New York (album)

Untitled

New York is a 1989 album by Lou Reed. It was received very warmly as a return to the style of The Velvet Underground, the group which Reed founded in the 1960s and whose legacy had grown in stature during the 1980s as it was carried on by any number of alternative rock acts. Reed's straightforward, rock and roll sound on this album was unusual for the time and along with other releases such as Graham Parker's The Mona Lisa's Sister presaged a back-to-basics turn in mainstream rock music. On the other hand, the lyrics through the 14 songs are profuse and carefully woven, making New York Reed's most overtly conceptual album since the early 1970s. His polemical liner notes direct the listener to hear the 57-minute album in one sitting, "as though it were a book or a movie."

In 1989, Rolling Stone ranked it the 19th best album of the 1980s.

"Dirty Blvd." was a #1 hit on the newly created Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks.

Track listing

All tracks written by Lou Reed except as indicated.

1. "Romeo Had Juliette" – 3:09
   • Fred Maher – Fender bass
2. "Halloween Parade" – 3:33
3. "Dirty Blvd." – 3:29
   • Dion DiMucci – background vocals
4. "Endless Cycle" – 4:01
   • Mike Rathke – guitar solo
5. "There Is No Time" – 3:45
6. "Last Great American Whale" – 3:42
   • Maureen "Moe" Tucker – percussion
7. "Beginning of a Great Adventure" (Reed, Mike Rathke) – 4:57
8. "Busload of Faith" – 4:50
   • Fred Maher – Fender bass
9. "Sick of You" – 3:25
   • Mike Rathke – guitar solo
10. "Hold On" – 3:24
11. "Good Evening Mr. Waldheim" – 4:35
12. "Xmas in February" – 2:55
13. "Strawman" – 5:54
14. "Dime Store Mystery" – 5:01
    • Maureen "Mo" Tucker – percussion

Personnel

• Lou Reed – vocals, guitar, background vocals

Additional musicians

• Mike Rathke – guitar
• Rob Wasserman – Clevinger electric upright six-string bass
• Fred Maher – drums, Fender bass
• Maureen Tucker – percussion
• Jeffrey Lesser – background vocals
• Dion Di Mucci – background vocals