Robert Quine
has said that the personal and musical differences that led to the end of his working relationship with
Lou Reed
had put a wall between them well before he finally gave
Reed
his notice. While
Quine
never failed to deliver on-stage, the tension became audible in their music, and
Live in Italy
captures the best band of
's solo career about a year past its peak, not long before it fell apart for the first time (
Lou
would reassemble the group for the world tour that followed
New Sensations
-- a job
said he took solely for the money). Consequently, this isn't the ideal document of this band -- but it also makes clear that even on a lesser night,
,
Fernando Saunders
, and
Fred Maher
were a force to be reckoned with. While
's performance isn't flattered by this album's mix, his edgy lines blend superbly with
's, and both are in fine fettle, while
Saunders
shines on bass and
Maher
's rock-solid drumming holds everything firmly in place.
is on fire on most of these songs, and while this plays for the most part like a "Best of Lou Reed" set, he pulls out sharp, impassioned performances on every cut, doing lean-and-mean justice to
Velvet Underground
classics like
"White Light/White Heat"
and
"Sister Ray,"
and rescuing the unnerving
"Kill Your Sons"
from the oblivion of
Sally Can't Dance
. Are there bootlegs or live videos that capture this band on better nights? Yes. Does that change the fact this is
's strongest live album? Not a bit. ~ Mark Deming