Stephen Davis - Lou Reed - Berlin - Rolling Stone - December 20 1973

Continuing our series of critics wrong-footed in real-time here is Rolling Stoner Stephen Davis with a terse dismissal of Lou Reed's Berlin. 

Lou Reed 

Berlin

Rolling Stone, December 20th 1973 

by Stephen Davis

Lou Reed’s Berlin is a disaster, taking the listener into a distorted and degenerate demimonde of paranoia, schizophrenia, degradation, pill-induced violence and suicide. There are certain records that are so patently offensive that one wishes to take some kind of physical vengeance on the artists that perpetrate them. Reed’s only excuse for this kind of performance (which isn’t really performed as much as spoken and shouted over Bob Ezrin’s limp production) can only be that this was his last shot at a once-promising career. Goodbye, Lou.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Mind you, I'm not really a fan of the album myself

Dave McCullough - The Raincoats debut / The Mekons - The Quality of Mercy is Not Strnen - Sounds - December 8 1979

 

Continuing the series of crits wrong-footed in real-time, unexpectedly harsh reviews from Dave McCullough for the Raincoats self-titled debut and the Mekons not-self-titled debut.

Yet I seem to remember him writing positive stuff about both earlier on?

The Mekons debut I can see perhaps an early supporter feeling that something had been lost -  a certain exuberance in the early singles that hasn't survived the transition to the major label and big studio situation. But the Raincoats is so gleefully free, it's hard to see how someone - especially at that juncture in history - wouldn't get caught up in its unruly energy. Especially if that someone was a champion of messtheticians Scritti Politti, as Dave McC was.

But McC seems to dislike both groups for being too right-on as we called it back then (the woke of its day). The review is a bit like a critic counterpart to the song genre of studentphobia.  Or perhaps the subgenre artschoolstudentphobia

See also Kevin Rowland's loathing of The Au Pairs.