Lou Reed's Ecstasy (2000) is another album that, for some reason, I didn't get around to hearing until very recently. My loss. It's a tremendous album, with some of the most trenchant lyrical content that the great New York poet has ever written. Listening to it made me wonder if any rock and roller has ever considered the experience as completely as Reed has over the course of his career - which has now achieved a height in terms of importance that can be summarized thus: No serious rock musician or fan can be ignorant of his work.

The album's title track is notable for its mood, its ambiguous lyrics, its beautiful guitar figure and the playing of the great jazz percussionist Don Alias. Have a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIg8KUMW8TA