Lou Reed: The Blue Mask
Genre: Rock and Roll	Dates: 1982

Not for the faint-hearted. After a decade of decadence and very inconsistent music, Reed cleaned up (he's still sober after nearly 25 years) and met his demons head on on this extremely personal record. "Underneath the Bottle," "The Blue Mask," and "Waves of Fear" rank among the most cathartic songs ever written—they may remind students of ancient drama of Sophocles—with music to match. It's a treat for the ears; slip on the head phones and luxuriate in the twin guitars of Reed and NYC legend Robert Quine blazing away in battle against each other, and Fernando Saunder's fretless bass providing a Greek chorus. It's not without tenderness, either. The opener and closer argue that there's peace after the purging storm.

(Parental Guidance Suggested: Explicit Lyrics)

Playlist:
1. My House
2. Women
3. Underneath The Bottle
4. Gun, The
5. Blue Mask, The
6. Average Guy
7. Heroine, The
8. Waves Of Fear
9. Day John Kennedy Died, The
10. Heavenly Arms