Back catalogue: All genres

Review: A new early cornerstone for Velvet Underground fanatics, 'Words And Music May 1965' is Lou Reed in his earliest incarnation, spanning some of the artist's earliest-known recordings. Demo versions of 'Heroin' and 'Pale Blue Eyes' both make appearances, while seven further completely unreleased and unheard songs also come to fruition. The earliest is a doo-wop serenade recorded in 1958, when Reed was just sixteen years old.

Review: Light In The Attic's continued series of Lou Reed reissues follows up the outstanding Words and Music, May 1965 with this wholly different side to the legendary singer-songwriter. As a devoted student of Tai Chi, Reed composed some ambient pieces for his own personal use while practicing. It was only as friends started to ask for copies that he decided to round the project out and present it as his last solo album - in his own words, "I then wrote two more pieces with the same intent: to relax the body, mind, and spirit and facilitate meditation." As well as the music, remastered and pressed onto double vinyl, there's bonus reading material in the form of interviews with people close to Reed in the context of his Tai Chi, yoga and meditation practice.

Review: Beyond his most famous work in The Velvet Underground and as a solo rock artist, Lou Reed lived many other lives in and outside of music. While he's not readily recognised as an ambient artist, his early foray into Metal Machine Music proved he was more than capable of leaving traditional song structures behind. The music on his final solo album, Hudson River Wind Meditations, was originally composed as a private soundtrack to his Tai Chi practice, until friends and fellow practitioners asked for copies and he rounded it out as a full album now faithfully presented on clear vinyl by Light In The Attic.

Review: Light In The Attic teams up with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive for a thrilling retrospective, Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-65. An expansive selection of songs all written by Lou Reed, during his mid-60s stint as the staff songwriter for the long-defunct label Pickwick Records, this is a rare glimpse of a master rock musician stepping out of the limelight over the course of 25 songs, yet still letting the form and contour of his voice and sensibility be heard. All this was achieved before Reed had at all launched his career with the Velvets; it may indeed be said that this pubescent 60s period was the firelighter to Reed's flame, as the label specialised in soundalike records that emulated the major pop hits of the day - it's no wonder Reed would absorb such emulations and take them in as his own, albeit with a Century-defining twist. Channelling everything from teenybopper pop to soul-inflected garage rock, whether byJeannie Larimore, The Hi-Lifes or The Hollywoods, we get a thorough look-in here as to what made Reed and his contemporaries tick, and what Reed made tick in turn, before the fame.

Review: Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65 offers a fascinating glimpse into Lou Reed's early work as a hired songwriter before his iconic days with the Velvet Underground. Released by Light in the Attic Records, this 25-song anthology captures the raw beginnings of Reed's journey in music. The double vinyl format showcases Reed's ability to navigate a range of styles, from the surf-infused doo-wop of the Hollywoods' 'Teardrop In The Sand' to the gritty garage-rock of the Roughnecks' 'You're Driving Me Insane.' This collection not only features Reed's contributions to Pickwick Records, a label known for its budget sound-alike recordings, but also includes the pivotal track 'The Ostrich,' a song that would eventually lead Reed to meet John Cale, laying the groundwork for the Velvet Underground. The anthology also highlights Reed's first collaboration with Cale on 'Why Don't You Smile,' which was later covered by Spiritualized. With detailed liner notes from Richie Unterberger and an essay by Lenny Kaye, this double vinyl release offers a deeper understanding of the roots of Reed's legendary career.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Light In The Attic teams up with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive for a thrilling retrospective, Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-65. An expansive selection of songs all written by Lou Reed, during his mid-60s stint as the staff songwriter for the long-defunct label Pickwick Records, this is a rare glimpse of a master rock musician stepping out of the limelight over the course of 25 songs, yet still letting the form and contour of his voice and sensibility be heard. All this was achieved before Reed had at all launched his career with the Velvets; it may indeed be said that this pubescent 60s period was the firelighter to Reed's flame, as the label specialised in soundalike records that emulated the major pop hits of the day - it's no wonder Reed would absorb such emulations and take them in as his own, albeit with a Century-defining twist. Channelling everything from teenybopper pop to soul-inflected garage rock, whether byJeannie Larimore, The Hi-Lifes or The Hollywoods, we get a thorough look-in here as to what made Reed and his contemporaries tick, and what Reed made tick in turn, before the fame.