Coney Island Baby

For the 2003 film, see Coney Island Baby (film). For the barbershop song, see Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby.

1975 studio album by Lou Reed

Coney Island Baby

Studio album by

Lou Reed

Released| December 1975
Recorded| October 18–28, 1975
Studio| Mediasound, New York City
Genre| Soft rock
Length| 35:15
Label| RCA Victor
Producer| Lou Reed and Godfrey Diamond
Lou Reed chronology
| Metal Machine Music
(1975)  | Coney Island Baby
(1975)  | Rock and Roll Heart
(1976)

|
|

Coney Island Baby is the sixth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in December 1975 by RCA Records.[1]

## Music and lyrics

[edit]

P.S. 192 – Magnet School for Math & Science Inquiry, in Brooklyn

The album has been described by Anthony DeCurtis as "perhaps the most romantic album of Reed's career".[2] Many of the album's songs were inspired by and dedicated to Reed's girlfriend and muse at the time, Rachel Humphreys.[3][4] According to Aidan Levy, Coney Island Baby was "as much a love letter to Rachel as it was to the nostalgic Coney Island of the mind."[5]

The album's title track directly references Rachel with the line: "I'd like to send this one out to Lou and Rachel, and all the kids at P.S. 192."[6] "P.S. 192" refers to P.S. 192 – which at that time was a public school for kindergarten to 6th grade, in Brooklyn, New York City, NY, where Reed went to school before moving to Long Island, New York.[7] In 1979 Reed said "Saying 'I'm a Coney Island baby' at the end of that song is like saying I haven't backed off an inch. And don't you forget it."[8][9] It is a direct continuation of the poem "The Coach and Glory of Love", written by Reed and published in the Fall 1971 edition of The Harvard Advocate.

The album includes the song "She's My Best Friend", a version of which was originally recorded by Reed's band the Velvet Underground in 1969, and eventually released on the 1985 compilation album VU. The 30th-anniversary re-issue of Coney Island Baby includes bonus tracks featuring Reed's Velvet Underground bandmate Doug Yule.

## Critical reception

[edit]

Retrospective professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [10]
Blender| [11]
Chicago Tribune| [12]
Christgau's Record Guide| B+[13]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music| [14]
The Guardian| [15]
Pitchfork| 8.5/10[16]
Q| [17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [18]
Spin Alternative Record Guide| 7/10[19]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone in 1976, Paul Nelson wrote, "For the eight superb songs on Coney Island Baby, Reed assembled the best band he has performed with since the Velvet Underground. Michael Suchorsky's versatile, controlled drumming is especially praiseworthy, and Reed himself has even managed to rekindle his intense, individualistic guitar playing of the late Sixties. Better yet, he has shelved his recent FM-DJ vocal style in favor of confident, expressive singing. The songs themselves—as structured and melodic as any Reed has written — are timeless, terrific rock & roll, and the strength of the genre is accentuated by the simplicity and logic of crisp, tactile production (by Reed and Godfrey Diamond) and careful, resourceful arrangements which emphasize both electric and acoustic guitars and inventive background vocals."[20]

In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said of the record, "At first it's gratifying to ascertain that he's trying harder, but very soon that old cheapjack ennui begins to poke through. Oddly, though, most of the cheap stuff is near the surface—the songs sound warmer when you listen close. And not even in his most lyrical moments with the Velvets has he let his soft side show as nakedly as it does on the title cut."[13]

For the entry on Reed in Rock: The Rough Guide (1996), Roy Edroso highlighted Coney Island Baby as "the most pleasing of Reed's soft-rock albums" and said, "His sense of humour has never been better than on 'A Gift', and the title track reminds you why Jonathan Richman idolized Reed: who else would have had the nerve to try to find 'the glory of love' in the reveries of a troubled would-be high-school football player (in doo-wop style, no less)?".[21]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Lou Reed.

Side oneNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Crazy Feeling"| 2:56
2.| "Charley's Girl"| 2:36
3.| "She's My Best Friend"| 6:00
4.| "Kicks"| 6:06

Side twoNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "A Gift"| 3:47
2.| "Ooohhh Baby"| 3:45
3.| "Nobody's Business"| 3:41
4.| "Coney Island Baby"| 6:46
Total length:| 35:15

30th Anniversary Edition Bonus TracksNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Nowhere at All" (recorded November 18 and 21, 1975 at Mediasound Studios, New York City)| 3:17
2.| "Downtown Dirt" (recorded January 3 and 4, 1975 at Electric Lady Studios, New York City)| 4:18
3.| "Leave Me Alone" (recorded October 19 and 20, 1975 at Mediasound Studios)| 5:35
4.| "Crazy Feeling" (recorded January 3 and 4, 1975 at Electric Lady Studios)| 2:39
5.| "She's My Best Friend" (recorded January 4, 1975 at Electric Lady Studios)| 4:08
6.| "Coney Island Baby" (recorded January 6, 1975 at Electric Lady Studios)| 5:41

"Nowhere at All" was released as the B-side to "Charley's Girl".

## Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

* Lou Reed – vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
* Bob Kulick – lead guitar, slide guitar
* Bruce Yaw – bass guitar
* Michael Suchorsky – drums, percussion
* Joanne Vent, Michael Wendroff, Godfrey Diamond – backing vocals
* Doug Yule – bass guitar on bonus tracks 2, 4–6, guitar on bonus tracks 4–6
* Bob Meday – drums on bonus tracks 2, 4–6
* Michael Fonfara – keyboards on bonus tracks 2, 4–6

Production and artwork

* Geoffrey Diamond, Lou Reed, Michael Wendroff – mixing
* José Rodriguez – recording
* Acy Lehman – art direction
* Mick Rock – photography

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Coney Island Baby Chart (1976)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[22] | 25
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] | 4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] | 16
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[25] | 23
UK Albums (OCC)[26] | 52
US Billboard 200[27] | 41

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Island Baby LP". www.discogs.com. 2007.
2. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (October 10, 2017). Lou Reed: A Life. New York: Little Brown. p. 180\. ISBN 978-0-316-37654-9.
3. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (October 10, 2017). Lou Reed: A Life. Little Brown. p. 180\. ISBN 978-0-316-37654-9.
4. ^ "Rachel: Lou Reed's transsexual muse". February 6, 2013.
5. ^ Levy, Aidan. Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed. Chicago Review Press, 2015
6. ^ Lou Reed. "Coney Island Baby". Coney Island Baby, RCA, 1976
7. ^ Business Insider – Lou Reed's Most Personal Song About New York Is Not The Same As His Best One 27th October 2013
8. ^ Interview with Rolling Stone's Mikal Gilmore in 1979. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/lou-reed-performs-coney-island-baby-1984-video/
9. ^ Ref. the 'football coach' lyrics, for Reed's school life see Chapter 3 of Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed by Aidan Levy
10. ^ Deming, Mark. "Coney Island Baby – Lou Reed". AllMusic. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
11. ^ Wolk, Douglas. "Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby". Blender. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
12. ^ Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-Breaking Music". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
13. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN 0-89919-026-X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
14. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Reed, Lou". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
15. ^ Simpson, Dave (October 6, 2006). "Lou Reed, Coney Island Baby". The Guardian. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
16. ^ Berman, Stuart (October 9, 2006). "Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
17. ^ "Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby". Q. No. 68\. May 1992. p. 103.
18. ^ Coleman, Mark (1992). "Lou Reed". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 582–84\. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
19. ^ Strauss, Neil (1995). "Lou Reed". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 325–27\. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
20. ^ Nelson, Paul (March 25, 1976). "Lou Reed: Coney Island Baby". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
21. ^ Edroso, Roy (1996). "Lou Reed". In Buckley, Jonathan; Ellingham, Mark (eds.). Rock: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. ISBN 1858282012.
22. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 249\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lou Reed – Coney Island Baby" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
24. ^ "Charts.nz – Lou Reed – Coney Island Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Lou Reed – Coney Island Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
27. ^ "Lou Reed Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2024.

* Hinckley, David (July 5, 2004). "Court and Spark: Boys and Girls Together Down at Coney Island". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Mentions the Catalano/Alonzo song.

## External links

[edit]

* Coney Island Baby at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Lou Reed

* Discography

Studio albums|

* Lou Reed
* Transformer
* Berlin
* Sally Can't Dance
* Metal Machine Music
* Coney Island Baby
* Rock and Roll Heart
* Street Hassle
* The Bells
* Growing Up in Public
* The Blue Mask
* Legendary Hearts
* New Sensations
* Mistrial
* New York
* Magic and Loss
* Set the Twilight Reeling
* Ecstasy
* The Raven
* Hudson River Wind Meditations

Collaborations|

* Le Bataclan '72 (with John Cale and Nico)
* Songs for Drella (with John Cale)
* The Stone: Issue Three (with John Zorn and Laurie Anderson)
* Lulu (with Metallica)

Live albums|

* Rock 'n' Roll Animal
* Lou Reed Live
* Live: Take No Prisoners
* Live in Italy
* Perfect Night: Live in London
* American Poet
* Animal Serenade
* Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse
* The Creation of the Universe

Compilations|

* Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed
* Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980
* City Lights
* Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits
* Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s
* The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground
* A Retrospective
* Retro
* The Definitive Collection
* The Very Best of Lou Reed
* Legendary Lou Reed
* NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003)
* The Essential Lou Reed

Singles|

* "Walk on the Wild Side"/"Perfect Day"
* "Satellite of Love"
* "Vicious"
* "Sweet Jane"
* "Street Hassle"
* "I Love You, Suzanne"
* "My Red Joystick"
* "High in the City"
* "September Song"
* "The Original Wrapper"
* "No Money Down"
* "Dirty Blvd."

Featured singles|

* "Tranquilize"

Box sets|

* Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology

Related articles|

* The Velvet Underground
* John Cale
* Nico
* Ostrich guitar
* Metal Machine Trio
* Live at Montreux 2000
* Loureedia
* Rock & Rule
* Rachel Humphreys
* Laurie Anderson
* The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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