Lou Reed : Sweet Jane
In November of 1978 Lou Reed released the double live album Take No Prisoners. Recorded in May of 1978 at New York's Bottom Line in front of a hometown crowd, Reed spends the album breaking up his songs with quips like "Are you political, Lou? Political about what? Give me an issue and I'll give you a tissue. You can wipe my ass with it." He also insults the audience, Patti Smith, Robert Christgau, and Barbara Streisand.
Many are the diversions so you get an 11-minute version of "Sweet Jane", a 14-minute version of "I'm Waiting For My Man", and a 17 minute version of "Walk On the Wild Side". Some people say it's a serious candidate for the worst live album of all time. But it's a hell of a lot more entertaining than Metal Machine Music.
By the way, Christgau got revenge by giving the album a C+ review, writing:
Partly because your humble servant is attacked by name (along with John Rockwell) on what is essentially a comedy record, a few colleagues have rushed in with Don Rickles analogies, but that's not fair. Lenny Bruce is the obvious influence. Me, I don't play my greatest comedy albums, not even the real Lenny Bruce ones, as much as I do Rock n Roll Animal. I've heard Lou do two very different concerts during his Arista period that I'd love to check out again--Palladium November '76 and Bottom Line May '77. I'm sorry this isn't either. And I thank Lou for pronouncing my name right.
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