Maureen Tucker, I´m Sticking With You: An Introduction to Moe Tucker

Maureen Tucker, I´m Sticking With You: An Introduction to Moe Tucker

By: Erreh Svaia

Rock N Roll Animal

If we talk about the legendary band The Velvet Underground, it is well known (to connoisseurs) that Lou Reed was the main force behind the group, the main composer and the one who developed the decadent vision of the band, then John Cale would follow as he was able to connect that avant-garde sensibility and abstract instrumentation in the context of the group, then the situation becomes complex to approach the rest of the group, the guitarist Sterling Morrison, whom I had the good fortune to contact at the Texas university where I taught at the initial eras of the Internet (years before its meeting in the 90s), possessor of a particular style, a human metronome, imperturbable and minimalist, perfect for the group's pretensions, and last but not least, the percussionist Maureen "Moe "Tucker, who would give his unusual touch on percussion, despising the use of cymbals, pointing out that "they eat guitars ", she turned her instrument into a rhythmic muscle inspired by the way some African musicians play in order to become the unstoppable heart of the group, but if we focus on Tucker, we must point out two more things, her angelic voice, perfect for many of the most emotional ballads of the band, after the departure of Nico after the first album of the band, if this were not enough, we must also point out the attitude of Tucker, a woman of hard character, hard enough to get after the percussions in an iconoclastic rock band at a time when women rarely put themselves behind one of these instruments.

Tucker would remain in the band until the end, after the departure of Cale and the departure of Lou Reed, in a strange residue of the band and away from the initial vision, Tucker would go to work at Wal Mart (she would latter criticize heavy Sam Walton and even join the Tea Party) and take care for his family, but being part of one of the most influential bands in the history of rock, in addition to its character and a considerable number of top level fans in the rock world (Reed, Cale, Sonic Youth, Daniel Johnston and the Half Japanese , among others), would make her return, this time with a leading role in the voice and wielding a guitar to launch a solo career based on hard rock, contrasting strongly with her ethereal voice.

I'm Sticking With You, An Introduction to Moe Tucker is the perfect excuse to get into the world of Tucker, a world where eternal roots are paid to rock, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, where the Velvet Underground is not forgotten and where Lou Reed is the patron saint of musicians who despise stardom and popularity, in this world, Tucker is an outlaw without fear of what comes, and his version of rock and roll is a full of attitude, roughness and emotion, in front of us starts the parade of the thoughtful version of the classic I'm Waiting For the Man, accompanied by John Cale, a beautiful and more robust Pale Blue Eyes with Lou Reed, in the that the guitar of Reed and the battery of Tucker give a new life and intensity to the theme that is worth listening to, Heroin is a subject that receives a peculiar treatment, the drummer is characteristic of Tucker with winks to the musical style of Bo Diddley, although the sound of company r It is somewhat abstract and abrasive at the end, in I'm Sticking With You, a song in Tucker's voice, it is accompanied by the Modern Lover Jonathan Richman in a version that seems more relaxed and fun than the original with Reed .

For those who think that Tucker is just an adorable voice, it's worth paying attention to the brutal Guess I'm Falling In Love, with Jad Fair (with whom he will repeat on the song Andy), where the rougher and rocker side of Tucker is in total manifest, taking a radical turn to address the iconic Shirelles theme Will You Love Me Tomorrow, which will surely remove the internal fibers of more than one listener.

The album closes with Last Night, another outstanding song in a recording that has no filler or waste, hard and direct as the personality of Tucker, barely channeled by the emotional voice of this heroine, faithful to her dogmas of rock n roll, incapable of betraying herself, a gem and excellent introduction to Moe's barely known career.