:43pm

Rest in peace, Mr. Reed.

Posted by Joe on Sunday, 10/27/2013 @ 14:48pm

You will be greatly missed, Lou Reed. Rest in peace, my man.

Posted by Andrew on Sunday, 10/27/2013 @ 19:58pm

Rest in peace, "Walk on the Wild Side" from 1972 has always been one of my all-time favorite songs!

Posted by Rick Vendl II on Sunday, 10/27/2013 @ 20:34pm

AS OF OCTOBER 29,2013 LOU REED IS STILL NOT IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND I AM ANGRY AND PISSED AND GENTILE-I-SIZED-FOR THE PEOPLE THAT RUN THAT ORGANIZATION SHOULD BE GASSED-FARTED ON BY GENTILES PERIODICALLY THEN STUFFED IN A GENTILE TRUNK-MEISTER-WHILE BEING CHAINED DOWN WITH A SOCK IN THEIR GENTILE MOUTHS AND FORCED TO LISTEN TO METAL MACHINE MUSIC ON VOLUME 10 IN DRAG WITH LIPSTICK!!

Posted by DAN BARCAN (SINGER-SONGWRITER-INSTRUMENTALIST-NEW JERSEY/USA#1 on Tuesday, 10/29/2013 @ 19:11pm

LOU REED WAS/IS A GENIUS OF THE LYRIC WORD,VOCAL PHRASING,STYLE-ING-WORDS-FIRST WHITE RAP ARTIST TO ME-A STRAIGHT UP FIRST CLASS AND FIRST CALL OUT AND OUT STRAIGHT UP WHITE NIGGA/MEISTER-WITZ NO HOLDS W/ THE BAR-ED NO MR ED.!! IN STYLE MEETS SONG AND OVERALL SONGSMITH AND ARTISTIC VISIONARY AND CRANKY WEIRD AZZ JEW ALL WRAPPED INTO ONE-HE WAS AMAZING AND AMAZINGLY GOOD,COOL,AND ALWAYS HIP-TIMELESS IN STYLE AND SONG-JUST LIKE NEIL YOUNG,CAT STEVENS,BOB DYLAN,RAY DAVIES(OF THE KINKS,JOHNNY CASH,WARREN ZEVON,RANDY NEWMAN,SLY STONE,PATTI SMITH,IAN HUNTER,DAVID BOWIE,MUDDY WATERS,CHUCK BERRY,GRAHAM PARKER-HE HAD THAT CERTAIN EDGE THAT CANT BE DEFINED BY NORMAL THOUGHT AND BRAIN PATTERN(S)NOR NORMAL GRAVITY AKA NORMA AS I CALL IT AND...(NOT THE MOVIE GRAVITY) AND DEFINETLY ONE OF THE ALL THE GREAT SOLO ARTISTS (NOT TO MENTION THE WORLDS MOST INFLUENTAL BAND OF ALL-TIME-THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-WHICH IS FUNNY I BOUGHT VU ALBUMS BACK IN THE 1980'S OR SO AND DONT KNOW IF I ACTUALLY EVER LISTENED TO ANY OF THEM-BUT LOU REED I LISTENED TO A LOT FOR SOME WEIRD WACKY REASON-NON GENTILE TREASON-OR JUST HOURS OF MUSIC THATS ANGRILY PLEASING-LOU REED IS AND WAS EVERYTHING TO ME AND TO ALL OF YOU-WHETHER YOU KNEW IT OR NOT-THANKS AGAIN LOU REED...AND GOD BLESS LAURIE ANDERSON AND ALL OF YOUR CLOSE FREINDS CUZ TO ME THEY WERE AND ARE LIKE YOU LOU REED- ALWAYS COOL PERIOD-SINCERELY,DAN BARCAN/NEW JERSEY/USA...

Posted by DAN BARCAN (singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-new jersey/usa#1 on Tuesday, 10/29/2013 @ 19:33pm

words won't do that post justice so i'll just use a pic.

" target="_blank" title="imgur.com/P92We6i.png[/img]">imgur.com/P92We6i.png[/img]

Posted by GFW on Tuesday, 10/29/2013 @ 19:55pm

ARTISTS INDUCTED BY LOU REED

Dion 1989
Frank Zappa 1995
Leonard Cohen 2008

Posted by Aaron O'Donnell on Wednesday, 10/30/2013 @ 00:31am

Be will get in next year....mark my words. He SHOULD have been in already but better late than never.

Posted by John on Sunday, 11/10/2013 @ 22:26pm

I never understood the whole fascination with Lou Reed. I find him just as annoying as Bob Dylan, U2, R.E.M and the B-52s.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 07:38am

yeah, just not quite on the same level as chicago, true legends.

Posted by GFW on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 12:34pm

Being the recipient of Roy's disdain is a very positive endorsement. Mr. Reed was clearly doing something right.

Posted by DarinRG on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 17:12pm

I'm more surprised that Roy would even offer an opinion, considering his posts are usually either lists, conjecture on who will support whose induction in the Hall, or something related to Chicago.

R.I.P., Lou Reed. I just picked up a copy of Transformer from the library and am enjoying it a lot so far.

Posted by Zach on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 17:21pm

Lou Reed didn't actually have a singer's voice. He didn't really sing his songs, he spoke them. Plus, I don't see what ws so great about his lyrics: Wild Side, Red Joystick, et cetera... I like Leonard Cohen though. I have all his albums.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 17:41pm

Zach - If you like "Transformer" I'd also recommend checking out "New York". That's my second favorite of his. It's from 1989, so he's much different sounding at that point, however.

Roy - We've got Leonard Cohen in common. He's in my top 5 most beloved artists.

Posted by DarinRG on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 17:53pm

Leonard Cohens alright, but the Velvets are up there with The Bealtes and Floyd in my opinion (I think i'd actually put them above both)

Posted by GFW on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 18:02pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60pnCjqCjd4

Watch The Velvet Underground perform Last Nigh I Said Goodbye To My Friend and explain to me why this doesn't suck!!

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 18:14pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60pnCjqCjd4

Watch The Velvet Underground perform Last Night I Said Goodbye To My Friend at the 1996 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and explain to me why this doesn't suck!!

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 11/13/2013 @ 18:16pm

Roy,

On a technical level you are right about Reed's vocals. Limited range, no dexterity, and a slightly off pitch tone. But when talking about Rock vocalists beauty isn't what is looked at first. It is that emotional delivery. And Reed did have that in a huge amount. What he had vocally he used expertly though. That slightly deadpan, monotonous tone. A really fantastic sense of phrasing and timing , look at something like "Perfect Day", it is almost Billie Holiday level in it's vocal arrangement. I always say Holiday is a great example for talking about vocals. She wasn't Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald, couldn't even touch them on a technical level. But stands as the mark in history for that shift in vocals. Reed definitely came from her school of singing.

That is just a long winded way of saying Reed really stands as a large vocal figure. I would say of the "ugly" singers he would be one of the few to crack an all time 100 vocalists list (Patti Smith and Bob Dylan as well).

On a side note do you find it strange that the Velvet Underground became this iconic band? At the time it seemed every publication bashed the crap out of them for being amateur, unpolished, and simply noise. It was almost like Reed's solo career and persistence is what let the band's discography spread wings and become that influential.

Posted by Chris F. on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 07:22am

Chris F. wrote:

Roy,

On a side note do you find it strange that the Velvet Underground became this iconic band? At the time it seemed every publication bashed the crap out of them for being amateur, unpolished, and simply noise. It was almost like Reed's solo career and persistence is what let the band's discography spread wings and become that influential.

Thursday, 11.14.13 @ 07:22am

Yes I Do!

Posted by Roy on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 08:02am

Ah yes, perfect proof of how terrible they are, a live performance almost 30 years after their prime that's missing their lead guitarist.

One good thing about the Velvets is they never recorded something like this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ykMNtzMT8

Their ballads, such as Pale Blue Eyes or I'll Be Your Mirror, were far more clever and heartfelt.

But yeah, I can't see why anyone ever came to respect the Velvets, they only laid the groundwork for almost all alternative music to follow.

I'm tempted to say that the only reason you never share your opinions is because they're terrible and uninformed. But then, such rudeness would be so unlike me, right?

Posted by GFW on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 13:54pm

Ah yes, perfect proof of how terrible they are, a live performance almost 30 years after their prime that's missing their lead guitarist.

One good thing about the Velvets is they never recorded something like this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ykMNtzMT8

Their ballads, such as Pale Blue Eyes or I'll Be Your Mirror, were far more clever and heartfelt.

But yeah, I can't see why anyone ever came to respect the Velvets, they only laid the groundwork for almost all alternative music to follow.

I'm tempted to say that the only reason you never share your opinions is because they're terrible and uninformed. But then, such rudeness would be so unlike me, right?

Posted by GFW on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 13:54pm

"On a technical level you are right about Reed's vocals. Limited range, no dexterity, and a slightly off pitch tone. But when talking about Rock vocalists beauty isn't what is looked at first. It is that emotional delivery. And Reed did have that in a huge amount. What he had vocally he used expertly though." -Chris F.

You beat me to this, Chris. When I think on it, this trait is really what I personally gravitate to most in a male singer. As I look through my upper tier of favorite male vocalists I see Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Dr. John, Lou Reed, Bauhaus era Peter Murphy, Johnny Cash, Andrew Eldrich (the Sisters of Mercy), Serge Gainsbourg, Ian Curtis, Bob Dylan and Joe Strummer to name a few.

For the most part these are all singers who have more character than technical vocal skill (Murphy has an impressive vocal rage and technical skill, however relied much more on the character of his voice).

A voice with command, raw emotion and authority will beat out technical prowess and broad range any day for me.

Posted by DarinRG on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 21:21pm

"I never understood the whole fascination with Lou Reed. I find him just as annoying as Bob Dylan, U2, R.E.M." -Roy

Unf*ckingbelievable.

Where to begin with that? Forget it.

Zach - Glad you are enjoying 'Tranformer.' I second the suggestion above of 'New York,' although it may be a little harder to find. 'Rock and Roll Animal' is a killer live record where Lou indulges the glam full force. I seem to recall that you enjoyed some glam.

It is no exaggeration to to say that Lou Reed was the freakin' Elvis of alternative music. If you can't see that, Roy, I don't know what to say...

Posted by Dezmond on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 23:55pm

Oh, one other thing, Roy. If you are going to throw out Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction performances as "proof" that a band sucks, then most bands inducted so far into the Hall of Fame would suck.

Posted by Dezmond on Thursday, 11/14/2013 @ 23:59pm

DarinRG,

That is a really great group of singers with limited technical skill, but really wonderful technique. Although I would argue Cash is actually a pretty gifted vocalist and that it gets ignored because he has such a low voice. People think only tenors can be great. But some of the most talented ones I have heard have been baritones. I can never really tell if Gainsbourg intentionally meant to have that off phrasing or if he listened to Billie Holiday a lot and did it intentionally.(On a side note it is strange how much alt artists seem to take from Holiday). They both somehow sing just right behind where a normal artist would do it, and deliver the lyric without sounding rushed. It is brilliant, shows really how important technique is.

I hate how people always say you can't use Nick Cave or Lou Reed as examples of great vocalists but then turn right around and put someone like Janis Joplin atop the list. Joplin had a sloppy messy delivery. I think she is one of the true greats, but because she didn't have a pretty voice and used it effectively. You don't have to have three octaves and a killer falsetto to be a good singer. You have to know how to arrange those notes to pack the most punch. To me Reed does that, and I am not really a fan of his.

I do find myself listening to Transformer every so often just to see what he is doing vocally though. So maybe somehow I became biased without meaning to. It's just on something like "Perfect Day" where so coldly delivers that lyric, but still allows it to be full of emotional intensity in the build up, I kind of find myself gobsmacked by how brilliant it is. Plus he has a little Roy Orbison going on there in the chorus. Orbison is one of the best vocalists ever, so that is a compliment. I honestly would say it is his finest vocal performance, and one of the highlights of Popular Music vocals. Up there with the true great stuff like Sinatra's "In The Wee Small Hours" or Fitzgerald's "Miss Otis Regrets". All three are kind of a class in the less is more school of singing.

Posted by Chris F. on Friday, 11/15/2013 @ 17:57pm

Why isn't Laurie Anderson on here yet?

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/26/2014 @ 20:52pm

He will soon.

Posted by BulmaPunkRocker on Sunday, 07/6/2014 @ 23:41pm

Love the man, RIP, but Metal Machine Music SUCKS!

Posted by William Tell on Sunday, 08/24/2014 @ 19:29pm

Should Leonard Cohen or Laurie Anderson give the induction speech, or should it be someone from the punk scene?

Posted by Roy on Saturday, 02/28/2015 @ 08:25am