When it’s timeless in sound & and vision, it’s a…

MAGIC AND LOSS – Released 14 January 1992

LOU REED (50 years old back then), started to work on his 16th solo album MAGIC AND LOSS with themes of magic in his head, after hearing stories about magicians in Mexico. But when tragedy occurred during the writing, the late New York City legend incorporated cutting thoughts and songs on mortality, loss and death as well. The illnesses and eventual deaths of two of his close friends caused by cancer – Doc Pomus, Reed‘s mentor when he started his career and a ‘Rita‘, assumed to be Rotten Rita, who also was a familiar figure
at Andy Warhol‘s studio ‘The Factory‘ in the early days – was obviously extremely hard to bear. In the end the album was more about loss than magic and not an easy one to listen to when you have experienced the same kind of feelings, which I did last year when I saw my father being tortured mercilessly by that awful disease. Listening to the record again now wasn’t actually a truly joyful happening, on the other hand it made me associate my father with Lou Reed for the first time ever and that felt weirdly good. Also, I remember very well when the LP came out 25 years ago, that British music weekly NME rewarded
it with a very rare 10/10 and that me and my mate praised Reed‘s guts to make such a difficult album while we were having a long night out – solving all world problems for the umpteenth time – in our beloved café. Mixed emotions, indeed. A sort of ‘the beauty and the beast’ feel. That’s what life is all about, I guess…

American journalist David Fricke wrote a compelling album review
for Rolling Stone Magazine back then. You can read it here .

The masterpiece in full (the only way to listen to it)…

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LOU REED: Website – Facebook – Discography