I am in the enviable position of being able to listen to music many hours a day, since I work from home, even if it’s background listening most of the time. It’s impossible to include everything of merit in every issue of Copper, but I thought I’d do some quick takes from time to time.
Lou Reed: Sweet, Wild and Vicious, by Jim Higgins (Trouser Press Books)
I am a big Lou Reed fan, but didn’t realize until this book came out that between his time in the Velvet Underground to his death in 2013, he released almost 50 albums. Sweet, Wild and Vicious (titled as a tip of the hat to “Sweet Jane,” “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Vicious,” three of Reed’s most iconic songs) covers every single one of them, plus what the author calls “orphans” – songs that were not included on albums – and selected cover versions.
Higgins, the arts and books editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, takes on all of Reed’s albums in chronological order, with some side trips along the journey. It’s not just a by-the-numbers song-by-song listing with descriptions: The level of detail is extremely thorough. Higgins weaves information about Lou Reed’s life and those around him – from his early days with Andy Warhol to meeting his last wife Laurie Anderson and lots of colorful characters in between – with details about the musicians who played on the tracks, analyses of where Reed was in popularity and industry status (or lack of) at the time a particular album was released, technical details about the recordings (Reed was extremely interested in technology and sound), and much, much more.
Naturally, any book of this nature is going to be founded on the author’s opinions as well as facts and historical events. Higgins’s opinions are insightful and illuminating. Take this insight from the first chapter about The Velvet Underground & Nico debut album:
“Few guitarists can honestly aspire to the genius of [Jimi] Hendrix; few vocalists approach the power of [Janis] Joplin or the soul of [Van] Morrison. But many men and women brandishing guitars have strutted in the footsteps of Velvet Underground leader Lou Reed, who parlayed his modest vocal ability into a compelling voice through his songwriting, defiant stance and force of will.”
Like any book of this type, you may not agree with every opinion expressed: the author finds the Berlin album to be not loud enough or have enough dynamic range unless listening via headphones. Well, when you hear it on a high-end audio system, Berlin sounds magnificent. Then again, not everyone has that advantage.
Ultimately, the book answers bigger questions. What kind of man was the man who received electroshock therapy as a teenager, wrote about heroin and alternative sexualities from personal experience, and later in life found peace from marriage and tai chi? As Higgins notes, “I have no unifying theory of Lou Reed to sell you. On the contrary, I see him as a polymorphous musical creature.” Sweet, Wild and Vicious illuminates seemingly countless details about Reed’s recorded work and career, in prose that can soar. About the album Ecstasy, Higgins writes: “At 58, Reed was no longer supple enough to sing the sinuous melody he created for the title track. But it still works. His aging voice represents a failing body that has not stopped yearning with desire for the beloved, for the object of his obsession, for the shattering high of transcendence.”
It's a tall order to write about an artist like Lou Reed, and Jim Higgins does it brilliantly. He makes you want to stop what you’re doing and listen to the music, especially the songs you haven’t heard. I can think of no higher compliment.
The Dave Stryker Trio With Bob Mintzer: Groove Street (Strikezone Records)
I am way late to the party on this one. It was released in January. I admit, I’ve been dealing with some sinus/hearing issues and my main system was down for about two months, but…still. Truth be told, I’ve played it a number of times but hadn’t gotten around to writing about it. Groove Street features Dave Stryker on guitar, with Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter on drums, a classic organ trio – with the great Bob Mintzer sitting in on tenor saxophone. The band plays a mix of covers like “The More I See You” and Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” with mostly Stryker originals.
The playing grooves as hard as the title would imply. Stryker’s playing is brilliant, in a John Scofield or Pat Metheny or Kurt Rosenwinkel kind of way, though I’m throwing those names out there just to give something of a reference, not to slight Stryker’s distinctive, virtuosic and totally musical style. Gold lays down the bass groove and provides some very cool soloing, Hunter drives the music and adds percussive colorations that keep the trio sound varied, and Mintzer…well, there’s a reason why he’s a legend. As Stryker says in the liner notes, “We recorded prior to playing a week at Birdland in NYC, so the music was fresh and mostly first takes.” The sound is warm and rich, a pleasure to hear and a perfect complement to the sound of the band.
Sam Smith and Hikaru Utada: “Stay With Me”
The Grammy-winning songwriter and J-pop star Hikaru Utada just released this version of Smith’s “Stay With Me” to commemorate the song’s 10th (!) anniversary. By coincidence, I had come upon Utada a week before on YouTube when her Live Sessions from AIR Studios randomly popped up, which I cannot recommend highly enough – the musicianship is as brilliant as her singing.
Smith’s original will melt a stone heart. His new version with Utada is taken at the same key and tempo, and the dynamic between the two of them adds a different element – while Smith’s solo version is one of yearning after a one-night stand that could perhaps turn into something more, Utada’s duet is an affirmation between to people who are perhaps falling in love, but maybe not quite there yet. Smith and Utada’s duet is more spacious than the original, with dreamy synthesizers, a choir of background vocals, and a gentle but insistent percussive bass tying it all together. If you don’t have a hi-res streaming service, you can listen to it here or click on the video above.
Patricia Barber – Companion (Impex 1STEP 2-LP 45-RPM)
I and legions of audiophiles have already heard this classic recording, which captures Patricia Barber and her band live at The Green Mill in Chicago in July 1999. However, Impex has now released in their 1STEP 45-RPM series, where the plated disc is used as the stamper, eliminating generation loss. (See my review of Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra in this issue for more details.) Like others in the 1STEP series, this is a two-disc set that comes in a luxurious slipcase with an accompanying booklet, and the vinyl is of impeccable quality.
For these live dates, Patricia Barber decided to play Hammond organ as well as piano, accompanied by John McLean on guitar, Eric Montzka and Rubén Alvarez on percussion (you can see a coffee can mounted on a stand in one of the photos!), and Michael Arnopol on bass. The album was recorded and mixed by Jim Anderson using 32-tracks, with 24-bit Studer X2 and Akai ADAT recorders and 32 channels of John Hardy M-1 microphone preamps. The stereo mix was done using the Prism Sound 24-bit bit-splitting system.
For those who haven’t heard it, Companion has great presence and solidity. The “startle factor” is powerful – those times when a sound leaps out with such surprising realism that it startles you into turning your head and getting an adrenaline jolt. This happens many times on Companion, from the opening acoustic bass on “The Beat Goes On” to the sound of the applause between tracks, and with the percussion sounds in many instances.
There’s great clarity and separation of instruments, and Barber’s vocal is tangible. The overall sonic impression is one of weight, which, along with the sonic clarity, really does give you a sense of being there in the club. There’s a subtle reverb…room sound? The players are top-notch, and McLean is simply sensational, ranging from clean and maybe slightly compressed sound to crunchy overdrive. You really hear his dynamics. Barber’s well-recorded Hammond is a thing of beauty. Arnopol’s bass is deep and luscious, and when he slaps the strings, it has a high “jump” factor. The only other versions of Companion I’ve listened to are the CD-quality streams on Qobuz and Tidal, so I can’t say if this 1STEP is the best-sounding version, but good lord, it’s superb.
Barber is an intimately inviting singer, and there are many fine musical moments – you can literally hear that she and the band have much experience playing together and playing off of each other. It all culminates in the jaw-dropping showstopper “Black Magic Woman.” It builds and builds to a fantastic climax, and sounds very, very “real.” If you want to show off your system, play that track and proceed to watch everyone flip out.
K-pop Extravaganza!
As readers of my article on Korean TV soundtracks will know (Issue 204), our household has become enamored of them, which has led me to branch out into listening to various K-pop playlists. If your tastes run more to Bach or Dylan or Monk, you may think it crazy, even downright inappropriate for a 69-year-old man to be turning up the volume and head bopping for music made for teenyboppers, but who cares when I’m having this much fun? Here are some recent favorites, all available on streaming audio (I’m providing YouTube links for easy reference).
Someday – The Black Skirts
Perfect Night – Le Sserafim (warning: irresistible earworm)
Gee – Girls’ Generation
Dream Us – Park Eun-bin (an astonishing singer and actress)
Yellow Light – Gaho
My Secret Friend – Every Single Day
Cupid – Fifty Fifty (listen on a good system!)
Melting – Cheeze
Walking on Sunshine – Saya
Drama – aespa
Standing Next to You – Jung Kook (the BTS guy is doing fine on his own)
Super Shy – NewJeans (another serious earworm)
Ditto – NewJeans
HypeBoy – NewJeans
When I Disappear, Will You Think of Me – Lee Jun Hyung (fantastic guitar playing on this one)
Dreamer – Uhm Jung Hwa
The Weekend – 88rising, BIBI
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