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Wednesday, February 17, 1902
Daily Nebraskan
Arts & Entertainment
New Lou Reed takes a walk on the 'mild' side
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By Pat Higgins
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,m ReedThe Blue MaskRCA
Lou Reed is in love with his wife,
which is one of several surprises on his
new album, The Blue Mask. First of all,
Reed is apparently rejecting the nihilism
and sleaze which have been the foundation
of his persona ever since his days with the
Velvet Underground.
As they say in junior high, Reed has a
bad attitude, which is one reason I always
liked his style. He was also a perfect artist
to get vicarious kicks from, because no
matter how wasted one could get, there
Album
Review
was always Lou Reed's lifestyle to use as
a comparison. Plus, he has a solid body of
work comparable to Bob Dylan's, and
some ot his songs are literary enough to
pass for short stories (eg. Sweet Jane). The
Blue Mask is his best record since Street
Hassle several years ago.
This is the sensitive Lou, even romantic.
No more songs about the seamy side of
life. This is a major turnabout equivalent
to Dan Fogelberg singing about junkies
on the streets of New York.
Spontaneity
The Blue Mask was recorded with only
one instrumental overdub, which adds a
feel of spontaneity to Reed's approach.
The sound on most of the songs could
pass for one of those sensitive folkies' kind
of approach, but big Lou's vocals are too
cynical to ever bore. Guitarist Robert
Quine does have some hot licks on a few
of the cuts, though, to add some rock and
roll flash.
"My House," the first song, is dedicated
to the poet Delmore Schwarts, whom Reed
acknowledges as an inspiration and a teach
er. On this song, Reed mentions his wife
Sylvia for the first of many times on the
record. She designed the album cover and
her name is included in many of the songs.
' 7 've really got a lucky life
My writing, my motorcycle, my wife "
This is the first indication that Lou
is becoming sentimental. Is he going to
move to the suburbs next?
The next song is "Women," where Lou
salutes the distaff side of humanity with
complete sincerity, I think. Since his sex
life was always held to be a little unusual
by the media, this is kind of a surprise.
Here is Lou, singing about buying flowers
and serenading his baby. This is so whole
some that it is hard to believe but excell
ent nevertheless.
Against alcohol
"Underneath the Bottle" is a rocker
about boozing it up, but papa Lou is not
endorsing alcohol abuse as he used to
condone other substances. He actually
comes out against alcoholism, no less.
"Average Guy" is another winner,
where Lou declares that he is just a regular
fellow with many of the same attributes
as the typical insurance salesman. Again,
Lou sounds so sincere that he has to be
taken at face value, but this is definitely
getting a little weird.
The most mind-boggling tune and also
an unqualified masterpiece, is a song called
"The Day John Kennedy Died," which is
truly an affecting work. Reed recreates
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Lou
how he heard about the assasination Nov.
22, 1963, when he was in college. Lou
must have been a college liberal because
this is a sad and touching tribute.
The Blue Mask is a great record which
shows that Lou Reed is continuing to grow
as an artist. Reed has rejected nihilism -good
for him.
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
ARCHITECTURE & MORALITY
By Bob Crisler
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Architecture d Morality Dindise-Virgin-Epic
Possibly the best description of this
band lies in its name. Orchestral Manoeuv
res in the Dark, henceforth "OMD", is
basically a two-man outift heavy on syn
thesizers, with a musical bent toward
heavy, brooding works of symphonic
movement and scope.
Paul Humphreys and Andrew McClus
key, the nucleus of the band (three other
musicians contribute on Architecture &
Morality), are artists on a classical scale.
OMD's debut record met with enthusi
astic reviews internationally, with the
single "Enola Gay" receiving extensive air
play in the United Kingdom.
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Photo courtesy RCA Records
Reed
1982's major musical export from Brit
ain thus far has been a revival of synthesizer-based
groups, a genre which was pio
neered in the mid 70s by Germany's Kraft
werk, a band that had an American hit
single in "Autobahn".
OMD is certainly one of the best of
these new bands, most of whom seem to
hide behind the impersonal mask that the
style affords. Ultimately, the initial fascina
tion with the synthesizer tends to wear in
to boredom with most of these new re
leases. OMD beats this by not relying solely on
synthesizer, but by bolstering its aural
transparency with conventional acoustic in
struments. The production of Architecture & Mor
ality is so thick, awash with icy tides of
synth, that it fails to really get under the
skin.
Lyrically, the record is a bit ambiguous.
"The New Stone Age" comes off Side One
crackling like a Geiger counter gone hay
wire, with a remorseful vocal: "Oh My God
- What have we done this time?" Is this a
look at a post-Armageddon Earth?
"She's Leaving wails from the heart of
every hopeless romantic - a brooding song
with the texture of velvet.
Notable on side two is "Architecture &
Morality," which begins like the sound
track of an old Boris Karloff movie - Bela
Lugosi trampling through a foggy cemetery
in the dead of night.
The only seriously upbeat song on the
LP is "Georgia," which has a strong sense
of unity and accomplishment on top of a
spunky beat, complete with Sgt. Pepper-ish
dubs of lunatic gibberish in the back
ground. Architecture & Morality is a record of
more depth than can be readily understood
in the few times I have listened to it. The
great thing about it is that it's a record that
continues to unfold, thereby retaining its
freshness long after most other records
MX
either have been memorized or become re
dundant. Albums by dB's
score with critics
but not labels
iy David Wood
(JB 'si Repercussion I Albion
In a 1980 poll, the dB's were voted the
new band that New Yorkers most wanted
to hear cut on vinyl. They now have two
albums.
Repercussion and dB Stands for Deci
bels have impressed the critics but not the
major labels, and neither of the fine albums
is available for less than import prices.
One may be tempted to read into these
facts that the dB's music is esoteric, ex
perimental or extreme. It's not. It's pop.
It's eloquent, emphatic and expert. It is
the precocious, not prodigal, sound of
youth.
Don't be mistaken. They aren't main
stream. Mainstream should be so lucky.
The dB's have some of the flavor of earlier
popsters. But the taste is definitely from
a later generation.
Labeling the unique blend of music
is like dividing apples by oranges. The
sum isn't in the units of the parts. The dB's
have the songsmanship of the Only Ones,
the vivacity of Sylvain Sylvain and the
Feelies' respect for their instruments.
Yet the composite picture distorts the dis
tinctive character of the band's handsome
music.
Comparisons are only jumping-off
points in describing Repercussion. "Little
a Lie," with its accompanying horns from
Graham Parker's Rumour, easily could
pass for Sylvain. So could the vocals on
"Storm Warning." But the song's calypso
keyboard and Spanish guitar is another
matter entirely.
The Only Ones, if they were high on
life, given cow bells, played faster and sang
higher, might sound like "Neverland"
and "Ups and Downs." Vocally, "Happen
stance" also is like the Only Ones. Yet
lyrically, it is like the Feelies. And when
psychedelic organ, cricket chirps and
Feelies-like strumming are tossed in, it's
an excellent song.
"Amplifier," which is perhaps the catch
iest, most danceable song on the album,
has the silly, loose spirit of Tom Verlaine.
The brandished guitar on "In Spain"
likewise is reminiscent of Verlaine. But its
vocals strangely evoke Nilsson and Jackson
Brown, despite the reckless beat.
"We Were Happy There" starts out like
Patti Smith's "Ain't It Strange," breaks
into calliope choruses and ends with art
iculate surf guitar and stomping drums.
"Ask for JU1" could be a song from a pop
musical.
Three of Repercussion's 12 songs are
ballads. And two are great. Acoustic gui
tar, viola, bongos and electronics make
"I Feel Good" superior to similar tunes
by the Boomtown Rats. And "Nothing
Is Wrong" is exquisite, as beautiful as a
sea of sing-along by John Lennon.
The Beatles were clearly an inspiration
for the dBs and the exuberant, yet pared
down music of the dB's, as much as any
band's, is helping pop melody-making
to keep fresh in the face of modern styles
and stylistics.