Lou Reed: “Coney Island Baby” - St. Mark’s Church, New York City, January 1, 1976

Lou Reed: “Coney Island Baby” - St. Mark’s Church, New York City, January 1, 1976It’s been far too long — almost two months! — since we took a trip into the Louniverse. And anyway, we’ve somehow yet to really celebrate the 50th anniversary of Coney Island Baby, Lou Reed’s semi-mellow late 1975 masterpiece. But then again, I’ll celebrate this LP any day of the week; sometimes, it’s my favorite Lou solo album. I’m having a very vague memory of my infamous brother buying it on an early 1990s family trip that for some reason took us through Sacramento? Maybe he bought New Sensations, too??? Maybe I’m making all of this up. But we were weird kids, that’s for sure. Whenever/however I first heard Coney Island Baby, I’ve been in love ever since, something about it just always sounds good to me — those creamy guitars, doo-wop backing vocals and laid-back Lou. The title track itself is a towering piece of work, one of Reed’s most vulnerable moments. The lyrics go way back, maybe even to the…