Like so much of Reed's recent work ["Street Hassle" is] an inconsistent, constantly frustrating outing with the brilliance of [the title cut]—an ambitious and largely successful work—french kissing in terminal intimacy rather lacklustre performances like "Shooting Star"—which deals, with no surfeit of musical or lyrical inspiration, with the transience of stardom….

The album's tour-de-force (which elsewhere will probably be slagged into a coma), is "Street Hassle," an extraordinary narrative about a love affair (whether hetero/homo/transexual is not yet clear), that traces its disintegration and, finally the death of one of the lovers. An OD, naturally. At least it shows that Dick Stewart just which one's the champ in evoking underworld romance. The musical setting is as incisive and as unusual as the language….

I'll suspend final judgment on this album until I've had a chance to listen to it more closely….

Allan Jones...