Mistrial was Lou Reed's final album for RCA and one of the least accomplished of his career, marked by a production excessively oriented toward the commercial sound of the 80s. Reed attempted to incorporate elements of rap, funk, and electronic pop in ways that today sound forced and inevitably date the record.
Nevertheless, the album contains genuine moments: 'Video Violence', a satire of American television culture that anticipated debates that would only gain relevance decades later, and 'The Original Wrapper', his most direct experiment with rap, which is clumsy but sincere in its desire to connect with new urban musical forms.
Mistrial marks the end of Reed's first major RCA era and closes a chapter. Three years later, with New York, he would return transformed, with an artistic clarity and purpose that Mistrial clearly lacked. It is the least defended album of a discography that, even in its low points, rarely lacks interest.