(Rock) [LP][24/96] Lou Reed - New York (1988) [Sire – 925 829-1, Sire – WX 246, Germany] - 1989, FLAC (tracks)

=Hardware=
Vacuum cleaned LP>
Shure M97xE>
Dual CS 505-3>
Handcrafted low capacitance custom cables, teflon® insulated & silver-plated coaxial conductors>
Kenwood C1 Custom Revision I>
- Phono Stage input capacitors replaced by Polypropylen/Styroflex types
- All electrolytic capacitors in signal chain replaced by foil capacitors
- Electrolytic capacitors not mounted by manufacturer onto the RIAA stage power Supply refitted (Philips NOS types)
- Old JRC OpAmps replaced by Burr Brown and Analog Devices OpAmps resp.
Handcrafted low capacitance custom cables, polyethylene insulated twinaxial conductors>
Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 HiFi w/ AD712 OpAmps @ 24/96>
HDD
=Software=
Wavelab 6.11 (Algorithmix Pro, Waves x-hum)
Adobe Audition 3
ClickRepair 3/0
Traderґs Little Helper (FLAC)
+16Bit Version:
Izotope Rx Advanced 1.21
Resampled:
-Ultra Steep, linear phase
Dithered:
-MBIT+ Medium
-Noise shaping light
-Dither amount normal

Date of rip: 2011-01-09

www.discogs.com

New York City figured so prominently in Lou Reed's music for so long that it's surprising it took him until 1989 to make an album simply called New York, a set of 14 scenes and sketches that represents the strongest, best-realized set of songs of Reed's solo career. While Reed's 1982 comeback, The Blue Mask, sometimes found him reaching for effects, New York's accumulated details and deft caricatures hit bull's-eye after bull's-eye for 57 minutes, and do so with an easy stride and striking lyrical facility. New York also found Reed writing about the larger world rather than personal concerns for a change, and in the beautiful, decaying heart of New York City, he found plenty to talk about -- the devastating impact of AIDS in "Halloween Parade," the vicious circle of child abuse "Endless Cycle," the plight of the homeless in "Xmas in February" -- and even on the songs where he pointedly mounts a soapbox, Reed does so with an intelligence and smart-assed wit that makes him sound opinionated rather than preachy -- like a New Yorker. And when Reed does look into his own life, it's with humor and perception; "Beginning of a Great Adventure" is a hilarious meditation on the possibilities of parenthood, and "Dime Store Mystery" is a moving elegy to his former patron Andy Warhol. Reed also unveiled a new band on this set, and while guitarist Mike Rathke didn't challenge Reed the way Robert Quine did, Reed wasn't needing much prodding to play at the peak of his form, and Ron Wasserman proved Reed's superb taste in bass players had not failed him. Produced with subtle intelligence and a minimum of flash, New York is a masterpiece of literate, adult rock & roll, and the finest album of Reed's solo career.~ Review by Mark Deming, allmusicguide