Lou Reed is the debut solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in May 1972 by RCA Records,[1] two years after he left the Velvet Underground. It was produced by Richard Robinson and Reed and features London session musicians as Reed's backing band, two of whom, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe, were from the British progressive rock band Yes. Wakeman recalled that during the recording sessions, "the lights had to be out so nobody could see."[2] The album was recorded at Morgan 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 the Billboard 200. 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 album Berlin).
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."[3]
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."[9]The Buffalo News determined that Reed's "blunt, almost over-simplified lyrics and the pre-Clapton guitar sound melt into a peculiarly satisfying experience."[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide noted the "genteel art-rock treatment" of the songs written during Reed's Velvet Underground years.[8]
Eight tracks from Lou 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.
Different lyrics and added musical sections on Lou Reed version. The Velvet Underground version is titled "Walk and Talk".
"Lisa Says"
1969, VU
Extended version with different lyrics on Lou Reed version.
"I Love You"
Peel Slowly and See, Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)
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"Wild Child"
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No Velvet Underground recording has surfaced yet, but the song is known to have been played live in 1970.[11] However, the song was performed by Lou Reed and John Cale at the Bataclan 1972 concert in Paris with Nico, and can be heard on the Velvet Underground bootleg Ultra 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".
Lou Reed version is similar to the versions found on Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition) and The Quine Tapes. Earlier versions of the song can be found on Another View and What Goes On.
"Ocean"
1969, VU, Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition)
The version on Lou Reed is closest to the version found on Loaded (Fully Loaded Edition).
Tour
On the album's tour, which lasted two legs between June 9[12] and November 2, 1972,[13][14] 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 the Transformer tour[15] and perform on the live album American Poet (2001).
