Transformer

by Lou Reed

Overview

David Bowie has never been shy about acknowledging his influences, and since the boho decadence and sexual ambiguity of the Velvet Underground's music had a major impact on Bowie's work, it was only fitting that as Ziggy Stardust mania was reaching its peak, Bowie would offer Lou Reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. Musically, Reed's work didn't have too much in common with the sonic bombast of the glam scene, but at least it was a place where his eccentricities could find a comfortable home, and on Transformer Bowie and his right-hand man, Mick Ronson, crafted a new sound for Reed that was better fitting (and more commercially astute) than the ambivalent tone of his first solo album. Ronson adds some guitar raunch to "Vicious" and "Hangin' Round" that's a lot flashier than what Reed cranked out with the Velvets, but still honors Lou's strengths in guitar-driven hard rock, while the imaginative arrangements Ronson cooked up for "Perfect Day," "Walk on the Wild Side," and "Goodnight Ladies" blend pop polish with musical thinking just as distinctive as Reed's lyrical conceits. And while Reed occasionally overplays his hand in writing stuff he figured the glam kids wanted ("Make Up" and "I'm So Free" being the most obvious examples), "Perfect Day," "Walk on the Wild Side," and "New York Telephone Conversation" proved he could still write about the demimonde with both perception and respect. The sound and style of Transformer would in many ways define Reed's career in the 1970s, and while it led him into a style that proved to be a dead end, you can't deny that Bowie and Ronson gave their hero a new lease on life -- and a solid album in the bargain. [This edition adds the acoustic demo versions of "Hangin' 'Round" and "Perfect Day."] ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	10/22/2002
Label:	Bmg Heritage / Rca / Rca Victor Europe
UPC:	0078636513225

Tracks

1. Vicious
2. Andy's Chest
3. Perfect Day
4. Hangin' 'Round
5. Walk on the Wild Side
6. Make Up
7. Satellite of Love
8. Wagon Wheel
9. New York Telephone Conversation
10. I'm So Free
11. Goodnight Ladies
12. Hangin' 'Round
13. Perfect Day

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lou Reed   Primary Artist,Lead Vocals,Guitar
Herbie Flowers   Primary Artist,Bass,Tuba,Double Bass,String Bass,Fretless Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)
Mick Ronson   Guitar,Recorder,Vocals (Background),Piano
David Bowie   Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Barry DeSouza   Drums
Ritchie Dharma   Drums
Thunderthighs   Vocals (Background)
John Halsey   Drums
John Halzey   Drums
Ronnie Ross   Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone)
Trevor Bolder   Trumpet
Klaus Voormann   Bass,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Mick Ronson   Mixing,Arranger,Producer,Bass Arrangement,String Arrangements
David Bowie   Mixing,Arranger,Producer
Al Quaglieri   Photography
Herbie Flowers   Arranger,Performer
Ken Scott   Mixing,Engineer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Michael Carlucci   Memorabilia
Don Siebka   Photography
Sue Raffman   Project Coordinator
Mick Rock   Photography
Ernst Thormahlen   Design,Art Direction
Glenn Korman   Tape Research
Betty Ann Rizzo   Project Coordinator
Clay Pasternack   Memorabilia
Stephanie Kika   Project Coordinator
Jeff Smith   Reissue Design,Reissue Art Director
Laura Dorson   Project Coordinator
Mike Stone   Mixing
Karl Stoeker   Photography
Michael Hill   Liner Notes
Lou Reed   Arranger,Composer,Mixing
Rob Santos   Reissue Producer
Jeremy Holiday   Project Coordinator
John Hudson   Product Manager