Magic And Loss (U.S. Version)
After spending a good many years searching for his main line, Lou Reed tapped into a fresh vein of creativity with 1989'sNew YorkandSongs for Drella, a tribute toAndy Warholmade with his formerVelvet Undergroundpartner John Cale. With two friends suffering from cancer--one being songwriterDoc Pomus--Reed went to work on his most soul-searching effort to date. The rollicking opening cut, "What's Good," suggests he found the rock & roll heart in such tragedy, but once the supple rhythm section is supplanted by a slow, time-checking click, the reality of death's ominous shadow casts a doom and gloom on the proceedings. The result is an extremely grim, yet fascinating, song cycle.--Rob O'Connor