Track Listing
1. I'll Be Your Mirror
2. Perfect Day
3. Kids, The
4. Vicious
5. Busload of Faith
6. Kicks
7. Talking Book
8. Into the Divine
9. Coney Island Baby
10. New Sensations
11. Why Do You Talk
12. Riptide
13. Original Wrapper
14. Sex With Your Parents
15. Dirty Blvd.
| Details | | Producer: | Lou Reed, Mike Rathke | | Distributor: | WEA (Distributor) | | Recording Type: | Live | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Lou Reed (vocals, guitar); Fernando Saunders (vocals, bass); Tony "Thunder" Smith (vocals, drums); Mike Rathke (guitar).
Recorded live at the Meltdown Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London, England on July 3, 1997. Includes liner notes by Lou Reed.
You might consider releasing a fourth live album to be a questionable career move, even for an artist of Lou Reed's stature. However, PERFECT NIGHT comes at an opportune time for Uncle Lou, following the triumph of latter-day Reed classics like NEW YORK and SET THE TWILIGHT REELING (both of which are represented here) and coinciding with a PBS documentary on Reed and the reissue of one of his finest '70s albums, BERLIN (acknowledged by a reading of "The Kids"). By the late '90s, Reed had settled comfortably into his iconic status, while still enjoying the effects of the artistic rejuvenation that began for him around the time of BLUE MASK and continued through the next decade-and-a-half.
In stark contrast to the glam-rock excesses of previous live recordings like ROCK & ROLL ANIMAL, PERFECT NIGHT is so spare that the quartet recordings almost sound like solo performances. The focus here is on Reed's lyrics, which are delivered with a rather uncharacteristic determination. This slice of live Lou is no cheesy repackaging of greatest hits, it's a valid addition to Reed's catalog.
Editorial Reviews
...Fans hoping for ROCK'N'ROLL ANIMAL, PART II may be disappointed, but then, Reed is a very different animal than he once was, having morphed into a hipster Pete Seeger offering survivors of youthful excess catchy ditties to sing along to. - Rating: B-
Entertainment Weekly (04/24/1998)
3 Stars (out of 5) - ...it's a serious pleasure to hear Reed all grown up and sorta happy at last....delicate but vital performances....Reed doesn't trot out the greatest near-hits again, but instead goes deep into his songbook...
Rolling Stone (05/14/1998)
3 Stars (out of 5) - ...it's a serious pleasure to hear Reed all grown up and sorta happy at last....delicate but vital performances....Reed doesn't trot out the greatest near-hits again, but instead goes deep into his songbook...Entertainment Weekly (4/24/98, p.79) - ...Fans hoping for ROCK'N'ROLL ANIMAL, PART II may be disappointed, but then, Reed is a very different animal than he once was, having morphed into a hipster Pete Seeger offering survivors of youthful excess catchy ditties to sing along to. - Rating: B-
Rolling Stone (05/14/1998)
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