Sally Can't Dance

Last updated
Sally Can't Dance
SallyCD.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 1974
Recorded18 March – 26 April 1974
Studio Electric Lady Studios (Greenwich Village, New York City)
Genre Glam rock
Length32:58
Label RCA Victor
Producer
Lou Reed chronology
Rock 'n' Roll Animal
(1974)
Sally Can't Dance
(1974)
Lou Reed Live
(1975)
Lou Reed studio album chronology
Berlin
(1973)
Sally Can't Dance
(1974)
Metal Machine Music
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide B+ [3]
Tom Hull C+ [4]

Sally Can't Dance is the fourth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in September 1974 by RCA Records. [5] 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. [6] 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 (Reed's previous three albums were all recorded in the United Kingdom). 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.

Contents

Background

Aside from the title song, Sally Can't Dance includes "N.Y. Stars" (in which Reed pokes fun at "fourth-rate imitators" who tried to impress him by copying his style), "Kill Your Sons" (a reflection of his stay in a psychiatric hospital at his parents' insistence, during his teen years), and "Billy," about the fate of a schoolmate with more "normal" ambitions than he'd had. The latter track reunited Reed with erstwhile Velvet Underground bandmate Doug Yule, playing bass guitar. According to an interview with Yule, the call from Reed was "out of the blue", because Reed thought Yule's bass playing style would work well on the song "Billy", and Yule agreed to play on the song saying he "liked it" and that he had enjoyed the session. [7] More tracks featuring Yule have emerged on a CD re-issue. The title song reached #88 in Canada, [8] while the album itself was #22 for 3 weeks. [9]

The album's tour featured Danny Weis, on guitar; Michael Fonfara, on keyboards; Prakash John, on bass and Pentti "Whitey" Glan, on drums on the European leg. Eric "Mouse" Johnson played drums on the Australian and U.S. sections. The sound engineer for all the live shows was Robin Mayhew, who had previously worked with David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust period. The following year, Reed contacted Doug Yule again to play guitar on his 1975 world tour. [10]

While the record was a hit and elevated Reed's status as a star, he reportedly was disappointed in its production (in which he took a largely passive role) and the treatment of the songs. Reed remarked, "It seems like the less I'm involved with a record, the bigger a hit it becomes. If I weren't on the record at all next time around, it might go to Number One." In a 1976 interview, Reed stated that Sally Can't Dance was "a piece of shit from beginning to end." [11]

Following the relative critical successes of Transformer , Berlin and Rock 'n' Roll Animal , Sally Can't Dance received largely negative reviews. [12]

Cash Box said of the title song "a bluesy narrative type of vocal singing has made Reed as distinctive a performer as any" that has "the same hit feel" as "Take a Walk on the Wild Side." [13]

In 1974, however, RCA insisted on a rapid follow-up album while Reed's career appeared to be peaking. Tiring of the pressure put on him, and with his contract requiring RCA to release whatever record he gave them, Reed handed over the master tape of Metal Machine Music —an hour of feedback and noise, with no chance of becoming a hit.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lou Reed.

Side one

  1. "Ride Sally Ride" – 4:06
  2. "Animal Language" – 3:05
  3. "Baby Face" – 5:06
  4. "N.Y. Stars" – 4:02

Side two

  1. "Kill Your Sons" – 3:40
  2. "Ennui" – 3:43
  3. "Sally Can't Dance" – 4:12
  4. "Billy" – 5:10

Bonus tracks

  1. "Good Taste" – 3:30
  2. "Sally Can't Dance" (single version) – 2:56

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Sally Can't Dance liner notes. [14]

Musicians

Production and artwork

Charts

Chart(1973/74)Peak
Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [15] 14
US Billboard 200 [16] 10
Dutch Album Chart 18

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood, Sweat & Tears</span> American rock music band

Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a wide range of musical styles. Their sound has merged rock, pop and R&B/soul music with big band jazz.

<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>Peel Slowly and See</i> 1995 box set by the Velvet Underground

Peel Slowly and See is a five-disc box set of material by the Velvet Underground. It was released in September 1995 by Polydor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Yule</span> Musical artist

Douglas Alan Yule is an American musician and singer, most notable for being a member of the Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973, serving as the bassist, guitarist, keyboardist and occasional lead vocalist.

<i>Squeeze</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 1973 studio album by the Velvet Underground

Squeeze is the fifth and final studio album by the Velvet Underground, recorded in the autumn of 1971 and released in February 1973 by Polydor Records. The album features Doug Yule from the Lou Reed-era lineup of the group, who wrote and recorded the album almost entirely by himself. Yule had joined the Velvet Underground in October 1968, prior to the band recording their self-titled third album, and Yule had also contributed significantly to the fourth album, Loaded. Following the departures of the remaining founding members, Yule was positioned as the de facto leader of the band. Longtime drummer Maureen Tucker was slated to appear on Squeeze by Yule, but she was dismissed by the band's manager, Steve Sesnick.

<i>Gold</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 2005 greatest hits album by The Velvet Underground

Gold is a two-CD compilation album by the Velvet Underground. It was released for the North American market on June 14, 2005, by Polydor, the record label that oversees the band's Universal Music Group back catalogue.

<i>VU</i> (album) 1985 compilation album by the Velvet Underground

VU is a 1985 album by the American musical group the Velvet Underground, a compilation album of outtakes recorded 1968-69. It was released in February 1985 by Verve Records.

<i>Final V.U. 1971–1973</i> 2001 live album box set by the Velvet Underground

Final V.U. 1971–1973 is a box set by the Velvet Underground, comprising live recordings from after founding members Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison had left the group. It was released by Japanese record company Captain Trip Records in August 2001.

<i>The Best of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed</i> 1989 greatest hits album by The Velvet Underground

The Best of The Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed is a compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was released in October 1989 by Verve Records.

<i>Live at Maxs Kansas City</i> 1972 live album by the Velvet Underground

Live at Max's Kansas City is a live album by the Velvet Underground recorded at the famous nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was originally released on May 30, 1972, by Cotillion, a subsidiary label of Atlantic Records.

<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>Coney Island Baby</i> 1975 studio album by Lou Reed

Coney Island Baby is the sixth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released December 1975 in the US, and in January 1976 in the UK, by RCA Records.

<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>The Bells</i> (Lou Reed album) 1979 studio album by Lou Reed

The Bells is the ninth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in May 1979 by Arista Records. It was recorded in binaural sound at Delta Studios in Wilster, West Germany. Production was handled by Reed with Michael Fonfara serving as executive producer. Three out of nine songs on the album are the product of a short-lived writing partnership between Reed and Nils Lofgren. More of the team's work appeared on Nils' solo studio album Nils, released the same year. Lofgren released his version of "Stupid Man" as "Driftin' Man" on Break Away Angel (2001). Lofgren resurrected five songs he wrote with Reed in the late 70s on Blue with Lou (2019).

<i>Live in Italy</i> (Lou Reed album) 1984 live album by Lou Reed

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Velvet Underground</span> American rock band

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. It originally comprised singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. In 1965, MacLise was replaced by Moe Tucker, who played on most of the band's recordings. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde resulted in little commercial success, they became one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Their provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and nihilistic attitude was also instrumental in the development of punk rock, new wave and several other genres.

Michael Fonfara was a Canadian keyboard player who was most notable for his work as a member of The Electric Flag and Rhinoceros in the 1960s, Rough Trade and Lou Reed's backing band in the 1970s and The Downchild Blues Band, from 1990 to the present. He studied classical piano at The Royal Conservatory of Music. He is a multiple Maple Blues Award winner as Piano/Keyboardist of the year and a Juno Award winner with the Downchild Blues Band. His distinguished musical career was so honoured by the Maple Blues Awards as early as 2000 and a Juno Award in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Katz (musician)</span> American guitarist

Steven Katz is a guitarist, singer, and record producer who is best known as a member of the rock-pop-jazz group Blood, Sweat & Tears. Katz was an original member of the rock bands the Blues Project and American Flyer. As a producer, his credits include the 1979 album Short Stories Tall Tales for the Irish band Horslips, and the Lou Reed albums Rock 'n' Roll Animal and Sally Can't Dance and the Elliott Murphy album Night Lights.

<i>Night Lights</i> (Elliott Murphy album) 1975 studio album by Elliott Murphy

Night Lights is the third major label album by singer-songwriter Elliott Murphy produced by Steve Katz and recorded at Electric Lady Studio. It was reviewed by Dave Marsh in Rolling Stone, where he wrote "In 1973 and 1974 it seemed to many of us in New York that it was a tossup whether Bruce Springsteen, the native poet of the mean streets, or Elliott Murphy, the slumming suburbanite with the ironic eye would became a national hero." The album featured guest appearances by fellow Long Island native Billy Joel and former Velvet Underground member Doug Yule. The cover photo of Murphy standing in Times Square early one Sunday Morning was taken by photographer Michael Dakota although stylised by Steven Meisel. The song "Lady Stilletto" was thought to be an homage to Patti Smith.

References

  1. Deming, Mark. Sally Can't Dance at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  2. Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-breaking Music". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 10, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  4. Hull, Tom (April 1975). "The Rekord Report: Second Card". Overdose. Retrieved June 26, 2020 via tomhull.com.
  5. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 681. ISBN   9780862415419.
  6. "Lou Reed - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10.
  7. "Doug Yule interview- Perfect Sound Forever".
  8. "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 30, 1974" (PDF).
  9. "RPM Top 100 Albums - November 23, 1974" (PDF).
  10. "Lou Reed - Live & Alive 1975".
  11. "Lou Reed speaks: is this man punk of the year?". The Varsity. March 24, 1976. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. DeCurtis, Anthony (2017). "Sally Can't Dance". Lou Reed: A Life. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown & Company. ISBN   978-0316376549.
  13. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 12, 1974. p. 20. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  14. Sally Can't Dance (CD booklet). Lou Reed. RCA Records. 1974.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 249. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  16. "Lou Reed > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 2010-09-02.