The Bells (Lou Reed album)

The Bells is the ninth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in April 1979 through Arista Records. It is recorded in binaural sound at Delta Studios in Wilster. Production was handled by Reed with Michael Fonfara serving as executive producer. Three out of nine songs on the album are the product of a short-lived writing partnership between Reed and Nils Lofgren. Other of the team's work appeared on Nils' eponymous album of the same year. The album features contributions from Ellard "Moose" Boles, Don Cherry, Marty Fogel and Michael Suchorsky.
The album peaked at No. 13 in New Zealand, No. 44 in Sweden, No. 58 in Australia, and No. 130 in the United States.
Recording.
Reed said, "I mastered the art of recording known as 'capture the spontaneous moment and leave it at that'. "The Bells" was done like that, those lyrics were just made up on the spot and they're absolutely incredible. I'm very adept at making up whole stories with rhymes, schemes, jokes".
Critical reception.
In a contemporary review for "Rolling Stone", music critic Lester Bangs wrote, "With "The Bells", more than in "Street Hassle", perhaps even more than in his work with The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed achieves his oft-stated ambition—to become a great writer, in the literary sense". "The Village Voice" critic Robert Christgau said:
In a less enthusiastic retrospective review, "Select" magazine wrote that ""The Bells" saw his music disappearing down the pan ... Even self-parody is barely achieved in these half-assed songs played by a bunch of dullards, with Lou sounding painfully uninspired".