250 Albums- An Arbitrary Rumble Through My Record Collection # 171 Lou Reed & John Cale - Songs For Drella

 '                             

                                       'This is a Rock group called the Velvet Underground.'

Lou Reed was not a sentimental man. Neither was John Cale. There's no room for sentiment in art. Life is tough. It's a war out there. They knew they slotted together well. There is a famous photograph of them sitting tigether under a Christmas Trees in the Seventies with faces that curdle the lens. You never get the impression that they liked each other very much . But they knew what the other brought to the table.

1990' Songs For Drella written for Andy Warhol has an elegaic, poignant edge,You can feel the regret. The anger. The artistic respect. It's an exercise in paying dues.