Growing Up in Public

Growing Up in Public

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Electronic/techno. 'growing Up In Public' Utilizes New Digital Production & Synthesis Methods, Sampling & Dubby Techniques.

Tracks:

How Do You Speak to an Angel?
My Old Man
Keep Away
Growing up in Public
Standing on Ceremony
So Alone
Love Is Here to Stay
Power of Positive Drinking
Smiles
Think It Over
Teach the Gifted Children

Album Description

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. BMG. 2006.

Album Details

2006 Issued Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Customer Reviews:

Literate but mainstream rock.......2007-04-01

This is a very literate Lou Reed album, and not one of the critics' favourites. The music tends towards mainstream radio rock, yet it contains great songs like the title track, Love Is Here To Stay and the very catchy Power Of Positive Drinking. My other favourites include How Do You Speak To An Angel, My Old Man and Teach The Gifted Children with its poetic lyrics. The subject matter deals with relationships and the album has more of a warm, human feel than the classic works Reed is best appreciated for. By any other standard than Reed's own, this is a good rock album that has stood the test of time very well.

Lou Reed: Growing Up in Public

New York

Average customer rating:

underrated
"Growing Up" Grew On Me - 3 1/2 stars!
growing up with lou
This IS a great album
Not worth it

Growing Up in Public
Lou Reed
Manufacturer: Buddha
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

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Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Rock and Roll Heart
The Bells
Mistrial
Street Hassle
The Blue Mask

ASIN: B00004TQSH
Release Date: 2000-06-20

Tracks:

How Do You Speak To An Angel
My Old Man
Keep Away
Growing Up In Public
Standing On Ceremony
So Alone
Love Is Here To Stay
The Power Of Positive Drinking
Smiles
Think It Over
Teach The Gifted Children

Customer Reviews:

underrated.......2007-03-23

This is Lou's sardonic singer-songwriter album. Imagine Woody Allen recording Plastic Ono Band or Blue. Okay, maybe not. At the very least, it's a hell of a lot better than other Lou albums of the period, particularly the horrendous Rock and Roll Heart or the Bells, and I'd say it beats the overrated but worthy Coney Island Baby and the Blue Mask. Check it out.

"Growing Up" Grew On Me - 3 1/2 stars!.......2005-04-24

I used to think this was Lou's worst album, until I decided to listen to it "one last time" before I traded it away. Suddenly, it sounded GOOD. VERY good! Lou's vocals sounded sincere, the music wasn't as bland as I remembered it being, and I decided not to trade it after all! The cover has such a cool pic of Lou on it, too! Probably his best album cover. This isn't as good an album as "Rock n Roll Heart" or "Street Hassle" or "Blue Mask" or "The Bells", all from around the same era, but it's a worthwhile Lou Reed album and worth having. 3 1/2 stars!!!

growing up with lou.......2003-12-27

This has got to be lou's greatest record. Stripped bare, honest and raw ( I mean, look at the cover!), musically insane , funny, tender, and scarily true , it not only says everythin' about the guy but the human condition full stop. I'm not gonna go into the historical nonsense that it was a turning point in his career. (who cares!). Basically, this is where he was at the time . It's his best work lyrically by a long shot. I don't get the feeling he's talking to you in a room , as has been most peoples comments when they hear lou, but to himself , therefore it gets right into your head, a personal journey which reaches anyone who is not scared to look at themselves face on. It also, even more than 'Ecstacy,' shows lou's love for soul music. You want a wake up call sleepy heads, then beg, borrow or steal this totally neglected gem.

This IS a great album.......2002-12-14

I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews of this album, but I have to disagree with all of the negative ones. This is a great Lou Reed album. I would actually give it 4 1/2 stars but since that's not an option I chose five to counter all the negative ratings and help bring this one up a bit. It's full of great Lou Reed lyrics and the songs are amazing jazzy/rock arrangements that fit the lyrics perfectly and are full of memorable melodies. So, if you like Lou Reed don't hesitate to pick up this one. The only reason I can think that people would give it negative reviews is that they want Lou Reed to make the same album musically on every album he makes. The songs and lyrics are infectious and the lyrics aren't just mindless pop drivel but are for the most part a lot of deep introspecting on Reed's life and life in general. So find this one, you won't regret it.

Not worth it.......2002-05-11

Lou Reed's career has as many low points as high ones. This is one of the lowest. Bland, anonymous studio musician rock with lyrics that are so over-the-top that they become unintentionally funny. Eventually, though, even the humor factor wears off and it quickly becomes unlistenable.

The scam, at the time this came out, was that this was REALLY Lou Reed - no, REALLY, the REAL Lou Reed, talking about his REAL life. Really! Honest! Of course anyone who believed that would also want to invest in Lou's shares in the Brooklyn Bridge or his offering of great real estate in South Florida.

The best thing about this album is the cover. Nothing else on here is worth bothering with. Most of Lou's output on Arista records showed him at his least interesting, and this one unfortunately is one of the worst (only surpassed by the truly abysmal "The Bells," which no one should be forced to listen to).

Tracks:

Ain't No Doubt
Reach Out
Laura
Waiting For The Sunshine
Real Love
Only Love (Can Bring Us Home)
Wicked World
Beautiful
I Believed
Absent Friends

Average customer rating:

Sometimes, the second take really IS better...
A non-essential treat
PANTS DOWN!
Reed's Most Underrated Album!
Four words: "shake your booty mama"

Growing Up in Public
Lou Reed
Manufacturer: Musicrama/Koch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Rock and Roll Heart
The Bells

ASIN: B000003POH
Release Date: 1996-07-03

Album Description

1)HOW DO YOU SPEAK TO AN ANGEL 2)MY OLD MAN 3)KEEP AWAY 4)GROWING UP IN PUBLIC 5)STANDING ON CERMONY 6)SO ALONE 7)LOVE IS HERE TO STAY 8)THE POWER OF POSITIVE DRINKING 9)SMILES 10)THINK IT OVER 11)TEACH THE GIFTED CHILDREN **1992 BMG RECORDS RELEASE OUT OF GERMANY**

Album Details

Re-issue Originally Released in 1980. Features Newly Commissioned Liner Notes and Rare Photos. Digitally Remastered.

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes, the second take really IS better..........2006-07-22

For me, the best epitaph for this oft-overlooked affair comes from one of the principal players, guitarist Chuck Hammer (and I'm quoting directly, from Diana Clapton's '82 book): "Maybe we didn't work hard enough on it. We were down there three weeks to the day -- and Lou did do all the vocals in one take."

That just about sums up the proceedings here, in which you have to dig through the muck to find the handful of gems ("Keep Away," "The Power Of Positive Drinking," "My Old Man," "Smiles," "Think It Over") that'll keep you coming back.

To me, the most glaring flaw is the production, greased by big, gooey slabs of Michael Fonfara's synthesizer, although he's not the only culprit: the band -- which I consider among Lou's best lineups, personally -- sounds tired, and plodding. (Maybe a little boredom was inevitable, after five years of playing to the same cult audiences around the world.) "Keep Away" boasts a fine, propulsive guitar sound that's sadly lacking elsewhere (compare it to the tentative leads that float through "Teach The Gifted Children," and you'll see what I mean).

GROWING UP IN PUBLIC has "rushed project" stamped all over it, and this is nowhere more evident than in Lou's vocals: on "How Do You Speak To An Angel," and "Standing On Ceremony," his delivery is pinched, and strained -- a tendency that grows more pronounced on the mindless, politically incorrect disco vamp of "So Alone"; if I were compiling a "20 Worst Tracks Of Lou" list, this one would hover right near the top.

If that weren't enough, Lou also tosses in enough polysyllabic lyrics to choke an English lit professor...my favorite example being, "They're gilt-edged polymorphous urban/But somehow, it works," from "Love Is Here To Stay" -- the big hit, destined for Top 40, right? Not with this kind of approach, I'm afraid.

Having said all this, there's a few rewards for the faithful, and I've mentioned them; "My Old Man" became the keystone for me, because I was having similar problems (while "Standing On Ceremony" struck me as a less compelling rewrite of the same topic). "Keep Away" and "Positive Drinking" are snapshots of Lou Reed Attitude 101, while "Think It Over" boasts a graceful melody that would have lifted this album overall.

In all fairness, similar flaws hobbled many albums of this era, and it's telling how Lou responded...by changing labels, picking musicians he'd never worked with before (for THE BLUE MASK), and editing himself more ruthlessly (on NEW SENSATIONS). If you're a completist, this review probably won't matter, because you probably already have this album, anyway; if you're a newcomer, though, don't start here to dig through the back catalog.

A non-essential treat.......2005-12-25

Critics of this album tend to emphasise the fact that Reed released stronger albums in the years shortly preceding and following it. This is true. It is also unfair. If you judge 'Public' on its own merits alone it fairs reasonably well.

Firstly, it is an album with a sense of humour, more so than anything he released later in the decade. 'Keep Away' offers a littany of amusing put-downs, 'So Alone' has a schizophrenic style with a very silly disco segue and 'The Power Of Positive Drinking' is a lot of laughs...until you remember the era in Lou life's during which it was written.

It is also interesting as a confessional, the opening two cuts and 'Standing On Ceremony' are all delivered with punch, even if you can't be sure of their biographical accuracy.

And when Lou drops it down a notch on 'Think It Over' the result is a sweet breath of air on this otherwise in-your-face set.

Instrumentally, the use of syntheniser is at times a little grating and the title track is rhythmically plodding, I also find 'Teach The Gifted Children' to be somewhat forgettable for a closing track, however it also the unusual production choices which help make this album unique in his catalogue.

It's certainly not an essential purchase, and there are few genuine standouts, but for the real fan it's a mostly satisfying and unusual treat.

PANTS DOWN!.......2000-06-28

This is a below average Reed album, but I still enjoy the title track ["growing up in public/with your pants down"], Love Is Here To Stay and the very catchy Power Of Positive Drinking. How Do You Speak To An Angel and My Old Man are not bad either.

Reed's Most Underrated Album!.......2000-05-17

Growing Up In Public doesn't get the credit it deserves. True, it is not Reed's best, but it still a great album. Not all of Reed's albums have the level of consistancy that this album has. How Do You Speak To An Angel, My Old Man, and The Power of Positive Drinking standout. Growing Up In Public is an incredible song, which would rank among Reed's best. Also, It is really cool to here Lou going into Take Me To The River in Teach The Gifted Children, which is another great song. This album should be essential to Any of Reed's fans. Buy It.

Four words: "shake your booty mama".......2000-04-06

This is the kind of spectacular failure other artists would kill for. David Bowie has no qualms about trashing his own "Never Let Me Down" record. I can admire an artist who admits to error. For some reason Lou doesn't like to talk about "Growing Up In Public" much, falling back on his "Sally Can't Dance" excuse of being too drunk to remember. His picture on the album cover suggests a man who has had a long, unpleasant stay in some sort of institution. It's worth listening to for the disco break-it-down in the middle of "So Alone," but otherwise don't expect more than a (sometimes painful) novelty record.

First off, whatever remained of Lou's punk rock roots are drowned in a choking wash of Michael Fonfara's roaring synthesizer batteries. This sounds more like a musical than a rock album, an aspiration he later achieved with the bizarre looking "Time Rocker" (no record as of yet).

Then there are the lyrics, which range from insipid: "she thinks wating meat's disgusting/he like hot dogs" from the painful march "Love is Here To Stay" to an arythmical jumble of pseudo-literary nonsense, such as my favorite: "they're quasi-effeminate characters in love with oral gratification" from the title track.

This album isn't without it's charms, and I think "Keep Away" is actually pretty successful as an intentionally amusing portrait of a desperate man. The other great moment is at the end of "Smiles" when he urgently revisits the doo-doo-doo's of "Walk on the Wild Side," effectively mocking that part of his past.

Unfortunately the vocals occasionally outdo the keyboards in terms of bombast, and his horrendous shouting on "How do you Speak to an Angel" and "Standing on Ceremony" gets tiresome, not to mention downright embarrassing. As on "The Bells" the listener is faced with the impending horror of hearing Lou bust a vein.

For further listening: witness the original opener for this album on the "Between Thought and Expression" box set, a Lou Reed rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" re-titled simply "America." It starts with Fonfara mimicking Jimi Hendrix's famous Woodstock performance of the song, and the band kicks in some rock'n'roll as Lou shouts the lyrics, again with an urgency that's one of the only appealing qualities of his music from this period. Worth a laugh. May offend the deeply patriotic.

Tracks:

How Do You Speak to an Angel?
My Old Man
Keep Away
Growing up in Public
Standing on Ceremony
So Alone
Love Is Here to Stay
Power of Positive Drinking
Smiles
Think It Over
Teach the Gifted Children

Album Description

Album Details

Re-issue Originally Released in 1980. Features Newly Commissioned Liner Notes and Rare Photos. Digitally Remastered.

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes, the second take really IS better..........2006-07-22

A non-essential treat.......2005-12-25

PANTS DOWN!.......2000-06-28

Reed's Most Underrated Album!.......2000-05-17

Four words: "shake your booty mama".......2000-04-06

Tracks:

Int
Isolate
Ibp
Nec
Var
Lateral Thinking
Rem
Melan

Album Details

Electronic/techno. 'growing Up In Public' Utilizes New Digital Production & Synthesis Methods, Sampling & Dubby Techniques.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely minimal electronics, but tap your feet if you must.......2001-04-24

I bought this Donnacha Costello disc after being thoroughly impressed with his/her contribution to the Auch remix disc on the Force Inc. label. This disc is much more minimal in nature.... whereas the Auch remix evolved into a minimal techhouse number, these tracks never quite go much of anywhere. This is not to say that the album is not very good, because there is something mildly appealing about its lack of ambition. Anyone familiar with albums by snd might understand the sentiment; just because it's nothing fantastic doesn't make it unworthy of purchase. However, if you are planning on hearing something worthy of a dancefloor, you'd best look elsewhere, as most of these tracks lack the pulse you are looking for.

Average customer rating:

Sometimes, the second take really IS better...
A non-essential treat
PANTS DOWN!
Reed's Most Underrated Album!
Four words: "shake your booty mama"

Growing Up in Public
Lou Reed
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Rock and Roll Heart
The Bells

ASIN: B00004RKEG
Release Date: 1997-12-30

Album Description

Album Details

Re-issue Originally Released in 1980. Features Newly Commissioned Liner Notes and Rare Photos. Digitally Remastered.

Customer Reviews:

Sometimes, the second take really IS better..........2006-07-22

A non-essential treat.......2005-12-25

PANTS DOWN!.......2000-06-28

Reed's Most Underrated Album!.......2000-05-17

Four words: "shake your booty mama".......2000-04-06

Where is Michael Fonfara now? I'd like to know. I also want to know what happened to Ellard "Moose" Boles, the stand-out bass player. The real question here is: Where's the Moose?

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