Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Lou Reed: One-Hit Wonder No More

Lou Reed's back on the charts with a little help from the Killers (About.com):

At the age of 65, Lou Reed probably doesn't worry much about when or where he will have his next pop hit single. After all, the legendary Velvet Underground vocalist (for which he is in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame) and iconoclastic solo artist has only been to the pop top 40 in the US one time, 34 years ago, for the timeless "Walk On the Wild Side." He has fared somewhat better in the UK reaching the top 10 twice, with "Walk on the Wild Side" and for a remake of "Satellite of Love" just 3 years back. This scattered chart performance only makes his reappearance today that much more surprising.

To help kick off the publicity for their new, eclectic B-sides and rarities collection, Sawdust, the Killers have released the single "Tranquilize" featuring guest vocals from Lou Reed. It roared into the top 20 of the UK pop singles chart this week, and it is well worth your attention. The Killers head into territory that would be very comfortable for Reed and his long-term fans...as well as some new fans. If you like the track, be sure and check into Lou Reed's extensive catalog...and don't forget to look for Sawdust in stores November 13, 2007.

I love that last bit about "if you like the track." Especially because some poor soul will look into the catalog and see an album called "Metal Machine Music" and say, "That sounds pretty good. I'll go with that."

There's a link to listen to "Tranquilize" on the About site as well. I'm going to do that right now, in fact. (I'm back: the song is awesome.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

as i was listening to it, i imagined them recording their vocals side by side and the killers' guy is moving around and wildly emoting and and lou is just standing there stock still, maybe holding a large glass of water in one hand. in this fantasy, he's wearing a black leather jacket of course.

Unknown said...

of course!