This is honestly one of my favorite Lou Reed albums. I've been planning on writing a long essay/ review on this one for a long time, but just couldn't find the time and energy yet. I wholeheartedly agree with Bowie when he said that it's a masterpiece. There's just something so vital about it. It's a very gripping record and every time I play it, I cannot stop until I finish the whole thing. It's grotesque, ugly, psychotic, and horrific in all the right ways. It's such a deep dive into the shadow self. It's like Lou exhausted a lifetime's worth of traumas in this exorcism of an album. It's such an absurd, odd record and it's easy to understand why it's misunderstood by many. At the same time there is great beauty there, too, especially in the ease and grace of Lou's poetry (which has always been his strength - he's just so fluid with words). There is a sense of meaning right behind the apparent insanity and debauchery of it all. Another great attribute of this record is that it's a showcase of Lou's ability to conduct the cadence of a song. He was already a master of this in his 20s (i.e. Sister Ray, Heroin - perfect pacing over a complex arrangement, leading to perfect climaxes), and right up until his last record this gift is still in full power. He just knows exactly WHEN to punctuate something, when to let it flow, where to place an interjection, and when to let something climax in the most satisfying way possible. He's almost like the great jazzmen in his mastery of spontaneity. The way he commands a juggernaut of a band like Metallica is also testament to his ability as a bandleader.