Transformer

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.

Interesting album, very varied, very good guitar.

I am ashamed to admit I had no idea the David Bowie produced this album. I’ve listened to it so many times in the past. After reading that and listening again I notice it so much. Landmark album.

Couple notable tracks but typical lou reed.

Pretty sure I only knew two Lou Reed songs before this. I've never particularly cared for "Walk on the Wild Side," and I actively dislike "Perfect Day" (at least in part because Hollywood uses it ironically during scenes of chaos and destruction so fucking much it makes me want to scream), but I was hoping an entire album of Lou Reed would change my perception of him. It did not. Is it just me or is he kind of dorky? I don't know, but this isn't for me.

This is exactly what I was in the mood for today. Thanks to this challenge, I went down a Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, and Iggy Pop rabbit hole. Perfect Day & Walk On the Wild Side are classics, and I love Satellite of Love. The album gets a little sleepy at times, but it's such a solid listen, I left it on repeat. 4 stars.

Different song styles, catchy groovy stuff. Some progressive messaging for a 1972 album with "Make Up". Overall good listen.

Robert a tellement de cocaïne dans les nasaux que même les albums de Lou Reed en deviennent bon. Il paraît d'ailleurs que Reed a attendu que Nico soit partie faire les courses pour enregistrer l'album en vitesse et ainsi éviter toutes les ondes négatives émanant de celle-ci. Et quelle bonne idée...

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

This album slowly and surprisingly won me over.

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”

So many great tunes on here that really showed what rock music can do.

The most accessible Lou Reed album. Still dark and strange enough to appeal to VU fans but with the production help from David Bowie to make him appeal to the average listener. There's a reason songs from this album are still used in media to this day.

Lyrically with is going on. Its interesting stuff, will listen again

No stinkers, great composition.

At the time I rated this, the average rating was 3.74. That's 3.74 too much. This is a piece of garbage. I can't think of anything positive to say about, except Walk on the Wild Side has a cool bass line. People stop fooling yourselves. This is not good. Least hated song: Walk on the Wild Side.

I've owned this album for years. Solid 9.7/10

Very 70s feel good soft rock music, loved it and love him :)

“Walk on the Wild Side” — the most popular and commercially successful song off Lou Reed’s seminal second solo album (and one i already knew) — is a song i consider to be borderline perfect. Reed perfectly creates a mood peppered with tranquility and light nostalgia as he recalls experiences of close friends walking on the wild side. it is a testament to Reed’s quietly epic writing and David Bowie’s rich production that the rest of the album surrounding that centerpiece manages to hold up lyrically and sonically. Reed doesn’t reinvent the wheel here, but the music on Transformer still feel particularly otherworldly in how they ebb, so non-intrusively, that you don’t realize how much of a punch they pack until you’re square on the ground. Reed’s greatest strength here is his ability to evoke: on “Perfect Day”, for example, he pens a tune that so succinctly feels like the contentment and peace derived from a sweetly mundane day; on “Andy’s Chest”, his humor shines through as his words bleed care and affection for a dear friend; and then there’s “Satellite of Love”, a beast of emotional turmoil and pain that genuinely threatens to eclipse “Walk on the Wild Side” with its simple descriptions and comparisons. there are some songs that break up the album’s tight pace and let some steam off the top, but one can’t ask for a better representation of an era of music that just wanted to see people feel to the fullest.

Still one of the best rock records.

Bra greier!! Et par bangers der også. Merker godt at David Bowie har produsert

Liked it.

Real cool

I have two of my very beloved songs on this album, so I have some expectations. … It didn’t live up to my expectations.

Heel fijn album, Walk on the wild side en Perfect Day zijn natuurlijk super, en de rest is ook wel fijn. Alleen net niet goed genoeg genoeg voor 5 sterren, ik geef er 4.

good

Ooh come on. Surely everyone's got this one. Complete classic, absolutely 5 stars.

esse foi por pelo menos um mes da minha vida o album que eu mais ouvia, eventualmente eu enjoei dele, mas isso não muda minha opinião sobre ele. otimas musicas com o estilo glam que era novo sucesso na epoca por causa do bowie. alguns dos arranjos de guitarra aqui são os melhores arranjos ja feitos. a poesia rebelde e imunda nova iorquina é um grande marco tambem nesse album. "when people say her feet smell they mean her nose" certamente o melhor do lou reed.

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.

4.5

Fivety five stars. Take away (deep breath) Vicious, Perfect Day, Wild Side, Satellite, NY Telephone and play the other six tracks and they are all uniformly amazing. For an artist whose vast solo output can mainly be described with the word patchy, this is an incredibly consistent album. That Bowie, he was quite on it in the seventies wasn't he?

Favoritas: -Perfect day -Wagon Wheel -I´m so free

Transformer is a great and classic glam rock record and deserves the praise it got throughout the years. Some killer tracks like "Vicious", "Perfect Day", "Walk On The Wild Side" and "Satellite of Love" rises this album up there with other great rock classic. However, this album is far from perfect with fillers like "New York Conversation" and "Goodnight Ladies" paling in comparison with the great tracks here. 8,5/10

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Vicious, Perfect day, Wagon wheel

Not again... As bad as I expected!

might be one of the worst albums I have ever heard "new york phone conversation" or whatever the album was called was so fucking dumb I wanted to singe all my nerve endings

"You have a hairy minded pink bare bear"! The lyrics don't make sense too frequently here, the music is OK, but not outstanding. There are iconic songs (Perfect day and Walk on the wild side) that will always be popular, but the rest is no more than OK.

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.

Perfect Day is just about a perfect song. There's a few other greats on here. At times I was a little underwhelmed, but overall, a great album.

There are two examples on this album where, rather than finding words that rhyme, Lou just uses the same word twice. The first everyone knows: “But she never lost her head even when she was giving head” and the other from Vicious: “Hey, why don't you swallow razor blades? You must think that I'm some kind of gay blade I understand he would write lyrics very quickly and not go back to make any changes. This is consistent with his persona of not taking himself too seriously. Why not use the same words? They rhyme with each other - lol. Anyway, both are excellent songs from this excellent album and the title is fitting since it transformed Lou.

This is Lou’s most accessible album and very pleasant on my ears, which are still recovering from White Light/White Heat. The song writing is solid throughout, though at times the lyrics go from clever to goofy. I like the lesser known tracks, (like Andy’s Chest and Make-up and Perfect Day) especially when they feature a tuba. I didn’t realize that the reigning Spiders from Mars produced this and contributed in a big way to the overall sound.

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.

It was an eccentric album. I did not particularly get into this album. A couple of the songs were familiar. It was relatively short. No need to revisit

Start to finish brilliant album. Makes you feel mellow.

It's a shame this album ends on its most annoying song. Nevertheless, I'm going to take a walk on the wild side and rate it a 5 for the rest of the songs.

Really strong songwriting in my opinion. I really enjoy the arrangements of the songs as well.

4.5. Some all time greats and a few duds

Expected irritating, pretentious, monotony. Pleasantly surprised that I didn’t get that. Really good songwriting. Lots of melody. Reed’s delivery of talk-singing is unique and interesting, but what I like most is every lyric is understandable throughout. I always taken in the musical quality of lyrics, but not the meaning, because they’re always so hard for me to understand. This was refreshing in that sense. 1 = bad 2 = average 3 = good 4 = great 5 = outstanding

Percebi com uma obra fundamental do pop rock ao escutar o hit Perfect Day no contexto da construção do disco. Apresenta uma leveza com profundidade sonora sustentada com os pilares que são além de Perfect Day, Walk o the wild side.

Drags itself over the 5* line, as half of the songs are fabulous and Bowie has never produced a clunker. Hangin' Round is my favorite, somehow, and the whole thing is kinda the evil twin of Hunky Dory

Goed album, paar echte klassiekers. 5*

pretty nice

Incredible album

What's this, are you allowed to include Greatest Hits albums?

Fantastic album! 4 clear stand outs: Sattelite of Love, Walk On The Wild Side, Perfect day and Vicious

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.

Lou Reed's Transformer is a seminal piece of art rock, which has spawn countless imitations, cover versions and film adaptations. U2 and Lloyd Cole's versions are among the strongest). While some of the themes play off of earlier content by The Kinks (Lola) and David Bowie's (also the album producer) entire ethos, Lou Reed's delivery made these themes distinctly his own. As a result, the album can also be considered at the forefront of a global conversation about #LGBTQ rights and equality. The album also transports the listener to the dark and dirty back alleys of early 1970s New York City's night life and sexual underworld. All good things...

Ein af þessum snilldarplötum frá fæðingarári mínu. Mæli með!

Quite gentle quite nice

Disappointed to be honest

Una pieza fina y suave para cualquier persona, muy bien digerible y con momentos muy suaves para relajar.

a classic. I love it.

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

Just can't get into Lou. There was a few decent songs but overall just didn't like it.

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

I enjoyed a lot. Very interesting character.

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

Some great tracks here

A good fun time.

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.

Great

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

First half is amazing, second half could be a bit better

Amazing album

Transformer by Lou Reed cemented him as a rock and roll legend. Some of his best material turns up on here. 'Viscious' and 'Hangin' Around' are some of my personal favourites, as well as 'Walk On the Wild Side', obviously. Unlike the Iggy Pop record Lust For Life which we reviewed a few weeks ago, the Bowie influence on here is not as jarring, yet it's still noticeable. 'Perfect Day' and 'Satellite of Love' have Bowie's fingerprints all over it, yet these tunes don't lose Reed's charisma through his witty lyrics and that forever recognisable voice. There's a slight drop off in quality on the back end in comparison to the first half, however I still thoroughly enjoy Transformer. Awesome record!

Circa 1974-5 every house I walked into to hang out had this album, the tracks are tattooed on my brain. Mick Ronson is the unsung hero of this record, he had a fine ear and knew how to get the best out of Lou. This record made in the US would have been ok, but in the hands of the English session crew bomb squad, Lou's basic tracks are, pardon the pun, transformed. I love the eclectic mix of players, Klaus with his signature Fender bass lines, Herbie scamming an additional studio fee and laying out the best double bass/electric bass lines ever transposed..Lou is in fine voice and Bowie has got him a beautiful sound. I love every part of this album, songs like Satellite of Love, Goodnight Ladies et al are great tunes, and then there is the classics. He never bettered it.

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.

I was pursuing tertiary education in Newcastle but travelling to Sydney by train every Friday afternoon on the so-called Flyer. I still remember rushing from Central to the nearest record shop to buy Transformer, all because I’d heard Walk On The Wildside & just had to have it. I’d heard nothing else on the album & was thrilled when I first played it & realised it was so good. Vicious is one of the great opening tracks. Perfect Day & Satellite Of Love are among Lou’s best. There are only 2 of his albums that I ever play regularly - this and the live album that followed it - Rock & Roll Animal. And further proof of Bowie’s greatness that he brought out the best in Reed. A truly great record.

Lou was actually capable of writing the occasional album of accessible and enjoyable songs, post Velvets, and this his most consistent and best solo album. Bowie's production really lifts the songs. Mark Ronson and Herbie Flowers need to be highlighted as best on field for their playing contributions. Some absolute classic songs (Wild Side, Satellite, Vicious).

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

One of my all-time favourites. Particularly like Goodnight Ladies.

Classic Lou Reed. Quirky, odd, melodic, silly, brilliant

3.0

Good

meh

This is the type of shit I'd try and get up to nonstop if I could live in the 70s for a while

This album is so cozy even with Reed's imperfect voice. Perfect Day sounds like something straight out of a movie soundtrack. Also the production quality sounds way better than other albums from its time. Fave track(s): Perfect Day, Satellite of Love

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

diver

A collection of stories about people.

Really enjoyed half the songs and hated the others. A divisive but good album

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.

Alright.

A classic for a reason

PREFS: TOUT MOINS PREF : RIEN

This is what a 5 star album sounds like. I so wish that Lou had recorded more with Ronson/Bowie. Timeless record. An old school album that you play from start to finish.

A very good album, not quite 5 star worthy because a few songs aren't all that great. Quite possibly Lou's best post-VU work.

Le rappeur préféré de mon rappeur préféré

petite journée parfaite là 🫠

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.

This is such an inherently interesting album, full of well crafted songs that are so much fun to listen to. The real spark of this album lies in how Lou Reed tempers the darker, more prickly aspects of his sound with moments of sweetness and vulnerability. This is arguably Reed's best album. Fave Songs: Satellite of Love, Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day, Vicious, Goodnight Ladies, I'm So Free

4/5 Seeeehhhr iconic Aber faktisch ist Lou Reed einfach nicht so gut Lou Reed Live ist das einzige gute Album an dem er beteiligt war, inklusive Velvet underground stuff

Cool album liked the arrangement with horns.

- Heard this before - Probably prefer this to every VU album I've heard - Perfect 70s glam rock album - Fav songs: Satellite of Love, Perfect Day, Vicious

Highlights: Hangin' Round, Perfect Day, Make Up. Didn't realize just how much I like Lou Reed, and I can hear the lines connecting this album to the artists he influenced, which is always fun.

Amazing album until the last song which feels like I am attending a bad pantomime.

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

Eh.

Incredible album, Lou reed is simply fantastic, however it doesn't quite have the punch of his stuff while with the velvet underground so it leaves a little to be desired. Fav song: vicious Least fav song: Andy's chest

I’d listen to it again.

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

Iconic songs but can’t get past some grating issues

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.

going to need someone to explain this to me.. besides take a walk on the wild side (which isn't ageing very well tbh) its a pretty boring album.. maybe if i was hanging out with all the other cool kids like andy warhol i might understand should lou reed be cancelled for slut shaming? i don't know, i didn't say that..

Incredible record

Giving it a 4 for the good stuff and I can tell it was pretty cutting edge musically. The album in totality is a 2.75

Always loved this, so more than a little biased. Great for walking on dreery days.

lou reed as an artist is so hit-or-miss for me, and this album really encapsulated that, with some tracks I love and others that I really wanted to hit skip on. overall, it takes a positive review because the highs are really high , and even when the lyrics made me cringe, those david bowie touches in the production held things together. 7/10

8/10. Really rather nice, lyrically quite cool. And always fun to learn where a memorable sample comes from

What a strange album. Lou Reed has a pretty mediocre voice but I caught enough of the lyrics to like the overall package. 7/10

I’ve heard the big hit but also “Perfect Day”. I really like this album because it sounds like early New Wave but there’s less electronic synths that true new wave

I think New York is better but this one is great

Really enjoyed the witty lyrics and riffs. Goodbye Ladies is a fantastic track

I loved this album in college, and Re listening only reminded me why. It’s hilarious, rollicking, and just a great groovy glam time.

Honestly it was just a really nice album. A great record.

I only knew one song.

Lou Reed is one of those artists who I think is a good song writer, but I don’t like the way he performs his own songs. I almost always prefer the covers to his originals.

This was dope!

this is almost bananas

No idea that so many big classics were packed onto one album. Particularly loved Vicious - excellent opener. Andy’s Chest did absolutely nothing for me but everything else is absolute perfection.

Before going into this, I was pretty excited. I've heard Walk on the Wild Side before and thought it was decent, but loved Satellite of Love and Perfect Day. I've been meaning to listen to this for a while. Upon listening to Transformer in full, I can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed. There are a few additional songs I like including Vicious and Make Up, but I didn't care for the album after Satellite. Its still a good album, but my expectations were probably a bit too high coming into this.

Glam rock

Solid

Pretty okay

Don't like Lou Reed. I think he's an annoying, pretentious ass.

4/5 very nice!!!

An amazing album. "Vicious," "Andy's Chest," "Satellite of Love," and "Perfect Day" are probably my top tracks.

I just don't think Lou Reed is for me. Something about his music just doesn't do it for me. Walk On the Wild Side is great and all but I didn't really enjoy half the album. Will return for another listen if my moods different but its a 2/5 at the moment.

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.

Fun, clever, good music. A unique slice.

I already knew Lou Reed so this album style was not much of a surprise for me! I do quite like the overall vibe: there's something quite soothing about the general rhythm and voice tones! Fav Track: Perfect Day

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

Jello shots and mario party and a banadana hunt

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

Not bad, very monotonous but that's just how Lou Reed rolls

Good listening

good

One of my all-time faves. I mean, any album produced by Bowie is guaranteed to be great, but this one has a special place in my heart. RIP Lou Reed.

I liked it

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.

This is apparently Glam Rock. It's an odd genre since it seems to be more about what you wear than what you perform. That being said, it does seem to feature an almost dead pan singing style. It's rough for a whole album. I can't get behind it. It does have Walk on the Wild Side, which is great. It shows the dead pan approach can work, but it's not enough to save the album.

Beautiful album, with two really good songs. A perfect day and walk on the wild side…

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

soothing, very soothing. this really calmed me and made my day better. :)

I didn't realize that my four favorite Lou Reed songs all came from the same magical album! (Not that there aren't others that I just haven't thought of.) And in addition to those four, I enjoyed the whole thing, discovering some new delights and the wonderfully prominent use of tuba. I listened several times today enjoying so many phrases both familiar and new each time.

What an excellent album! I know that I have heard it before, but now it has found a place in my library.

I thought I wasn't cool enough to like Lou Reed. I was wrong. This album is fantastic.

Have I really never listened to this before?! How is that possible? And how did I not know David Bowie produced this? Anyway, this is a fantastic fantastic album that more than lives up to the hype. I have heard several of the songs on this album before, but the songs I haven’t heard before are really fantastic too! This album feels fresh, if I heard it for the first time I couldn’t tell you when it was created. But I would tell you that I love it!

p264. 1972. 5 stars. Camp, sardonic glam rock classic. 50 years on and it still sounds terrific. Half a star deducted for suspect lyrics (Andy's Chest), but otherwise this is practically flawless.

I wrote last time that Lou Reed is very hit or miss for me. This album is the hit. So much great stuff here and Lou Reed at his finest.

A brilliant Bowie insprired album

The Bowie-Ronson influence in the production and instrumentals is very obvious and great. However, the elephant in the room is that they're working around a bad singer. They cover for it well in some of the tracks (Perfect Day, Hangin' 'Round, Walk on the Wild Side, I'm Free), but he honestly just sounds bored on most of the other ones. Favorite track, non-Wild Side division: I'm Free

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

Por mucho que me gusten las canciones que más me gustan, he de reconocer que muchas de ellas no me dicen tanto. Eso baja la puntuación al cuatro o incluso a un tres. Pero es que solo las canciones más buenas ya sostienen el disco de forma que no puedo bajarlo hasta un tres. Cuatro se queda.

Nice and chill, good mix of sad happy and funny. Take a walk on the wild side bro.

My favorite Lou Reed album, still very Velvet underground like in many ways which is fabulous. Walk on the Wild side was my gateway song into the Velvet Underground when I heard in high school.

You can put me down for 5 stars on almost any Lou Reed. Maybe not his best (Velvet Underground is), but man, there are some great songs on here: Vicious, WotWS, Satellite of Love,…

Very enjoyable. Like a missing Velvet Underground album.

I really really liked this album and the visuals it evoked. Lou Reed makes heroin sound like a really good time.

This album just felt like his stuff with velvet underground but worse in every way. Took a perfect formula and got the wrong answer. I’ll give it a two. If I ever revisit this album I hope I am able to enjoy it.

A few songs of interest but not particularly great

Classic rock is classic but goddamn Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side are such exquisitely-presented moods. I really enjoyed some of the other lesser-known songs on the album as well, but the real reason that this is a 5 star album for me is the gutsy and healthy gender diversity portrayal (even if grimy).

Not for me

Boring album

A true classic, every song is amazing.

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

El cénit de Lou Reed en solitari, que no és poca cosa. Reed amb ganes de reivindicar-se i David Bowie en estat d'inspiració màxima, què podia sortir malament? Una de les obres capitals dels '70 i una de les joies atemporals del rock com a génere

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

Fucking love it

Es genial Lou Reed y Transformer sin dudas un gran album

Already one of my favorite albums.

Fantastic songs.

This was the type of album where every song was pretty great, but as a whole it got a smidge too samey. But man, some groundbreaking stuff here, especially lyrical content-wise.

I think I'm a carny fan, I really enjoy "Circus sounds" on an album. The other part that elevates this album is Lou Reed's vocal delivery.

Não gosto de Lou Reed

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

I don’t like Lou Reed

Lou Reed was a referent. The best songs in this album are "Vicious" and "Walk on the wild side".

Expanding my mind yo!

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.

Wow. Best album i’ve never heard. So many great songs!

I have always liked Lou Reed songs when I've run across them, but never listened to this famous album. It did not disappoint. Of course I love "Perfect Day" and "Walk on the Wild Side" but another standout is "Goodnight Ladies". This is a fun and perfectly composed album.

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

Ту ту ту тудуп

One of the all-time classics. And Reed’s best. Bowie’s involvement in this is probably no coincidence. A distillation of his best late Velvets sound with some superbly crafted rock n roll songs.The fact he also sidesteps this with songs like Perfect Day and Walk On The Wid Side make this album far from a one-trick pony. I love the different moods and tempos, but it all hangs together beautifully to evoke New York life and style at the time. And Satellite Of Love is one of those recordings that can’t fail to make you feel better, no matter your mood when it starts. A 10/5 for me.

aka Ziggy goes to NY. Skuzzy, just how I like it.

Oh ya

4.5

Louche and prissy, it's still great.

Great album to put into the rotation. Proto-indie rock in many ways. Great songs

Big fan. However the album includes the sublime and the ridiculous. Classics inter dispersed with cabaret tunes. Cover art 5/5 iconic in its own way

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

good

классика которую я не особо внимательно послушала из-за социальной жизни

I like velvet underground so I was surprised by how much I disliked this album. If it weren’t for walk on the wild side, this album might’ve been a 1 cuz songs like Andy’s chest were awful

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.

Great collection of songs. Reminded me of Adam Green

A fun and pretty good little album. Lots of recognisable songs alongside a few lesser known, but listenable pieces. My first real Lou Reed exposure was a Nelson Mandela celebration concert and I did not "get" the gruff atonal man or know about his Velvet Underground past. Now I still find his voice languid and a bit annoying, but I quite enjoy it's unique sound and it fits well with the excellent songs. I agree with others that some rhyming is childish, but so it was with the Beatles and Beach Boys. Great album.

I'm going 5 stars on this one. Some of the best NYC rock to come out of the early 70s. 3 of my top 50 songs of all time too

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

wanted to give this a 5 but the end of the album kinda dropped off. too much filler. great songs are great though

This is one of my favs

A fantastic album, combining the wit and poetry of someone like Leonard Cohen with the punk sensibilities of Iggy Pop. World-weary, weird, and wise

Another perfect album, with banger after banger. Lou Reed (alongside Iggy Pop, Marc Bolan and Leonard Cohen) have produced some of my favourite ever music. Like his Velvet Underground output - this is the epitome of sleaze New York cool, as a solo act a bit more intimate then the whirlwind of the band Lou Reed fronted. Among the gorgeous melodies, arrangements, horns and keys - there's a seedy underbelly while being lucidly open minded lyrically, which puts to shame many other artists for decades after this album was out.

Bellissimo e con 2 capolavori

Sixtysish weird pop music. Misogynistic and racist. Has the one song that “can I kick it” sampled

Hell yeah. Sure, his voice is bad, but cut Lou some slack. He and David were inventing bisexuality!

Very close to a 5 falls a bit short second half

Listened to on 7/11/22 4/5 Favorite song: Perfect Day The cover for this album is so contradictory to what it is - very calm and relaxing background

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

Really great album! Beautifully produced and performed collection of 70's rock music. Favourite songs are Vicious (fav), Perfect Day, Hangin' Round, Walk On the Wild Side, Make Up, and I'm So Free. However, I feel like the lyricism is kinda lacking, giving me no idea about what the overall message or goal or concept of the album.

Absolutely great!

Classic Lou Reed album, not my favourite of his, that distinction goes to Coney Island Baby which has a more relaxed and personal feel, but Transformer is the album that gave Lou his solo voice and launched his career. And of course it has classic songs like Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day and Satellite of Love which have all become classics. It does have some filler material as well which keeps it from being a 5 star album. 4.5 stars

I think Perfect Day is a perfect song. So bittersweet. The rest of the album is great as well.

A brilliant solo offering from Lou Reed. I fucking love this record. There’s no denying the amazing Bowie influence and production here, but it still has the dank New York stink of Lou’s piss all over it. It’s spectacular. The clever and biting lyricism meshes beautifully with the vulnerable moments of introspective poetry sprinkled throughout. The musicality steers further into the rock n roll vein but retains elements of the avant-garde Velvet Underground style, and that fusion begets Lou’s acquaintance with early glam rock in a truly glorious way. Oh, it’s such a perfect album! It just keeps me hanging onnnnnnn.

Biased cos own it

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.

Pensé que no me guataba Lou Reed pero me sorprendió. Ya vi de donde sacaron las cosas The Clash y Sex Pistols y similares, the birth of punk

The whole package. Lou Reed crosses the punk, post-punk eras and launches himself into glam with the much needed help of David Bowie. This album is such a gem of a listen.

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

My first Lou Reed album. Really enjoyed the guitars and piano, vocals a bit bland, and overly ordinary, though with interesting and poetic lyrics. Production reminiscent of Stooges meet Bowie, but lacking the edge. Really feel like I'm missing some edge here. Vicious and Satellite of Love are possibly the best tracks. Would be rated higher, but gets significantly weaker towards the back-end.

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.

A psychedelic depression with expressionistic overtones. Love him. (7/10) FT: Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side

I liked this album. A slightly jazzier velvet underground. I suspect this album grows on you, but for now only four

lou reed’s best solo album, this is just excellent — it’s produced by bowie and mick ronson, and you can really tell, they combine with reed’s songwriting incredibly well.

Man, there's just something about this album that made me fall in love with Lou Reed. So many great songs that are just catchy and meaningful and... comforting? His voice sounds totally disassociated from what he's singing, but he makes it work. The instrumentals are nice and varied and used perfectly. Just one of those albums that comes together in its entirety and clicks on every level.

LP

Some great songs. Perfect day.

Certainly interesting to see the beginnings of what his supporters believed in. Perfect Day is such an incredible song. Walk On the Wild Side is such a classic along with Satellite of Love. But there's a few oddballs in the mix as well.

Clássico. Maravilhoso.

One of my favourite albums. Pretty much anything Bowie produced was amazing. Love Lou Reed's dry sarcastic wit and lyric delivery. Some of the best glam rock has to offer.

Some parts were coffee by the fireplace, while other parts were strolling down the street in studded leather. A good balance, I'd say.

Some good songs on this one, but also some throw aways. Doesn’t reach the heights of the Velvet Underground and Nico.

I'm sorry, my rules are strict; if you have a song with the lyric "little girl", you lose a star, no matter how good the rest is.

Loved the well known tracks, they were excellent. Not so bothered about most of the rest. Think the great tracks elevated it to a 4*

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.

Nah, not for me. Perfect Day was better as a cover by loads of different people, none of the others are particularly memorable

Lou Reed....what else is there to say

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.

Almost gave this a bonus star just for making me laugh

One of those albums where the lesser knows tracks outperform the chart toppers...

Never have heard this album before, but obviously knew a few of the hits. Apparently all of the Lou Reed songs I know are on this album. When is the last time you've heard a tuba as a bassline? I loved this album.

This is magnificent! I love every single song.

The older I get, the more I love Lou Reed. Among musicians that are artists...I think he is a king. He didn't give a fuck what anyone else was doing, he just did what he wanted. The Velvet underground never got him any commercial success and his first album was kinda blah, so hooking up with Bowie (who produced this album) while he was in Europe he came up with this masterpiece. Walk on the Wild Side, Sattelitte of Love, NY Conversation. All amazing. Love this.

Say what you will about Lou Reed, he always puts together an interesting album. It's been a few years since I've revisited Transformer. For some reason I always think this album is going to be more intense than it is. Perhaps its the combination of the title and cover art. Regardless, this is a cool album. Relax, yet very engaging, like a lot of Reed's work. Perhaps his finest work outside of the Velvet Underground 4/5

Taboe-doorbrekend, en met goeie muziek

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.

True understated genius.

Transformer is a huge departure from Lou Reed’s work with the Velvet Underground. While it still focuses on the transgressive elements of New York City, this album is driven by a very camp aesthetic that reminds me of the Kinks more experimental work. Perhaps this can be explained by its British production and recording. David Bowie’s production lends a glam rock feel, but there are jazzy American elements here as well that ground it as definable Lou Reed.

Brilliant. Bowie's backing vocals on Satellite of Love provide one of rock's priceless moments.

9/10 Best Song - Perfect Day

Love Lou Reed. Perfect day, wak on the wild side

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.

Didn't like the whole album, just a couple of songs.

Great album, love lou Reed

Några bangers

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.

Amo esse álbum <3

Well, I tried. I just do not get Lou Reed whatsoever.

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

lou reeed is smoooooth

I really dig it

Classic.

Yep, good one

Much better storytelling voice than Dylan. Can actually sing too

Amazing album. Very influential. I can hear why a lot of bands got inspired by his sound.

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.