LOU REED Schallplatten & CDs

Review: American guitarist, singer, and lead songwriter for legendary rockers The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed also had a distinguished solo career, including Metal Machine Music, which remains one of the most radical and controversial albums ever released. First issued in 1975, its wall of feedback and distortion defied all musical convention, splitting critics and fans but earning cult status for its uncompromising vision. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, this landmark work returns for Record Store Day 2025, having once been described by celebrated critic Lester Bangs as "the greatest record ever made in the history of the human eardrum," and who are we to argue.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Lou Reed's Berlin is a visceral journey into the darkness of human relationships, now reissued on 180g vinyl. Initially overlooked upon its 1973 release, the album has since gained recognition for its journey into the toxic dynamics of a crumbling relationship, blending autobiographical elements with poetic flair. The album, produced by Bob Ezrin and featuring top-tier musicians like Steve Winwood and Jack Bruce, is a symphony of emotional turmoil set against rich, orchestral arrangements. This reissue, sourced from the original master tapes, brings the album's intricate details to life with unprecedented clarity. Reed's voice, raw and immediate, conveys the torment of his characters, while the musicians' contributions add depth and tension to the narrative. Tracks like 'Caroline Says II' and 'The Bed' explore themes of despair, violence, and regret with unflinching honesty. Berlin remains a haunting exploration of life's darker sides, made even more poignant by its lush, yet ominous, musical landscape, and is surely one of Reed's most impactful works.

Review: Lou Reed's Berlin is a visceral journey into the darkness of human relationships, now reissued on 180g vinyl. Initially overlooked upon its 1973 release, the album has since gained recognition for its journey into the toxic dynamics of a crumbling relationship, blending autobiographical elements with poetic flair. The album, produced by Bob Ezrin and featuring top-tier musicians like Steve Winwood and Jack Bruce, is a symphony of emotional turmoil set against rich, orchestral arrangements. This reissue, sourced from the original master tapes, brings the album's intricate details to life with unprecedented clarity. Reed's voice, raw and immediate, conveys the torment of his characters, while the musicians' contributions add depth and tension to the narrative. Tracks like 'Caroline Says II' and 'The Bed' explore themes of despair, violence, and regret with unflinching honesty. Berlin remains a haunting exploration of life's darker sides, made even more poignant by its lush, yet ominous, musical landscape, and is surely one of Reed's most impactful works.

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: What you see before you ranks among the most mythologised live albums (n)ever released. Like the title suggests, it was originally recorded in 1972 at Parisian rock institution Le Bataclan, a legendary venue which would later gain notoriety after a group of armed gunmen opened fire on a crowd in 2015, killing 90 people. But that grisly recent history belies its status as one of the most respected concert halls in the French capital, and this not-quite-Velvet Underground show has contributed to that legacy. Showcasing the stop-you-dead qualities of Nico's staggering (and unique) vocal timbre, the surreal, immersive qualities of the Cale and Reed's legendary art-rock tones, this time capsule had been bootlegged and bootlegged until 2004, when it finally got an official release. Now it's back.

Review: This broadcast was first aired on French TV having been recorded at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972. It got a first official release in 2004 having been bootlegged for many years before that from a recording taken from the sound board at the gig. Fans of The Velvet Underground will know that this was the first time the group members Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico had all been up on stage together.

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.