Recommended by: Ralph Brendler

Reason for Listening: It's hard to overstate the importance of Lou Reed on the NYC music scene in the 70s and 80s, and while this album was not a commercial success at all, its influence can be clearly heard in a lot of the glam and punk bands that came out of New York in the next 10 years.

This was the last VU album recorded before Reed left to go solo, and features a much 'cleaner' studio sound than its predecessors while maintaining Reed's gritty style.