Robert Quine with Lou Reed

Robert Quine is known among fans of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground for two major accomplishments.  First, as a VU fan in the late 1960's, Quine attended and recorded a number of gigs.  Quine studied these tapes as he developed his own style.  Second, as a musician, Quine encouraged Reed to play guitar again -- on record and in concert.  Lou didn't play guitar on The Bells (1979) or Growing Up In Public (1980).  But on 1982's The Blue Mask, Lou's guitar is loud and clear in the right stereo channel, and Quine is in the left. 

Quine enjoyed making The Blue Mask: "There was no rehearsing, no overdubs, no punch-in's for mistakes. The exact opposite of the Voidoids."  Doane Perry (who played drums on The Blue Mask) recalled, "at times, it was complete anarchy in the guitar department, which is what I think Lou was after. Robert was able to give him that foil so that when Lou would go off, Robert would be kind of holding things down in that kind of anarchist way that he did. And vice versa."

Reed and Quine made one more album together (Legendary Hearts) but Reed buried Quine's guitar in the mix.  Quine later said, "Encouraging him to play guitar again was digging my own grave. But I would have done it again because I owed it to him. This guy changed my life."

I was surprised to read that Quine considered Live In Italy a bad concert.  So I looked for other live performances of Reed and Quine.  A Night With Lou Reed (from February 1983) was professionally shot on video, and you can watch it on Youtube. Andy Warhol is among the audience at the Bottom Line (where Take No Prisoners was recorded in 1978).  It was the first time the Blue Mask songs were performed, and Quine's live debut as a member of Lou's band.  There was an early show and a late show that night, and there's a recording of the soundcheck.  

Today's share is assembled from live recordings of Quine's two tours with Lou (and a couple of Blue Mask tracks).  The first tour included Fred Maher on drums and Fernando Saunders on bass.  Two songs are included from the Live In Italy album (one is the only 1983 performance of "Heroin").  Quine's second tour with Reed was in 1984, supporting the Legendary Hearts and New Sensations albums.  Reed added Peter Wood on keyboards for that tour.

These performances are worth hearing not just for Quine's solos (although he is astonishing on "Waves Of Fear"), but also for the enthusiasm that he seemed to inspire in Reed's playing, and the interplay between the two guitars.  Reed's stage banter is sometimes downright cheerful!  During the intro to "Average Guy", Lou refers to his lead guitarist as "the ineffable Quine".  

This is the second of three posts on Quine.  The next one will feature his work with Richard Hell.  "Forgotten Heroes: Robert Quine" (from Premier Guitar magazine) is well worth reading, and not just for gearheads.  So is the Quine interview at Perfect Sound Forever, and PSF's collection of tributes to Quine from friends and colleagues.  The quotes in this post are from Perfect Sound Forever, and the photo of Reed and Quine was taken by Martin Benjamin.

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG:  Stinky's tribute to another Lou Reed axeman, Dick Wagner.