Lou Reed has never been one to shirk from an ambitious project, and The Raven is no exception. It consists of readings from the dark poems of Edgar Allen Poe, interspersed with songs of traditional structure (and similar subject matter) and sometimes revisits Reed's previous work ("Perfect Day" for instance)--often with the help of a range of collaborators from the world of music (David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Ornette Coleman) and film (Steve Buscemi, Willem Defoe). Opening with a dramatic monologue delivered over a backdrop of seething guitars, it's reminiscent of the unlistenable tosh of his Metal Machine Music. The atmospherics work though, and it serves as a fitting intro--or perhaps an ominous portent--of things to come.
Any reservations are quickly washed away by the glorious New York brass of "Overture" and the autumnally maudlin "Prologue". In fact, The Raven is among Reed's most affecting work to date--strings, saxophones and horns all combine with Reed's restrained guitar to produce a strikingly effective and aurally pleasing atmosphere. Elsewhere, this contrasts with more typically Reed songs, such as the rattle of "Edgar Allen Poe". With Poe's words embodying much which is close to Reed's heart (obsession, paranoia, self destruction), it's easy to see what attracted him to the project. As a concept album, it doesn't work as well as 1991's New York--partly because more people have experienced the dark and dirty underworld of NYC than the dark and dirty underworld of Edgar Allen Poe, but mostly because the songs on offer aren't as good. That said, this is a beautiful record and, for a change, a worthwhile diversion from rock's norm. --Ben Johncock

Track List:

CD 1: Act 1
01. The Conqueror Worm
02. Overture
03. Old Poe
04. Prologue (Ligiea)
05. Edgar Allan Poe
06. The Valley of Unrest
07. Call on Me
08. The City in the Sea / Shadow
09. A Thousand Departed Friends
10. Change
11. The Fall of the House of Usher
12. The Bed
13. Perfect Day
14. The Raven
15 Balloon
CD 2: Act 2
01. Broadway Song
02. The Tell-Tale Heart (Pt. 1)
03. Blind Rage
04. The Tell-Tale Heart (Pt. 2)
05. Burning Embers
06. Imp of the Perverse
07. Vanishing Act
08. The Cask
09. Guilty, spoken
10. Guilty, sung
11. A Wild Being from Birth
12. I Wanna Know (The Pit and the Pendulum)
13. Science of the Mind
14. Annabel Lee - The Bells
15. Hop Frog
16. Every Frog Has His Day
17. Tripitena’s Speech
18. Who Am I? (Tripitena’s Song)
19. Courtly Orangutans
20. Fire Music
21. Guardian Angel

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