Who could be more qualified than a bunch of independent artists to
put together a tribute to one of the godfathers of punk and alternative
rock music? You see, the word alternative was not part of the word
rock until the 90s rolled around. I have news, and it is not new,
Lou Reed is one of the people that invented the term alternative when
it comes to music. He also personifies the word independent.
After Hours-A Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed is 14 tracks of
very entertaining and interesting covers from Reeds catalog of material
ranging from his days with Velvet Underground to his solo career.
The one song that was probably more out of character than any, and
I really liked it, was All Tomorrow's Parties, which was transformed
into a surf-instrumental metamorphosis named All Tomorrow's (Beach}
Parties (The Special Agents) I loved it. With the exception of that
one instrumental, many of the contributing artists do a nice job recreating
the trademark Lou vocal sing/talk style on their chosen tracks. Most
notable was Johnny Blair and The Cellarbirds on the opening
track Sunday Morning (funny, I listened to this for the first time
on Sunday morning). Ironically, he sounded the least Reed like on
the entire disc, yet it was my favorite track. I am surprised that
nobody covered Sweet Jane or Walk on the Wild Side, but then again
it was each artists individual choice and it leaves room for a volume
two, which would be easy enough to put together considering how much
material Reed has amassed in his long and successful career. It is
all that much more for us to look forward to, assuming of course that
a volume two is in the future for the Wampus label.
The love and respect each artist has for Lous work is apparent throughout
the entire run of this CD. I am sure he is very happy with the outcome of this project.
It is a no-brainer for listeners, you have to love Lou Reeds legacy
of music to find any enjoyment listening to this CD. If you are a
youngster that enjoys alternative rock and have not had the pleasure
of discovering this great music, this would not be a bad place to start.
1. Sunday Morning (Johnny J Blair and the Cellarbirds)
2. Who Loves the Sun (Cordalene)
3. Pale Blue Eyes (Radio Caroline)
4. Candy Says (The Crowd Scene)
5. Vicious (Okapi Guitars)
6. How Do You Think It Feels (tvfordogs)
7. Satellite of Love (Kowtow Popof)
8. I Love You (Silent4)
9. Going Down (Music for Viola)
10. Turn to Me (The Underhills)
11. Temptation Inside Your Heart (Joe Scinta)
12. Cremation (Lee Rude)
13. All Tomorrow's (Beach) Parties (The Special Agents)
14. After Hours (Brook Pridemore)
