Lou Reed: a serious discussion for PR inclusion

I've 'Transformer', 'Berlin', 'Rock'n'Roll animal' and a compilation with songs from 'Live In Italy'. In all of these albums are present good Proggy songs. 'Berlin' is a concept album much close to Prog, also if 'Berlin' is a great Glam/ Hard Rock album!

It is an interesting idea certainly and I can see why many people see that Reed and Bowie are somehow 'peas in a pod' so to speak.

However, as much as I love many albums by both Lou and David I would say that the latter has displayed a much greater artistic 'wanderlust' and innovative spirit than the former i.e (ignoring Metal Machine Music and the Raven which I am familiar with, practically all of Reed's catalogue celebrates the primal building blocks of basic rock'n'roll (and there is nowt wrong with that cos he is a brilliant songwriter) Bowie on the other hand has tried his hand at just about every conceivable genre and style avenue there exists and come out on top of most of the competition and could be considered more related to the prog ethos than Reed ?

However, as I found out to my cost today, there is much about the categorization system on PA that I failed to understand, and at the end of the day it is largely irrelevant as to who is IN or OUT as long as info which points visitors towards good music is made available to all from which to make their own judgements.

(I never thought I would type that last paragraph - time to change my PA name methinks)

A Lemming with his tail between his legs (BUT NOT FOR LONG)

salmacis wrote: Not a chance, IMHO- he's done lots of concept albums but his stuff rarely deviates from rock and roll, something he has seemed proud of over the years. Bowie's Berlin period at the very least qualified him here (and it does indeed draw much influence from the 'Krautrock' of the 70s, something Bowie has always admitted), but 'Outside' could also be considered progressive IMHO.   There's far more of a case to be put forward for Reed's former colleague John Cale, or better still, Scott Walker- everything Scott has done since 1978 could well be bracketed in the 'avant prog' category and prog related at the very least. I accept this might be a controversial one though due to all the MOR ballads he did for most of the rest of the 70s and a fair bit of the 60s. Even there though, something like 'Plastic Palace People' is far from easy listening.

Yep, I think John Cale might be a 'goer' as although he has done a lot of straight no prog chaser rock'n'roll albums ('Guts' being a good compilation of this type of 70's material) he has also worked with orchestras on settings of the poetry of Dylan Thomas on 'Words for the Dying' - and produced some film scores, collaborated with Hector Zazou on the Rimbaud tribute 'Sahara Blue' and given us that lean and austere masterpiece of 'less is more' balladry 'Music For a New Society'

salmacis wrote: Not a chance, IMHO- he's done lots of concept albums but his stuff rarely deviates from rock and roll, something he has seemed proud of over the years. Bowie's Berlin period at the very least qualified him here (and it does indeed draw much influence from the 'Krautrock' of the 70s, something Bowie has always admitted), but 'Outside' could also be considered progressive IMHO.   There's far more of a case to be put forward for Reed's former colleague John Cale, or better still, Scott Walker- everything Scott has done since 1978 could well be bracketed in the 'avant prog' category and prog related at the very least. I accept this might be a controversial one though due to all the MOR ballads he did for most of the rest of the 70s and a fair bit of the 60s. Even there though, something like 'Plastic Palace People' is far from easy listening.

Seconded, I'm a Lou Reed fan but I do not believe he displays anything relating to "prog". He's a great musician and performer (I saw him this past april in concert and he was excellent) but his music is as you said, straight forward rock & roll. The Velvet Underground on the other hand could be considered prog related or avant garde.