Last year I had an intermittent, year long Lou Reed solo career project. In January 2025 I bought a copy of Berlin second hand for £5, an album I owned on cassette in the late 80s but hadn't heard for ages. Not long after I chanced upon a copy of Lou's self- titled debut. From there I zig- zagged through some of his 70s and 80s, buying albums on second hand vinyl as and when I saw them- this took me to Transformer (which I already had), Sally Can't Dance, Street Hassle and then 1982's The Blue Mask at which point I ran out of steam (and if I'm honest enthusiasm- diminishing returns kicks in during the 1980s until 1989's New York).
A few weeks ago I was in a second hand record shop and flicking through the racks found a copy of Coney Island Baby, cheap and in good condition. Coney Island Baby came out in 1975 on RCA, Lou in the midst of a settled domestic situation with his partner and muse Rachel, a trans woman. The album is a well produced, rich sounding set of songs, a love letter to Rachel and to Coney Island (as I understand it, the Blackpool of New York). The album sounds rich, professional musicians playing in an expensive studio, well arranged songs with crisp, full bodied production. At the time, some critics sniped at it, Lou gone a bit soft, Lou losing his revolutionary self, Lou sounding like The Eagles. Soft rock Lou Reed. They have a point but fifty years distance has also added to Coney Island Baby especially in the context of some of what came later. It's not Berlin but it's not Mistrial either.
There are eight songs and they veer between sublime and ridiculous. It's a Lou Reed solo album- these became the parameters fairly early on. A Gift is ridiculous, Lou singing that he's a gift to the women of this world, over plodding mid- 70s rock. It may be tongue in cheek. It may be deadly serious. Charley's Girl is good, taut and funky, Lou at his speak- singing best. There's a six minute version of She's My Best Friend, a Velvet Underground song that at that point wasn't officially released and wouldn't be until 1986's VU. It's a decent version, some nice spiky guitars and vocals, but if you've heard The Velvets' version first then your palette has already been spoiled.
Ooh Baby is a rocker, a song for Rachel and a real highlight, lyrics about topless dancers, Times Square, massage parlours and fluorescent lighting, and then a chorus of 'ooh baby ooh baby ooh baby ooh ooh ooh' and later 'ooh baby ooh baby shake your bones now mama ooh baby ooh baby walk it'. It's prime mid- 70s Lou Reed.
Coney Island Baby ends with the title track, doo wop vocals and laid back guitar rock, Lou singing of the glory of love and how he just wants to play football for the coach (the coach was 'the straightest dude I ever knew', Lou explains). The song gathers and Lou explores friendships, two bit friends, how different people have peculiar taste and that 'the glory of love might see you through'. The backing vocals swell, the guitars squeal and Lou sings of being with his Coney Island baby (Rachel) and how he'd give the whole thing up for her.
4 comments:
Apart from the Velvets albums and a couple of the solo efforts, it can be really hard to see what all the fuss is about with Lou Reed. That and the fact that he was such an utterly charmless tool in so many of his interviews. That's where I used to be with him, and his catalogue. But when VU came out in 1985 it made another generation give him the benefit of the doubt. It's probably still my favorite Reed associated album.
Soft rock Lou Reed? Sounds right up my street! I think New York is my favourite of his solo records, but I can't claim to have heard them all.
NickL- I agree to some extent, Lou made a little go a long way and when his muse/ talent abandoned him, he made some awful records. But the Velvets are sooo good and some of his solo work nearly reaches those heights. VU is amazing.
Rol- me either. Hearing them all is a kind of masochism
**Coney Island Baby** is widely regarded as one of the most personal and accessible works in Lou Reed’s catalog, blending reflective songwriting with a warmer, more melodic sound than many of his earlier releases. The album explores themes of identity, love, and self-acceptance, earning lasting appreciation from both critics and fans. More insights and background can be found in https://playjonnys.com.
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