Lou Reed – Rock And Roll Heart (1976/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Lou Reed – Rock And Roll Heart (1976/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 37:48 minutes | 830 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Buddha Records

Rock and Roll Heart is the seventh album by Lou Reed, released in 1976. It was his first album for Arista Records (now a sister label to his previous label RCA Records, via Sony BMG) after record mogul Clive Davis reportedly rescued him from bankruptcy. “A Sheltered Life” dates back to 1967, when the Velvet Underground recorded a demo of it (available on Peel Slowly and See). The Velvet Underground also performed “Follow the Leader”, and a live recording of it was released on The Quine Tapes.

Rock and Roll Heart was Lou Reed’s first album for Arista Records, and one senses that he wanted to come up with something saleable for his new sponsors. Uptempo numbers with pop hooks dominate the set, the 12 songs zip by in an efficient 38 minutes, and instead of Reed’s trademark meditations on the dark side of life, the lyrics are (for the most part) lean bursts of verse and chorus, in which the artist sings the praises of good times in general and rock & roll in particular (then again, on “I Believe in Love,” Reed pledges his allegiance to both “good time music” and “the iron cross,” a bit of perversity to remind us whose album this is). But if Rock and Roll Heart sounds like “Lou Reed Lite,” there are more than a few flashes of Reed’s inarguable talent. His band is in fine form (especially Marty Fogel on sax and Michael Fonfara on keyboards). “Banging on My Drum” is a crunchy rocker that recalls his work with the Velvet Underground; “A Sheltered Life” is an amusing bit of VU archeology (the Velvets demoed the song, but this marked its first appearance on record); and the closer, “Temporary Thing,” is a bitter, haunting narrative that foreshadows Reed’s next album, the harrowing masterpiece Street Hassle. –Mark Deming

Tracklist:
01. Lou Reed – I Believe In Love (02:45)
02. Lou Reed – Banging On My Drum (02:11)
03. Lou Reed – Follow The Leader (02:13)
04. Lou Reed – You Wear It So Well (04:52)
05. Lou Reed – Ladies Pay (04:22)
06. Lou Reed – Rock And Roll Heart (03:06)
07. Lou Reed – Chooser And The Chosen One (02:47)
08. Lou Reed – Senselessly Cruel (02:08)
09. Lou Reed – Claim To Fame (02:51)
10. Lou Reed – Vicious Circle (02:53)
11. Lou Reed – A Sheltered Life (02:20)
12. Lou Reed – Temporary Thing (05:14)

Personnel:
Lou Reed – vocals, guitar, piano
Marty Fogel – saxophone
Michael Fonfara – piano, organ, clavinet, ARP synthesizer
Bruce Yaw – bass
Michael Suchorsky – drums
Garland Jeffreys – background vocals on “You Wear It So Well”

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