CONEY ISLAND BABY - LOU REED
At a low point after the misbegotten, misunderstood “Metal Machine Music,” Reed bounced back in 1976 with one of his most tuneful solo albums. “Coney” features a powerful, focused band and a handful (only eight to begin with) of seductive songs. An uncharacteristic burst of happiness surges through the campy opener, “Crazy Feeling” (dig those church bells): “You are such a queen/and I know because I’ve made the same scene.” Reed visits the wild side on “Kicks,” a six-minute audio verite party scene rife with drugs and intimations of violence, and on “A Gift,” his deadpan sarcasm has rarely sounded as withering. This reissue’s five bonus tracks, including the infrequently heard “Downtown Dirt,” are diamonds in the rough, and both versions of the title song are worth hearing, providing different angles on the pathos of the outsider who insists he really did want to “play football for the coach.” Billboard
