While checking out Susan's Easy Bake Coven site, I was a bit dismayed to see where she recognized the birthdays of not only old Uncle Lou Reed, but the late great Irish blues rock guitarist Rory Gallagher, and I hadn't! There's no way I can't not mention them too! Thanks, Susan!
I keep calling Reed "Uncle Lou" because Lester Bangs used to do it all the time in Creem magazine back in the day. They always had this love/hate thing going on, and it has definitely colored my perception of his work over the years. I'm not going to say that I love everything Reed's done; many of his albums, including several done in the late 70s, late 80s and early 90s, I have found dull and ininspired. But when the man's on, there are few songwriters that can match him for smarts and verisimilitude.That's my five dollar word for the day. My favorite Reed solo albums include (of course) Transformer, Berlin, Sally Can't Dance (my first), Street Hassle, and New Sensations. And of course, his seminal work with the Velvet Underground cannot be ignored. He's one of the greats. The picture above came from the site of one Jim Van Dyck.
Rory Gallagher, who left us too soon, was a quiet, unassuming type who could play guitar like few others on this earth. All his albums (that I've heard, anyway) follow the same blueprint, pretty much-bluesy rock and rockish blues- but they're all tuneful and honest, and there's no filler and no nonsense, just like he seemed to be. If you've never heard Gallagher's stuff before, then let me recommend a couple of albums: Calling Card and Against The Grain, my first and still my favorite. Blueprint, Tattoo, and Top Priority also have their adherents and they're damn fine records in my opinion too.
And yes, I watched Minority Report and XXX, but it's late and I'm tired and if you guys will give me a rain check I'll write about all my weekend movies later. Thanks, you're too kind. Really.
