The Score

Lou Reed had a tendency in the 70s to always follow up a great commercial success with a deliberately difficult album in order to challenge his audience and create some space between him and the mainstream. To paraphrase Larry David “if they weren’t watching on Wednesday night at 10 then I don’t them watching on Thursday at 9″. After Reed’s massively successful Transformer, produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, Reed followed it up with Berlin. This was a massive commercial and critical failure which immediately turned the mainstream off of Reed. He would again court them with 1974’s Sally Can’t Dance which remains Reed’s best selling album. Perturbed by the returning attention, Lou Reed released what is possibly the clearest and most direct reaction to an audience’s unwanted advances that is possible. Metal Machine Music, an album made up of guitar feedback and generally unpalatable noise looped and layered. An early example of noise music or not, this is the album to turn off anyone who adored the bouncy delights of Transformer or Sally Can’t Dance. Hell it even turned the people off who loved Berlin. The album which Reed chose to follow Metal Machine was this, recorded in October 1975, Coney Island Baby. Although written off by some as lightweight or too populist, this is in fact one of Lou Reed’s strongest albums of the 70s.

It’s clear from the start that Reed is here to make an impact on those who loved Satellite of Love, Perfect Day or Sally Can’t Dance. This is an unashamedly melodic, catchy collection of songs which display Lou’s formidable talents for producing brilliant pop songs. Crazy Feeling recalls the radio sensibilities of Walk On the Wild Side and Andy’s Chest. It is very Transformer in style. The line “and everybody knows the After Hours love is free and you, you really are a Queen” reminds one of how well Reed combined the seedy with the bouncy, acceptable exterior. It’s only suggesting though, it’s not explicitly stating as on Sally Can’t Dance. It has an edge to it but there are no mentions of “getting raped in Thompson Sq. real good”.

Charley’s Girl could have been on Transformer, fit between Make Up and Satellite of Love. Random threats of violence feature, as per usual on a Lou Reed LP. “I said if I ever see Sharon again, I’ll punch her face in”. She’s My Best Friend has more of the grit of Sally Can’t Dance but definitely still possesses the popular touch. A harder, guitar driven song; it meanders while still having a killer chorus replete with backing vocalists that give it a softer feel.

Kicks is the only song on the album that speaks to Lou Reed’s desire to engage in aurally disturbing creations. A super sleazy tale with distorted party talking people who come in mixed higher than the rest of the song. Similar to the use of vocals at different speed that he used on Murder Mystery on the Velvet Underground’s third album. Unlike that mess, this works really well. A disorientating and engagingly seedy Reed tale from the well that he would tap, ever so freely on 1978’s Street Hassle.

Speaking of Street Hassle, the title track and also the closer on the album has the same epic quality and is just as worthy of the masterpiece tag as it’s older relative. Both are love songs but where as Street Hassle got there by being a thoroughly miserable experience, Coney Island Baby shows beauty and hope. A six minute song that starts off slow but builds to one of Lou’s greatest vocals “glory of love, give it to me now, glory of love will see you through/ I’m a Coney Island Baby now”. For those who think highly of Lou’s lyrical abilities, I would say that this would possibly get my vote for his best, if it wasn’t for the massive achievement that is Street Hassle.

Coney Island Baby is a deceptively deep album with the accessible production of Transformer or Sally Can’t Dance. There are at least three classic songs on the albums and no real stand-out bad moments. It’s swept under the carpet a lot for being disposable but even if it just had the title track, it would be a good album and worth listening to. Recommended if you like your Lou accessible and more pop than rock.

Bugul