The marriage between the two sides is as awkward as can possibly be, and while there are certainly some lyrical gems from Reed (I admit thinking that “I wish that I could kill you but I too love your eyes” is a really inspired line) and some snippets of potential goodness from the band (the beginning riff of “Frustration” is a good one, and there are parts of “Pumping Blood” that I wish could be transplanted elsewhere), the overall effect is abysmal. The band basically disappears for most of the last track, the 19:29 (!!) “Junior Dad,” which turns into endlessly droning strings by the end. Funnily enough, I actually think this album could have worked somewhat as either a pure Reed solo effort or in collaboration with a less established, more “indie-ish” band, but as is, it doesn’t work at all.
