Nah, you make excellent points and have provided plenty for me to consider. I know I haven't listened enough to give a fair critique. It's certainly not the blues inspirations (and the blues inflections even on non-bluesy songs) that get in the way of my appreciation, just... what seems to be a very inconsistent relationship with actual inspired song writing, I guess. Despite some gems, so much of what I've heard from Reed just struck me as uninspired and written with a level of talent that could have come from almost anyone with an interest in the culture at the time. But I totally admit there's just an element there I likely don't see. That said, I'll give it all another chance, thanks to your suggestions. It's appreciated.