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Rating: End of April 2024, it's pouring rain outside and I'm seeking a bit of light and warmth, so I listen to "The Sun Session" of the King and I rediscover sounds I've heard in other artists that came years later, especially "The Velvet Underground." It's said that it's "because" of the absence of drums (purely coincidental and, in some tracks, added later) and the slight echo the producer used to make up for it. After all, I don't really recall major cymbal crashes or explosive rolls from Maureen Tucker.
Lost in my musings, I jump in surprise when, in the absolute calm and while listening to the most beautiful version of "Blue Moon," I almost have a heart attack hearing someone scream: ROCK IS DEAD!!!!! But what the hell... could it be that the aliens have returned?
After the Bowie "incident," they hadn't been seen anymore, and I even tried to contact them for Shuggie, but in vain.
And now, here they are, the two space troublemakers standing in front of me and starting to slap my face with four tiny hands whirling on my cheeks at a speed that even Terence Hill in his prime couldn't match. To be even more annoying, they keep screaming at the top of their tiny lungs: ROCK IS DEAD/ROCK IS DEAD/ROCK IS DEAD!!! One thing hasn't changed, from the stench of their breath I sense déjà vu. One thing is certain: Earthly alcohol is the best in the entire universe or, at least, these space lemurs like it a lot.
And then, either I remembered them as less obnoxious or they've gotten worse, and a lot! Not so much for what they say, with me they're preaching to the choir: I've had endless discussions on the topic, and I also think rock is dead because from 1954 (year Elvis's first album was released) to 1984 (year London Calling by the Clash came out, which iconically reworked the cover), in other words, 30 years, there were Elvis, the Beatles, Dylan, the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd... Even the Ramones, the Police, Bob Marley, U2, Prince, Bowie, … Motown, Punk, and Kraut Rock… And then, from 1984 to today, who are the new Beatles?
Of course, as splendid as the shitty weather, the aliens act all-knowing and throw in my face the thesis of those who think differently, arguing that music is emotion and that for someone who was fourteen when "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" came out, you can present the highest example of current rock, but it will never surpass the emotion that album gave them in that specific period of their life (ehhhh, they know me, it's known: they know everything about me!). And this is not because the level is inferior or less rock, but because the person is no longer the same.
Ok, second-rate E.T., be that as it may, it is undeniable that as a mass genre and universal youthful fashion, it is decidedly defunct. It survives in its glorious and golden niche thanks to the devotion of a cross-sectional group of fans. Outside that niche, it has been crushed by other genres that are in vogue today; such is life.
And so, dear alcohol-laden spacemen, today it happens that some artists remember being fans of the legendary Lou Reed, a true rock 'n' roll pioneer. From the debut of the Velvet Underground in 1967 until the end of his days, Reed sang the truth from his heart. He lived life on the edge, and beyond. If anyone is Rock, it is Lou, because tell me what is more rock than I do what I want, and I want what I see! (Perhaps only We want the world and we want it … Now? Now! Yes, the snake god, another one who knew how to write songs). Moreover, Reed is one of the most influential figures in Rock history: there is a very simple way to measure this value, namely the number of covers of his pieces and the Velvet Underground (indeed: facts are the most stubborn thing in the world…).
I switch the amplifier and turn to Tidal. Here comes "The Power Of The Heart" by various artists, which is a tribute to Reed's freedom of expression with covers that span his revolutionary years with the Velvets to his majestic solo career. Each track is a glorious extension of the Rock 'n' Roll Animal, always adventurous and cutting-edge.
Sure, tribute albums are already old the moment they are published, and the challenge of recording a successful tribute album becomes even more difficult when the subject is a truly iconic artist for whom it is impossible to separate the original performance from the songs themselves.
There is only one way to try to come out of it: the artists interpreting the songs need to have been, besides great fans, heavily influenced by the musician they are honoring, and in this way, it magically happens that they manage to bring new insights. And so it is for "The Power Of The Heart."
The tribute begins with a full-fledged legend, Keith Richards, who reinvents the classic of the Velvets, "I'm Waiting for the Man," turning it into a Bo Diddley-style blues/rock 'n' roll. The funny thing is Reed was 24 when he wrote the song in 1966, and Richards is 80 today, and over their lifetimes, it's hard to say who influenced whom. Of course, for both of them, it's not difficult to imagine them waiting for the man with 26 dollars in hand or, impatiently, knocking at the same man's window.
There are other superclassics, like "Perfect Day" reinterpreted by Rufus Wainwright in a minimalistic version à la Jeff Buckley for voice and guitar, and there's a beautiful jazzed-up version of "Walk on the Wild Side" by Rickie Lee Jones. There are also lesser-known tracks, and among them surprisingly, given the magnificent result, is the presence of "Magician" from "Magic and Loss" of 1992, a concept album about death and loss that received mixed reviews. Rosanne Cash's version maintains the intensity of the original but brings to the forefront a more pronounced sense of blues and country anguish: truly moving.
The collection closes with the previously unreleased title track: the last, wonderful song recorded by Lou, never published on platforms and here in Brogan Bentley's acoustic version, a delicate and romantic dedication to his wife Laurie Anderson.
I won't go further, after all, all the present covers maintain a sense of respect and at the same time of exploration. A thoughtful collection of songs that have shaped several generations of rockers, each one paying homage to a man whose work has no age. Lou is among the dead and, like the dead, has become eternal in the souls of humans who perpetuate the rite.
After finishing the listening, the bothersome ones from Orion's belt, as usual, have disappeared but... where the hell has my copy of "Sun Session" gone?!?!? I open the window and see my vinyl cover flying away and voices from nowhere continuing to scream ROCK IS DEAD/ROCK IS DEAD. With all the breath I have in my body, I answer the only thing that can be answered: SUCK IT!!!! Because Rock, like the snail or the shrimp in its seawater version, even dead can be sucked.
A1 Keith Richards - I'm Waiting for the Man
A2 Maxim Ludwig & Angel Olsen - I Can't Stand It
A3 Rufus Wainwright - Perfect Day
A4 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I'm So Free
A5 Bobby Rush - Sally Can't Dance
A6 Rickie Lee Jones - Walk on the Wild Side
B1 The Afghan Whigs - I Love You, Suzanne
B2 Mary Gauthier - Coney Island Baby
B3 Lucinda Williams - Legendary Hearts
B4 Automatic - New Sensations
B5 Rosanne Cash - Magician
Bonus track (CD & Digital): Brogan Bentley - The Power of The Heart
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