Magic and Loss

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
After spending a good many years searching for his main line, Lou Reed tapped into a fresh vein of creativity with 1989's New York and Songs for Drella, a tribute to Andy Warhol made with his former Velvet Underground partner John Cale. With two friends suffering from cancer--one being songwriter Doc Pomus--Reed went to work on his most soul-searching effort to date. The rollicking opening cut, "What's Good," suggests he found the rock & roll heart in such tragedy, but once the supple rhythm section is supplanted by a slow, time-checking click, the reality of death's ominous shadow casts a doom and gloom on the proceedings. The result is an extremely grim, yet fascinating, song cycle. --Rob O'Connor --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Magic and Loss
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I don't like it
  • Great
  • Lou's "Heavy Album"
  • A Beautiful Poetic Epic
  • God Forbid We Should Get Depressed About Death
 Magic and Loss
Lou Reed
Manufacturer: Sire / London/Rhino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. New York
  2. Set the Twilight Reeling
  3. Songs for Drella
  4. Ecstasy
  5. The Blue Mask

ASIN: B000002LQD
Release Date: 1992-01-14

Tracks:

  1. Dorita
  2. What's Good
  3. Power and Glory
  4. Magician
  5. Sword Of Damocles
  6. Goodby Mass
  7. Cremation
  8. Dreamin'
  9. No Chance
  10. Warrior King
  11. Harry's Circumcision - Reverie Gone Astray
  12. Gassed and Stoked
  13. Power and Glory Pt. II
  14. Magic and Loss

Amazon.com

After spending a good many years searching for his main line, Lou Reed tapped into a fresh vein of creativity with 1989's New York and Songs for Drella, a tribute to Andy Warhol made with his former Velvet Underground partner John Cale. With two friends suffering from cancer--one being songwriter Doc Pomus--Reed went to work on his most soul-searching effort to date. The rollicking opening cut, "What's Good," suggests he found the rock & roll heart in such tragedy, but once the supple rhythm section is supplanted by a slow, time-checking click, the reality of death's ominous shadow casts a doom and gloom on the proceedings. The result is an extremely grim, yet fascinating, song cycle. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars I don't like it.......2006-11-20

I full cd made up of songs about death and loss is artistic and ambitious but has a lack of entertainment value.

I admire how Lou Reed reduced his feelings to a recording however, for the listener, the dour theme prevents this from qualifying of being "repeated" listening.

A better work concerning death is Warren Zevon's "The Wind". It is very heartwarming but, at the same time, Zevon (always an excellent songwriter) varies the mood rather then making every song so sad and somber.

The first 4 songs of this are enjoyable (especially "Whats Good") but the rest is so depressing that it becomes quite ponderous.

5 out of 5 stars Great.......2005-12-30

This is one of Lou Reed's best cd's. If you are going through a loved one having cancer, this cd is for you. It will raise up some emotions that you thought you didn't have. Great relief.

5 out of 5 stars Lou's "Heavy Album".......2005-10-30

Lou Reed's concept album "Magic & Loss" is the most affecting and profound work of his amazing solo career. Critics who label the album "dark" and "grim" only understand part of the story and, frankly, completely miss Reed's salient point.

Although "Magic" is indeed a dark record - what Lou Reed album could not be called dark? - it is more concerned with finding meaning than misery, more about catharsis than chaos.

Some standout tracks include:
"What's Good" - one of Lou's most infectious rockers ever

"Sword Of Damocles" - features unusually effective synthesizer playing, especially for a Lou Reed album

"Dreamin'" - Evocative and heartwrenching meditation on the premature death of a close friend

"Magic And Loss" - the album's final stirring track closes the circle and leaves the listener transformed

I like to think of this record as the third part of a trilogy - also composed of 1989's "New York" and 1990's "Songs For Drella" - representing his best-ever string of albums. 1991's "Magic And Loss' is Lou Reed in his prime, and is the most "meaningful" record in his catalogue.

5 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Poetic Epic.......2005-08-05

Magic and Loss by Lou Reed is a tribute to two of his friends that had died. Using that and mythical messages Reed has created some of his best songs. There his best because there personal and the guitar and his voice go good with them. Also features Jimmy Scott as a guest. Favorites include What's Good, Power and Glory (ft. Jimmy Scott), Sword of Damocles, Goodby Mass, Warrior King, Power and Glory, Pt. 2, and Magic and Loss. Highly Recommended.

4 out of 5 stars God Forbid We Should Get Depressed About Death.......2005-07-03

Magic and Loss grabbed me in the 90's when I was relatively at peace with myself. It grabbed me again this year when I had experienced some turmoil and loss. Forgetting the "depressing" lyrics for a moment, it's got some catchy licks and a couple of excellent tunes (well, Lou doesn't actually sing, but whatever you call what he does is very effective here).

Do people really avoid depression by not thinking about something? I don't know, but I come out of listening to this album feeling better about life. Not because he holds out any false hope or turns to Greener Pastures at the end, but because hey, if this guy can deal with his grief and turn it into art, then by golly so can I.
Magic & Loss
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • More loss than magic
 Magic & Loss

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000CSUUP0
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars More loss than magic.......2007-07-23

On Magic & Loss Reed investigates mortality, loss, guilt, rage and resignation. Each song has a subtitle and a mystical symbol, tracking the issue in full circle and attempting to cover all aspects and relevant emotions of the chosen theme.

The best tracks, because their melodies make them stand out, include Sword of Damocles (Externally) with its flash of humor ("That mix of morphine and dexedrine/We use it on the street"), Cremation (Ashes to Ashes), the strange, funny and sad Harry's Circumcision (Reverie Gone Astray) and the powerful rocker What's Good.

As on his New York album, the instrumentation is sparse with only guitars, bass, percussion and drums. It is a moving and literate piece of work, but ironically lacks some of the magic found on most of his best albums. Perhaps because he chose a rigid framework, the overall impression is one of sameness and lack of variation.

Still, it is by no means a uniformly bleak album, and at least lyrically, there is plenty of material that ranks among his best work. The sound is reminiscent of the New York album, but unlike that one which is his least personal work, this one focuses on the loss of specific friends and his reaction to death, making it highly personal and intimate in its exploration of universal themes.

A good album then, but not a Reed work that I listen to very often. My real rating is three and a half stars.
New Religion
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		New Religion

    Manufacturer: Fire Is Magic Music
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B000CADC08
    Release Date: 2005-03-29
    Life is Magic: Weight Loss
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Life is Magic: Weight Loss
      Wayne Lee
      Manufacturer: Avatar Publications
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000A139AC
      Release Date: 2005-06-01

      Tracks:

      1. Introduction
      2. Hypnotic Relaxation
      3. Specific Program
      4. Meditation Music
      5. Relaxation Music

      Product Description

      Healthy body, healthy mind. Its the best way to move forward. But many of us have conditioned ourselves in self-destructive patterns that sap our energy and undermine our mind. You can end this by ending your negative self image. Create a powerful image of your physical self in vibrant health. Turn off the desire for empty foods and turn on your desire to to be fit and live with endless energy.

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