Transformer (Lou Reed album)

Last updated

Transformer
Loureedtransformer.jpeg
Studio album by
Lou Reed
ReleasedNovember 8, 1972 (1972-11-08)
RecordedAugust 1972
Studio Trident (London)
Genre
Length36:40
Label RCA Victor
Producer
Lou Reed chronology
Lou Reed
(1972)		Transformer
(1972)		 Berlin
(1973)
Singles from Transformer
  1. "Walk on the Wild Side"
    Released: November 1972 [1]
  2. "Satellite of Love"
    Released: February 1973
  3. "Vicious"
    Released: April 1973

Transformer is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lou Reed. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, the album was released on November 8, 1972 by RCA Records. It is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, "Walk on the Wild Side", which touched on controversial topics of sexual orientation, gender identity, prostitution and drug use. Although Reed's self-titled debut solo album had been unsuccessful, Bowie had been an early fan of Reed's former band the Velvet Underground and used his fame to promote Reed, who had not yet achieved mainstream success. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

As with its predecessor Lou Reed , Transformer contains songs Reed composed while in the Velvet Underground (here, four out of eleven). "Andy's Chest" was first recorded by the band in 1969 and "Satellite of Love" demoed in 1970; these versions were released on VU and Peel Slowly and See, respectively. For Transformer, the original up-tempo pace of these songs was slowed down.

"New York Telephone Conversation" and "Goodnight Ladies" [4] were played live during the band's summer 1970 residency at Max's Kansas City; the latter takes its title refrain from the last line of the second section ("A Game of Chess") of T. S. Eliot's modernist poem, The Waste Land : "Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night", which is itself a quote from Ophelia in Hamlet .

As in Reed's Velvet Underground days, the connection to artist Andy Warhol remained strong. According to Reed, Warhol told him he should write a song about someone vicious. When Reed asked what he meant by vicious, Warhol replied, "Oh, you know, like I hit you with a flower", [5] resulting in the song "Vicious".

Production

Transformer was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, both of whom had been strongly influenced by Reed's work with the Velvet Underground. Bowie had obliquely referenced the Velvet Underground in the cover notes for his album Hunky Dory and regularly performed both "White Light/White Heat" and "I'm Waiting for the Man" in concerts and on the BBC during 1971–1973. He even began recording "White Light/White Heat" for inclusion on Pin Ups [ citation needed ], but it was never completed; Ronson ended up using the backing track for his solo album Play Don't Worry in 1974.

Mick Ronson (who was at the time the lead guitarist with Bowie's band, the Spiders from Mars) played a major role in the recording of the album at Trident Studios, London, [6] serving as the co-producer and primary session musician (contributing guitar, piano, recorder and backing vocals), as well as arranger, contributing the string arrangement for "Perfect Day". Reed lauded Ronson's contribution in the Transformer episode of the documentary series Classic Albums , praising the beauty of his work and keeping down the vocal to highlight the strings. The songs on the album are now among Reed's best-known works, including "Walk on the Wild Side", "Perfect Day" and "Satellite of Love", and the album's commercial success elevated him from cult status to become an international star.

Artwork

Blue plaque at 275 Pentonville Road, London, marking the gigs of 14 and 15 July 1972 at which the Stooges and Reed played; a photograph by Mick Rock from one of these shows appears on the cover of Transformer. Lou Reed Iggy Pop Mick Rock plaque at The Scala 275 Pentonville Road London N1 9NL.jpg
Blue plaque at 275 Pentonville Road, London, marking the gigs of 14 and 15 July 1972 at which the Stooges and Reed played; a photograph by Mick Rock from one of these shows appears on the cover of Transformer.

The cover art was from a Mick Rock photograph that inadvertently became over-exposed as he was printing it in the darkroom. Rock noticed the flaw but decided he liked the fortuitous effect enough to submit the image for the album cover. [7]

According to Rock, "When I showed Lou the contact sheets, he zeroed in on the transformer shot. I made the print myself – as I usually did in those days. The first test I made fell out of focus in the exposure. Lou loved the result. It took me twelve attempts to reproduce this accident for the final larger print for the album cover". [8]

Karl Stoecker (who also shot the first three Roxy Music album covers) took the back cover photo of a woman and a man. The woman is 1960s London supermodel Gala Mitchell. The man is portrayed by Ernie Thormahlen (a friend of Reed). The man appears to have a noticeable erection, [9] although Reed has said this was actually a banana which Thormahlen had stuffed down his jeans before the photo shoot.

Release

The first single from the album, "Walk on the Wild Side", became an international success, despite its controversial subject matter. The song's lyrics mention transgender issues, sex acts, and drugs, leading it to be edited in some countries and banned in others. [3] It is now generally regarded by fans and critics as Reed's signature tune. "Satellite of Love" was issued as the second single in February 1973. In 2002, a 30th anniversary edition of the album was released; in addition to demos of "Hangin' Round" and "Perfect Day", it includes a hidden track featuring an advert for the album. Following Reed's death in October 2013, digital sales of Transformer, "Walk on the Wild Side", and "Perfect Day" all rose more than 300%, and "Walk on the Wild Side" cracked the new Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart at No. 38. [10]

Critical reception

Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [14]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Pitchfork 8.4/10 [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [18]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 8/10 [19]

In a mixed review for Rolling Stone , Nick Tosches noted the songs "Satellite of Love", "Vicious", "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Hangin' 'Round" which he felt expressed a stimulating sexuality saying "Reed himself says he thinks the album's great. I don't think it's nearly as good as he's capable of doing. He seems to have the abilities to come up with some really dangerous, powerful music, stuff that people like Jagger and Bowie have only rubbed knees with." [9] In a retrospective review for The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Tom Hull remarked that Reed "wrote a bunch of clever new songs and tried to cash in on producer David Bowie's trendily androgynous glam rock, which worked well enough to break 'Walk on the Wild Side.'" [17]

In 1997, Transformer was named the 44th greatest album of all time in a "Music of the Millennium" poll conducted in the United Kingdom by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM. [20] In 2000, it was voted number 58 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums . [21] Transformer is also ranked at number 55 on NME 's list of "Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2003, the album was ranked at number 194 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, [22] maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list, and is ranked 109 on the 2020 list. [23] [24] It is also on Q magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Albums Ever".

In 2018, 33⅓ published a book by musician Ezra Furman about Transformer. [25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lou Reed.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Vicious"2:55
2."Andy's Chest"3:17
3."Perfect Day"3:43
4."Hangin' 'Round"3:39
5."Walk on the Wild Side"4:12
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Make Up"2:58
2."Satellite of Love"3:40
3."Wagon Wheel"3:19
4."New York Telephone Conversation"1:31
5."I'm So Free"3:07
6."Goodnight Ladies"4:19
Total length:36:40
30th Anniversary Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Hangin' 'Round" (acoustic demo)3:58
2."Perfect Day" (acoustic demo; includes a hidden track featuring an advert for the album)4:50

Personnel

Adapted from the Transformer liner notes. [26]

Musicians

Production

Charts

ChartPeak
Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [27] 12
UK Albums Chart 13
Dutch Album Chart 11
US Billboard Top LPs & Tape [28] 29

Sales and certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [29] Gold20,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [30] Gold10,000‡
France (SNEP) [31] Gold100,000*
Italy (FIMI) [32] Platinum50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [33]
2003 release 		Platinum424,666 [34]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Reed</span> American rock musician (1942–2013)

Lewis Allan Reed was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band The Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Although not commercially successful during its existence, the Velvet Underground came to be regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of underground and alternative rock music. Reed's distinctive deadpan voice, poetic and transgressive lyrics, and experimental guitar playing were trademarks throughout his long career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Ronson</span> English musician (1946–1993)

Michael Ronson was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musician who recorded five studio albums with Bowie followed by four with Ian Hunter, and also worked as a sideman in touring bands with Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. A classically trained musician, Ronson was known for his melodic approach to guitar playing.

<i>Loaded</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 1970 studio album by the Velvet Underground

Loaded is the fourth studio album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground, released in November 1970 by Atlantic Records subsidiary Cotillion. It was the final album recorded featuring the band’s remaining original members, including the lead singer and primary songwriter Lou Reed, who left the band shortly before the album's release, and the guitarist Sterling Morrison, who left the band in 1971 along with the drummer Maureen Tucker. For this reason, it is often considered by fans to be the last "true" Velvet Underground album. The multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule remained and released the album Squeeze in 1973 before the band's dissolution the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffragette City</span> 1972 song by David Bowie

"Suffragette City" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released in April 1972 as the B-side of the single "Starman" and subsequently appeared on his fifth studio album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). The song was later reissued as a single in 1976, with the US single edit of "Stay" as the B-side, to promote the compilation album Changesonebowie in the UK. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, it was recorded by Bowie at Trident Studios in London with his backing band the Spiders from Mars, consisting of Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey, at a late stage of the album's sessions. The song was originally offered to English band Mott the Hoople, who declined it and recorded Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" instead. It is a glam rock song that is influenced by the music of Little Richard and the Velvet Underground. The lyrics include a reference to Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange and the lyric "Oooohh wham bam, thank you, ma'am".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satellite of Love</span> 1973 single by Lou Reed

"Satellite of Love" is a song by American musician Lou Reed. It is the second single from his 1972 album Transformer. At the time of its release, it achieved minor US chart success, though it later became a staple of his concerts and compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk on the Wild Side (Lou Reed song)</span> 1972 single by Lou Reed

"Walk on the Wild Side" is a song by American rock musician Lou Reed from his second solo studio album, Transformer (1972). It was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson and released as a double A-side with "Perfect Day". Known as a counterculture anthem, the song received wide radio coverage and became Reed's biggest hit and signature song while touching on topics considered taboo at the time, such as transgender people, drugs, male prostitution, and oral sex.

<i>All the Young Dudes</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Mott the Hoople

All the Young Dudes is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Mott the Hoople, released in 1972. It was their initial album for the CBS Records label, after three years with Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada.

<i>Sally Cant Dance</i> 1974 studio album by Lou Reed

Sally Can't Dance is the fourth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in September 1974 by RCA Records. Steve Katz and Reed produced the album. It remains Reed's highest-charting album in the United States, having peaked at #10 during a 14-week stay on the Billboard 200 album chart in October 1974. It is also the first solo Lou Reed album not to feature any songs originally recorded by Reed's earlier band, the Velvet Underground, as well as the first of Reed's solo studio albums to be recorded in the United States. The album art was designed by noted Fillmore and Broadway poster artist David Edward Byrd and was one of the few album covers he ever designed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Bitch</span> 1971 song by David Bowie

"Queen Bitch" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released on his 1971 album Hunky Dory before appearing as the B-side of the single "Rebel Rebel" in the United Kingdom in early 1974. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, the lineup consisted of the musicians who would later become known as the Spiders from Mars: Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Waiting for the Man</span> 1967 song by the Velvet Underground

"I'm Waiting for the Man" is a song by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Written by Lou Reed, it was first released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. The lyrics describe a man's efforts to obtain heroin in Harlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ziggy Stardust (song)</span> 1972 song by David Bowie

"Ziggy Stardust" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie from his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott, he recorded it at Trident Studios in London in November 1971 with his backing band the Spiders from Mars—comprising Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey. Lyrically, the song is about Ziggy Stardust, a bisexual alien rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. The character was influenced by English singer Vince Taylor, as well as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and Kansai Yamamoto. Although Ziggy is introduced earlier on the album, this song is its centrepiece, presenting the rise and fall of the star in a very human-like manner. Musically, it is a glam rock song, like its parent album, and is based around a Ronson guitar riff.

<i>Lou Reed Live</i> 1975 live album by Lou Reed

Lou Reed Live is a live album by Lou Reed, released in 1975. It was recorded at the same concert as Rock 'n' Roll Animal ; on December 21, 1973, at Howard Stein's Academy of Music in New York. It features three songs from Transformer, one song from The Velvet Underground & Nico and two songs from Berlin. Between this album and the remastered Rock 'n' Roll Animal, the entire show has been released, albeit in a different order than the original concert setlist.

<i>Perfect Night: Live in London</i> 1998 live album by Lou Reed

Perfect Night: Live in London is a live album by American musician Lou Reed recorded during the Meltdown '97 festival. It includes a version of the Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror", originally sung by Nico. The album includes two songs, "Talking Book" and "Into the Divine" from the 1996 play Time Rocker Reed's collaboration with Robert Wilson, and Darryl Pinckney (text). The cover photograph was taken by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. In Australia, the 2-CD tour edition of Reed's 2000 album Ecstasy included Perfect Night as the second disc.

<i>American Poet</i> (album) 2001 live album by Lou Reed

American Poet is an album of an early solo concert by American rock musician Lou Reed, recorded live at the Calderone Concert Hall, Hempstead, New York, on Boxing Day 1972 during the Transformer tour. The backing band are the Tots. It features material from The Velvet Underground's first album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and Reed's first two 1972 solo albums, debut Lou Reed and Transformer. The version of "Berlin" is the arrangement from that debut album. American Poet was released in 2001. It is an unauthorized release.

<i>NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003)</i> 2003 compilation album by Lou Reed

NYC Man is a 2-CD anthology of Lou Reed's work. All songs of this career spanning collection were chosen, sequenced and remastered by Lou Reed himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Light/White Heat (song)</span> 1968 single by the Velvet Underground

"White Light/White Heat" is a song recorded by the American rock band the Velvet Underground. It was released as a single in late November 1967 with the B-side "Here She Comes Now". The following year it appeared as the title track on their second studio album of the same name.

<i>The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground

The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground is a compilation of some of Lou Reed's and some of The Velvet Underground's songs. It was released in 1995, but not in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Velvet Underground</span> American rock band

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. It originally comprised the singer and guitarist Lou Reed, the Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, the guitarist Sterling Morrison and the drummer Angus MacLise. In 1965, MacLise was replaced by Moe Tucker, who played on most of the band's recordings. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde resulted in little commercial success, they are now widely regarded as one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Their provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and nihilistic attitude was also instrumental in the development of punk rock, new wave and several other genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicious (Lou Reed song)</span> 1973 single by Lou Reed

"Vicious" is a song written by Lou Reed, released as a single in 1973 and originally featured on Transformer, Reed's second post-Velvet Underground solo album.

"Andy's Chest" is a song written by Lou Reed, inspired by the 1968 attempted assassination of Andy Warhol. In June 1968, radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas shot artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol and Mario Amaya, art critic and curator, at Warhol's studio, The Factory. The Velvet Underground, of which Reed was the frontman, initially recorded the song in 1969, but the definitive version appears on Reed's solo release Transformer, co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.

References

  1. ↑ The Great Rock Discography. August 19, 1995. p. 681. ISBN   9780862415419.
  2. 1 2 Stephens, Matthew (March 11, 2003). "Lou Reed: Transformer". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Trebay, Guy (November 1, 2013). "The Real-Life Stories Told in 'Walk on the Wild Side'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  4. ↑ "The Velvet Underground - Live performances and rehearsals - 1970". Olivier.landemaine.free.fr. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  5. ↑ Fitch, Andy (2012). Pop Poetics. ISBN   978-1-56478-766-8.
  6. ↑ "The Story Behind Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"". Neatorama. September 17, 2012.
  7. ↑ Pryor, Fiona (May 10, 2007). "Entertainment – Photographer lives the Rock dream". BBC News. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  8. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=397633541718418&set=a.219133926235048 [ user-generated source ]
  9. 1 2 Nick Tosches (January 4, 1973). "Transformer – Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Lou Reed's Album Sales Rise 607% Following Death". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Transformer – Lou Reed". AllMusic . Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  12. ↑ Young, Jon. "Lou Reed: Transformer". Blender . Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  13. ↑ Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-Breaking Music". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  14. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Lou Reed: Transformer". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor and Fields. ISBN   0-89919-026-X . Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Reed, Lou". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
  16. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (March 28, 2002). "Lou Reed: Transformer". Rolling Stone . No. 892. p. 72.
  17. 1 2 Hull, Tom (2004). "Lou Reed". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  684–85. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  18. ↑ Marchese, David (November 2009). "Discography: Lou Reed". Spin . Vol. 24, no. 11. p. 67. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ Strauss, Neil (1995). "Lou Reed". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 325–27. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  20. ↑ "The music of the millennium". BBC News. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  21. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 61. ISBN   0-7535-0493-6.
  22. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Transformer – Lou Reed". Rolling Stone . November 18, 2003. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  23. ↑ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone . May 31, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  24. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  25. ↑ Korber, Kevin (July 14, 2019), 33 1/3: Transformer: By Ezra Furman, Spectrum Culture, retrieved April 14, 2020
  26. ↑ Transformer (CD booklet). Lou Reed. RCA Records. 1972.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 249. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  28. ↑ "Lou Reed Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard charts . Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Cash Box Magazine" (PDF). Cash Box . November 2, 1974. p. 36. Retrieved November 15, 2021– via World Radio History.
  30. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Lou Reed – Transformer". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste)"
  32. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Lou Reed – Transformer" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
  33. ↑ "British album certifications – Lou Reed – Transformer". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  34. ↑ Jones, Alan (November 4, 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Arcade Fire LP sells 45k to hit No.1". Music Week . Retrieved December 1, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.