The Bells

by Lou Reed

Overview

After the harrowing triumph of Street Hassle, Lou Reed's The Bells sounded like a bit of a step back; it returned Reed to the more listener-friendly, keyboard-dominated sound of Rock and Roll Heart, the lyrics lacked the caustic self-loathing of songs like "Dirt" or "I Wanna Be Black," and it even featured a four-and-a-half-minute funk workout called "Disco Mystic" (hey, this was 1979). But lyrically, The Bells found Reed moving away from the boho decadence of most of his 1970s work and toward a more compassionate perspective on his characters; "Families" and "All Through the Night" display an empathy and emotional depth Reed didn't often allow himself as a solo artist, and "Stupid Man" and "Looking for Love" rocked hard while making the loneliness of their protagonists felt. And the title cut, with Reed experimenting with a guitar synthesizer and free jazz hero Don Cherry inviting the spirit on trumpet, is both a brave exploration of musical space and a lyrically touching sketch of loss and salvation. An album that's worn well over time, The Bells gains depth with each playing and now sounds like one of Reed's finest solo efforts of the 1970s. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	05/16/2000
Label:	Buddha Records
UPC:	0744659965920
Rank:	77853

Tracks

1. Stupid Man
2. Disco Mystic
3. I Want to Boogie With You
4. With You
5. Looking for Love
6. City Lights
7. All Through the Night
8. Families
9. The Bells

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lou Reed   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Guitar (Synthesizer)
Don Cherry   Guest Artist,Trumpet
Michael Fonfara   Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Piano (Electric)
Ellard Boles   Bass,Vocals
Ellard Bowles   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Synthesizer
Michael Suchorsky   Drums,Percussion
Marty Fogel   Ocarina,Saxophone,Sax (Tenor),Fender Rhodes,Sax (Soprano)

Technical Credits

Rene Tinner   Engineer,Mixing
Nils Lofgren   Composer
Michael Fonfara   Composer,Executive Producer
Elliott Federman   Mastering
Bruce Pollock   Project Coordinator
Manfred Schunke   Mixing
Ellard Boles   Composer
Gary Gross   Photography
Howard Fritzson   Design,Art Direction
Arlessa Barnes   Project Coordinator
Joanne Feltman   Archivist
Fred Marcellino   Hand Tinting
Felicia Gearhart   Project Coordinator
Tom Tierney   Production Assistant
Laura Gregory   Project Coordinator
Robin Diamond   Project Coordinator
Steve Strauss   Production Assistant
Glenn Delgado   Project Coordinator
Bill Stafford   Project Coordinator
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders   Liner Notes
David Alan Kogut   Art Direction
Brooke Nochomson   Project Coordinator
Dana Renert   Project Coordinator
Donn Davenport   Design,Art Direction
Mike Hartry   Digital Transfers
Glenn Korman   Archivist
Jeremy Holiday   Production Coordination
Lou Reed   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Horn Arrangements
Rob Santos   Producer
Ed Osborne   Project Coordinator
Robin Manning   Project Coordinator
Marty Fogel   Composer,Horn Arrangements