After leaving The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed started his solo career with this unusual debut. Seven cuts here were reworkings of then-unreleased Velvet Underground songs (some VU studio versions surfaced later, while "Ocean" and "Lisa Says" also appeared on a VU live album). On Lou Reed they were played by session musicians, including Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman of Yes. "Berlin" was later rerecorded for the album bearing its name. These are excellent Reed tunes, and the passion and power of "I Can't Stand It," "Walk and Talk It," and "Lisa Says" can't be muted by their unusual circumstances of their recording. Reed's voice is in strong form, and he brings a haunted quality to the studio decadence of "Going Down," "Berlin," and "Ride into the Sun." Though the album wasn't a commercial success at the time, in retrospect it's an important album in Reed's development and features several of his finest tunes.