Legendary Hearts

Legendary Hearts
Studio album by Lou Reed
Released March 1983
Recorded 1982
Studio RCA Studios, New York City
Genre
Length 38:10
Label RCA
Producer Lou Reed
Lou Reed chronology
The Blue Mask
(1982)The Blue Mask1982
Legendary Hearts
(1983)
Live in Italy
(1984)Live in Italy1984
Singles from Legendary Hearts
  1. "Don't Talk to Me About Work"
    Released: 1983
  2. "Martial Law"
    Released: 1983

Legendary Hearts is the twelfth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in March 1983 by RCA Records. Reed self-produced the album, and dedicated it to his then-wife, Sylvia, who was credited with the cover concept. Due to tensions with Reed, most of Robert Quine's guitar parts were mixed down or removed entirely.[1]

Legendary Hearts peaked at No. 159 on the Billboard 200. Two singles were released from the album: "Don't Talk to Me About Work" and "Martial Law". However, both failed to chart. Two music videos were produced for the album: "Legendary Hearts" and "Don't Talk to Me About Work".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Pitchfork6.9/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[8]
The Village VoiceA[9]

Upon release, Legendary Hearts received favourable reviews from music critics. Writing for The Village Voice, music journalist Robert Christgau gave the album an A, and stated that "If The Blue Mask was a tonic, the follow-up's a long drink of water, trading impact and intensity for the stated goal of this (final?) phase of Reed's music: continuity, making do, the long haul."[9]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Mark Deming wrote of the album, "On Legendary Hearts, Reed was writing great songs, playing them with enthusiasm and imagination, and singing them with all his heart and soul, and if it wasn't his best album, it was more than good enough to confirm that the brilliance of The Blue Mask was no fluke, and that Reed had reestablished himself as one of the most important artists in American rock."[2]

Track listing

All tracks written by Lou Reed.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Legendary Hearts"3:23
2."Don't Talk to Me About Work"2:07
3."Make Up My Mind"2:48
4."Martial Law"3:53
5."The Last Shot"3:22
6."Turn Out the Light"2:45
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Pow Wow"2:30
8."Betrayed"3:10
9."Bottoming Out"3:40
10."Home of the Brave"6:49
11."Rooftop Garden"3:04
Total length:38:10

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Legendary Hearts liner notes.[10]

Production

Chart performance

Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 159

See also

References

  1. http://www.furious.com/PERFECT/quine.html
  2. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Legendary Hearts – Lou Reed". AllMusic. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  3. Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-breaking Music". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  5. Harvell, Jess (January 15, 2010). "Lou Reed: Legendary Hearts / New Sensations". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  6. Fricke, David (April 28, 1983). "Lou Reed: Legendary Hearts". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  7. Hull, Tom (2004). "Lou Reed". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 684–85. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  9. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (March 29, 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  10. Legendary Hearts (CD booklet). Lou Reed. RCA Records. 1983.
  11. "Lou Reed > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
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