“I’m just stunned”: The album Lou Reed said no one wanted
Brian Eno once said, “Avant-garde music is a sort of research music. You’re glad someone’s done it, but you don’t necessarily want to listen to it.” This statement or something of the sort must’ve rattled around in the afflicted mind of the great Lou Reed when he began work on his most controversial solo album, Metal Machine Music. With the comparatively radio-friendly Coney Island Baby arriving not long after, it appeared that Reed hadn’t lost his mind and simply sought to defy convention in the name of musical evolution.
Early on, The Velvet Underground entertained avant-garde tendencies, mostly thanks to John Cale’s droning viola work and compositional eccentricities. Following the Welshman’s dismissal from the band in 1968, Reed steered the group from the alluring oddity of White Light/White Heat towards a more conventional rock ‘n’ roll sound in The Velvet Underground and Loaded.
This migration saw Reed play his hand for commercial acclaim, which didn’t work out quite how he had hoped, leading to his departure from the band. In retrospect, some fans regard Loaded as a weaker record in the catalogue due to its lack of character. Crucially, it was void of the droning instrumentals and oblique concepts that had once typified the Velvets’ sound, leading some to accuse reed of selling out.
Indeed, it was apparent that, after a slow start to his career in the financial department, Reed sought a big payout. For this, he would need to pander to popular trends somewhat. Thankfully, Reed finally broke through with the resounding access of 1972’s Transformer. Aided by David Bowie and Mick Ronson on the project, he embraced contemporary glam-rock sensibilities while maintaining an identity of his own in a set of compelling lyrics.
At his best, Reed waltzed down the fine line between commercial consciousness and creative originality. Accessible yet artistically compelling moments include his work on Berlin in 1973 and New York in the late 1980s. In and around these popular releases, Reed flitted manically between pop ditties like ‘I Love You, Suzanne’ and unconventional highlights like ‘Street Hassle’.
Naturally, Reed misfired on several occasions, releasing albums that failed to sike a chord commercially or critically. Reed’s divisive 2011 Metallica collaboration, Lulu, is a prime example of this. Despite an initial sales spike and endorsement from Bowie, the album plummeted and encountered criticism from fans and journalists alike. However, such releases attest to Reed’s innate urge to scratch his own creative itches.
Whenever money wasn’t an object, Reed expressed his artistic whim without reserve. The famously bullish and uncompromising musician outlined this aspect of his personality when discussing Magic and Loss, the album he was most satisfied with in his solo career. “It’s my dream album because everything finally came together to where the album is finally fully realised,” he said in 2010’s Lou Reed ‘Talking’. “I got it to do what I wanted it to do; commercial thoughts never entered into it, so I’m just stunned.”
Released in 1992, Magic and Loss began life as an album inspired by magical themes. Reed had read mystical stories about Mexican magic and began writing material for the album. However, just as he began, tragedy struck when Reed’s longtime friend Doc Pomus and an old female companion named Rita became ill and passed away in quick succession. In his state of mourning, Reed began to weave the concept of “loss” into his new music, hence the title.
While discussing the album with American Songwriter, Reed again noted its disregard for popular trends. “No one wanted an album called Magic and Loss,” he said. “The head of the record company called and said, ‘Lou… Do you know what that’s about?’ The thing is, I had two friends I lost. There was nothing contemporary to listen to to help deal with that or about that. I’m not the only person who’s had that happen. Everybody’s had that happen… So I wrote about that.”
Magic and Loss wasn’t Reed’s most commercially successful album by a long shot, yet he had every right to be proud of what he achieved. Following the recent critical successes of New York and Songs for Drella, his lyrics were tight and compelling and met with generally favourable reviews from critics.
