Whether this is scenemaking music or antiscenemaking music doesnt matterits effete, ingrown, stripped to inessentials. The truth is it is the product of genuine love and passion, still exhilarating and bursting with possibility four decades on. Lou reed sxsw 2014 tribute, bp fallon backed by the strypes. Transformer germany by lou reed cd, sep1998, bmg for. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Exactly fortyfive years ago this past week, the late lou reed released his second solo album, transformer, a work that solidified his stature as a great musician in his own right after leading the hugely influential velvet underground through the mid to late 60s. Transformer gave reed his biggest commercial hit and almost certainly saved his career. Levy spends nearly two thirds of the book on reed s life through transformer, then flies through the rest in the remaining third. Lou reed transformer rca records, 1972 when i listen to albums, i often enjoy relating them to movies that i have watched, or book i have read.
Vicious is almost abrasive enough and the lyrics are great. Access to the full text of the entire book is only available to members of institutions that. What sets transformer apart from the velvets is that not once was the velvet underground funny. Intro main riff, 2x d c g c bass plays a under second c chord throughout verse 1 d c g vicious c d c g you hit me with a flower c d c g you do it every hour c d c g c ohh, baby youre so vicious verse 2 vicious you. Bettye kronstad has spoken about her marriage to lou reed.
See more ideas about lou reed transformer, transformers and singer. July 1973 us transformer is the second solo studio album by american recording artist lou reed. Lou reed e velvet underground i testi e le traduzioni dei brani della discografia di lou reed e dei velvet underground, dal 1967 al 2011, con audio e note. I remember hearing lou reed on am radio shortly after transformer was released.
His first solo album, lou reed, was a bit of a disappointment in light of his work. In the early morning hours of june 28, 1969, a routinely vicious raid of a. And yet, it doesnt neatly fit into any of these descriptors. Lou reed transformer poster print album as books penguin books lou reed transformer. Buried underneath the radiofriendly exterior lie coded confessions of the subversive, wounded intelligence that gives. From genesis publications, comes a new book, shortly completed before his death in october 20, that documents lou reeds long standing collaboration with english rock photographer, mick rock. This 1992 release covers the first 20 years of his solo career, including the unreleased studio tracks downtown dirt, an early version of leave me alone, francis scott keys america star spangled banner from the 1980 growing up in public sessions and an edited excerpt from the metal machine music album. Vicious lou reed inspired by andy warhol, who told lou reed i think you should write a song called vicious. What happened when lou reed ditched new york for london. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
Vicious is a song written by lou reed, released as a single in 1973 and originally featured on transformer, reeds second postvelvet underground solo. The album is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by reeds most successful single, walk on the wild side, which touched on thencontroversial topics of sexual orientation, gender identity, prostitution, and drug use. Vicious is a song written by lou reed, released as a single in 1973 and originally featured on transformer, reeds second postvelvet underground solo album. According to lou reed it was andy warhol who inspired the song. Vicious by lou reed song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position. The velvet undergrounds overall sensibility was markedly different from anything else happening in rock at the time. Culture music features bettye kronstad speaks for the first time about her marriage to lou reed. Transformer, lou reeds most enduringly popular album, is described with varying labels. The first part of the book is a compilation of interviews with lou reed taken from different sources talking about his career, with some bw photos. Lou reeds transformer by ezra furman, paperback barnes. He currently performs solo and tours with his band the visions.
Transformer esce nel 1972, prodotto da due personaggetti, ovvero david bowie e mick ronson. The complete lou reed story 01 by victor bockris isbn. David bowie has never been shy about acknowledging his influences, and since the boho decadence and sexual ambiguity of the velvet undergrounds music had a major impact on bowies work, it was only fitting that as ziggy stardust mania was reaching its peak, bowie would offer lou reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. Legendary songwriter and guitarist lou reed passed away on the 27th october 20, but his musical influence is assured.
Vicious, lou reed sxsw 2014 tribute, bp fallon backed by. There is the same sense of realism, but walk and satellite and new york telephone conversation are just for fun. Thelife of lou reed by howard sounes due 9102019 4. Photographer mick rock celebrates lou reed in lavish book. Transformer and walk on the wild side were both major hits in 1972, to the surprise of both lou reed and the music industry, and with reed suddenly a hot commodity, he used his newly won clout to make the. Bowie included velvet tunes such as waiting for the man and white lightwhite heat in his stage repertoire. On fridays im posting my thoughts on lou reeds solo albums, one at a time in chronological order of release. Transformer rca victor, 1972 all thats left of this great singer and songwriter is his sly intelligence, and sometimes im not so sure about that. The result of the teaming of lou reed, david bowie, and mick ronson, produced one of the greatest glam rock and lou reed albums ever made. Lou reed was one of the great figures of my formative years of discovering music. In turning his attention to amplified acoustic guitar, lou reed has taken one further step in his lifelong quest for the purest yet baddest sound ever heard. Bowie and ronson stepped in and offered to produce and help lou with his next album after his first self titled solo album in 1971 was such a big failure after he quit the velvet underground in 1970. Lou reed changed his mind about transformer, the album that made him a big noise and rebooted that autobiography, more times than he changed shirts. Find the latest tracks, albums, and images from lou reed.
Reed is portrayed as unrelentingly cruel and selfish, tormenting his family, friends, bandmates, and romantic partners. Although he would constantly challenge this image, transformer would serve as the basis for audience expectations for lou reeds work throughout the rest of. A journalist at andy warhols interview from 1977 to 1981, bockris keith richards, s. Produced by david bowie, transformer contained several of reeds most famous songs, including vicious, perfect day. Like a first love, music discovered at a young age seems to embed itself deeper in the heart than those that follow. Transformer is the second solo studio album by american recording artist lou reed. We learn, over and over, that the author of the song vicious dispensed his legendary acts of cruelty with sadistic aplomb. This perhaps mirrors the pace and role of crisis itself in reed. Produced by david bowie and arranged by mick ronson, the album. Amsterdam, from master recordings owned or controlled by radio. Lou reed, whether in the velvet underground or solo, inspired entire genres glam, art rock, punk, industrial, grunge, shoegaze, goth, indie rock so to try and boil down 50plus years of. His source list says his own book about the velvets was indispensable. On its 25thanniversary reissue in 1997, he commissioned me to write sleevenotes, only to nix them because, in a fit of revisionism, he didnt want any mention, however passing, of sexual.
Lou reed transformer, 1972 vicious, you hit me with a flower rip lou reed march 1942. It turns people into monsters she recalls the highs and lows of her. Recorded at the 2014 sxsw official tribute to lou reed. C 1972 rca records a division of sony music entertainment. In true lou reed style, his next record was the bleak song cycle berlin of which producer bob ezrin commented wrap this turkey up before i puke.
Transformer expanded edition limited remaster by lou. Lou reeds 1975 album has been called one of the worst albums ever made. Vicious submit andys chest submit perfect day hangin round submit walk on the wild side make up submit satellite of love wagon wheel submit new york telephone conversation submit im so free submit goodnight ladies submit. The song, like the rest of transformer, was produced by david bowie with his. Lou reed transformer vinyl records and cds for sale. Transformer is the only complete and comprehensive telling of the lou reed story. While american poet was released in 2001, its a live recording of lou reed in 1972 with a scruffy but game backup band, playing credible versions of heroin and walk on the wild side. Reed, last summer, made his first english appearance with bowie. The ballad of songbirds and snakes from the author that brought you the hunger games, reenter the world of panem again sixtyfour years before the events of the original series.
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