Reed revives VU, solo classics with flair, humor

The first disc of Animal Serenade begins with Lou Reed strumming the famous chords of "Sweet Jane," a song Reed first recorded with the hugely influential Velvet Underground roughly 35 years ago, causing the crowd at The Wiltern in L.A. to roar its approval.\nBut after about 15 seconds the devilish Reed stops suddenly, and the crowd, wise to Reed's quirky sense of humor, erupts in laughter. "I thought I would explain to you how you make a career out of three chords," Reed says slyly. But, he adds, "You thought it was three, but it's really four."\nAt that point Reed demonstrates that there are, in fact, four chords to the famous song, emphasizing the last of the four. "As in most things in life," he says gleefully, "it's that little hop at the end …"\nIt's that kind of eccentricity, playfulness and self-deprecation on which Reed has truly built his career, and this live double CD reflects that. It includes subdued versions of other VU classics like "How Do You Think It Feels," "Candy Says" and "Heroin," as well as solo gems like "Street Hassle," "Dirty Blvd." and "Set the Twilight Reeling." (Sorry folks, no "Walk on the Wild Side." Try the nearest crappy classic rock station for that.)\nAnd through all of it, Reed's singing is surprisingly sublime and powerful, perhaps the best he's sounded in the last 20 years, if not ever. While some of the VU material lacks the sheer power of the original studio versions, Animal Serenade features a musical pioneer settling in for the long haul.