MOG Editorial Review

After two decades and change without collaborating, in 1990 ex-Velvet Underground members John Cale and Lou Reed released two solid records together, including this moving dedication to the man often credited with discovering them, Andy Warhol. Songs for Drella, like its title (referring to Warhol by his nickname, a combination of Dracula and Cinderella), is an intimate portrait of the artist by two of his old friends, and, in many ways, Songs For Drella is the definitive musical life story of Warhol as an artist, told in pop-art song, with piano, guitars, touches of synthesizer, and not a single instance of drums. “Style It Takes” is a proper reflection by Cale, while Reed offers some of his best work of the time with “Slip Away,” “I Believe,” and “It Wasn’t Me.” Saying goodbye is hard, but Reed and Cale found an unconventional way to do so with Songs for Drella.