Recorded in Verona, September 7 and Rome, September 10 1983 by The Rolling Stones Mobile Unit
4 page booklet.
A full transcription of the notes in the inner sleeve:
LOU REED
LIVE IN ITALY
Lou Reed used Live In Italy to document his key concert of 1983. Originally released as a double album, it draws from two different dates in Autumn, 1983, one in Verona and appropriately enough, one in Ravenna, at the Ravenna Festival. It was at Ravenna that Reed played a set which some say rivals Rock ’n’ Roll Animal, his previous live release, and it was on this occasion that his audience clicked with him as one, and he was right in the zone, the tension between Reed and his audience a crucial component of the performance. He once described the music business as a “boxing match”; the fight was on, but was well on the way to ending squarely.
Guitarist Robert Quine was one of a seminal blank generation, and who, in the words of iconic punk Lester Bangs, “looked like a junkie”. Quine was, by the standards of the New York underground, something of a gentleman, a connoisseur and a scholar. To the former Miles Davis, in addition to early ’70s Miles, Quine also had a love of free jazz and folk. Despite his often wild appearance and wiry demeanour, Quine won the respect of luminaries such as Tom Verlaine, John Cale and Brian Eno. He commanded enormous respect among his peers for his intelligence and taste, and it was said that his choice of books would influence and define conversations. Crucially, his intuitive grasp of what made the Velvets tick made him the perfect foil for Reed. According to the man himself, it was his intuitive grasp of what made the Velvets tick which formed the crucial connection.
The Blue Mask (1982), which had showcased a grown up Reed, simmered on fresh creative heights after a sluggish start. Predictably, the honeymoon didn’t last too long, and before long enough, in fact, he had a heart attack. Trauma, he agreed, was the ensuing promotional campaign for The Blue Mask, the reaction to which he was displeased. According to Quine, wasn’t particularly well suited. Nor did he personally care for the recordings which made up Live In Italy.
Critics and fans responded favourably to Live In Italy. Saunders and Aarons were an aggregate that radiates the bold minimalist power of a New Wave groove, and Quine’s guitar style is one of immediate, raw potency. Live In Italy captures his formidable entry on Quine’s CV. The fact that this album was never even released in America only adds to its reputation and mystique. With Reed, and the crack line-up of Robert Quine and Fernando Saunders, the result is both burning and redolent. Certainly, from the opening, fuzz drenched swagger of “Sweet Jane” onwards, its raw power is undeniable, centred in the dangerous Sturm und Drang of Robert Quine’s guitar. Lou Reed revelled in Quine’s own ragged rhythm playing. If the real sparks had already flown on The Blue Mask, the embers of the pair’s collaboration were still hot enough to scorch.
Reed, though, had to maintain their strained partnership. Quine is weeping lines following Reed’s revelation of rage and alienation, and the entire show is an exercise in controlled aggression. By the time “Kill Your Sons” is almost at its centre, Lou Reed’s growling effect is all but enough to send shivers down the spine, Quine coaxing the electric shock of overdriven, almost distorted fleshly sinuosity. On the wild side, Fernando Saunders’ bass propels the inevitable Velvet Underground references, life-changing collisions with “The Vu Under the microscope”.
Unlike his bandmates, he’d long had the likes of Heroin, White Light/White Heat and Rock and Roll to test on his laurels or treat the songs with irreverent kid gloves. According to Quine, the band were prone to extemporaneous invention which marks these tracks out from Reed’s other live outings, and in the way Quine described, they are as faithful as they are vibrant. The Velvet Underground have rarely been replicated. They are still strange, still transgressive. While Quine’s heroic posturing and artistry are here, they are vital again.
— Brendan Gillen
Personnel / Credits
Information by Lou Reed • Groundworks, Peter Christenson • Colour, Fred Marcellino • Drums, Fernando Saunders • Bass Guitar
All tracks written by Lou Reed and published by Oakfield Avenue Music Ltd.
This compilation ℗ 1984 & © 2005 Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.
The copyright in these sound recordings is owned by Sony BMG Music Entertainment Italy.
Distributed by the local Sony BMG company. All trademarks and logos are protected.
Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting prohibited.
Made in the EU.
Catalogue / code: 82876 708412
Reino Unido