Lou Reed

1970s Lou Reed was freaky enough that even listening to him try to sell out was an experience worth having. This album went Top Ten, but the title hit is actually one of his weakest numbers. Only "Kill Your Sons" is a classic, but "Ennui" and especially "Billy" (Reed at his artsy, stupid/smart best) are strong numbers that completely sidestep the album's bland AOR production.

Lou sure is adept at figuring out new ways to sh*t on people. I mean, what else are we to make of this grotesque hodgepodge of soul horns, flash guitar, deadpan songspeech, and indifferent rhymes? I don't know, and Lou probably doesn't either--even as he sh*ts on us he can't staunch his own cleverness. So the hodgepodge produces juxtapositions that are funny and interesting, the title tune is as deadly accurate as it is mean-spirited, and "Billy" is simply moving, indifferent rhymes and all. (Grade - B+)