Review of A Night with Lou Reed

This brief, tight-as-a-drum set was filmed at the Bottom Line in Manhattan, shortly after the release of Reed's album "Legendary Hearts". Joined by Fernando Saunders (bass), Fred Maher (drums), and the late Robert Quine (lead guitar), Reed cranks out thirteen songs in just under an hour. There are five Velvet Underground numbers, but--with the exception of 'New Age', the only true ballad of the set--they are faster, punchier, and more sparse than the old Velvets versions. (They lack the atmosphere of the originals, but that's a relatively minor quibble because this is such an energetic performance.) The high points of "A Night with Lou Reed" are two of Reed's solo songs, the brutal 'Waves of Fear' (which contains Quine's best-ever solo) and 'Kill Your Sons' (on which Reed solos). As you watch the band play these numbers, you'll wonder how the Bottom Line's tiny stage held together under the blasts of cacophonous--yet controlled--sound. This is as good as or better than any live show I've ever seen. You can enjoy "A Night with Lou Reed" for its pure energy, for the Rock and Roll Animal's songwriting prowess, or both.