Search - Lou Reed: A Night with Lou Reed on DVD

Lou Reed showcases new material and classic hits.

04/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this video Lou Reed is back at the Bottom Line Club in N.Y., backed by the band from 'The Blue Mask' and 'Legendary Hearts,' the early 80's albums that signalled a major comeback for Reed. Robert Quine on guitar, Fernando Saunders on bass and Fred Maher on drums would continue to work with Reed throughout the decade, and Saunders is still working with Lou now. But it's the music that makes this a night to remember. Classic rockers such as "Sweet Jane" and "Waiting for the Man" are interspersed with terrific versions of "Martial Law" and "Waves of Fear." This is Lou Reed at a vibrant and creative time in his career, able to present older material such as "Kill Your Sons" and "Satellite of Love" with the same energy and originality with which he invests his newer songs. One bonus - you can catch Andy Warhol in the audience and if you read his diaries you will find a refernce to this performance. Lou appears a little apprehensive at times during the show, less confident than at other times during his career, but that does not impair his performance one bit. Wait for the backstage comments at the end of the show when he describes hitting a "perfect note" which lifts him up away from the stage and into the audience. This is a tight, controlled rock 'n' roll show which all Lou Reed fans will enjoy, both new and old."

Robert Quine, the guy who revitalized Lou's career

Mike | San Jose, CA | 05/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A relic from the Robert Quine days of Lou's career, and...along with the excellent "Live In Italy" CD...the only other "official" concert release. Quine is rightfully credited as the man who got Lou to pick up the guitar again, and that revived interest produced some pretty entertaining "right channel, left channel" battles. 4 stars instead of 5 because Lou never really cuts loose here like he did on the "Live In Italy" 17-minute medley of "Some Kinda Love / Sister Ray." You do get Lou "floating" (as he describes it backstage after the show) during the guitar solo to "Kill Your Sons." Like Ringo Starr said in a recent issue of Rolling Stone, in regard to seeing Bob Dylan in concert, "You go to Bob's gig, and you get what Bob wants to give you." Same holds true for Lou. On some nights the genius comes out. On other nights, the genius phones it in. On the "Night With Lou Reed" DVD, you'll see about 4/5ths of the genius...not bad, not definitive, just Lou on one New York night, and worth every penny of the $13.49 that Amazon is charging. LOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Great Show

R. Dean | Portsmouth, NH | 03/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD has good atmosphere. It is fullscreen, and shot as video, so the quality is as good as it gets, but that is pretty good for a 1983 era show. The song selection is great, and Lou puts in great versions of Kill Your Sons, Turn Out The Lights, and Waves of Fear. The only drawback is the length at 60 minutes. On DVD they should have extended the show, but you can't everything. If you like Lou, this is a great DVD to get. Both the picture and sound quality are much enhanced from the VHS version. Absolutely no extras!"

If you have never seen Lou Reed Live

Michael J. Schnepf | Solana Beach, CA United States | 02/11/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Lou Reed, Love him or Hate him. For many there is no in between. Having seen him live since the Velvet Underground, his shows range from brilliant to "let's leave." This dvd records for posterity a pretty decent show. While I remember one of his shows at the Roxy in LA as the best I ever saw, this dvd will provide the listener with an extremely enjoyable rememberance. Filmed in 1983, Lou is joined by frequent bandmates, Robert Quine on Guitar and Fernando Saunders on Bass plus Fred Maher on Drums. Tracks include: Sweet Jane, I'm Waiting For The Man, Martial Law, Don't Talk to Me About Work, Women, Waves of Fear, Walk on the Wild Side, Turn Out the Lights, New Age, Kill Your Sons, Satellite of Love, White Light/White Heat, Rock N' Roll. Don't expect the songs to be as released on studio versions or the band to be as tight as on "Rock & Roll Animal" and don't expect an encore. It would have been nice if the set list had been longer, but I really can't complain, except for some of the induced feedback reminiscent of "Metal Machine Music" but even that is only in small doses. Worth adding to the collection."