4
Cool glam rock album. I liked it when he rhymed 'nose' with 'toes'. 7/10
Transformer is the second solo studio album by American recording artist Lou Reed. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, the album was released in November 1972 by RCA Records. It is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, "Walk on the Wild Side", which touched on then-controversial topics of sexual orientation, gender identity, prostitution, and drug use. Though Reed's self-titled debut solo album had been unsuccessful, Bowie had been an early fan of Reed's former band The Velvet Underground, and used his own fame to promote Reed, who had not yet achieved mainstream success.
Cool glam rock album. I liked it when he rhymed 'nose' with 'toes'. 7/10
Just a perfect album Drink sangria in the park And then later, when it gets dark We go home Just a perfect album Feed animals in the zoo Then later a movie, too And then home Oh, it's such a perfect album I'm glad I spent it with you Oh, such a perfect album You just keep me hanging on You just keep me hanging on
I was familiar with Lou Reed to an extent, but hadn't listened to this entire album before. I was really blown away by it. Perfect Day is a perfect example of what makes Lou Reed great. On the surface it's a nice, pleasant sounding song, but there is this dark, ominous feeling that pervades it. Lou Reed lets us take a walk on the wild side just by listening to his music. I wasn't expecting to going into it, but I'm going with 5 stars for this one.
I've found that pretty much anything David Bowie touched as a producer turned out to be among the best, if not the best, material that artist would ever put out. This album is no exception. Some nearly timeless and beautiful songwriting here presented with the perfect atmosphere and arrangements. Such a tight little package that still manages to cover many moods. Bowie does such a good job of sweetening Lou up without completely removing his bitter edge. Sounds effortlessly brilliant.
Totally seductive. Somehow he makes living on the wild side feel glamorous. I thought I’d get tired of his delivery which almost sounds bored, but it fits the music and lyrics well
Such a wonderful, cozy album. Makes me want to stay inside with friends and kiss a boy and dance around.
The high water mark for glam. clever tunes, smart lyrics dealing with the underbelly of society and Bowie on production duties. One of my favourite albums of all time
TransFOURmer
I'm guessing it's considered a great because of the lyrics and the people involved, but purely musically, it's an absolute borefest.
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.
I'd say this is actually a bad album. It's quite arch, and a lot of the songs are stupid. Two bangers though.
I expected to like this as I'm generally a fan of the Lou Reed-fronted Velvet Underground. But I didn't. Reed's performances here are utterly boring and uninspired, the lyrics are extremely repetitive, and there's a saxophone solo (automatic one-star deduction). And then a tuba solo (there goes another star). And then there are jazz flutes... it's just an unredeemable mess, to be honest. Which is a shame because I had such high hopes.
I dislike him so so much I have no idea why
Znany album artysty niezbyt znanego ze swojego samodzielnego dorobku artystycznego, bo jednak najwiekszym komercyjnym suksesem muzycznym pana Reeda byl velvet undergound, zwlaszcza z niko, po rozpadze bandy Reed musial jakos zrestartowac kariere, debiutancki solowy albmers nie przyjal sie zbyt dobrze, tym bardziej sprzedal, ale jak czesto w takich sytuacjach pojawia sie aniol stroz w postaci bowiego, ktory postanowil wykerowac Reeda jako fan velvetow, tak w wielkim skrocie wyglada orgin story transformera, nazwa calkowicie na miejscu, bo pod dowodctwem bowiego zostal stworzony kolejny album bedacy ikona rokowosci, w tym wypadku jest to dosc glamowe brzmienie, mocno nawiazujace do stylu boweigo, a czas nagraniowy pokryl sie z ziggowa faza, wiec jak dla mnie zloty okres jego tworczosci, slychac to nie tylko na produkcji i typowych zabiegach, jak zabawy tonami, uciekajacy przy napychjacymi na twarz dzwiekami, ale nawet w samych instrumentalach, czy wokalach, bo samego boweigo mozna uslyszec na niejednym chorku jak na Im so free, ale pajaki z ksiezyca rowniez sie tu pojawiaja, a nawet sam ronson uzyczyl gitarki i skilsow pianinowych, tak bardzo spiderowych, kontent liryczny mozna interpretowac jako punkt zwrotny w karierze i ucieczke przed velvetowym famem czy niefamem, o wiele mniej perwersyjne i kontrowersyjne tektsty, kilka bezposrednich aluzji do warhola i jego wplywu na wczesniejsza tworczosc, dodatkowo wspolnym mianownikiem bedzie kobieta, bo jakas zawsze sie pojawia posrednio lub bezposrednio jako adresat liryki badz glowna postac balladowania, jak na traku walk on the wild side, gdzie przejawia sie kilka portretow roznych ludzi w roznych sytuacjach, dziwnym uczuciem jest to ze ta produkcja bowiego o wiele lepiej sie zestarzala, niz niektorego jego wlasne albumy, mniej skomplikowane aranzacje, nieraz na dwa instrumenty i spokojny baryton Reeda z instynktem studyjnym boweigo stworzylo cos unikalnego jak na album lat 70, polowe albumu juz mam na plejce, wiec dodam tylko Im so free, cala plyta ma tylko 36 minut, wiec i tak po pierwszym traku ciezko wylaczyc przed koncem
This record is cool as sh!t! Only 2nd listen I believe but forgot how bad ass!
Couple of good tunes but the pseudo poetry and nonsensical lyrics on the other tracks detracted from the overall album.
I've never liked Lou Reed. I don't like this early 70s glam rock stuff in general. This album is no exception to either of those things. 2/5.
A classic album. Reed's best collection of songs, in my opinion, combined with perfect balance of art-rock and pop.
Lou Reed made better records before and after, but ‘Transformer’ has a hold of my heart. From the stellar glam rock production contributions of David Bowie and Mick Ronson to Lou’s subversive tales of the early 70s glam/gay scene, this album is a landmark in queer art.
I have listened to this album MANY times these past few months. Underrated, indeed.
Made for a perfect day
Better than I would have expected. Had a thought his voice would be unappealing to listen to and I enjoyed this.
Awesome album. Heard it multiple timen and can't get enough.
Mixed feelings about this one. Full of massive tunes but I’ve always found the lyrics to be a bit childish or sort of half though out. Don’t think I can give less than 5 stars though.
Really nice! Another where I discovered - oh hey, he sings that song.
5
Incredible from start to finish, the 70s had so many bangers. Perfect Day is one of my favourite songs of all time I think
This has been my favourite one we've had so far. I find it such an original album unlike anything else, even Velvet Underground. It's got some ultimate bangers on it.
Well this was fancy af
Perfect album
good vibes nice voice
It’s all over the place and everything works out. Love it.
oh this is goooooooooood. the last one was so great i almost lost my head.
Thought this was really good. I will listen to more of this chap.
Great album, classic.
Awesome
Lou Reed en estado puro.
Perfect Day.
Classic. I LOVE this album.
could pick holes but it's just great music
👌
“Well you know what they say about honey bears, that’s when you shave off all their baby hairs you have a hairy minded pink bad bear.” Yeah I really like this album. Lots of bangers including “satellite of love” I didn’t realise that was Lou Reed
Speaking of loo reads. I was reading 'Being Freddie' by Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff whilst squeezing out the most painful, dark, foul smelling, Guinness shit yesterday. I must say, what a funny and articulate young man he is. To be a world class cricketer, who goes out on the lash at the drop of a ball, try your hand and boxing and they become a national tv treasure, you really have to hand it to the man. I bet he gets the Guinness shits a lot too. By jove, it was brutal, it felt like molten lava pouring out of my soul.
Also in the NME list | I love this album
VICIOUSSSSS
There is really nothing that needs to be said here. One of the greatest of all time
Sensual and flavourful
Wie selbstverständlich das anders sein sein kann, meine tiefe Verehrung für diesen Meilenstein, der auch 2021 noch frisch und anders klingt.
Really nice listen. Had some classic songs and some songs I wasn't familiar with, but all were enjoyable.
Way better than I thought it would be. Loved almost every song.
One of the greats. End of.
Outstanding, still sounds as cool as you can imagine it did in 1972. Proper forward thinking lyrically as well.
One of my all time faves!
Great Album.
Very queer, excellent
Really liked this. All the way through. 5 stars.
How am I only hearing this album now? I've heard the hits, but this is fantastic. I expected VU kinda stuff. But this really good.
Done. Short. Good.
Banger
What’s left to say? Sublime … everytime … Hit me with a flower …
This is the album my Dad would have made. Vicious is maybe the best first track I’ve ever heard - just in how it sets up the rest of the album. Blues, rockabilly, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, beatnick poetry - I heard it all in this one. Music a good, lyric are maybe even better. Great album
Vassar quads, aviators, Luci
Lou Reed just had a way of writing a great song. I don't want to get too pretentious about it, but I really like Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. Highlights: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11.
The songs themselves generally sound slow and nostalgic, but the lyrics are very charged with topics such as sexuality. It's an album that I like and might listen to once or twice but not very many more than that due to the uncomfortable element of the lyrics. I really like the songs, however, and they really hit the spot on a lower energy day. Favorite track: Satellite of Love
This album is so lovely
Vraiment excellent dans son genre. J’adore. 5
ваще крутой альбом, молодец
Love it.
uno de los discos de la vida
nice
The songs, the arrangements the delivery are all amazing. It's totally understandable why this is considered a classic
Nothing I didn't like on this album, and some all time greats, namely "Perfect Day" and "Walk on the Wild Side."
One of the best rock albums of all time. End of.
Great way to jump things off. I have forgotten how much I enjoyed this. This album has created echos in almost everything I have listened to since.
love this album already - the music still feels fresh and vibrant
Fantastic!
Outstanding and massively influential
Glam, punk, camp, rock, great
Such a great album! Love his singing style.
So many stunning tracks. I think I held off on Lou Teed because of the hype around how he was the start of indie… but it’s all there. The Strokes, Radiohead, Jack White… I can hear so many garage rack bands in this album. And hearing Perfect Day in its original environment (rather than the Trainspotting soundtrack) was fun. This was a LOT better than expected.
Super stuff and a worthy addition to anyone's vinyl collection. So many classics on this one. Produced by Bowie and Mick Ronson you can really hear Bowies' influence on his own influencer. Without Lou and the Velvet's their would be no Ziggy, Punk or Grunge I believe. Where so I start with favourite tracks here? "Viscious", "Perfect Day" The Jaques Brel-like "Make Up" "Walk On the Wild Side" "Satellite of Love" and "New York Telephone Conversation" are highlights for me. Definitely worthy of this list and in the top 100 I think. Love it!
Classic
Beautiful, just beautiful.
Some incoming personal bias here... I've long been a fan of "Transformer", which sees Lou Reed getting his act together for the first time since leaving Velvet Underground and channelling Bowie's Ziggy-era glam rock (with Bowie and his guitarist Mick Ronson handling production duties). Bowie and Ronson's production is married perfectly to Reed's laconic delivery, to the point where I find myself singing along to a string, piano or guitar part just as often as Reed's vocal. Listen to the acoustic demos (Perfect Day and Hanging Round) and you can hear the impact Bowie and Ronson had on Reed's songs. Without the full production, the songs lack finesse, accentuation- but fully arranged, they are exquisite and often beautiful. The end result is Lou Reed at his most accessible, whether through the out-and-out glam rock of "Hangin' Round", "I'm So Free" and "Wagon Wheel", the effortlessly cool "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Andy's Chest", or the heart-aching ballads of "Perfect Day" and "Satellite of Love". The latter, one of the most plaintive and sweet songs Reed ever wrote, is my highlight on this record: its outro is sheer magic. "Make Up" and "New York Telephone Conversation" are the experiments that don't quite land, but I can't fault Reed for trying something different: at least they stretch the album's sonic mould in an unexpected way with tuba and music-hall piano. "Goodnight Ladies" is a delicious ending track, using the above to full effect for a lounging curtain call off-Broadway. The songs zip by and the whole ride is so enjoyable, so effortless, that it's hard for me to put this anywhere below "classic".
Love Lou Reed. It retains some of the sound of the Velvet Underground, and features some of his best songs.
One of the greatest albums of all time, whimsical, fun and whilst on the surface seeming like a well packaged pop-album it takes on a range of sounds to create a unique sonic texture with masterful production from Ronson and Bowie.
Una tras otra. Chingón
Liked it.
Wow just wow!!!!
Classic album. Real good.
Is this the most technically proficient album ever made? The most beautiful? Is it even that good musically? No, not really. But that doesn’t matter. I love this album for its unique NY charm and sense of detached cool, carried a lot by the awkward vocals. “Perfect Day” is the song that, for most people, rises above the rest of the tracks, but for me, it’s just part of the suite. Reed certainly had a knack for writing a melody, especially when it came to the chorus. If you haven’t yet, babe, take a walk on the wild side.
Amazing album. Very influential. I can hear why a lot of bands got inspired by his sound.
Yep, good one
Classic.
Glam rock, producido por david bowie, dos de los mejores temas de la historia y otros dos que se quedarán en tu cabeza al instante escuchadlo
Amo esse álbum <3
Great album, love lou Reed
Love Lou Reed. Perfect day, wak on the wild side
9/10 Best Song - Perfect Day
Brilliant. Bowie's backing vocals on Satellite of Love provide one of rock's priceless moments.