After the demise of the Velvet Underground and an underwhelming initial solo outing, Lou Reed’s career was resurrected in 1972 by David Bowie. Bowie and Spiders from Mars band-leader Mick Ronson collaborate on production here, infusing the streetwise New York strut of Reed’s songs with the larger than life grandeur of the British Invasion. These two elements entwine seamlessly on Transformer’s smash hit “Walk on the Wild Side” where Reed utilised cutting edge slang and clever word play to evade censors and make a song explicitly about sex and drugs a UK top ten hit. Transformer is Reed at his most playful, insightful and acerbic – an absolute classic.
Pete Whelan 