Transformer

The voice doesn't do it for me

Interesting listen with a few good tracks

fine but it sounds kinda basic

Pretty good with a couple stand out songs like Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side. The Tuba instead of the bass was kinda fun to hear but a little distracting at the same time.

A few classic tunes. Great album.

I was a little surprised by this, but in a good way. Knew Walk on the Wildside of course, but wasn't as familiar with what surrounded it. I didn't know the history with Bowie and Ronson either, and how it was considered "glam". Solid

I liked his voice, the songs were nice "Make up" stood out to me because at the moment Im talking to a girl 😢things aren't going as well though. I'm sure if I were born earlier I would've loved this album, but it's pretty solid to me. 1/1001

I like The VU, and I bought this album plus New York back in the day, but Lou's talking-singing bothers me more than it used to. Without "Walk on the Wild Side", this album would be 3 stars tops, maybe even 2. With that one song, it might could squeak into the 4 star vicinity, but it doesn't belong on par with a lot of other 4 star albums, so I'm keeping it at 3.

I actually knew a handful of the songs without realizing it was him. Also, a few lyrics sounded like some that others have sung or taken for their own renditions. Overall, would and should take a second listen.

Never really liked this album much and a couple of decades of not listening to it haven't really helped. There's one great song (Perfect Day), a couple of good ones (Walk on the Wild Side and Satellite of Love), then there's the rest of the album, which is a bit dull. I can hear Bowie's influence, which for me is a bad thing I'm afraid.

eh it was fine

It was fine. A few great tracks with a number of forgettable ones.

=klassik rock +perfect day ist gut -lowkey boring -stimme is mid

Perfect day, perfect song. Viscous is good. Love the raw early indie rock sound. Hangin’ round is fun. Tuba on makeup is good addition. I like satellite of love.

Added 3 songs to liked. Walk on the wild side is can you kick it?! So cool.

Interesting album, not my cup of tea but some good songs. Always loved Walk on the Wild Side

Pretty, pretty, pretty good

Great instrumentation, great production, even some interesting lyrics/subject matter, but Lou Reed just cannot sing.

Yes, some nice songs/classic. But I am not a fan of the style :(. 3,5 Stars

Walk on the Wild Side and perfect day are iconic but the rest of the album is dragging down my rating.

A couple standout tracks, but for the most part the vocals don't resonate with me.

The Bowie production really really comes through, half these songs sound like his anyway. Solid

Good album, I'm just not a Lou Reed fan.

The music and his voice convey the same feeling of cynicism with happy melodies slowed way down to a almost creepy uneasy tempo, and his sometimes happy or whimsical lyrics sand with his dark, behind the beat style of singing.

Not bad, I liked the instrumentation on the songs and the talky vocals. The bouncy feeling on New York Telephone Conversation and Goodnight Ladies is interesting, I'm not sure how I feel about them at the time of writing this. Overall not really my type of music or a genre I'm familiar with. Fave track(s): Vicious, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love, I'm So Free Least fave track(s): N/A

The best he ever did solo-wise, but as with everything else he did, the final results are undercut by an excess of trying too hard. It's creative and interesting, sure and arty, but also more than a little pretentious and contrived and synthetic (especially the faux and feckless androgyny). 4 very good songs, several mediocre ones, and the just-awful, anti-earworm "NY Phone Conversation," of which one can only ask, why?

some delightful bangers in there

Täytyy sanoa, että tää on kestänyt aikaa ehkä vähän huonosti. Tosi kivoja biisejä, mutta joku veto tuntuu puuttuvan koko hommasta. Kyllä tästä silti nautti, mutta kolmoseen jää.

Couple of iconic songs, interesting 70s album but I doubt I’ll revisit it.

Honestly a mediocre album.

New to me apart from the famous singles. A banging start to the album with ‘Vicious’. The David Bowie influence is clear! Always loved the iconic ‘Perfect Day’, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ and ‘Satellite of Love’. I might have been tempted to dish out a 4 star rating, but ‘Make Up’ and ‘New York Conversation’ are just poor album fillers, and the album tails off.

This was a pretty good rock album, but not by any means my favourite. I don't know why, but something didn't quite click with me. The lyrics were well-written and funny, though sometimes they felt a little childish in their nature. I think I'll come back to this at some point though - I think I'm missing something, and maybe it'll jell with me better on a different day. Walk On the Wild Side is great though. Favourite: Walk On the Wild Side

Eh. It was a fun listen but not really up my alley. The lyrics were a little incoherent.

I love theVvelvet Underground and lots of other 70's "punk" but Lou Reed's solo projects don't hit the same satisfaction for me. Some of these songs just make me feel gross, "Make Up" especially. The Bowie collab/background vocals were cool. But overall

The beginning of the 1970s brought about a change in music. Audiences wanted a more lively concert experience, and glam rock was created as a response. David Bowie was probably the most prominent Glam artist from this time period. Bowie was very influenced by Lou Reed's Velvet Underground. However, the Velvet Underground were split up by the time Bowie achieved mainstream success, and Lou Reed was having a hard time finding success as a solo artist. The two struck a friendship, and Bowie decided to not only promote Reed's music, but also produce his sophomore effort "Transformer". This record is commonly classified as a "Glam Rock" record. I don't think it fits within that classification too well. I think it's more of an example of early indie rock. This record definitely inspired many 90s indie bands such as Pavement. Lou Reed's monotone, almost disinterested vocals and witty lyrics are the focal point of this record. Overall, it was an enjoyable listen. Hip Hop fans may recognize the bass line on the track "Walk on the Wild Side".

# 33 : Some good up beat stuff, and then some slow boring stuff I just wanted to skip, ultimately not a bad album - better then average perhaps? Walk On The Wild Side

I guess this is pretty good. I never understood the VU/Lou Reed thing very well. Cannot say it's bad, but also not spectacular.

I enjoy Reed's tendency to produce "minimalist" rock with lyrics that cover a variety of sometimes controversial topics. His vocal range is modest and his voice tends to be quiet, which adds to the appeal of the songs.

Liked but didn't love

Some pretty meta songs. Some pretty meh songs. Was pretty excited for this one bc i am familiar with his popular songs. nothing else really stood out tho

Enjoyed this. Will listen again

Je trouve un peu drôle le fait que la pièce que j'ai le moins aimé de l'album était Take A Walk On The Wild Side, le reste j'ai bien apprécié. Sa voix reste toujours un goût acquis pour moi, mais j'ai trouvé ça a passé vraiment mieux que Berlin. 7/10

Genres: Glam rock, pop rock Formed: 1970 (Solo) Run time: 11 songs, 36 min, 51 sec This was his second album as a solo artist. He was formerly with the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed is another artist who’s voice is instantly recognisable. The album produced two singles: "Walk on the Wild Side"/"Perfect Day" and "Satellite of Love". The least popular songs have 4.1M plays, whilst the most popular is track 5, “Walk On The Wild Side” with over 400M plays on Spotify. I like songs that tell a story and track 5, "Walk on the Wild Side" is amongst the best I’ve ever heard. The content of the song is not so shocking in 2023 when we are all aware of the LGBT community, but back then I imagine it must have been outrageous. Track 4, "New York Telephone Conversation" is not a rock song. It sounds like the sort of thing a comedian would sing as part of their set. Who thought it should be included on the album? Track 6, "Goodnight Ladies" is a jazz track. It isn’t anything profound but it seems like a good light-hearted way to finish the album. There are some phenomenal songs on this album, some good and most of the others are OK. Listen Again?: No, but I will listen to a Best Of… My Rating: ***

Al een stuk beter dat die eerdere Lou Reed-plaat. Muzikaal zakt het nergens in, en 'Perfect day' werd een evergreen. De onderwerpkeuze is niet helemaal de mijne, al kan ik 'Walk on the wild side' sinds de cover door Herman Havermout ('Hallo ik heeft een nieuwe aftersjeeft') niet meer al te serieus nemen.

Een bijzondere, wat droevige stem. Niet perse mijn smaak. Als hij wat anders met zijn stem probeert, lijkt het wat te verdraaien. Hij zit er aan vast...Hij lijkt het wat te compenseren in thema en muziek, zonder dat het echt te blij wordt. Daar redt hij voor mij de plaat mee.

Wat Lou Reed redelijk uniek maakt, is zijn manier van zingen. Hoe hard hij ook probeert om een vrolijk nummer te maken, zijn stemgeluid maakt het nummer bijna altijd somber. Als een soort Marcel van Roosmalen die zingt. Of een soort duistere David Bowie. En op een enkel nummer klinkt het helemaal idioot, als een duistere Kermit de Kikker (NY telephone conversation). Het heeft iets melancholisch en treurigs. Maar Perfect Day is een van de mooiste nummers ooit geschreven en ook met Satellite of Love herbergt het album een pareltje.

perfect day is a masterpiece and vicious is cool but there’s a lot of dreck and the degenerate vibe is just gross

Transformer by Lou Reed is a seminal album that showcases his artistic brilliance and boundary-pushing creativity. Released in 1972, it captures Reed's distinctive blend of gritty rock and poetic lyricism. Tracks like "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day" are enduring classics, with their mesmerizing melodies and thought-provoking narratives. The album's production, courtesy of David Bowie and Mick Ronson, is polished and vibrant, enhancing Reed's unique vision. Transformer remains a testament to Reed's influence on alternative music, with its daring exploration of taboo subjects and its ability to captivate listeners with its raw honesty and musical innovation.

Good songs, middling album. I don't know...

The older I get the more I appreciate Lou Reed's music. This is by far the best stuff that I have heard of his. For his time period and the prog/glam rock artists that were popular around that time, Reed would have been a breath of fresh air. 2023 though, it is middle of the road stuff.

So belters in here, combined by some odd tracks.

De twee grote hits zijn super. De rest van het album verbleekt er wel een beetje bij. Vrijdag geluisterd en ik herinner me alleen de 2 hits. Een 3 is eigenlijk te laag, maar een 4 kan ik het niet geven.

Love the Velvets. Not too sure about this. The songs are a bit samey and... boring. That last song is one of the worst I've heard for a while. Saved by Perfect day and Satellite of Love.

-vicious was a cool song -i don’t think i’ve listened to lou reed before? -but i definitely know of him -love that it sounds like he isn’t trying to sing -thats not a read i promise -favorites: vicious -i’ve heard walk on the wild side before -i like how chill all of these songs are

It was interesting to find out that Bowie was one of the producers on this album, to me there isn't too much of him in there. I believe it's too much of Reed trying to have that glam sound, with the overexposed image on the front cover along with the understated sound of each of the tracks - Bowie could never. Best: Walk On The Wild Side Worst: Goodnight Ladies

Conversational Bowie produced glam. Walk on the Wild Side was the highlight of this album. 2.8/5

I sometimes forget how strange Lou Reed can get, lyrically and instrumentally. It’s good, not crazy. 3/5.

A pretty good album start to finish. Leans rock but grabs influences from other genres to keep things varied and interesting.

Interesting album. I had only heard "Walk On the Wild Side" previously, and I did not expect him to vary so much stylistically. I also thought it was a pretty risky song lyrically for the time, so I was pretty surprised by the lyrics of "Vicious". I feel like in many ways, this album is predictive of 90s alternative music. The incorporation of horns, drastically varied styles within a single album, nonsensical and sometimes offensive lyrics, and especially Reed's vocal delivery. His style on many songs reminded me of John McCrea from Cake, both in timbre and in his deadpan delivery. I did not absolutely love the album, but it had its high points and it was worth listening to. Full marks for creativity and risk-taking, but only a moderately pleasant listening experience.

Transformer. Sometimes it's a nice, heartfelt rock. But sometimes, it transforms into a boring, generic noise.

Cool listening. Mirá vos, tres hitazos y yo ni idea que eran del mismo disco.

Love this but too bad there's one too many mid songs

I hate to rate everything 3*, because there were good songs on this album, but overall it was a bit too weird for me to rate it higher.

"Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day" are the two I recognized the most on the album. Overall I thought it was just alright - never a huge fan of Lou Reed's music and this album is not absolved of having any clunkers... in fact there were a few. 5/10.

Not my artist, but a few very good songs!

David Bowie being a producer on this album is not surprising, I could hear the similarities from the first track. This album definitely had some dull tracks that I could have done without, but also quite a fair few good psychedelic, proto-glam songs. The good songs weren't particularly deep or thought-provoking for the most part, but they were fun listens, save for "Walk on the Wild Side"; this song was hitting on some interesting topics for 1972. All in all, everything here gives a very cabaret-esque vibe, and I am not mad about it.

Seemed like a love letter to New York

aight

Couple of classic tracks enjoyable

1 Vicious [8/10] 2 Andy's Chest [7/10] 3 Perfect Day [9/10] 4 Hangin' 'Round [7/10] 5 Walk on the Wild Side [7.5/10] 6 Make Up [7/10] 7 Satellite of Love [9/10] 8 Wagon Wheel [7/10] 9 New York Telephone Conversation [6.5/10] 10 I'm So Free [7/10] 11 Goodnight Ladies [7/10]

This was honestly rather enjoyable

Hell yeah been meaning to listen to this for ages. Executive produced by David Bowie and Andy Warhol. Madness. mane. I wanted to love this album but on first listen it just didn't click. I'll listen again in the good headphones before commenting anything. oh yeah this album sounds so much better in good headphones. thank god I decided to revisit. bass in track 2 sounds wonderful everything in perfect day sounds amazing to the core. perfect day is perhaps a perfect song. you're going to reap just what you sow. all in all there were quite a few songs I didn't care for after these couple listens but man im so glad I decided to revisit with good headphones. I was going to give this album a 2 stars and never listen to it or think about it again. some of these songs are genuinely incredible. enjoyed perfect day, walk on the wild side, make up, satellite of love, goodnight ladies

On tämä kyllä hyvä levy. Parempi kuin Bowie samoihin aikoihin. Välillä turhan musikaali.

En yksinkertaisesti jaksa Walk On the Wild Sidea. Muuten tämä levy toimii hienosti kokonaisuutena, ja, kamoon, sisältää Perfect Dayn, mikä antaa anteeksi Reedin ajoittaiset hairahdukset ja "luovuuden" hetket.

Couple notable tracks but typical lou reed.

Cet album de Lou Reed était absolument nul, n'en déplaise à robjachère et ses goûts musicaux de merde. La semaine ne pouvait pas plus mal commencer.

Probably the most iconic Lou Reed album, really shows who he was as an artist at that time and his authenticity. You can really hear the Bowie sound in this album. A suiting collaboration. However, the minimalism in the sound in 2023 makes it hard to stand as a super strong album.

A album that carries a certain name and hype to it. Overall it wasn't necessarily that it couldn't fulfill it but it was just personally not really my cup of tea

Huh, I always thought Lou Reed was the name of a jazz musician. “Because you know what they say about honey bears, when you shave off all their baby hair, you have a hairy minded big bare bear”

3/5 this was a hard review because I genuinely liked a lot of the music but his voice is so obnoxious throughout most of it. Some lyrics were absolutely, WTF. Some were thoughtful or funny. There were a couple of songs I will listen to again so I almost wanted to give a 4 but I don't thing overall it's *that* good.

Not quite a 4 star album but seemed too good for a 3. I mildly enjoyed this although there was an irritating song (perhaps the last one) so can't say it was flawless in that respect. Not as bad as I expected so relieved, phew.

Oh Lordy Lou, you were a powerful influence over the music scene and I'm thankful for that. I just don't dine enthusiastically on your offerings.

I'm not a fan of the Velvet Underground, but when Reed got Bowie and Mick Ronson to produce this album its golden. Walk on the wild side is his best song (ever) of course, but you can hear Bowie's influence on Vicious and Satellite of love. The remainder of the album is just aight though. I would almost give this album 4 stars for Walk on the wild side alone, but my criteria for 4 stars is an album that I would put on repeat.. repeatedly, but alas this doesn't quite get there for me.

I only ever knew Lou Reed by name before, but after exploring this album (and some Googling), I know a lot more of him. So many hits on this album, and then some good deep tracks too. This will be in my rotation for chilling-out music.

Quite gentle quite nice

Disappointed to be honest

I liked the songs Walk on the Wild Side and Goodnight Ladies on this album. I enjoyed the album as I worked.

va

it was a nice album but for some reason it just didn't click completely, i might have to try it again at some point. favorite song was vicious, i liked that one a lot more than the rest of the album

Lou Reed just epitomizes art rock. Definitely worth a listen. Could grow on me with further listens Favorites: perfect day, satellite of love, I’m so free

I didn’t know Lou Reed was in Velvet Underground. I also didn’t know that Lou Reed knew David Bowie Also that He was gay

Great album

A better solo outing from Lou as opposed to ‘Berlin.’ Varied tempos and interesting ideas keep this LP moving right along, experimenting just a little bit less than I would still like from the Velvet Underground frontman but still coming together to form a mildly gripping listen.

sadece iki sarki begenmisim: perfect day ve make up ama fena degildi sanirim ders calisarak dinledigim icin akti

Did not hate that, but not a fan of Lou Reeds singing. Some songs were nice.

I like the fuzzy, sleazy sound, but the cabaret-esque poppy stuff doesn’t do it for me.

Quite enjoyable album but a walk on the wild side is a clear highlight for me so probably closer to 3.5 stars than 3 stars

Well I definitely enjoyed this more than Berlin. "Walk on the wild side" is the standout track, and I found even more to appreciate on a close listen. But none of the other tracks did it for me in the same way. So while I'd happily listen to the album again if someone put it on, I wouldn't reach for it myself. 3.5 stars.

legal, algumas bem lentas, outras boas. Vicious Andy's Chest Hagin Round Walk on the wild side

3.0

Good

Ok. I don't "get" Velvet Underground I guess because their music has never really grabbed me. Probably revolutionary as far as social commentary but the music itself? meh

Some great hits off this one

A collection of stories about people.

Ouderwetse rockmuziek of moderne rock'n'roll. Doet me een beetje aan de Rolling Stones denken. Klinkt prima maar niet heel bijzonder. ***

Not entirely my thing, but a great album nonetheless.

Don't remember my thoughts, but decent.

I’ve never been a big fan of Lou Reed’s voice but otherwise, I liked this. I probably need to devote some time listening to him and The Velvet Underground since both are so influential and I know basically nothing about them.

Cool album liked the arrangement with horns.

3,5, manche absoluter banger aber andere taugn mir ned sooo

I’d listen to it again.

A few bangers, but overall not my cup of tea. Those bangers are real bangers though.

Walk On the Wild Side always freaks me out a bit for some reason, but within the album and with a little more context it makes more sense. Solid album from top to bottom, and really enjoyable.

Solid

Pretty okay

I found Reed's lyrics to be original and creative, which makes his music stand out from most songs you hear on the airwaves today. But the music itself just didn't hook me. Not a bad album, but not a standout to me either.

Couple good songs. Was expecting more.

It was nice. Im rly getting lazy with these :p nothing to complain thougj

Perfect Day best song. How has Walk on the Wild Side got more listens?

Good listening

I really like Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side is hard to judge because it's so familiar. I enjoy some of the other songs, especially the top half, but am more ambivalent about the rest. I don't hate any of it. 2.5 stars for being fine, rounding up for the Bowie vibes which I are most welcome.

Lou Reed writes songs like he’s trying to meet a word count.

Was alright. Not a fan of the sonic texture

Pretty interesting album by Lou Reed. The sound and impact of his music could be heard throughout this album. Some of the bass lines and instrumentals have been heard before. The songs themselves are very similar to reeds style and the velvet underground. Solid album with some songs worth revisiting. 6.8/10

Overall a Good album, with the most notable songs being: 1. Walk On the wild side 2. vicious with honorable mentions going to: 1. satellite of love 2. Goodnight Ladies Notes: Reminds me a lot of David Bowie at times also some Beatles vibes as well

Boring album

6/10 - Best Songs: Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love, Vicious

Mellow glamrock. ' Walk On the Wild Side' Album makes me think of Bowie with a cup of tea.

Enjoyed the album, however only a few songs really stood out. Should listen again soon.

Couple of excellent tracks on here. But some really odd lyrics on others. I will say that the production quality is excellent, Bowies hand showing.

Album was ok. Nothing that made me want to jump and listen to more. 1. Vicious 2. Andy's Chest 3. Hangin' Round

good

Some really good classics. A bit too show tuney towards the end for me.

Vicious, Walk on the Wild Side and Satellite of Love are really strong. The other pieces have a sparse Lou Reed flair and are interesting, but don't really do much for me. New York Telephone Conversation is annoying.

If Where the Wild Things Are was an album for adults. A brewing island of monsters that allows for our grumps and shadows.

Started with a bang but felt it dragged on a bit the further I got into it. Really wanted to like this more.

Ok - I can see why this is a classic and how radical it was for 1972, but the hits are the standouts and I already knew them

I have immense respect for the personnel of this album, so the listening experience was a little bit of a letdown. It's solid, doubtless, and the blend of tracks-that-would-become-hits and deep-but-good-cuts is nice. But it ends up sounding a bit thin; Perhaps I was expecting too much Iggy thanks to the Bowie involvement.

Mixed bag. Some twee weird stuff and some bangers. OK. Was expecting more as a fan of the velvet and the singles.

I felt the first half of this album was stronger, some well-known classic tracks, but it petered out a bit towards the end.

Interesting album, some well known tunes with Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side. Lou Reed has a unique vibe, some of the songs got a bit goofy but overall it was a fun listen.

There are some great songs on this album. But also some nonsense songs in between. Probably would be a 4 in a certain mood but I'll go for 3.

I think that Lou Reed in general is a talented musician and songwriter. I generally like his music, and there are covers of his songs that I enjoy. I think I heard U2's cover of "Satellite of Love” before I heard Reed's version off of this album. I have listened to this album at least once before, because I wanted to see what else came with the infectious hooks from "Walk on the Wild Side”. I'm a little nervous to listen closely to Reed's lyrics. The music is good, but I don't want to know what he's actually singing about.

The best of the album is on the first track.

Creative and interesting, arty and glam, but, like everything involving Lou Reed, there’s more than a little pretension involved. Plus, it’s a bit over-indexed on Weimar/Berlin Babylon cabaret songs (as well as being oversexed, generally). The record seems to do what it sets out to do, but it all feels very much like playacting, with LR being coy about how camp he wants to be and placing style over substance (maybe blame Bowie for that). This is maybe the best thing he ever did, but it doesn’t fully preclude my view that he’s a little too famous for being famous and rode the VU’s and Bowie’s coattails. 3.4 for 3.

Some very strong songs (Beautiful Day, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love), some okay ones, and a few slow tuba-driven strange songs. A solid piece of rock history.

There are three and half really good songs on here. It should have been an LP, because the rest of it is super dumb. Like, really, really dumb. Best track: Satellite of Love

I like Lou Reed a lot actually, but I found this album as a whole detracts from the merit of the few really great songs on it. There’s rambling chords, goofy lyrics, low-effort tracks that take away from the big pictures presented in “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Perfect Day” that are actually really beautiful and well-thought-out. I like this depiction of beauty in the gritty underbelly of night life, like Tom Waits expertly pinpoints. However, I wish that the tracks surrounding these gems appropriately supported them musically, unfortunately I think as a whole this album earns a 3.

Hard to judge this album. I don't think there is a single song on here that I liked at first listen. Most of them I still don't like after several listens, but there are a few that grew on me. I have to give the benefit of the doubt and assume that that is on purpose, but I still find this mostly hard to listen to.

Nem terminei de ouvir

Something about Lou Reed and the Andy Warhol crew that I don't like is the jaded cooler-than-everyone attitude. Neither of them were really doing anything so groundbreaking that it should warrant that, in my opinion. That's on one hand, on the other hand I love when people have something to say and find a way to say it using whatever skills they have. Whether that's screen-printing a tomato soup can or telling a story while clumsily playing the guitar. There are some good stories being told and some good melodies on this record.

Not super impressed by the vocals...a bit too "talk singing"...but, despite some songs being way stranger than others, I can't deny that I really enjoy the style and the vibe of his music

Turns out I know some Lout Reed songs. This was a really good album all around.

I liked vicious, perfect day, and wild side. But dang is this guy creepy. Definitely has a foot fetish and keeps rhyming toes with nose.

'I wanna be your dog and eigenlijk nog meer No fun zijn echt top, de rest waren meer opvullers.

Prima album!

Staan een paar mooie nummers op!

Prefer him in a band

Aside from the racism, it wasn't terrible.

De repente, esporádicamente, me recuerdan a los strokes

Lou is truly something else. Not a perfect album, couple fun tracks.

A pioneer for sure - Walk on the Wild Side is an absolute staple of the early rock scene and has been influential to so many future artists. One thing worth noting is the insane variety on this album - the dissonance between the tracks is challenging and yet very entertaining. Imagine being at a live show and going from the iconic hits to the downright Sesame Street "New York Telephone Conversation." A cheery reminder that Lou Reed is all at once thoroughly rock-and-roll and also quite embracing of his Rabinowitz self. It's always fascinating to me when artists have more success as solo performers. Lou Reed's #1s will always be bigger than The Velvet Undergrounds, even if both are important to the history of rock.

Standouts - Hangin' Round; Goodnight Ladies Some nice instrumental sections including strings and tuba Lyrics are kinda funny sometimes, but I don't know if that was intentional or not

Fine, but really all the songs sound the same. The first song Vicious was very dancy, but they all really blended together.

Estilo rock-suave. Buena voz y tranquilo de escuchar. Le falta algo de fuerza

6/10

I always forget how many hook-ish songs Lou Reed wrote. Perfect Day is one of those songs. So are Wild Side and Satellite of Love. I never think I'm going to really like a Lou Reed record, but then I listen to it and I do.

This is such a weird album. The songs that made it to the radio (perfect day, wild side, satellite) are classics and stand up today. The others are cringey are best and just flat out bad in some cases. Lou Reed is definitely a unique experience and I think you have to have a specific mindset to fully grasp it. Maybe I don’t have that. 3/5 mostly pulled by those three songs.

Nice

I actually low key loved this. Reminded me of The Strokes in 2002 (don’t @ me). Sometimes dark, very bouncy, but thoroughly fun and enjoyable. Solid as hell.

Mix of fun and cool. The joy of tubas.

Some songs better than others

Pretty good for a whiney old punk.

Nice, fairly chill, easy listening. Nothing standout though. Perfect Day and Wagon Wheel best songs on the album.

Some classics interspersed with some average but far far more enjoyable than I expected and will definitely revisit some of this

Pretty good, he has a nice voice. 1RS

This is an album I admire than I love. Plus I remember listening when I was 15 or so which makes me feel old. It was a tape I found in a drawer and listened to on a Walkman. Really like I m so free. Bit over exposed to many of the others

Loved Walk on the wild side -that’s it!!

Here's a genuine classic. I've heard it before, there are some undeniable jams on here. Vicious especially, that was my big takeaway the last time I heard this. Of course, you've got Shed a Light on Love, Perfect Day from Trainspotting, and Walk on the Wild Side, infamously sampled by ATCQ on "Can I Kick It." I was really hoping I'd love this today, but the lows on here are pretty low. Songs like NY Telephone Conversation, Make Up, and Goodnight Ladies are all pretty unlistenable. Lou Reed has such a strange voice; I can look past it when the music is engaging, but when the music is weak his voice sounds even weaker. I respect this album, I think it deserves its place on here, but I can't quite bring myself to give it four stars. I just wasn't feeling it overall. Favorite tracks: Vicious, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love, Perfect Day. Album art: Absolutely iconic. I've always loved this one. So bold, such a strong cover. I really wish I enjoyed the music more because I'd love to have an album looking like THIS on vinyl. 3.5/5

listening to it right now. i expected it to be a lot more similar to Walk On the Wild Side which is his one song i know off this album, and it is definitely not anything like these songs. not complaining though

Wel aardig maar niet waar ik zelf graag naar luister

Clearly ahead of its time with the subject matter. Although Walk on the Wild Side is by far the most widely known track, I think it also fits Reeds voice the best.

Nice

With the monumental Velvet Underground behind him, Lou Reed has moved on to do his own thing. A lot of these are perfectly good songs but Walk on the Wild Side is a bonafide classic. Overall though, I'm not all that impressed with the music. Around this time Bowie was doing Ziggy Stardust and that blows Transformer out the water imo. Side B is a bit more theatrical and fun than side A, but the whole product still stands on it's own.

perfect day está guapa el resto meh

May not have aged the best, nor is Lou Reeds voice my favorite thing on the planet. But the writing and vocals are weird, which I did enjoy quite a bit. Listened to it twice back to back. I liked it more so the second time around, especially once I got used to it.

J'aurai pensé plus aimé, dommage Je connais 2 singles, sinon je me fais plutôt chier. Mais bon il y a de jolis instruments des fois. Apparemment les paroles sont poétiques, m'enfin moi ça m'intéresse pas trop. Fav : les 2 singles + goodnight ladies un peu, on dirait un pixar.

I enjoyed it! Some fun ideas in the songs and that, I like 'perfect day' it reminds me of being in choir with chole and singing it in primary school

Enjoyed it

Some classics interspersed with some average but far far more enjoyable than I expected and will definitely revisit some of this

Some of it I really liked, and some not so much

Saved Prior: Walk On the Wild Side Off Rip: Andy's Chest, Perfect Day, Satellite of Love Cutting Edge: Goodnight Ladies Overall Notes: About what I expected knowing Walk On the Wild Side. Songs I liked, songs I didn't, wide-reaching influence.

Je voulais mettre 3,5 mais bon... ^^

Bit of a hit and miss album but on the whole, I enjoyed it.

Musiquita del lejano oeste xD

It was ok.

Musically transformer is interesting. It's a bit like someone with a bit of musical skill rambling. Lou's Perfect Day made me feel sad. Walk On the Wild Side is a classic that I don't have in my library, and now I know which album it's from. He sounds like a musical version of Quagmire from Family Guy. "slick little girl" and "goodnight ladies" are some of the lyrics that gave me that feeling. In the end, the music was good, but the singing was a bit lazy.

This album has Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side on it, both of which are stone cold classics. The former is a particular favourite (thanks BBC). Otherwise, this album is fine, but nowhere near that standard. I like Lou Reed's voice and can hear the Bowie influence in the production. 3/5

Its cool. Walk On The Wild Side is a generational tune. The Bowie connection on this album is strong. Its a good album that has that late 70's new york city metro sexual vibe.

nadie ha hecho mas con 3 notas

Underwhelming from reputation but soulful. 6/10

That one song I hear so often on TV or commercials was pretty fun

Ok

not that even of an album but great overall with a couple of great hits

He looks like Frankenstein’s monster on the cover. Besides “Perfect Day” and “Walk On The Wild Side” (which are both fantastic) and to a lesser extent “Satellite of Love” and maybe “Goodnight Ladies” (for its weirdness), this album kind of sucks. Like quickly scrawled high school lyrics mangled and shoehorned to fit over basic power chord guitar music.

Weird album - half the songs are twee naffness, and the other half are incredible!? Fave track - "Perfect Day"

Liked only 3 tracks

I have always had a difficult time with Transformer, I love Walk on the Wild Side and Perfect Day, Satellite of Love is good but I find Lou Reed's country-blues thing just not my thing. I know this is a great album but doesn't feel that consistent to me.

Alright. Nowhere near the Velvet Underground or anything John Cale. 6-7/10

This is an album I've been meaning to get to for a long time as many of my favorite artists are big fans of Lou Reed, John Frusciante being the first of these that I noticed from my days of geeking out on RHCP in my youth :) Hints of early punk roots and lazy singing that the frontman from Cake must've stolen decades later. Love it!

Super chill. Definitely not something I could listen to all the time, but the hits from it are the way to go. Wagon Wheel was a surprise banger that I didn’t see coming.

I recognized this album right away because of seeing the album artwork so many times from listen in to "Walk On the Wide Side". I imagine Lou is a bit of an "odd one out" kind of person, and to that I say good. It's what makes this album so fun and peculiar. A good listen make me want to check out his other work. Going beyond the hit often reveals hidden gems. Lou to me seems like the male version of Nico. Summary- A nice short weird album.

Not bad. A few good tunes on there

Echt een top album met klassiekers als Perfect day en Walk on the Wild Side

It was pretty good but not my favourite. I think because I've heard bits and pieces over the years it just didn't give me feelings.

Would probably give 3.5 stars.

Singing made it a bit of a slog, but enjoyed some of the concepts and some of the guitar riffs sounded like founding concepts for a lot of rock that followed.

Great song "Walk on the Wild Side." The album was kind of an electic mix of styles. Some tracks made me think of David Bowie's Hunky Dory at times.

It was a pretty solid album with a few sleepy tracks imo, "Vicious" "Perfect Day" and "Satellite of Love" were my favorites!

Not my favorite-- although I love Velvet Underground-- but it's a solid album.

How could we let him get away with "Make Up"?

It was just okay. I really feel the focus on lyrics in this list, but this just doesn't speak to me at all. It feels much more like I am going through a list of 1-hit wonders from UK. =(

too weird

Pari kovaa leiskautusta

Not bad Halfway through, is very ok, not my thing, but its decent might be nice to listen to while relaxing

Goofier than I expected, but some great tracks.

Never really got into Lou Reed, this doesn't change much. It's got a certain lackadaisical personality to it, and I like the wide array of instruments. But it doesn't really do much for me. Favorite tracks: "Satellite of Love", "Walk on The Wild Side", "I'm So Free"

The schtick got old after the first few songs

So confused through the entire album?? This is the epitome of someone barely changing their vocal pitch and still making an album. I did like the big band brass though

Whatever Lou Reed is up to, I'm not digging it.

Some good ones, mostly not

Walk on wild side is only decent track - I do not enjoy his singing

not for me

Not my style but a vibe 🦦

Surprisingly not as bad as I was expecting.

Interesting material but I'm just not into glam pop. This era of rocker was like VERY into drag and the transgender identity. I wonder how all their fans who are old white guys now justify that. Still cool tho Highlight: I'm So Free

The singles are what is important. The rest is dreck

Stated out strong, I liked Vicious. The next two songs were awful. Next two were alright. Makeup - no. Satellite of Love I know from the U2 cover. WTF was NY Conversation and Goodnight Ladies??? Sounds like children’s or circus music. Overall I am not a fan of his sing talking and the vibe I overall don’t care for. (2)

A lot of this was really weird

pretty terrible writing. Decent vibes. Strong to light 5.

saw the ATCQ sample for Bonita Applebum on this one for Walk on the Wild Side. 1972 album. It sounds pretty good overall. I like it more than a Leonard Cohen but I get similar vibes. 2.8

Not a big Glam guy

Pretty mediocre in all honesty. Not a big fan of Lou’s singing unfortunately. Worth a listen because there are some good songs on here but overall did not interest me.

Meh; kinda has like a whiny voice but the music isn’t bad I can kind of appreciate it but I’m not a fan I don’t like his voice Second half of the album is a little better Probably like a 2.5

Zzzzzz

3 keepers out of 11 (33%) 2 bangers out of 11 (22%) [Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side] Math says 2 stars. Heart cannot argue.

It’s ok

The album just feel a bit emotionless for me. It had great instrumentals but the lyrics and energy were lacking. I wanted to enjoy it but the vocals felt like it went against everything else. I feel like another artist can do it much better.

Pouco sal.

Lou Reed transforms! It's hard to describe just how bland this record is honestly. Like a cup of warm fucking piss. And now I've got to chug the damn thing. I don't want to, just please don't make me do this...well, I did, and I've got to say the aftertaste of "Transformer" sucks. I'm disappointed, man. Lou Reed, I loved every single one of his records with the Velvet Underground, so it's a shame that I didn't enjoy this one. The instruments and vocal hooks were completely forgotten 1 second after finishing a track. Every single glam rock sound on this record has been done far better by the likes of David Bowie and T. Rex before, and Lou's contributions come across as kind of awkward, honestly. But I can say this much, he certainly had fun on this album, and that's what matters for the guy. I wish I had more fun listening to it, though. Though, I think we can all agree that Lou Reed with eyeliner is 😍😍😍

Inventive tunes with a hint of Broadway. Too bad one extremely creepy song lyric downgrades it.

Very mid 70s pop rock

I may have listened to Lulu multiple times of my own volition just to prove I'm made of sterner stuff (and stupidity), but I don't think Lou Reed is my kinda listening.

A little strange good beats but the message isn’t my favorite, very drag queen haha

Love some of the songs on this album and others not at all. Favorite songs: Vicious, Perfect Day

Yeah Well, I'm familiar with "Walk on the wild side" and I liked "Satellite of love" but the rest is a bit out of my style.

no no no no no non o

Credit where credit is due, it led to "Can I Kick It?" ... but other than that, it's not that interesting. Is that the sound of an angle grinder in the first track?

I really like its rhythm and flow but it is not my cup of tea

Encore une fois assez plat, pas désagréable mais je ressens pas une originalité de fou ni une énergie particulière. Certains sons font même un peu contine pour enfant donc ouais honnêtement pas dingue. Meme les sons censé être les plus connus sont mid. Ça me semble beaucoup moins bien que du Beatles ou autre artiste du même style à la meme époque mais bon on verra.

Not really a fan of this one

algumas músicas foram ok acho q é mais influente por conta das pessoas envolvidas no álbum mas n é pra mim

I wasn’t big on it. There was some good songs on it, but I like his stuff with Velvet Underground much more. Overall, I would give it a 2.8/5!

Fairly laid back and inoffensive. Walk on the Wildside is that standout, but rest of the album is not overly exciting. 2 stars

The instrumentals are often a fun vibe, but his voice is atrocious. It works for some tracks but not all, and is a bit much for an entire album. 'Walk on the Wild Side', 'Satellite of Love', 'Wagon Wheel', and 'I’m So Free' are the standouts. 2.5 stars

I listened in a bad mood, true, but Lou Reed’s swagger didn’t work for me on this. His voice grated, the songs too simple and dreary. Two points for some style

one of the albums that was received that good only bc a man wrote it. plus one star for ‘perfect day’ and ‘walk on the wild side’ upd minus one star for ‘ny telephone conversation’ and ‘goodnight ladies’

En lineas generales un embole. Buenos temas Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side y algún otro que rescato. Pero se me terminan mezclando con todo el resto por sus vocales desganadas y audio en general tan homogéneo.

2.5. Two good ones, but the rest do nothing for me.

Odd. - A unique sounding 'rock' album. Not my cup of tea personally. The project seemed to drag in a lot of spaces and any bits where the artists attempts to take an unorthodox approach you're left with a very 'wtf' feeling after hearing a lot of the tracks, it somehow falls very short of what I would personally consider rock. Not discrediting Lou Reed however this album was very very boring musically but holds weight and meaning behind the lyricism

Interesting content, style, and lyrics, but Lou Reed’s vocal stylings continue to be a personal turn-off.

Alltför tråkigt. Orkar inte lyssna klart. Instrumenten tråkiga, gillar inte sången eller låttext. 2/5

This was an interesting, low-energy album. Apple mentioned that Bowie produced it and in some ways I can see that. It was overall unremarkable and boring for me.

didn’t like. genau zwei sterne

I don’t really care for Lou Reed’s talk singing or his voice. It was too grating and distracting from the rest of the music.

Some great songs some not

Sounds like an androgynous David Bowie album with a different guy singing

Como con los disco que hizo con The Velvet Underground, la verdad que no soy fan. Este no estuvo tan mal igual.

hmmmm…. no.

I didn't really like it. Was just another alright rockish album.

más bien maluco, pa mi tenia cara de que iba a estar mejor pero x, un álbum muy x

I just really don't like Lou Reed. He cannot sing, he's not for me, and even though "Take a Walk on the Wild Side" is a pretty cool song, I just can't with the rest of this drivel.

A few of the songs were pretty good. A lot of them are just a little outdated for me. I understand it’s the times that the album was written in, but it bothered me.

Glam Rock is unique and not really my favorite. The sultry talk singing can work with rhythmic rock behind it, but I dont think this style translates well to modern day. I hear how this is foundational for the continued push of music forward through the 70s and 80s

Lindo ritmo . No mi favorito pero esta chill

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Not a fan of Lou Reed. I get how influential he is and Walk on the Wild Side is iconic. Can't forgive him for taking all of the royalties for Can I Kick it.

Franchement il y a une musique qui le sauve mais a part ça j'ai pas aimé

Bit bored lad Nothing made it to the playlist yet One song was a bit fun i suppose THIS IS DRAGGING I'm done now this is boring

war okay. aber für mich nix weltbewegendes.

Quirky! (Non-derogatory)

It's just uh... really half-assed music.

Pissed me off and bored me close to tears. Probably didn’t help that I listened to it while sitting in the worst traffic ever

Standouts Walk on the Wild Side

i liked perfect day but besides that it was okay

Ugh. Slow and utterly boring compared to VU. Reed has transformed but 5he wrong way

Perfect Days is good but just because it makes me think of the Wim Wenders movie of the same title

me esteraba algo mejor

Apart from a couple of well known songs, this album is really...terrible. The lyrics are garbage, music is uninventive, his bad singing is just bad - no charm, no personality. I remain convinced that the only reason people like Lou Reed's music is because for some reason it seems cool to like Lou Reed's music.

2/5. Insanely highly rated (average of 3.67 on this site as of April 2026) for how unimpressive the compositions are. Bowie produces it well enough but no amount of polish will make a dull rock shine. He's able to transform some of Reed's songs into worthwhile listens, but the majority of this album is hippie catnip. I like to imagine that people were constantly chasing the high of listening to "Blonde on Blonde" the first time and look at this album through skewed lenses, identifying some of the same superficial traits that the albums share but failing to recognize there's a stark difference in musical and lyrical quality. It's so strange to see people call the lyrics out as being good when artists like Reed were playing in the shadow of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Townes van Zandt. Not worth another listen.