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Following the 2022 debut of The Lou Reed Archive Series with Words and Music - 1965, a collection of the late singer-songwriter-legend's earliest recordings, the Light in the Attic label is looking to one of his final works. On Friday, January 17, LITA will reissue 2007's Hudson River Wind Meditations, Reed's twentieth and final solo record. (The Metallica collaboration Songs for Lulu followed in 2011 and became Reed's last-ever full-length studio set.) An album of meditative music, Hudson River was co-produced with longtime collaborator Hal Willner.
"I first composed this music for myself as an adjunct to meditation, Tai Chi, and bodywork, and as music to play in the background of life, to replace the everyday cacophony with new and ordered sounds of an unpredictable nature. New sounds freed from preconception," Reed said of the album. "Over time, friends who heard the music asked if I could make them copies. I then wrote two more pieces with the same intent: to relax the body, mind, and spirit and facilitate meditation." Hudson River Wind Meditations is a gentler companion to 1975's notorious Metal Machine Music, drawing on the artist's explorations into drone music and ambient sounds. Adorned with a cover photograph taken by Reed, the album has just four tracks: two lengthy pieces (one just under and one just over thirty minutes) and two short tracks.
The reissue is produced in cooperation with Reed's collaborator and wife Laurie Anderson and The Lou Reed Archive. It's been remastered by John Baldwin, and the CD and LP editions include a new interview with Anderson conducted by Jonathan Cott in which they discuss the album and Reed's dedication to Tai Chi.
Look for Hudson River Wind Meditations on Friday, January 12, from Light in the Attic.
Lou Reed, Hudson River Wind Meditations (Sounds True M1117D, 2007 - reissued LITA, 2024)
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- Move Your Heart (28:54)
- Find Your Note (31:35)
- Hudson River Wind (Blend the Ambiance) (1:50)
- Wind Coda (5:23)
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Does this make the original more or less valuable?