Lou Reed used various "random" methods of creativity at this stage of his career. I know that on occasions they would roll a dice to decide certain aspects of the music - I can't categorically say which songs or parts, but the solo of "I heard her call my name" would have to be random. He was also a big fan of Burroughs, who invented the "cut-up method" of writing - just writing pages of words and then rearranging them randomly. Themes still emerge, and to some extent the artist usually exercises some control over the arrangement. Even with a cut up method, this piece still seems to exude a mood, much as a good painting will speak to you.
Lou Reed used various "random" methods of creativity at this stage of his career. I know that on occasions they would roll a dice to decide certain aspects of the music - I can't categorically say which songs or parts, but the solo of "I heard her call my name" would have to be random. He was also a big fan of Burroughs, who invented the "cut-up method" of writing - just writing pages of words and then rearranging them randomly. Themes still emerge, and to some extent the artist usually exercises some control over the arrangement. Even with a cut up method, this piece still seems to exude a mood, much as a good painting will speak to you.