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Lou Reed
Perfect Night in London
(Reprise)
Saying this is Lou Reed’s best live album is a bit of a dubious distinction, given that Lou has been known to use his concerts as a way of distancing himself from his audience. Like Rock n Roll Animal or Take No Prisoners (I’m ignoring Lou Reed Live for a good reason), Perfect Night is an accurate snapshot of Lou’s career and personality at this point. No longer hellbent on creating a persona, Reed has enjoyed some revamped success of late, and he is clearly happy about it. Recorded at the tail end of the stellar Set the Twilight Reeling tour, Reed seems genuinely inspired as he rejuvenates material that (for the most part) actually bears repeating. Although he plays an acoustic guitar that (in Lou’s words) has the “sound of diamonds,” there is none of the senseless noodling or folkie showboating that plague anything “Unplugged.” Backed by longtime collaborators Mike Rathke and Fernando Saunders on guitar and bass respectively, Perfect Night is tight and aggressive, making even the dour “Perfect Day” and “The Kids” stand up to attention. “New Sensations” is a strong (re)rebirth of sorts, and the solid treatments of “Busload of Faith” and “Dirty Blvd.” go a long way in dispelling the notion that Reed’s late-80s political statements might be dated. Some curveballs include “Talking Book,” from the (upcoming?) Robert Wilson rock opera Time Rocker, and the relatively obscure “Why Do You Talk” and “Into the Divine,” each of which is not just for Reed fanatics. In the ridiculous song choice category, “Vicious” (‘Vicious / You hit me with a flower...”) comes off better than the lame rap of “The Original Wrapper” or the ornery “Sex With Your Parents,” although the latter two are admittedly good for a few chuckles. They also show that Lou can confound even when playing it straight.
Mike Bümm
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