New York

New York is the fifteenth solo studio album by Lou Reed. It was originally released in January 1989, on the label Sire. A universal critical success, it is widely considered one of his best solo albums. While the defunct Velvet Underground were at the peak of their popularity at the time, Reed's solo career had hit several lows during the 1980s, at least since his album The Blue Mask. However, the widespread popularity of New York reignited his career to the extent that he could revive the Velvet Underground for an aborted world tour. The album is highly regarded for the strength and force of its lyrical content, but at the time drew criticism for its perceived pedestrian, "truck driver," musicianship. Reed countered that he required simple music so that it would not distract from his frank lyrics. The single "Dirty Blvd." was a number-one hit on the newly created Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for four weeks. Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker played percussion on two tracks.