Two Stars Resurrected on Sire

Sometimes we forget, but two of Seymour Stein's greatest reclamation projects came in the late '80s with the signatures of Lou Reed and Brian Wilson. In his book 'Siren Song: My Life in Music,' Stein describes Wilson's 1988 self-titled solo album as a "million-dollar folly, by far the most expensive production on Sire's books, but nobody in Burbank [home to parent Warner at this time] seemed to mind. In California, helping Brian Wilson was considered a noble deed of community service. As everyone could see, Brian's only chance of a second life was to earn back his shattered self-confidence through work." Stein realizes the album disappointed some of Wilson's fans, but "never mind. It did succeed in helping Brian Wilson seize back some of his old self."

I, for one, was not disappointed. Even with the dark cloud of Dr. Eugene Landy hanging over it, the entire endeavor was a miracle to these ears. My only criticism has always been the use of early '80s instrumentation and production techniques, all of which must have intrigued Wilson since he didn't get a chance to use all of that technical wizardry earlier in the decade when he was sick. Anyone who has seen Wilson perform in the last 20 years knows these songs stand up well when stripped of the '80s slickness.

Melt Away

Stein had not chased Wilson or Reed. That's about all you need to know to show how far Sire had come. Stein says, "As a rule, I never signed established stars, but Lou Reed was the one guy you'd make an exception for, especially considering he was the one asking." This was Reed at an absolute low point artistically. After, 'Mistrial' and other '80s duds, Reed didn't want to work with RCA any longer, and the feeling was mutual. The change clearly served him well as the heralded 'New York' followed, arguably his best solo work since 'Transformer,' and maybe ever. I have taken the liberty of assuming you have the '89 album 'New York'. So, here is a live take of "Dirty Blvd." taken from another Sire release, disc two of the 2004 album 'Animal Serenade.'

Stein sums up Reed's early years on Sire: "I never expected Lou Reed to make another "Perfect Day." I knew that, like myself, he had serious mileage on the clock and was writing about old men's concerns, but he kept his promise to pull off something worthwhile. His most loyal fans appear to agree this New York trilogy [including 'Songs for Drella' and 'Magic and Loss'] was the highlight of his later work."

Dirty Blvd.