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Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

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Re: Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

#22
post #12

"Only about 3000 people bought Velvet Underground albums, but all of them started a band."

“That's a quote that (in various different wordings) has been attributed to Brian Eno countless times, though even the author of the most comprehensive Eno biography couldn't track down the original source. Of more importance, The Velvet Underground & Nico [the debut album], though not exactly a hit the first time around, sold a lot more than just a few thousand copies — and more, even, than the "30,000 copies in the first five years" that Lou Reed himself told Eno the LP sold. An MGM royalty statement shows sales of 58,476 copies through February 14, 1969 (about two years after its initial release)—not at all bad for a late-'60s LP, if far less than Andy Warhol and the Velvets hoped for.”

Re: Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

#24
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has been discussed many times, but as you've just joined, here's a PSA: On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity. [1] Lou Reed was an amazing musician, and someone that promoted intellectual curiosity [2], hence the 20+ points. (too bad…

If you're going to quote something, make sure that it doesn't directly contradict your position: "If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic."

So we probably shouldn’t discuss NSA surveillance ever again here on HN, right?

Lou Reed spoke on technology at SXSW. He was an audio purist. He made a video mocking the GOP. I think he qualified as an influential geek and deserves a black band on the title bar of HN.

Re: Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

#25
post #16

The Velvet Underground's career can be summed up as: "Commercially unsuccessful, but enormously influential". On a side note, if you have a few minutes to spare, read Lou Reed's review of Kanye's Yeezus : http://thetalkhouse.com/reviews/view/lou-reed It's interesting to read a legend's opinion on a modern pop-star.

It is strange reading that about Yeezus, Kanye made Yeezus with a number of other musicians (the full list, according to Wiki: 88-Keys, Ackee Juice Rockers, Arca, Benji B, Carlos Broady, Brodinski, Ben Bronfman, Evian Christ, Eric Danchild, Daft Punk, Mike Dean, Dom Solo, Jack Donoghue, Gesaffelstein, Noah Goldstein, Lunice, Lupe Fiasco, Hudson Mohawke, No ID, Che Pope, Rick Rubin, S1, Travis Scott, and Sham Joseph).

So, when he's praising the horns line, the piano line, or the complex electronic effects, it's not Kanye who's responsible for all of that, it's Daft Punk, it's Mike Dean, or Mohawke.

Anyway, I'm getting unnecessarily off-topic here. So to get back: Lou Reed was undeniably an innovator like no other, a true hacker. He knew how to play a mean guitar (jazz, blues, rock'n'roll and a whole lot else), he wrote great poetry. The greatest thing that's said about him is, indeed, as another commenter already has said: "Only about 3000 people bought Velvet Underground albums, but all of them started a band."

My two favorite songs of his: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffr0opfm6I4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNknGIKkoA

Re: Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

#28
post #6

RIP Lou Reed, one of my favorite musicians. The song Heroin has so much dissonance and noise throughout that it's almost revolting to listen to. Over time it grew into one of my favorite songs in that I learned to find beauty in the clash of consonance and dissonance. At the risk of hyperbole, that mindset of finding something new from the conflict of opposing forces is something that now applies in far more areas of…

I agree wholeheartedly, The Velvet Underground has always been one of my favorite bands and has shaped my musical taste. It was the band that made me look into punk, glam rock, new wave, and psychobilly.

My favorite song is ‘Beginning to see the light’.

Re: Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

#29
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're going to quote something, make sure that it doesn't directly contradict your position: "If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic."

So we probably shouldn’t discuss NSA surveillance ever again here on HN, right? Lou Reed spoke on technology at SXSW. He was an audio purist. He made a video mocking the GOP. I think he qualified as an influential geek and deserves a black band on the title bar of HN.

> So we probably shouldn’t discuss NSA surveillance ever again here on HN, right?

I CAN ONLY DREAM.

Re: Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Leader and Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71

#30
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So we probably shouldn’t discuss NSA surveillance ever again here on HN, right? Lou Reed spoke on technology at SXSW. He was an audio purist. He made a video mocking the GOP. I think he qualified as an influential geek and deserves a black band on the title bar of HN.

> So we probably shouldn’t discuss NSA surveillance ever again here on HN, right? I CAN ONLY DREAM.

Sure, keep working on point 4 of your S:N Improvement Program.
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