Digtially remastered by Elliott Federman (SAJE Sound, New York, New York). Intriguing even by Reed's own standards, THE BELLS is an experimental album, recorded in so-called binaural sound, a process which he became enamored with in the late '70s. Theoretically, it was supposed to simulate a 360 degree soundfield, although Reed himself has since admitted it didn't work. Reed's usually plainspoken vocals are somewhat affected here, and the overall sound--courtesy of Marty Fogel's overdubbed saxophone section--verges on early '70s glam rock. Lyrically, the songs range from the meaningless "Disco Mystic" (it consists of the repetition of just those two words over a four minute instrumental), to more typical Reed dissertations about walks on the wild side, the most chilling of which "All Through the Night," is sung against a backdrop of cocktail party chatter. Also noteworthy are "City Lights," one of Reed's first overtly political songs and the title track. The Wire (6/00, p. 38) - "... Reed's somewhat quixotic quest to make supermarket disco boogie resonate with emotions that are plainly not there.... skillfully rendering a mood a utter desolation...