Perfect Night: Live in London [Live]

Tracks:

I'll Be Your Mirror
Perfect Day
The Kids
Vicious
Busload Of Faith
Kicks
Talking Book
Into The Divine
Coney Island Baby
New Sensations
Why Do You Talk
Riptide
Original Wrapper
Sex With Your Parents
Dirty Blvd.

Amazon.com

The first sign that the live acoustic set Perfect Night is going to be dodgy is the liner notes, where Reed enthuses over the "Feedbucker"--a device that wipes out feedback. This from the man who recorded "I Heard Her Call My Name." Reed walks-and-talks through 15 of his songs with the absolute confidence of a man convinced he's a great urban poet. The problem is that he's only that sometimes: "The Kids" and "Vicious" come out just fine, but later material sounds flatter and preachier than ever--reviving "The Original Wrapper" is a mistake any way you want to cut it. Reed isn't just a lyricist, he's a songwriter, and reducing his music to functional accompaniment doesn't do his songs justice. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

It was indeed a Perfect Night.......2007-05-24

This is Lou's finest live album. It is a thoughtful career overview that touches all the way back to Velvets (no "Heroin" this time, kids, been done enough), it has great sound, and is a great performance by the band. "I'll Be Your Mirror" is both personal and beautiful. "New Sensations" rips the bleeding heart out of its pure adrenaline existence. All stops in between are met. This is intimate; this is satisfying. It is not pretty wimp rock for losers, it should only be listened to by those who hope for music to be in some way the balm and salvation for their discontent.

Adequate material, tight band.......2005-09-29

For a Lou Reed live album, this works only part of the time.

If you're expecting another 'Rock & Roll Animal,' this ain't it.

On the minus side, Reed's monotone delivery doesn't really add
anything to these versions. Some listeners may grow weary with
this approach over an hour-long plus CD.

On the plus side, the backing band is tight, perfectly suited
to the stripped-down arrangements.

Interesting cross-section of material, but those easily
offended might want to skip Track #14 and its bizarre subject
matter, but coming from someone like Lou, it's to be expected.

I'm surprised that this doesn't carry a PA sticker for that
track and becauses he uses the 'F' word 4 or 5 times on the CD.

So if you like Lou and all his faults, you'll like this, in a
modest way. But if you don't, this won't make a fan out of you.

An okay live album from Lou Reed,........2005-07-03

Perfect Nigh: Live in London was a live album that Lou Reed made during some down time he had before his next disc.
Nothing ground breaking, just Lou Reed and his band going through some old tunes infront of a live audience in England. Nothing to write home about. A nice tight performance from Lou and company.

Recommended for Lou Reed fans.

It Almost Was a Perfect Night.......2004-12-07

It almost was a perfect night. Just before this show Lou Reed had found an acoustic guitar that he described as "having the sound of diamonds" and a way of amplifying it so the instrument's real sound would reach the audience. Like any good artist would he wanted to share the find. He put a four piece ensemble together with guitarist Mike Rathke, bass player Fernando Saunders and drummer Tony Smith. They went on stage and played a tight set that pumped up both the audience and the band.

It drew from many of the nooks in Reed's catalogue. There was some newer material and a helping of the old. It all became new again that night. Reed likes to play around with material a little. It doesn't always work but there are always surprises. However it went all the songs got inspired readings.

The set opened with a commanding performance of "I'll Be Your Mirror". It was a hit when it was first released. It sounds as if it would be a hit if was released today. The song is as fresh now as it was thirty years ago. They follow it up with "Perfect Day". He could have named this one "Perfect Song"; it's that good. "Coney Island Baby" almost ended up as an obscure piece. When Reed first wrote it his management described it as "one of the worst things they'd ever heard". According to him that was the "end of the management". Listen to the impassioned treatment he gives it here and decide who was right.

Most of the set is up to the standard set by the opening numbers. Not all of the material scores points with me. I could have done without "Original Wrapper" and "Sex With Your Parents" but that's just a matter of personal taste. Those songs are just as well put together and just as well executed as the rest of the material in the was. Highlights are abundant. The performances of "Busload of Faith" and "Riptide" are riveting. He must of pulled this reading of "Talking Book" straight from his heart. Listen to it. Think about it. Feel it. There's something new there each time it's played. He couldn't have picked a better piece to close with than "Dirty Boulevard". The song combines scathing social commentary with a fine melody and a healthy injection of rock and roll passion. It's performed with fierce energy here.

Reed is one of the best writers of song in the business. He knows the technical side of the craft well. He was a staff writer for a company that wrote jingles for commercials before taking to the stage. He never lost the raw edges of a creative purist though. That's a mixture that's rare in the industry. His catalogue is a rich one and though he's never the one who sells the most records he's one the other musicians would never want to be without. This set will give anyone not familiar with his work a good insight as to why that's the case.

Listen and learn.

I really wanted to like this cd...........2003-03-23

I've been a fan of Lou Reeds for a long time. I've seen him in concert three or four times and I do appreciate his storytelling style.

In listening to this CD, I simply wasn't impressed. Vicious, which was always more a parody to me than serious, sounded pretentious. Dirty Boulevard was rushed...the very musicality of the whole concert seemed lackluster. If I was at the show that night, I would have though Reed was having a serious off-night.

Using an online radio service, I heard a version of Perfect Day (a wonderful Velvet Underground song, one of my favorites) that I wanted to own. I clicked on buy this album and this was the one it directed me to. Not the same version, but it is still the best song on this CD.

Hope this helps...

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