I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this tribute to their friend Andy Warhol is one of the best things either of them ever did. The lyrics are among Lou’s finest. Doubt me? My friend, “Open House,” about Warhol’s young years? Good lord: “You scared yourself with music, I scared myself with paint / I drew 550 different shoes today, it almost made me faint.” Cale is different in the company of his old friend, Lou, and here plays Andy, in an unexpected celebrity impression, for “Style It Takes” (including a retelling of Andy introducing the Velvets to the world). How much they love each other and Andy is audible. This is one of the most direct and least mannered albums they were ever involved in, and it is aging better than so many things around it.

– Sasha Frere-Jones