Lou follows up the surprise success of glam-influenced pop hit 'Transformer' with this slightly mixed follow-up. The book refers to it as having a cinematic scope and that is certainly true in places like with "Berlin" and "Sad song"; in other parts, the songs are fairly low-key, almost 'singer-songwriter' kind of material.
The album, with its downbeat lyrical themes and lack of 'big hits' met with mixed response from critics at the time (since revisited and reassessed)... which I find odd, because the idea of Lou plumbing the depths for his lyrics is not exactly a left-field move. Neither is the music out of place for what was happening in the 70s, with the mix of more theatrical sounds contrasted with subdued acoustic tracks were reflected in other acts at the time. The focus on the album-as-a-whole rather than on 'hit singles' was also not unusual for the time.
I guess that the two options are (a) that Lou was ahead of the game or (b) he became 'cool' in the right critical circles... eye of the beholder.
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