David Bowie's Low is far from both his "folk" work of the early 70s and his "soul" work of the mid 70s. At its higher moments, Low mixes Bowie's knack for songwriting with Eno's amazing instrumentation ("What in the World," "Sound and Vision," "Be My Wife"), but the best moments of the album are Bowie and Eno's collaborative ambient songs on the album's second half.

Low is my favorite Bowie album. It still sounds like the future more than 2 decades after its release. Most people remember Bowie for Ziggy Stardust, but this album is far more impressive. Eno and Bowie used technology to their advantage to make an experimental pop classic.

Attention women of the world: If you listen to one piece of music throughout your entire lives, let it be Patti Smith's Horses. It is one of the most empowering, poetic and beautiful recordings of all time.

Patti begins the album with Van Morrison's "Gloria" and the line "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine." From there, the album is a whirlwind of poetry, emotion and musical experimentation, and the end result is Biblical to say the least. John Cale's influence/production shines through largely on "Birdland," which is my favorite song on the album.

In my opinion, Horses is the best female solo recording of the past 4 decades, but Patti breaks gender barriers completely (that's part of what makes it so great). The songs are not just limited to proto-punk of 1975, they are timeless. The band plays loudly and softly, and the emotion is just the same throughout the entire album.

There will never be another album like Horses, so sieze the possibility and listen to it now.

I really don't know what to say. For me, this was it. The moment I turned it on, everything I'd ever known about conventional modern pop music was tossed out the window (defenestrated, if you will). But the question still remains: Of the two relevant VU albums (the ones with Cale), which is better?

I've argued with my friends and even myself and have concluded that the Velvets' fusion of avant-garde and rock n' roll is at its peak on White Light/White Heat, and it's dark energy may never be matched.

The distorted guitars and of "Run, Run, Run" have been turned up louder and the band rocks out with the messiness of "European Son" while the subject matter of sex, drugs and transexuals is preached over the music. Lou Reed never played guitar like this again, almost as if Cale's mind took over his hands. Some of his guitar solos are almost comparable to free jazz (I've read that other places, too), specifically on "I Heard Her Call My Name."

"The Gift" is pure sexual tension, and Cale's voice is perfect for reading the story over the band's jam. "Lady Godiva's Operation" utilizes vocals in imaginative ways.

"Here She Comes Now" is a display of what the third album could have potentially sounded like if Cale had remained with the group: much better than anything with Yule.

"Sister Ray" is where all of the tensions between Reed and Cale completely take over. For 17 and a half minutes, the two compete on guitar and organ ("There is no bass") and the result makes the Velvets seem like a primitive (thanks Moe Tucker) jam band for transvestite-junkies. None of the bootlegs of this song with Yule ever sounded anywhere near as good.

In conclusion, WL/WH sparked something in me, and I fell in love with its tense, violent sexual energy instantly. If you've ever thought that Led Zeppelin was boring, or that the Rolling Stones weren't the coolest band in the world, then I highly recommend White Light/White Heat.