Lou Reed
There are more than a few musicians that can stake a claim to New York City, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel have forever been known as the sound of New York, Billy Joel reflected the state of mind of New York, while Frank Sinatra in the fifties and Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen in later years all crossed over from New Jersey to develop a sound that was uniquely New York, and over the years have come to represent that city’s sound and atmosphere.. But for sheer energy of the New York streets and a complete understanding of the parade of characters that make New York the cross roads of the world, you need look only as far as Lou Reed.
From his days with the Velvet Underground to his many changes in direction musically, one constant has remained true, the sound and streets of New York belongs to Lou. His music is nothing but poetry of the American culture of the city that never sleeps.
Walk on the Wild side is New York unmasked, a steady collection of characters that had to be culled from any Soho or Greenwich Village sidewalk. From a he that’s a she, to the ladies of the evening sharing their affections with the boys in blue an entire subculture of New York is described in those short three and a half minutes.
It’s not a surprise that the song had a wee problem collecting mainstream airplay back in the seventies; it was a bit too realistic for the safe old AM radio airwaves and their super tight play lists. But over on the FM dial was a land made for Reed, the album rock format adopted his sounds and made him the standard bearer for a format just starting to push its way to the forefront of the music industry.
For many the song probably is tied to a television ad for Honda that aired a number of years ago, a bleak prospect it that’s all anyone associates the music and the man with.
From that inescapable sound of Wild side would come many more classics from Reed, his New York album a definitive sampling of the musician and his city, a true celebration of rocks big city roots. His career has been examined and celebrated for many years, indicative of his place in the history of American music.
Many in the genre make a pilgrimage to New York to pay their dues and prove their bona fides; others never leave the city, their place in its musical history already long assured.
Artist- Lou Reed
CD- Transformer
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