release date: Jan. 6, 1989
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,08]
producer: Lou Reed, Fred Maher
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Romeo Had Juliette" (4 / 5) - 3. "Dirty Blvd." (4,5 / 5) (live) - 5. "There Is No Time" - 6. "Last Great American Whale" (4 / 5) - 10. "Hold On" (4 / 5) - 11. "Good Evening Mr. Waldheim" - 13. "Strawman"
15th studio album by Lou Reed released after an unusual long time since his last studio album. This is his perhaps biggest commercial album hit. Somehow unexpected after the poor Mistrial (1986), which didn't live up to his good series of albums in the 80s; however, this one is one of his best ever albums. Not only is it a fine balanced pop / rock album with much roots rock at the bottom of all compositions, it's also a marvellous homogeneous and near conceptual album with stories about the city of his life. It's also one of only a few Lou Reed albums where one actually may think of him as a band leader - there's such a fine support to back up each and every song. Reed has made many fine albums in his long solo career but few are of this high quality from start to finish. This is his best album since 1972 and his second best album ever.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Chicago Tribune 4 / 4, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]
