| Lou Reed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1972 | |||
| Recorded | December 1971 – January 1972 | |||
| Studio | Morgan (Willesden, London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:08 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer |
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| Lou Reed chronology | ||||
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Lou Reed is the debut solostudio album by Americanrock musicianLou Reed, released in May 1972 byRCA Records,[1] two years after he leftthe Velvet Underground. It was produced by Richard Robinson and Reed and features Londonsession musicians as Reed's backing band, two of whom,Rick Wakeman andSteve Howe, were from the Britishprogressive rock bandYes. Wakeman recalled that during the recording sessions, "the lights had to be out so nobody could see."[2] The album was recorded atMorgan Studios in London, between December 1971 and January 1972.
With increasing interest in the Velvet Underground, Reed's debut album was highly anticipated, but was a commercial and critical disappointment, reaching only No. 189 on theBillboard 200.[3] It comprises eight new recordings of then-unreleased Velvet Underground songs, and two new songs, "Going Down" and "Berlin" (the latter was re-recorded by Reed as the title track for his 1973 albumBerlin).
In 1976, when asked what he thought of the album in retrospect, Reed stated, "It's got some of the best songs I ever wrote, but the production sucks."[4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Chicago Tribune | [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+[7] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
The Commercial Appeal wrote that the album "contains some of the frenzy for which his former band was noted, but most of the music is toned down into a more standard rock mold."[11]The Buffalo News determined that Reed's "blunt, almost over-simplified lyrics and the pre-Clapton guitar sound melt into a peculiarly satisfying experience."[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide noted the "genteel art-rock treatment" of the songs written during Reed's Velvet Underground years.[9]
All tracks are written byLou Reed.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can't Stand It" | 2:34 |
| 2. | "Going Down" | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Walk and Talk It" | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Lisa Says" | 5:29 |
| 5. | "Berlin" | 5:13 |
| Total length: | 19:47 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "I Love You" | 2:16 |
| 7. | "Wild Child" | 4:39 |
| 8. | "Love Makes You Feel" | 3:09 |
| 9. | "Ride into the Sun" | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Ocean" | 5:04 |
| Total length: | 18:21 | |
Eight tracks fromLou Reed were, at one point, originally performed by the Velvet Underground. These recordings have been released on various compilations and live albums, which have been catalogued below.
| Title | Original Velvet Underground release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| "I Can't Stand It" | 1969: The Velvet Underground Live,VU | Additional verse onLou Reed version. |
| "Walk and Talk It" | Peel Slowly and See,Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition) | Different lyrics and added musical sections onLou Reed version. The Velvet Underground version is titled "Walk and Talk". |
| "Lisa Says" | 1969,VU | Extended version with different lyrics onLou Reed version. |
| "I Love You" | Peel Slowly and See,Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition) | --- |
| "Wild Child" | --- | No Velvet Underground recording has surfaced yet, but the song is known to have been played live in 1970.[13] However, the song was performed by Lou Reed andJohn Cale at theBataclan 1972 concert inParis withNico, and can be heard on the Velvet Underground bootlegUltra Rare Tracks Vol. 2, which features Lou Reed playing the song with an acoustic guitar into a tape recorder. |
| "Love Makes You Feel" | Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition) | The Velvet Underground version is titled "Love Makes You Feel Ten Foot Tall". |
| "Ride into the Sun" | Another View,What Goes On,Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition),Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes | Lou Reed version is similar to the versions found onLoaded (Fully Loaded Edition) andThe Quine Tapes. Earlier versions of the song can be found onAnother View andWhat Goes On. |
| "Ocean" | 1969,VU,Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition) | The version onLou Reed is closest to the version found onLoaded (Fully Loaded Edition). |
On the album's tour, which lasted two legs between June 9[14] and November 2, 1972,[15][16] Reed was backed by the Tots. The Tots featured no shared personnel with the album and consisted of Vinny Laporta and Eddie Reynolds on guitar, Bobby Resigno on bass guitar, and Scottie Clark on drums. This backing group would also play on theTransformer tour[17] and perform on the live albumAmerican Poet (2001).
Credits are adapted from theLou Reed liner notes.[18]
Musicians
Production and artwork
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Top LPs[3] | 189 |
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