Lou Reed- Transformer Review

“Lou Reed, what a guy.”

- Me

I know what you’re thinking, “Amy, how did you come up with such a magnificent quote?” and to that I say, an extreme lack of sleep and way too much glam rock.

Lou Reed was in a bit of a rut after his departure of Velvet Underground in the early seventies. A band best known for their influence on the coked up teenagers of the sixties, with their ‘rebellious’ messages of love, peace and rock and roll. After leaving Underground Lou found himself in what most would consider- to put it nicely, a spot of bad luck, low on money, inspiration and influence. The release of his first solo album consisted of a mess of re-recordings of Velvet Underground outtakes, that just lacked that oomph and pazazz of his previous work. It seemed like he was selling out.

But then came along the release of, “Transformer”, and all I can say from that point onwards, is it was crystal clear that Reed still has something left in him. This refreshing glam rock album is a blissful mix of mellow beats and pure rock and roll. It’s clear from the first track ‘Vicious’ that this album had the spunk and soul that his previous album was desperately lacking. This album feels just as unique even after the 50th time of playing it and no two tracks sound the same, with each having their own hint of individuality to them. Going from the jazzed up and mellowed out, “Walk on the Wild Side”, which is just a chilled out classic, to the snot-nosed and rebellious “I’m So Free”, a song that makes you want to kick the nearest wall and call your mum a Boomer.

This album was quite literally the transformation of Lou Reed's career, shedding his skin and becoming his own person, away from Underground. Though his work with Velvet was revinotionary, this album shows his potential as a solo artist, it’s a testament to the glam rock era and a display of this man's pure talent. So far in my many hours of listening to literally ALL of the music, I have never come across an artist that makes me feel like Lou Reed does, a man before his time. So please, all I can do is ask you to listen to this masterpiece and vibe to one of the best albums of all time, hey honey, take a walk on the wild side.