Product Description

In 1975, Lou Reed released his infamous METAL MACHINE MUSIC. The double-album of unrelentingly harsh noise is arguably the most unlistenable album ever released on a major label. In 2007, the same man released HUDSON RIVER WIND MEDITATIONS. Oh, how time can calm the soul. Composed as background music for Reed's practicing of Tai Chi and meditation, the fourinstrumental electronic compositions are lush and tranquil,and built on gently pulsing sounds and tones composed by Reed and recorded with assistance from acclaimed producer Hal Willner.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127640 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-30
• Released on: 2007-06-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Binding: Audio CD
• 1 pages

Review
Lou Reed has just taken off the wooden beads he wears around his neck and is suggesting good ways to start meditating. For the past couple of years (he cant remember how many exactly) these beads have become as important a part of his sartorial armour as his trademark shades and torn shirts. Its a surreal moment. Meditation is the last thing you might associate with the so-called Godfather of Punk... he has just released a meditation album called Hudson River Wind Meditations... Reed originally wrote the album of meditation music for his own use a couple of years ago, but then other people wanted copies. Its geared up to help to you to focus, he says. I call it centring. I use the music all the time. I leave it on all day because living in the city it has an intriguing ability to absorb the outside sound and kind of weave that into itself somehow... --The Times, Body & Soul, Saturday 21 July 2007

Customer Reviews

Relax, It's Lou Reed
Art rocker 'Lou Reed' has taken time out from making rock'n'roll records and has produced an album that's a guaranteed stress-reliever for anyone who needs some valuable time to re-energise the body and soothe the mind.

On 'Hudson River Wind Meditations' Reed invites the listener on a relaxing journey to what he defines as the "hidden territory of the inner landscape."
After 20 minutes of listening to the album, you'll suddenly begin to feel your body and mind gradually fall into a state of total relaxation.

'Hudson River Wind Meditations' shows the former Velvet Underground front man presenting his first meditation album created specifically for quiet contemplation. The album is perfect for anyone who has an interest in meditation, bodywork and T'ai Chi.

A practitioner of T'ai Chi for many years, Reed brings his unique sensitivity and knowledge of a broad spectrum of music genres, and provides a tranquil blend of soothing harmonics for the heart and mind. The sound pieces on the hypnotic album relieves tension and negative energy with sparse instrumentation and subtle waves of electronic sound.

Don't be fooled by when people say 'Wind Meditations' is a follow-up to
'Metal Machine Music'. It's not. As Lou points out on the CD's liner notes, "This is music to play in the background of life - to replace the everyday cacophony of life with new and ordered sounds of an unpredictable nature."

This ain't rock'n'roll, this is meditation music for the body, spirit and mind.

Anti-Metal Machine Music
This album has one thing in common with Metal Machine Music: there are four instrumental tracks. There the similarities end. Metal Machine Music was the result of two hours of harsh feedback sped up to twice the speed to garner the final effect. It was also deceptively promoted as a Rock N' Roll Animal type product, which led many purchasers at the time to be disappointed with what they got (and the album was pulled off the shelves after three weeks). Of course now, in hindsight, Metal Machine Music was a brilliant study in "noise" music and has been reissued many times for a more appreciative audience.

Hudson River Wind Meditations was originally written by Lou Reed for himself to accompany his Tai Chi and meditative practices. Since so many friends asked him to burn copies of it for them, Mr. Reed apparently decided that it might have some commercial success if released to the general market.

If one takes it for what it is, music for meditation, there will be no disappointments. But remember, like Metal Machine Music, this is not the Rock N' Roll Animal. In fact, there really are no true rock tunes here, but rather, repetitive melodies that slowly change, but never evolve from their original intent. If one were to hear this without knowing who wrote it, Brian Eno or other champions of the "ambient" genre might come to mind, but while similar, this is not quite from that school of thought. Indeed, it is what it is... what a meditative, instrumental album would sound like if it were written by Lou Reed.

One is immediately impressed with the amount of bass response there is (especially on the first track). In fact, it will be a true test of your speaker system. Do not crank up the volume before you push the play button as it could blow out your woofers. And this album grows on you. I like it more each time I play it. On my first listening, I would have given it 3 stars, but now, it is definately ranks at least 4 stars. Perhaps after many more hearings, even 5 stars would not be out of the question.

Basically, of the four tracks, the first two are the meat of the matter in that they are approximately 1/2 hour each. After being lulled into the soundscape created by the first track, one is almost disappointed or jarred when it ends and the second begins. This isn't to say that the second track is not as good as the first, as it too leaves one wanting more when it ends. Surprisingly, the very short third track is the only "loud" piece on the entire album, and a little out of place here as it does not seem to belong to the "meditative" experience the album as a whole generates. Finally, the fourth relatively short track seems to be a reprise of all that has gone before.

This is certainly to be recommended to any fan of the "ambient" genre, those interested in an alternative to the usual sappy meditation discs out there, and to any Lou Reed completist. But if you're looking for the Rock N' Roll Animal, don't buy this because there's no toe-tapping music here. All that said, I would heartily recommend this latest outing from Mr. Reed to anyone who understands they are not getting a rock and roll follow-up to any album that has gone before.

lou at peace? nah, rock and roll's in his blood. Outstanding effort.
Technically, and ONLY technically speaking, this is ambient/yoga/meditation music. The end.
But hardly a stretch for the mercurial Reed. The obvious comparisons in contemporary music criticism these days is Hudson River is a Metal Machine Music Part 2. And of course, they are right. Guitar feedback, synth loops, atmosphere, and I truly believe these are conjurings, of a new age (new age, get it? one of the VU's best songs) of Lou's Hudson River and Lou's NYC.
But this is a quiet, arty affair. And Reed, the quinessential schizo simultaneous fish-out-of-water/fish-in-the-water artist explores ambient soundscapes in 4 tracks. Supposedly "new" for him but to lifelong fans, it's not out of the ordinary and quite special. No vocals. The first two are long and hypnotic and very different. One is spooky guitar feedback executed in a quiet and original way, and the other a very demented heartbeat drone. 3rd and 4th songs are shorter: the 3rd begins to synthesize the two stunning long tracks before giving into a totally awesome approximation of the wind beating hard and wild and fast upon the Hudson. Track 3 is startling.
The last song, song 4, is the total synthesis of the sensitive, quiet guitar feedback and that demented heart beating together and way too short.
Typical lovable Lou: Drown them in brilliant noise/sound then make a move like you are going to reach peak and resolve--but back off.
If you can't live with his attitude, too bad, he's a punk rocker at heart and always was. We don't even know (but we can guess) what two or three intruments comprise this wonderful CD and he doesn't tell us.
To be honest I cannot meditate, do yoga, space out to this. I tried to fall asleep to this after a stressful day but I could not. But I listen from begining to end while paying bills, doing laundry, etc. It's not your typical background noise record, but it's a Lou Reed album all the same: you pay attention. The titles of the 4 songs are purposefully awful and not worth repeating.
The beauty of Lou Reed's art is he seems to despise selling it and keeps a chip on his shoulder. That chip comes off in his actual work. Lou Reed is a truly singular and great American artist.