Coney Island Baby: Limited Edition White Vinyl LP

From 1972's 'Transformer' onward, Lou Reed spent most of the '70s playing the druggy decadence card for all it was worth, with increasingly mixed results. But on 1976's 'Coney Island Baby', Reed's songwriting began to move into warmer, more compassionate territory, and the result was his most approachable album since 'Loaded'. On most of the tracks, Reed stripped his band back down to guitar, bass, and drums, and the results were both leaner and a lot more comfortable than the leaden over-production of 'Sally Can't Dance' or 'Berlin'. 'Crazy Feeling,' 'She's My Best Friend' and 'Coney Island Baby' found Reed actually writing recognizable love songs for a change, and while he pursued his traditional interest in the underside of the hipster's life on 'Charlie's Girl' and 'Nobody's Business,' he did so with a breezy, freewheeling air that was truly a relief after a lethargic spell.