Search - Lou Reed :: Perfect Day

Lesser known gems

Pieter | Johannesburg | 03/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Besides the poignant title track, Perfect Day includes some lesser-known but brilliant tracks from a wide spectrum of Lou Reed albums. The choice of songs is unusual and interesting. His softer side emerges on songs like Coney Island Baby, Men Of Good Fortune and the sorrowful Sad Song from the Berlin album.



The best rock numbers are Rock `n Roll Heart, Vicious Circle, the powerful and rousing Temporary Thing and the ominous Gun which comes from the Blue Mask album. What I consider to be Reed's conversational style is exemplified by songs such as Growing Up In Public, Legendary Hearts and Downtown Dirt, no doubt related to (Uptown) Dirt from the Street Hassle album.



The great thing about this compilation is the fact that it contains some truly brilliant compositions from a number of neglected albums or those that were dismissed by the critics. Fact is, all of Reed's albums contain at last one or two great numbers. Perfect Day thus brings to light some gems of his oeuvre that might otherwise have remained buried. It is a strong collection for the devoted fan that wants to delve deeper and investigate Reed's work beyond the familiar hits.



The Velvet Underground



Lou Reed: Between the Lines



NYC Man: The Ultimate Lou Reed Collection"