You're absolutely right; Rock 'n' Roll Animal was great ONLY because of the live band versions of Sweet Jane, Heroin, etc. which were off-the-chart spectacular. That Sweet Jane intro just may be THE best of all time.
Ever hear his studio version of Sweet Jane & Heroin? Ugggh. Depressing, uninspired, and yes - he was probably on heroin during the recording.
Good observation as to why Reed probably resents the live version as well - it dwarfed and marginalized his weirdness.
There’s basically a split between the Velvet fans/solo Reed fans and fans of Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal. Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal had too much rock for the art crowd, and that other stuff had too much arty crap for the rock fans.
“That Sweet Jane intro just may be THE best of all time.”
Oh, yeah. And then you have one of the best rock riffs ever kick in! Like I said, I hope Wagner and Hunter get in the hall with Alice (who had the best band of that 70’s glam scene). Another great intro, although not as good, is the intro to Hey Joe from the Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at Winterland.
“Depressing, uninspired, and yes - he was probably on heroin during the recording.”
I think my favorite non-Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal Reed song is Satelite of Love. That really art stuff I could never get into.
Freegards