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Lou Reed - Transformer CD
Lou Reed Discography of CDs
Bonus Tracks; Remastered
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Our Price:
$ 10.85
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MP3 Album Price: $9.99
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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
Originally released on RCA (4807).
+ 2 Bonus Tracks.
Personnel: Lou Reed (guitar); Lou Reed (vocals); Herbie Flowers (tuba, bass instrument); Klaus Voormann (bass instrument); John Halzey, John Halsey (drums); Mick Ronson (guitar, recorder, piano, background vocals); Ronnie Ross (baritone saxophone); Ritchie Dharma, Barry DeSouza (drums); David Bowie, Thunderthighs (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Lou Reed; Mick Ronson; David Bowie.
Liner Note Author: Michael Hill.
Photographers: Mick Rock ; Don Siebka; Al Quaglieri.
Arrangers: Lou Reed; Mick Ronson; Herbie Flowers; David Bowie.Rolling Stone (1/4/73, p.61) - "..Lou Reed is probably a genius..Real good stuff..."Walk On The Wild Side" is another winner.."
Rolling Stone (3/28/02, p.72) - 4.5 stars out of 5 - "...One of the all-time great fake Bowie albums....A glam manifesto as outrageous as Lou Reed himself..."
Q (1/03, p.56) - Included in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums Ever"
Q (5/92, p.103) - 3 Stars - Good - "..bright and sassy.."
Mojo (Publisher) (1/03, p.106) - "...TRANSFORMER boasts four stone classics..."
NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #55 in NME's list of the `Greatest Albums Of All Time.'
Lou Reed - Transformer Songs
| 1 | Vicious | 2:55 | $0.99 | |
| 2 | Andy's Chest | 3:17 | $0.99 | |
| 3 | Perfect Day | 3:45 | $0.99 | |
| 4 | Hangin' 'Round | 3:32 | $0.99 | |
| 5 | Walk On the Wild Side | 4:13 | $0.99 | |
| 6 | Make Up | 2:56 | $0.99 | |
| 7 | Satellite of Love | 3:39 | $0.99 | |
| 8 | Wagon Wheel | 3:19 | $0.99 | |
| 9 | New York Telephone Conversation | 1:32 | $0.99 | |
| 10 | I'm So Free | 3:08 | $0.99 | |
| 11 | Goodnight Ladies | 4:20 | $0.99 | |
| 12 | Hangin' 'Round | 4:05 | $0.99 | |
| 13 | Perfect Day/Transformer Radio Spot | 4:51 | | |
Transformer Music Review
Average Rating: (4.8 out of 5 stars)  Walk on the wild side
this album never lost it's head even when it was giving head
Submitted by Chuck (Melbourne vic Aus)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 2 found this helpful. Viva remastering!
Ever since I got my new CD player, the McIntosh MCD 201, I began to really notice how some CDs sound a lot better than others. It appears that the music industry has discovered a way to make us throw out our old CDs and replace them: remastering. If you have the older version of this CD, do an A-B comparison with this new version. It is a day and night difference; the music comes to life. It was as if I never heard this album before. This is a "must have" and I highly recommend it.
Submitted by Dave (Cleveland, OH, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 0 of 1 found this helpful.  Lou Reed's Best Album Just Got a Little Better!
Lou Reed's influence on rock music cannot be overestimated. Whether it's his work with the Velvet Underground or his solo work, Reed has been influencing giants in the music world and will probably continue to do so for decades to come. This is by far Reed's best solo album and indeed, to call this an album of all his greatest tracks wouldn't be too far off. No filler or weak tracks on this baby. My favourite track is "Perfect Day"; you can almost feel the heartache and despair in Reed's voice when he sings the sarcastic lyrics making this one of my all time favourite songs. It never fails to move me whenever I listen to it.
This version of the album includes a 16-page booklet containing all the lyrics in both English and Japanese and the sound quality has been very well remastered for an excellent sound quality. The only gripe I have about this is the way the mlps is put together. The quality of the cardboard used is thin and poor unlike some of the better designs that I've seen that is out there. To get an idea of how good mlps designs can get, just take a look at the mlps releases of any of the Hall & Oates albums or the Sly and the Family Stone "Greatest Hits" or the Patti Smith "Horses" albums and you'll see what I mean about this version looking cheap and shoddy in comparison.
Still, sound-wise, this is probably the best version of the album that is out there and if you don't mind the quality or rather lack of quality of the sleeve design then this is a good buy.
Submitted by fbaptist (Singapore)
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This review is for a different format.
mick ronson makes this album special in my opinion
lou reeds singing and song writing is some of his best work with bowies backing vocals peaking on satelite of love along with the other backing vocalists[thunderthighs] and all the musicians are at the top of their game it seems.this is great classic rock at its best mick ronson seems to give this record its extra edge with his contributions [see credits]one of my all time favourites for the last 35 years
Submitted by bronze (south coast australia)
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This review is for a different format. | Have you heard this album? |  |
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