Lou Reed: Street Hassle - 1978

 

Even more overlooked than Rock & Roll Heart was this one, released at the height of punk and and new wave to critical acclaim but precious little consumer reaction. To be honest, nobody took much notice of it in 1978. Well, I didn't. I had been a 1973 Reed fan too. 

It is a far denser, more superficially inaccessible album than the last one, with lots of fuzzy guitar, a grainy lo-fi sound (which is admittedly a little off-putting) and influences from groups/artists like Television, Iggy Pop and Patti Smith. There are also more of those New York Dolls/Stones effects at play. Like its predecessor, it is a strangely intriguing album that should have been better received, but has garnered considerable retrospective kudos. It fitted quite well into the punk demi-monde, but I prefer Rock & Roll Heart, though. 

Standouts are the embittered, post-punky dirge Dirt, the wryly cynical but musically groovy I Wanna Be Black, Shooting Star, the early Roxy Music meets X-Ray Spex-ish Leave Me Alone, Wait and the mightily impressive eleven minute three part opus of Street Hassle, which surely to goodness influenced U2, particularly in the "sha-la-la" bit. 

The murk of Real Good Time Together is the album's obvious weak spot. Overall, both these albums are well worthy of dipping into - I have spent a couple of days playing little else.

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