Lou Reed and John Lennon's "Mother"

While it is hard to argue with the notion that Lou Reed is one of rock's great songwriters, it is my sad duty to inform you that he is the worst live professional singer on the planet. By that I mean no one will ever pay money to hear someone sing worse than Lou Reed. That said, there is a certain blunt majesty to his rendition of John Lennon's primal scream masterpiece "Mother." This performance dates way back to July 1, 2011 (that's yesterday) at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, which is in the United Kingdom. I won't say enjoy--neither the song nor Reed's performance is enjoyable, per se--but, rather, appreciate!

Mother - Lou Reed

Rilo Kiley: Barely Alive and Covering John

Since I named this blog after a Rilo Kiley song, I'm going to kick it off with two songs by the best band of the Naughties (2000-2009). The first is an acoustic version of the non-album track "Jenny, You're Barely Alive," played at Amoeba Records in San Francisco on September 23, 2004. This song is the "Gloomy Sunday" of the new millennium: it will drive listeners to suicide.

The second is a cover of the John Lennon/Yoko One classic "Woman is the Nigger of the World," played live at the Henry Ford Theatre in Los Angeles on July 6, 2003. If this were released today, it would be called "Woman is the N-Word of the World." That's why I love political correctness.

Sadly, RK seems to have split up, and neither Jenny Lewis nor Blake Sennett's subsequent work has been up to snuff. Come back, Rilo Kiley, all is forgiven! And Jenny, please wear your short shorts.

Jenny You're Barely Alive - Rilo Kiley (acoustic)

Woman is the Nigger of the World - Rilo Kiley (live)