New Sensations | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 1984 | |||
Studio | Skyline Studios (New York City) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:24 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Producer |
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Lou Reed chronology | ||||
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Lou Reed studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from New Sensations | ||||
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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.
"Open Invitation",an unreleased song from the album's recording sessions in late 1983,was released online in March 2023.
Guitarist Robert Quine,who had played on Reed's previous two studio albums, The Blue Mask (1982) and Legendary Hearts (1983),had had a falling-out with Reed during the recording sessions,so Reed opted to play most of the guitar parts on the album himself,with the exceptions being "My Red Joystick" and "My Friend George",which feature Fernando Saunders providing rhythm guitar. Years after the album's release,Saunders claimed that one of the issues during recording was that Quine had personally composed the "guitar riff" for "I Love You,Suzanne" in the studio while the band was rehearsing. Upon hearing Quine's riff,Reed had written the lyrics to the song,but he had failed to give Quine a co-writing credit for the song in the album credits,thus cutting Quine out of royalties which added further strain to their relationship. [2] Despite their falling out,Quine later joined Reed for the world tour in support of the album.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
The Boston Phoenix | [4] |
Chicago Tribune | [5] |
Pitchfork | 5.8/10 [6] |
Record Collector | [7] |
Record Mirror | [8] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 [11] |
The Village Voice | A [12] |
Upon release,New Sensations received favorable reviews from music critics. Writing for The Village Voice ,music journalist Robert Christgau stated that "instead of straining fruitlessly to top himself,Reed has settled into a pattern as satisfying as what he had going with the Velvets,though by definition it isn't as epochal. The music is simple and inevitable,and even the sarcastic songs are good sarcastic songs". [12] In Rolling Stone ,Kurt Loder called it "a long-overdue delight that's all the more exciting for being completely unexpected." [9]
Robert Palmer of The New York Times praised New Sensations,along with Reed's preceding studio albums The Blue Mask and Legendary Hearts,as "uniformly splendid,ranking with the very best of [Reed's] earlier solo work." [13]
Ira Robbins of Trouser Press addressed Reed's decision to play all the guitar parts himself,describing the result as "anything but self-indulgent. Forsaking the two-guitar sound just throws Saunders' distinctive fretless bass playing and Reed's spare arrangements into higher relief,and they merit the attention –as do the songs,which prove that a middle-aged rock songwriter can have plenty to offer." [14]
New Sensations would later place ninth in The Village Voice's annual Pazz &Jop critics' poll. [15]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic,critic Mark Deming wrote of the album,"New Sensations showed that Reed had a lot more warmth and humanity than he was given credit for,and made clear that he could 'write happy' when he felt like,with all the impact of his 'serious' material." [3]
All tracks are written by Lou Reed
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "I Love You, Suzanne" | 3:19 |
2. | "Endlessly Jealous" | 3:57 |
3. | "My Red Joystick" | 3:36 |
4. | "Turn to Me" | 4:22 |
5. | "New Sensations" | 5:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
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6. | "Doin' the Things That We Want To" | 3:55 |
7. | "What Becomes a Legend Most" | 3:37 |
8. | "Fly into the Sun" | 3:04 |
9. | "My Friend George" | 3:51 |
10. | "High in the City" | 3:27 |
11. | "Down at the Arcade" | 3:40 |
Total length: | 42:24 |
Credits are adapted from the New Sensations liner notes. [16]
Musicians
Production and artwork
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [17] | 56 |
Dutch Album Chart | 43 |
UK Albums Chart [18] | 92 |
US Billboard 200 [19] | 56 |
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."
The Raven is the nineteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released on January 28, 2003 by Sire Records. It is a concept album, recounting the short stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe through word and song, and was based on his 2000 opera co-written with Robert Wilson, POEtry.
Brighten the Corners is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on February 11, 1997, by Matador Records. The album received very positive reviews from critics.
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.
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.
Little Criminals is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. Like most of Newman's work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. The first song on the album – "Short People" – became a hit single in its own right. The album itself peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart, Newman's highest-charting album to date.
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.
Coney Island Baby is the sixth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in January 1976 by RCA Records.
New York is the fifteenth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in January 1989 by Sire Records.
The Blue Mask is the eleventh solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in February 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.
Magic and Loss is the sixteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released on January 14, 1992, by Sire Records. A concept album, it was Reed's highest-charting album on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 6.
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.
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.
Ecstasy is the eighteenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released on April 4, 2000, by Reprise Records. A concept album about Reed's personal experiences with marriage and relationships, it is his final rock album that is not a collaboration.
Rock and Roll Heart is the seventh solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in November 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).
Live In Italy is an album by Lou Reed recorded live over two nights in September 1983 using the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit. 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.
In a Special Way is the third studio album by American R&B group DeBarge, released by Gordy Records on September 24, 1983. It was recorded at Kendun Records in Burbank and Westlake Audio in West Hollywood; written and produced by lead vocalist El DeBarge with additional writing by Mark, James and Bunny DeBarge.
"I Love You, Suzanne" is a song written and recorded by American musician Lou Reed, released as both a 7" and 12" single from his thirteenth solo studio album, New Sensations (1984). The lead and only single to chart from the album, it peaked at No. 78 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for "I Love You, Suzanne" received light rotation on MTV.
"My Red Joystick" is a song written and recorded by American musician Lou Reed, released as both a 7" and 12" single from his thirteenth solo studio album, New Sensations (1984). Following the minor success of "I Love You, Suzanne", "My Red Joystick" was released as the second single from the album however it failed to chart. Like "I Love You, Suzanne" it also had an official music video made for it, featuring the same blond woman who had featured in the aforementioned video. Reed once introduced the song in concert as his "version of James Brown", joking that it wasn't obvious hence why he had to inform the audience before he played it.
High in the City is a song written and recorded by American rock musician Lou Reed, released on his thirteenth solo studio album, New Sensations (1984). Released as a 7" single exclusively in the Netherlands by RCA Records, it was the third and final single from the album, but like the single that preceded it, "My Red Joystick", it failed to chart. "High in the City" is the only single released from the album that didn't have a music video made for it.
Playful... It boasts a closing 'Down in the Arcade' that sounds like Lou's having the most fun he ever allowed himself...
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