Tribute to Lou Reed

Lou Reed (1942-2013), famously known as the driving force of post-60s rock music, was the poet laureate of the NYC Factory scene. Reed’s high school yearbook caption read: “Tall, dark-haired Lou likes basketball, music and naturally, girls” (the latter part a cruel allusion to Reed’s bisexuality, for which he underwent electroshock therapy).

Reed moved to New York City after college and found minor success. His career really began when the studio he was working for hooked him up with John Cale the Welsh bassist and violinist. Joining a band originally named The Primitives, Reed filled out the rest of what was to become The Velvet Underground with Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker, both of whom he had known at college.

Early on, Andy Warhol took note of the nascent collective and invited Velvet Underground to join his Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a multimedia project that also involved dance performances and film screenings. Warhol suggested VU take on Nico, a German model/actress, as their singer and Reed reluctantly agreed—Nico often held up performances with pre-show rituals and was partially deaf. VU’s debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (try listening to “Sunday Morning” and  “Femme Fatale”) was not a commercial success – only 30,000 copies were sold. The individual tracks weren’t exactly “hit” material; the major motifs were drugs, prostitution and sexual deviance (one song, “Venus in Furs” is a clear reference to the book by Sacher-Masoch). VU, sans Nico, followed up with White Light/White Heat (try “Here She Comes Now”), The Velvet Underground (if you’ve ever watched The Science of Sleep, you’ll recognize “After Hours”) and Loaded (“Sweet Jane,” “Rock and Roll”). Reed left the band in 1970, while Loaded was still being mixed.

After retreating for a few years, he released  Lou Reed, in 1971. The next year Reed’s music went through an ‘untethered emergence’ with Transformer. Transformer was in part produced by David Bowie, who also contributed to the vocals. In contrast to Reed’s low, low vocal range, Bowie added some crystal-shattering highs, most astoundingly on “Satellite of Love,” which was featured in Adventureland. Reed’s style evolved in many ways, but he maintained his original poet-prowess and basement-deep vocals.

Although solo, Reed continued to take lyrical inspiration from the Factory scene—“Andy’s Chest,” a reference to Warhol’s close encounter with a crazed Factory member, “Vicious” stemmed from Warhol’s offhand question as to why Reed hadn’t written a song so titled, and “Walk on the Wild Side,” the story of several transsexuals Reed encountered at the Factory. Boosted by Transformer’s critical and commercial success, Reed continued his solo career until his death on Oct. 27, 2013.

Other suggested listenings:

› From White Light/White Heat:
“Here She Comes Now”

› From VU (recorded 1968-69, released 1985):
“Lisa Says”
“Stephanie Says” (featured in The Royal Tenenbaums)

› From The Velvet Underground:
“Candy Says”
“Pale Blue Eyes”

› From Transformer:
“Perfect Day” (featured in Trainspotting)
“Hangin’ Round”

› From Coney Island Baby:
“Downtown Dirt”
“Charley’s Girl”