Set the Twilight Reeling

Set the Twilight Reeling
Studio album by Lou Reed
Released	February 20, 1996
Recorded	1995
Venue	The Roof, New York City (track 6)
Studio	Magic Shop, New York City [1]
Genre	Rock
Length	52:03
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Lou Reed
Lou Reed chronology
Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology (1992) Set the Twilight Reeling (1996) Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s (1996)

Set the Twilight Reeling is the seventeenth studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released on February 20, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records.

Packaging and lyrics

The cover artwork direction and packaging design was done by Stefan Sagmeister. ^[2] The photograph is by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. ^[2] The CD case sold with the album was a dark purple/blue hue, making the cover look like a dark blue picture of Reed's face; the bright yellow aspect and the "rays" of the cover image were only made apparent when the liner notes were removed from its case.

Included in the liner notes of the CD booklet is the following: "Due to increased dynamic range, raise volume above average. PLAY IT LOUD."

As noted on the lyric sheet, "Finish Line" was Reed's tribute to the Velvet Underground's guitarist Sterling Morrison, who had died the previous year. The album is dedicated to Laurie Anderson, whom Reed would marry twelve years after its release. ^[3] David Fricke of Rolling Stone wrote that Laurie Anderson was the love interest in the track "Hooky Wooky", in which Reed writes of his jealousy over his paramour's ex-lovers. ^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Alternative Press	5/5 [5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	A− [6]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ [7]
The Guardian	[8]
Los Angeles Times	[9]
NME	8/10 [10]
Q	[11]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Spin	6/10 [12]

Set the Twilight Reeling received generally positive reviews from critics. ^[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by Lou Reed.

1. "Egg Cream" – 5:18
2. "NYC Man" – 4:56
3. "Finish Line" – 3:24
4. "Trade In" – 4:59
5. "Hang On to Your Emotions" – 3:46
6. "Sex with Your Parents (Motherfucker) Part II" – 3:37
7. "HookyWooky" – 4:19
8. "The Proposition" – 3:27
9. "Adventurer" – 4:18
10. "Riptide" – 7:46
11. "Set the Twilight Reeling" – 5:04

Track 6 recorded live on July 4, 1995, at The Roof, New York City

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Set the Twilight Reeling liner notes. ^[13]

• Lou Reed – vocals, guitar
• Fernando Saunders  – bass guitar, acoustic guitar on "NYC Man", backing vocals
• Tony "Thunder" Smith  – drums, backing vocals
• Oliver Lake, J. D. Parran, Russell Gunn  – horns on "NYC Man"
• Roy Bittan  – piano on "Finish Line"
• Mino Cinelu  – percussion on "Finish Line"
• Laurie Anderson  – backing vocals on "Hang On to Your Emotions"

Technical

• Struan Oglanby – programming, production co-ordination
• Bob Ludwig - mastering

References

1. Verna, Paul (October 2, 1999). "High-End N.Y. Analog Shop Marks Decade Of Making Magic". Billboard . Vol. 111, no. 40. p. 48. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
2. "Lou Reed 'Set the Twilight Reeling'". Sagmeister & Walsh. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
3. Fricke, David (March 7, 1996). "Set The Twilight Reeling". Rolling Stone . No. 729. p. 48. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
4. Deming, Mark. "Set the Twilight Reeling – Lou Reed". AllMusic . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
5. Thompson, Dave (May 1996). "Lou Reed: Set the Twilight Reeling". Alternative Press . Vol. 10, no. 94. p. 88.
6. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Lou Reed: Set the Twilight Reeling". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 264. ISBN   0-312-24560-2 . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
7. Browne, David (February 23 – March 1, 1996). "Neil Young and Lou Reed return". Entertainment Weekly . No. 315–316. pp. 120–123. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
8. Sweeting, Adam (February 23, 1996). "Lou Reed: Set the Twilight Reeling (Warner Bros)". The Guardian .
9. Hilburn, Robert (February 20, 1996). "Reed's 'Twilight' Glows With Illumination From the Heart". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved September 12, 2017.
10. Goldsmith, Mike (February 17, 1996). "Lou Reed – Set The Twilight Reeling". NME . p. 48. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
11. O'Brien, Lucy (March 1996). "Lou Reed: Set the Twilight Reeling". Q . No. 114. p. 99.
12. Weisbard, Eric (March 1996). "Lou Reed: Set the Twilight Reeling". Spin . Vol. 11, no. 12. pp. 108–109. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
13. Set the Twilight Reeling (CD booklet). Lou Reed. Sire Records. 1996.

External links

• Set the Twilight Reeling at Discogs (list of releases)