The Blue Mask  by Lou Reed

The legendary guitarist from New York, Robert Quine, collaborates as a producer and musician with another "genuine" child of New York City, Lou Reed, in order for the latter to record the eleventh album of his tumultuous career. Thus, in February 1982, Lou Reed's friends had The Blue Mask in their hands.

The album contains ten compositions by Reed himself. These ten compositions are Lou Reed's commentary on topics such as relationships with women, alcoholism, paranoia, violence, and more. The cover of the album is a variation of the Transformer cover, but with the artist's face depicted in blue color.

The commercial reception of The Blue Mask - at least in the U.S. - was negligible as the No169 on the Billboard leaves no room for other thoughts. Things went somewhat better in European countries, with France being a standout case, where it reached No15.