For me, Lou Reed's output in the 1970s is some of his best material, with his very unusual "The Bells" near the peak for that decade. An enigmatic, though thoughtful, foray into jazz-rock experimentation, "The Bells" finds Reed delving further into territory he had been previously exploring with "Rock and Roll Heart" and "Street Hassle".

Unlike those albums, here Reed really lets loose and tries on several different musical personas ranging from progressive jazz to dixieland. His band, with which he co-wrote almost all of the songs, is supplemented by the appearance of noted jazz trumpeter Don Cherry. Cherry and sax player Marty Fogel -- who arranged all of the elaborately layered horn parts -- are particularly outstanding.

Curiously, three tracks ("Stupid Man", "With You", and "City Lights") were co-written with guitarist Nils Lofgren. This association was made possible by Bob Ezrin (producer of Reed's "Berlin" album), who gets a thank you in the album credits. [Three other Reed/Lofgren collaborations made it onto Lofgren's 1979 album entitled "Nils".]

The connecting threads that hold the whole thing together are the lyrics, Reed's most personal, before or since; never has he sounded so vulnerable. On "Stupid Man" and "Families", Reed sings about separation from loved ones by distances both physical and emotional. "Looking for Love" and "I Want to Boogie With You" are naked, yearning declarations, but sadly, the singer is all-too-convinced of his own inability to grasp that which he desires.

The epic title track -- featuring Reed's own favorite lyric -- continues to impress to this day. Sounding like a horrific collision between a 16th century baroque brass ensemble and Ornette Coleman's Prime Time outfit (with a touch of Gothic nightmarishness thrown in for good measure), it defies categorization.

Like many Reed albums (even acknowledged masterpieces like "Blue Mask" and "New York") this isn't a particularly likable one at first hearing. His singing may seem callous at times, and the musicians like they're all in separate rooms, but there is real artistry at work if you're willing to stick with it; I play "The Bells" even more than "Berlin" these days, favoring it's anti- emotional (almost anti-"atmosphere") stance. The album doesn't lull you into anything, and you often have to listen quite hard due to the production to hear what he's singing about. The most often misinterpreted thing on this album is the disco. But would Lou Reed, an intellectual postmodern rocker--in his late 30's at the time of this album--really want to "Boogie With You" in earnest? The poet is not making an attempt at being radio-worthy. He is appropriating the hipspeak of the moment, as is his custom, and re-packaging it for us in a way that we can glimpse it's absurdity, and, essentially, it's harmlessness and fun, too. Remember that moment in "Oh Jim" (Berlin) when Lou deadpans a sort of Shirelles "doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" right after the words "Beat her black and blue..."? I have a notion that the same sensibility is at work from start to finish on this album.

I love the three gripping songs All Through The Night, Families and The Bells. The first is a description of an all-night drunken party or pub crawl which contains some of Reed's most poetic lyrics and acute observations against a backdrop of bar crowd sounds, with a killer rhythm. Co-written with Don Cherry (who contributes trumpet and African Hunting Guitar to the album), All Though The Night is an exploration of the "post partum" depression that follows the completion of a novel or an album, plus all sorts of other world-weariness.

Families is autobiographical and moving, with a line or two advising his dad to let his sister manage the family business. The sound is dominated by electric guitars and guitar- and bass guitar synthesisers and the mood is mournful. The Bells itself is an awesome, majestic experience, something Reed has never done before or since. Hard to describe, perhaps it is his exploration of what Bowie did on Low - those gothic tracks like Warszawa, Art Decade, Weeping Wall, etc. but with more vocals.

Dissonant, atmospheric and jazzy, the sound consists of a barely audible monologue under the wails and drones of the saxophones and gong sounds for an eerie feel. The intensity build up slowly while the vocals become audible and at its height, Reed intones the line Here Come The Bells, for a magnificent conclusion.

The others are short songs - Disco Mystic is an amusing comment on the disco fever of the late 70s, whilst I Want To Boogie With You is more sombre and serious. These fall in the disco commentary genre like Frank Zappa's Dancing Fool and Cristina Monet's Blame It On Disco on her Doll In The Box album, and as such are good, not great.

The Bells is an uneven album, but the aforementioned three exceptional songs merit the four stars. All Through The Night is a brilliant rock song with a lilting rhythm, Families is a slow, brooding piece whilst the title track is Reed at his experimental best. I recommend the album to all devoted fans, but not to newcomers to the music of Lou Reed.

For me, Lou Reed's output in the 1970s is his best material, with "The Bells" at the peak for that decade. An enigmatic, though thoughtful, foray into jazz-rock experimentation, "The Bells" finds Reed delving further into territory he had been previously exploring with "Rock and Roll Heart" and "Street Hassle".

Unlike those albums, here Reed really lets loose and tries on several different musical personas ranging from progressive jazz to dixieland. His band, with which he co-wrote almost all of the songs, is supplemented by the appearance of noted jazz trumpeter Don Cherry. Cherry and sax player Marty Fogel -- who arranged all of the elaborately layered horn parts -- are particularly outstanding.

The connecting threads that hold the whole thing together are the lyrics, Reed's most personal, before or since; never has he sounded so vulnerable. On "Stupid Man" and "Families", Reed sings about separation from loved ones by distances both physical and emotional. "Looking for Love" and "I Want to Boogie With You" are naked, yearning declarations, but sadly, the singer is all-too-convinced of his own inability to grasp that which he desires.

The epic title track -- featuring Reed's own favorite lyric -- continues to impress to this day. Sounding like a horrific collision between a 16th century baroque brass ensemble and Ornette Coleman's Prime Time outfit (with a touch of Gothic nightmarishness thrown in for good measure), it defies categorization.

I love the three stunning songs All Through The Night, Families and The Bells. The first is a description of an all-night drunken party or pub crawl which contains some of Reed's most poetic lyrics and acute observations against a backdrop of crowd sounds and a killer rhythm. Families is very autobiographical and moving, with a line or two advising his dad to let his sister manage the family business. But The Bells itself is an awesome, majestic experience, something he's never done before or since. Hard to describe, perhaps it's his exploration of what Bowie did on Low - those gothic tracks like Warszawa, Art Decade, Weeping Wall, etc. Dissonant, atmospheric and jazzy. The rest are short songs - Disco Mystic is a comment on the disco fever of the late 70s, as is I Want To Boogie With You. An uneven album, but those three classic songs make this a 4-star album.