Live in Italy (Lou Reed album)

Last updated
Live in Italy
Italylive.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedJanuary 1984
RecordedSeptember 7, 1983, Verona
September 10, 1983, Rome
Genre Rock
Length75:19
Label RCA Records
Lou Reed chronology
Legendary Hearts
(1983)
Live in Italy
(1984)
New Sensations
(1984)
Lou Reed chronology
Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s
(1996)
Live In Concert
(1996; reissue)
Ecstasy
(2000)

Live In Italy is an album by Lou Reed recorded live over two nights in September 1983 (on the 7th in Verona and on the 10th, at the ruins of Circus Maximus, in Rome) using the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit. [1] It was issued on vinyl only in Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan. At the time, Reed and his band were on a world tour to promote the album Legendary Hearts . A live video, A Night with Lou Reed , filmed at a New York concert, was also released to coincide with the album. The video omitted the songs "Betrayed", "Sally Can't Dance", "Average Guy" and "Some Kinda Love"/"Sister Ray" from the 10th show, while adding "Don't Talk to Me About Work", "Women", "Turn Out the Light" and "New Age" from the 7th.

Contents

In 1996, the album was reissued under the title Live in Concert .

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
The Village Voice B+ [5]

From contemporary reviews, the NME wondered why the majority of the songs came from Reed's Velvet Underground years, asking if it was, "because in Robert Quine, Lou Reed has at last found another simpatico guitarist, and he's just delighted to spar with him on "Sister Ray" and all those other great old songs which, frustratingly, just haven't been played right for years?" [6] Ken Tucker of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave Live in Italy a five out of five star rating, declaring it "a wonderful encapsulation of Reed's career" finding Reed's vocals "tart and witty" and that "his phrasing loses very little subtlety in this huge-arena context." [4] Tucker also praised Robert Quine who "delivers some of the finest, roughest, most caustic rock guitar playing I've ever heard." [4]

Track listing

All songs written by Lou Reed except as indicated.

Side one

  1. "Sweet Jane" (3:46)
  2. "I'm Waiting for My Man" (4:00)
  3. "Martial Law" (4:06)
  4. "Satellite of Love" (5:06)

Side two

  1. "Kill Your Sons" (5:35)
  2. "Betrayed" (3:05)
  3. "Sally Can't Dance" (3:24)
  4. "Waves of Fear" (3:16)
  5. "Average Guy" (2:54)

Side three

  1. "White Light/White Heat" (3:10)
  2. "Some Kinda Love / Sister Ray" (Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker) (15:30)

Side four

  1. "Walk on the Wild Side" (4:28)
  2. "Heroin" (8:34)
  3. "Rock & Roll" (6:10)

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [7]

Production

Related Research Articles

Robert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist. A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown. Critic Mark Deming wrote that "Quine's eclectic style embraced influences from jazz, rock, and blues players of all stripes, and his thoughtful technique and uncompromising approach led to rewarding collaborations with a number of visionary musicians."

<i>The Velvet Underground</i> (album) 1969 studio album by the Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground is the third studio album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released in March 1969 by MGM Records, it was their first record with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who replaced previous member John Cale. Recorded in 1968 at TTG Studios in Los Angeles, California, the album's sound—consisting largely of ballads and straightforward rock songs—marked a notable shift in style from the band's previous recordings. Lead vocalist Lou Reed intentionally did this as a result of their abrasive previous studio album White Light/White Heat (1968). Reed wanted other band members to sing on the album; Yule contributed lead vocals to the opening track and the closing track "After Hours" is sung by drummer Maureen Tucker.

<i>Loaded</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 1970 studio album by the Velvet Underground

Loaded is the fourth studio album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in November 1970 by Atlantic Records subsidiary Cotillion. It was the final album recorded featuring the band’s remaining original members, including the lead singer and primary songwriter Lou Reed, who left the band shortly before the album's release, and the guitarist Sterling Morrison, who left the band in 1971 along with the drummer Maureen Tucker. For this reason, it is often considered by fans to be the last "true" Velvet Underground album. The multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule remained and released the album Squeeze in 1973 before the band's dissolution the same year.

<i>Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes</i> 2001 live album by The Velvet Underground

Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes is a triple live album by The Velvet Underground. It was released on October 16, 2001, by Polydor, the record label overseeing the band's UMG back catalogue. It was recorded by Robert Quine, a fan of the band who would later become an influential guitarist, playing with Richard Hell, Lou Reed, and Lloyd Cole.

<i>Street Hassle</i> 1978 studio album by Lou Reed

Street Hassle is the eighth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in February 1978 by Arista Records. Richard Robinson and Reed produced the album. It is the first commercially released pop album to employ binaural recording technology. Street Hassle combines live concert tapes and studio recordings.

<i>Lou Reed</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Lou Reed

Lou Reed is the debut solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in May 1972 by RCA Records, two years after he left the Velvet Underground. It was produced by Richard Robinson and Reed and features London session musicians as Reed's backing band, two of whom, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe, were from the British progressive rock band Yes. Wakeman recalled that during the recording sessions, "the lights had to be out so nobody could see." The album was recorded at Morgan Studios in London, between December 1971 and January 1972.

<i>Berlin</i> (Lou Reed album) 1973 studio album by Lou Reed

Berlin is the third solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in October 1973 by RCA Records. A concept album, Berlin tells the story of a couple's struggle with drug addiction and abuse. Initially, critical reception was mixed but appraisals of the album have warmed over the years: in 1973 Rolling Stone declared the album "a disaster", but by 2012 the album was ranked No. 344 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

<i>Sally Cant Dance</i> 1974 studio album by Lou Reed

Sally Can't Dance is the fourth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in September 1974 by RCA Records. Steve Katz and Reed produced the album. It remains Reed's highest-charting album in the United States, having peaked at #10 during a 14-week stay on the Billboard 200 album chart in October 1974. It is also the first solo Lou Reed album not to feature any songs originally recorded by Reed's earlier band, the Velvet Underground, as well as the first of Reed's solo studio albums to be recorded in the United States. The album art was designed by noted Fillmore and Broadway poster artist David Edward Byrd and was one of the few album covers he ever designed.

<i>Growing Up in Public</i> (Lou Reed album) 1980 studio album by Lou Reed

Growing Up in Public is the tenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in April 1980 by Arista Records.

<i>New Sensations</i> 1984 studio album by Lou Reed

New Sensations is the thirteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in April 1984 by RCA Records. John Jansen and Reed produced the album. New Sensations peaked at No. 56 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at No. 92 on the UK Albums Chart. This marked the first time that Reed charted within the US Top 100 since his eighth solo studio album Street Hassle (1978), and the first time that Reed had charted in the UK since his sixth solo studio album Coney Island Baby (1976). Three singles were released from the album: "I Love You, Suzanne", "My Red Joystick" and "High in the City", with "I Love You, Suzanne" being the only single to chart, peaking at No. 78 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for "I Love You, Suzanne" did, however, receive light rotation on MTV.

<i>New York</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Lou Reed

New York is the fifteenth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in January 1989 by Sire Records.

<i>The Blue Mask</i> 1982 studio album by Lou Reed

The Blue Mask is the eleventh solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released on February 23, 1982, by RCA Records. Reed had returned to the label after having left Arista Records. The album was released around Reed's 40th birthday, and covers topics of marriage and settling down, alongside themes of violence, paranoia, and alcoholism.

<i>Rock n Roll Animal</i> 1974 live album by Lou Reed

Rock 'n' Roll Animal is a live album by American musician Lou Reed, released in February 1974 by RCA Records. In its original form, it features five songs, four of which were initially recorded by The Velvet Underground. Reed's band included Pentti Glan (drums), Prakash John (bass), Ray Colcord (keyboards), and Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter (guitars).

<i>Mistrial</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Lou Reed

Mistrial is the fourteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in April 1986 by RCA Records two years after his previous studio album, New Sensations (1984). Fernando Saunders and Reed produced the album.

<i>Legendary Hearts</i> 1983 studio album by Lou Reed

Legendary Hearts is the twelfth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in March 1983 by RCA Records. Reed produced the album, and dedicated it to his then-wife, Sylvia, who was credited with the cover concept. Due to tensions with Reed, most of Robert Quine's guitar parts were mixed down or removed entirely.

<i>Rock and Roll Heart</i> 1976 studio album by Lou Reed

Rock and Roll Heart is the seventh solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in October 1976. It was his first album for Arista Records after record mogul Clive Davis reportedly rescued him from bankruptcy. "A Sheltered Life" dates back to 1967, when the Velvet Underground recorded a demo of it. The Velvet Underground also performed "Follow the Leader", and a live recording of it was released on The Quine Tapes (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Tomorrow's Parties</span> 1967 single by The Velvet Underground and Nico

"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, The Velvet Underground & Nico.

<i>A Night with Lou Reed</i> 1984 video by Lou Reed

A Night with Lou Reed is a video by Lou Reed. It is drawn from the same tour as the album Live in Italy, which was released the following year.

Fernando Saunders is an American musician, singer and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is perhaps best known for his longtime partnership with musician Lou Reed, from 1982 to 1987 and again from 1996 to 2008.

<i>The Complete Matrix Tapes</i> 2015 live album by the Velvet Underground

The Complete Matrix Tapes is a live album by the New York City-based experimental rock band the Velvet Underground, released on November 20, 2015. It features unexpurgated recordings of the band's two-night stint on November 26 and 27, 1969, at San Francisco club The Matrix, owned and operated by Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin.

References

  1. 1 2 Discogs - Live in Italy 2012-07-24th reissue CD Italy
  2. Live in Italy at AllMusic
  3. Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-breaking Music". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Tucker, Ken (March 30, 1984). "Albums". The Philadelphia Inquirer . p. 26. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. Christgau, Robert (April 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  6. Mat Snow. "Lou Reed: Live in Italy". Rock's Backpages .(Subscription required.)
  7. Live in Italy liner notes. RCA Records. 1983.
  8. Discogs – Rossella Antonelli profile and discography
  9. Discogs – Piero Mannucci profile and discography
  10. Discogs – Guido Harari profile and discography
  11. Discogs – Luciano Viti profile and discography
  12. Dicogs – Antonio La Rosa profile and discography
  13. Discogs – Live in Italy 2001 CD Europe
  14. Discogs – Toshikazu Ohtaka profile and discography
  15. Discogs – Live in Italy 2006–09–20th reissue CD Japan
  16. Discogs – Carlo Basile profile and discography