The Bells (album)

Last updated
The Bells
Lrbells2.jpg
Studio album by
Lou Reed
ReleasedApril 1979
Recorded1979
StudioDelta Studios, Wilster, West Germany
Genre Rock
Length40:37
Label Arista
Producer Lou Reed
Lou Reed chronology
Live: Take No Prisoners
(1978)		The Bells
(1979)		 Growing Up in Public
(1980)
Singles from The Bells
  1. "Disco Mystic"
    Released: 1979
  2. "City Lights"
    Released: August, 1979

The Bells is the ninth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in April 1979 by Arista Records. It is recorded in binaural sound. Several songs on the album are the product of a short-lived writing partnership between Reed and Nils Lofgren. Other of the team's work appeared on Nils' eponymous album of the same year.

Lou Reed American musician, recording artist, singer-songwriter

Lewis Allan Reed was an American musician, singer, songwriter and poet. He was the lead guitarist, singer and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and also had a solo career that spanned five decades. The Velvet Underground were not a commercial success during their existence, but are now regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of underground and alternative rock music.

Arista Records, Inc. is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment and previously handled by Bertelsmann Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for Columbia Records. Until its demise in 2011, it was a major distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Today, the label's reissues and catalogue releases are handled by RCA Records and Legacy Recordings.

Binaural recording method of recording sound that uses two microphones

Binaural recording is a method of recording sound that uses two microphones, arranged with the intent to create a 3-D stereo sound sensation for the listener of actually being in the room with the performers or instruments. This effect is often created using a technique known as "dummy head recording", wherein a mannequin head is outfitted with a microphone in each ear. Binaural recording is intended for replay using headphones and will not translate properly over stereo speakers. This idea of a three dimensional or "internal" form of sound has also translated into useful advancement of technology in many things such as stethoscopes creating "in-head" acoustics and IMAX movies being able to create a three dimensional acoustic experience.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Village Voice B+ [3]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone , music critic Lester Bangs wrote, "With The Bells, more than in Street Hassle , perhaps even more than in his work with the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed achieves his oft-stated ambition—to become a great writer, in the literary sense." [4] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said:

<i>Rolling Stone</i> American magazine focusing on popular culture, based in New York City

Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine's publisher, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its musical coverage and for political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine shifted focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. In recent years, it has resumed its traditional mix of content.

Lester Bangs American music critic and journalist

Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music criticism. The music critic Jim DeRogatis called him "America's greatest rock critic".

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

Street Hassle is the eighth solo studio album by American 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.

"Lou is as sarcastic as ever—the lead cut is called 'Stupid Man,' and in a typically acid rhyme he links 'capricious' and 'death wish.' But due in part to the music's jazzy edge and warmly traditional rock and roll base (special thanks to Marty Fogel on saxophone) he also sounds ... well-rounded, more than on Street Hassle . The jokes seem generous, the bitterness empathetic, the pain out front, the tenderness more than a fleeting mood. And the cuts that don't work—there are at least three or four—seem like thoughtful experiments, or simple failures, rather than throwaways. I haven't found him so likable since The Velvet Underground ." [3]

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

The Velvet Underground is the self-titled third studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released in March 1969, it was their first record with Doug Yule, who was a replacement for John Cale. Recorded in 1968 at TTG Studios in Hollywood, 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. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album number 314 in their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

In a less enthusiastic retrospective review, Select magazine wrote that "The Bells saw his music disappearing down the pan ... Even self-parody is barely achieved in these half-assed songs played by a bunch of dullards, with Lou sounding painfully uninspired." [5]

<i>Select</i> (magazine) magazine

Select was a United Kingdom music magazine of the 1990s which was particularly known for covering Britpop, a term coined in the magazine by Stuart Maconie. Its 1993 "Yanks Go Home" edition, featuring The Auteurs, Denim, Saint Etienne, Pulp and Suede's Brett Anderson on the cover in front of a Union Flag, was an important impetus in defining the movement's opposition to American genres such as grunge.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stupid Man"Reed, Nils Lofgren 2:33
2."Disco Mystic"Reed, Ellard Boles, Marty Fogel, Michael Fonfara, Michael Suchorsky4:30
3."I Want to Boogie with You"Reed, Michael Fonfara3:55
4."With You"Reed, Nils Lofgren2:21
5."Looking for Love"Reed3:29
6."City Lights"Reed, Nils Lofgren3:22
7."All Through the Night"Reed, Don Cherry 5:00
8."Families"Reed, Ellard Boles6:09
9."The Bells"Reed, Marty Fogel9:17

Personnel

Musicians

Don Cherry (trumpeter) American jazz trumpeter

Donald Eugene Cherry was an American jazz trumpeter. Noted for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, which began in the late 1950s, Cherry was a pioneer in world fusion music in the 1960s.

Michael Fonfara is a Canadian keyboard player who is 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.

Synthesizer Electronic instrument capable of producing a wide range of sounds

A synthesizer or synthesiser is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals that may be converted to sound. Synthesizers may imitate traditional musical instruments such as piano, flute, vocals, or natural sounds such as ocean waves; or generate novel electronic timbres. They are often played with a musical keyboard, but they can be controlled via a variety of other devices, including music sequencers, instrument controllers, fingerboards, guitar synthesizers, wind controllers, and electronic drums. Synthesizers without built-in controllers are often called sound modules, and are controlled via USB, MIDI or CV/gate using a controller device, often a MIDI keyboard or other controller.

Horn arrangements: Marty Fogel and Lou Reed, except for "With You,” horn arrangement by Marty Fogel and Don Cherry.

Technical personnel

Ted Jensen American sound engineer

Ted Jensen is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings including the Eagles' Hotel California, Green Day's American Idiot and Norah Jones' Come Away with Me.

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References

  1. ↑ Deming, Mark. The Bells at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-breaking Music". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (December 31, 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ Bangs, Lester (June 14, 1979). "The Bells". Rolling Stone . New York. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  5. ↑ Select , November 1992


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