Lou Reed “Transformer”

sfilzen — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 19:42:16 +0000

Lou Reed “Transformer” released 50 years ago today, November 8th, 1972. Lou Reed’s second solo LP after leaving Velvet Underground in ’70 was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson. It went to #29 in the US and to #13 in the UK and is considered one of the most important glam rock records ever released and ranks among the greatest albums of any genre (NME, Rolling Stone, Q). While “Walk on the Wild Side” gets most of the attention on Transformer (massively controversial still to this day for its content referencing transgender people and oral sex; it went to #16 in the US, #10 in the UK and reentered the charts after Reed’s death in 2013 at #14 in the US on the Hot Rock & Alternative chart), I’m really partial to the record’s opener “Vicious.” “Vicious” is a cocky, swaggering rocker that was quite literally inspired by Andy Warhol who told him to write a song titled “Vicious.” I also love “Perfect Day,” partially because Duran Duran covered it on their 1995 LP Thank You but also because it’s simply a very sweet song (though it’s said that the subtext is about heroin addiction – which is not sweet). “Satellite of Love” (#119 US) is fabulous: Bowie provides backing vocals and it’s a really Bowie-flavored track overall. Both Morrissey and U2 have successfully covered that track as well – Morrissey‘s went to #1 in the US after Reed’s death in 2013. Also notable are the glam-rockers “Wagon Wheel” and “I’m So Free.”

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Lou Reed “Transformer”