Throwback Thursday: Lou Reed - Transformer

Transformer

Lou Reed

Original Release date: 8th November 1972

Available to stream on Spotify - see Spotify player below

There was really only one choice for this week's Throwback Thursday. Lou Reed sadly passed earlier this week. Jukebox 88 has already remembered the polarising star through a tribute from Jon Hall, but I wanted to write something about his music, specifically his seminal album 'Transformer'. Reed was bastardised when he left the Velvet Underground in 1970 and it seemed a poor choice when his first solo album 'Lou Reed' was released in 1971. It was basically a collection of re-recorded Velvet Underground songs. Critics and fans alike didn't take kindly to it. But 'Transformer' was a different experience. Reed seemed invigorated. Transformed even.

Co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, 'Transformer' introduced Reed to a wider audience. It was his first collection of purely new material since his Velvet Underground days. It exhibited Reed's talent as a song writer through his masterful lyrics, and allowed Bowie to experiment with production techniques. These ingredients, along with some beautiful melodies produced some of the greatest pop songs ever written.

'Perfect Day' is an excellent example. It doesn't matter whether you believe, as many did, it was an ode to Reed's drug habit, the song can be dedicated to anything, it is a faultless ballad. The song was also adopted by the BBC in 1997 for their annual charity event Children In Need. In the special arrangement, stars from all over the music world, including Reed, sang individual lines and it became very popular, raising over £2 million for the charity.

Other tracks on the album have gone on to reach legendary status. 'Walk On The Wild Side' was inspired by Nelson Algren's novel by the same title, but morphed into a tribute to the groups of hipsters and hustlers who hung out around artist Andy Warhol during the Velvet Underground days. Each verse focuses on a different character, describing them and their habits in intimate detail. It became the most popular single on the album and contains some of the most recognisable lyrics of the era:

"And all the coloured girls say,
Doo do do do doo do do doo..."

Personally, 'Vicious' and 'Satellite of Love' are stand out tracks of the album. 'Vicious' offers a great juxtaposition to the slower ballads on the album, with it's aggressive, spiky guitar. You can't help picture Reed in his black leathers and black eye make up, swaggering around the stage. 'Satellite of Love', like 'Perfect Day', is softer and shows Reed's vulnerable side, especially when performed live. There is a great flow to the song, culminating in the breakdown towards the end of the track with it's mixture of brass, piano and backing vocals - a real triumph. 

'Transformer' was the pinnacle of Reed's career. In some interviews he has signalled resentment to the shadow it cast over the rest of his career as he never really reached the same heights with his other albums. I don't agree with him. 'Transformer' should be celebrated. Songs written over 40 years ago don't sound fresh and invigorating unless they have character and style. Reed had both of these things and so did 'Transformer'.
Key tracks: Vicious, Perfect Day, Walk On The Wild Side, Satellite of Love