Transformer

Plz don’t let me down

produced by Bowie, glam. wild side and perfect day and satellite of love stand out. semms kind of queer coded at times

You know how some albums you just desperately want to love? It seems immoral and wrong not to love them? This is one of those. It has some unbelievable highs, and on paper it seems like everything should be perfect, but it’s never fully landed with two feet for me, in spite of many tries. I still love how Lou appreciates the value of life on the fringes, and those unbelievable highs I was talking about are enough to drag Transformer up to a 4 from a 3, but barely.

3.5 really

lekker!!

me gusto mucho, muy buenas vibras. por momentos me hizo sentir que estaba en una peli vieja y me divirtio eso.

É um album bem divertido

Great opener in Vicious. Perfect Day is a beautiful song too. Walk on the Wild Side is the ubiquitous classic from the album. I'm so free is another great one. Overall excellent album!

Mis canciones favoritas fueron las con vientos y cuerdas

Lou Reeds singing takes some getting used to, but once you do I think this album is great. The two biggest songs on this album, Walk on the Wildside and Perfect day are truly incredible songs. Perfect day always reminds me of my best days when I was severely depressed. Having fleeting good moments with an overwhelming cloud of dread just on the horizon. Meanwhile Walk on the Wildside is, of course, a hugely important countercultural anthem. It's a messy and perhaps imperfect look at the queer community of the time, but in that I think it resonated even harder at the time and still today. It also has probably the most number of trans people individually mentioned in a song that I know of, which is pretty laudable for 1972. On the otherhand the term "little girl" to refer to a woman has not exactly aged and sometimes the Bowie production gets to the point where I'm wondering whether I'm listening to a lite-bowie album because Lou Reed is clearly channelling him on some of these songs. I do really like Hangin' 'Round though! Gnerally I thought the songs I hadn't heard before on here were somewhere between pretty good and just okay.

I really enjoyed Reed's glam phase in the early 70s. Mick Ronson & David Bowie put this record together well.

Never listend before. I Liked it. But would not listen much again.

Franchement album vraiment agréable à écouter. J'ai d'abord eu peur que le style reste dans sa zone de confort avec des morceaux de folk simples et assez peu travaillés mais ça n'a pas été le cas. Franchement c'est ce que j'ai préféré, je trouve que l'album offre une plutôt bonne diversité avec des parties dominées par le piano vraiment cool comme sur le deuxième son, des envolées aux niveaux de la voix qui font sortir du style "Bob Dylan" classique et un peu barbant, et des morceaux plus minimalistes comme "Satellite of Love". En résumé, c'est une bonne surprise qui a su dépasser mes attentes

Interesting album with some wierd songs and bunch of great ones. The vibe and sound was spot on and I enjoyed listening to this one. I have to admit that I had heard of Lou Reed but didn't know that he was behind Perfect Day and Take a Walk On The Wildside. Solid album that I might listen to again. 3,5/5 that I'll round to 4.

Reminds me of my dad, all songs I grew up hearing. It's a good album!

It is simply a great album. If there's anything to criticize, it's probably the slight drop in quality between the "classics" and the deep cuts, but that is about it.

There's a fine line between gorgeous slacker poetry and underbaked stream-of-consciousness that needed another pass. Songwriters like Stephen Malkmus, Cameron Winter, and Mr. Reed thrive in this space. And it's hard to quantify when it hits or doesn't. They don't seem to care either way. "You're so vicious" as a hook never jived with me. (I feel the same way about "big green boat/big green coat.") But if anyone in rock history had enough swagger to sell lines like that, it's Lou. And it makes the rest of this record, especially with all-time classics like "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day," easier to buy into. In fact, I'm second guessing myself. Maybe it's all just brilliant. I sure like listening to it either way.

album solido y entretenido: 4/5 cancion fav: Perfect Day

Solid, a bit less of the bits that you find in preferred Lou songs.

Pretty stellar Side A, all the songs range from great to fantastic. "Wild Side" is absolutely great, and "Vicious" and "Perfect Day" are also wonderful. Side B has some great songs too, it's just that "Telephone Conversation" and "Goodbye Ladies" don't really do enough for me and take me out of the whole experience. Minus thoae two songs though? This album rules.

It's wild that more people don't talk about how influential Lou Reed was. He had a mirror on the true counter-culture.

I enjoyed this a lot

eita surpresa boa!!! eu gostei de praticamente todas as faixas. redondinho e uma delicia de ouvir, interessante como esse álbum produzido pelo bowie me encantou mais do que os albuns do próprio bowie que já saiu pra mim.

I was dreading this when it came up. The only time I’ve ever listened to Lou Reed was the album he did with Metallica which I detest. This however I really enjoyed. Perfect Day in particular was a brilliant song. I’d only ever heard cover versions or parody’s of it before. Top Track - Perfect Day

Another top album.

Good album with some great tracks

“Walk on the Wild Side” and “Satellite of Love” are great songs off this album by Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed.

Any album containing Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side and Satellite of Love is always gonna be a strong album and this does not disappoint.

This was really enjoyable. I think I have listened to Transformer in the past, but it didn't really leave an impression, however this play, while I was continuously trying to pay attention, was different. Away from the (great) famous tracks, I really enjoyed New York Telephone Conversation and Goodnight Ladies for their general weirdness. Plus the latter is a piano and tuba song, which I very much appreciate. And I have always loved Satellite of Love. I think this would be a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding up because it's better than a 3. 4/5

The quintessential Lou Reed solo release

Não é um forte 4/5 mas é um bom álbum. Algumas músicas gostei bastante e outras nem por isso.

Sloppy in a cool and comfortable kind of way, and not nearly as pretentious as VU. I can dig it.

Lou Reed really got up one day and made one of the best Glam Rock album of all time. I'm usually not a big fan of this guy, but this one is great!

My favorite album in Lou Reed's career. A kind of sarcastic glam rock with catchy moments and a more playful delivery for him than his usual stuff. Love that one!

pretty good, kinda whimsical. didnt listen intently, just passively i liked it

I have heard this before and I own it. I’ve listened to this within the past few months. It’s got a few of my favorite Lou songs on it including Walk On the Wild Side - first heard this on the really lazy sample/semi cover that marky mark and the funky bunch did and then as the better sample on Can I Kick It by Tribe Called Quest, before finally hearing an edited down version on classic rock radio. Most of the songs are bangers except for the ones with tuba, nothing against the noble tuba, but the songs that incorporate it are either lacking or have that throwback cabaret style that was popular at the time but just doesn’t hit it for me. Still, it’s one of my favorite Lou Reed solo albums, at least in the top 3.

while it's no metal machine music, this album is pretty good too. "walk on the wild side" and "satellite of love" are some highlights. this "wagon wheel" is superior to the 'hootie' version, which i was surprised to learn was actually co-written by bob zimmerman.

You can really feel Bowie’s strong influence. I wish I had heard it for the first time. “Perfect Day” is just perfect. 8/10

Some all time classic tracks and an all round decent album

4.

pretty funny, this one is. two teletubbies ass songs is a bit much tho 4.5/5

Ironically, I'd probably given this a 5 if I weren't sick of Walk On the Wild Side. Lots of excellent songs here.

If there’s something this generator has taught me to appreciate, it’s the Velvet Underground and associated acts, and Transformer feels like the perfect next step. It’s got that cool, grimy confidence, but it’s also weirdly warm in spots. The songs are sharp without trying too hard, and the whole thing just has a vibe that sticks. “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Perfect Day are both great, and “Satellite of Love” is one of those songs you can catch yourself humming later. Favorite song: Perfect Day

4/5 - I listened to this twice and I'll play it again. Shouldn't have taken me this long to listen to the whole thing, as I have no prejudice against talk-singing in rock, and Reed is one of the originals. Bowie's production works for me here, and I didn't even mind the tuba.

I was familiar with some of the songs but I've never listened to the album start to finish in its entirety. I can see why it's a classic. I can imagine how it'd be more nostalgic if I'd grown up listening to it. I'm not sure it'll be in my solid rotation though. Great to be familiar with it for reference during social connections, trivia, etc.

Very fun:) I can imagine it playing with Queen and Bowie. First intro to him outside of velvet underground. I consistently liked the odd numebered songs more than the even.

4/5 Was this album better than yesterday’s album, Virgin Suicides by Air? No.

8/10 - soft rock

Grande album pieno di hit

Well this is just brilliant. It’s probably not quite a 5 but a solid 4.5 for me as a couple of the tracks are so so… Satellite of love remains one of my all time favourite songs.

Ah yes, Lou Reed. I knew his music before getting suggested this album. Never been a big fan, but have nothing against him, either. Only problem with this album is that, musically, it's more of the same Velvet Underground, just maybe a bit less transgressive. Don't know what it was like live, or how it was produced, though, people say David Bowie was involved in the production. Don't know, don't care.

I get that everyone probably comes to this as a series of singles or just via other culture (Perfect Day via soundtracks etc) but there’s so much good stuff on this. Vicious a great opener. Really enjoyed I’m So Free. Satellite of Love quite affecting. Two well known ones are obviously brilliant.

Welp, I have avoided Lou Reed my whole life because I always hated "Walk on the Wild Side" and I never liked Velvet Underground. But I listened to it. It was AMAZING. Every song was unique. Every song was a piece of art. So many genres, strange lyrics, strange music. It was very cool.

I don't think I've ever heard the full album, though I do seem to recall hearing/reading that this was one of his better solo albums; I'm familiar with 3 of the 11 songs (Vicious; Walk/Wild Side; Satellite). I think I'll give this one 4 stars, which is higher than I expected. I've long liked The Velvet Underground, but always sort of shied away from Lou Reed's solo work, partly because of his ("singing") voice, but also maybe a little because he seemed kind of . . . dark and scary. I think, in a small way, he colored how I thought about New York City, when I lived there (1983-87); he seemed like a quintessential New Yorker. My first exposure to Lou Reed, I think, was hearing "Walk on the Wild Side" on the radio (released November 1972, a few months after we moved to Jacksonville); I think even my 10-year-old self was a little surprised that it was played on the radio, but the song was (and is) undeniably cool and catchy. So, regarding the other 8 songs (that were not familiar to me - although 1 or 2 of them did sound a little familiar), I'd again say: a bit better than I expected, with an impressive variety of styles, and a good overall sound. And the singing voice, while slightly off-putting, wasn't really a big problem. So, yeah, not a 5 (for me, anyway - though I'm sure it is for a lot of people), but not a 3, either, so 4 it is (for me). P.S. After listening a second time to the songs I didn't know previously, I liked them overall maybe slightly less, so would probaby go for 3.5, if that were an option, but still choose a 4 over a 3.

não sou uma grande fã do Lou Reed mas esse álbum até que é bem bom. (ouvi na quarta-feria, dia 11 de fevereiro de 2026)

7/10

Didn't zone out alot. Usually upbeat music. Know 1 song prior to listening the album already. Alot about ladies

What a wild album (pun not intended) that could have both an incredible song like Perfect Day and then whatever the hell New York Telephone Conversation is

Classic album, didn't know all the songs but enjoyed and reminded me of listening to music with my dad.

Nice, starting the week off weird. I remember listening to Perfect Day a lot in undergrad. It somehow succeeds in sounding both depressing and uplifting.

Lekkere hitjes en goei fillers, maar niet alles top

This is a really good album. You can feel the David Bowie influence. A lot more tuba than I was expecting. But to be fair, I wasn't really expecting any tuba.

Several classics on here that are just great; Perfect Day the standout obviously. Some of the tracks had fairly laughable lyrics. An enjoyable listen, sneaks into four stars.

4.5

No. 100 Definitely got Bowie vibes before reading that he produced it. Really liked the album.

walking around listening to walk on the wild side made me feel like i was in a commercial highlights: Vicious

Mer varierat än väntat, flera hitar, bra känsla och attityd!

Genomgående trevligt, och hitsen höjer det helt klart ett snäpp!

Inte helt min stil, men ändå flera bangers och överlag väldigt najs. Känner mig generös.

Mycket trevligt!

The first domino in a series of events that trigger the rise of Michael Cera in the mid-2000's.

This may be my favorite Lou Reed album so far. Walk on is a classic of course but I also like Perfect.

Is it weird that I prefer Berlin? Some of the lyrics on this album are terrible. Great singles though.

Some absolutely sublime songwriting on here, plus the Bowie and Ronson refresh of Reed’s sound. Doesn’t quite all land, but spectacular when it does.

finding out david bowie produced this was the most unsurprising thing ever. dope af. rip lou reed he wouldve loved blue hair and pronounce

It’s not a perfect album, but it’s undeniable how many great and influential songs there are on here. Many of my favorite from the era. It’s original, transgressive, and music that won’t get old. He was way ahead of his time in so many ways. Top songs: Perfect Day, Andy’s Chest, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love

Album je fin, lagan, sve u svemu okej

he plays guitar while i sing lou reed što bi lepo rekla lana del rey

Hubiera sido perfecto si no trajera Andys chest u-U

Some of the lyrics are a bit silly, but the gigantic anthems make up for it

Quite enjoyed that.

Sardonic

滑らかでソフトなポップロックでけっこう好み。 Metal Machine Musicしか聞いてなくてごめん。

I really enjoyed this album. The songs were either fairly catchy and/or memorable. My one complaint is that it was really short.

I like his quiet, late night-sounding rock. So chic, New York, and transgressive. Perfect Day will always remind me of that movie. I really like the last song, a paragon of the genre of last songs. There’s enough in the middle/towards the end that I’m meh about to take it down a star, but plenty to elevate it beyond 3.

More like 3.5-4 range. Obviously some classics but a few weak tracks

great album! one more for the collection.. 01/21/2026

Lou Reed is often painted as a prickly, John Lennon type, but musically this is pure McCartney juxtaposed with frank descriptions of sex, drugs, and self-loathing. Nice to hear him at a time where he was able to consistently keep pitch, too.

Harry, mark and john

Considered a classic, and for good reason. 4/5

I love walk on the wild side

Probably need more Lou Reed in my life. Solid album.

Gostei muito! Já tinha ouvido falar do Lou Reed e conhecia (mesmo sem saber) uma de suas músicas. O único ponto negativo do album é que eu tive que pesquisar para entender as letras, pois elas fazem referências a pessoas reais e eventos reais do circulo social do cantor. De todas as músicas, acho que Perfect Day foi a minha preferida.

This was a solid album. I liked the guitar parts in the first few songs plus I'm So Free. Vicious was prob my favorite. This albums kinda like what I would imagine the average 20 year old White dude would listen to in the 70s. Walk on the Wild Side is pretty cool too, kind of unexpected. And Goodnight Ladies is a nice ending. Overall, maybe a 6.5/10

Nunca he sido tan fan de Lou, pero después de revistar este álbum creo que puedo escuchar más de su discografía

8.5/10

Fun, quirky album Favs- Walk on the wild side, Perfect day, Vicious Worst- New York telephone conversation

Solid 70s vibe. This isn't something I would listen to on my own or its entirety except for in this setting. Its 'ok' for me? I like it but would I listen to the whole album again? Probably not.

The name Lou Reed sounds familiar but I cannot recall any of his music so I am excited to listen to it. Right off the bat, track 1 sounds very similar to Pavement. I like this sound a lot so hopefully it is consistent throughout the album. It has a very 90's sound considering it was released in 1972. Track 2 reminds me of the Violent Femmes with the kind of monotonous singing. I like it. I just discovered he was a member of The Velvet Underground, which is why the name sounds so familiar to me. That makes a lot of sense as to why his sound is also very familiar. Track 3 is different from the first two tracks, with more musical vocals and a lyrical sound. I am enjoying this. Track 4 is quite the switch up from track 3 as it is very upbeat. I am really liking this album so far. Tracks 4 and 5 were okay, I do not have much to say about them except that I am surprised track 5 is his most popular song. I feel like tracks 1 and 3 were much better. Track 6 was a little strange lyrically but it was a good song. Track 7 is very interesting, probably the most interesting song yet which is nice. I am on the last track right now and overall this album has been really good, but definitely not 5 stars. I have been trying to go off just my first instinct for ratings, so I will give this one 4 stars.

Lyrics good. Take a Look at the wild Side bekannter Song.

Really enjoyed this, having only been familiar with Walk On The Wild Side previously. Some songs were definitely a bit of a drag, but overall a very lovely listen.

Eleven songs in 36 minutes, lots of short & sweet. Lou at his best.

Lou MF Reed. that’s all.

Love this record. Such a classic.

Really pleasing on the ears and musically sound :>.

3.5

Take a walk on the wild side! Love this album.

This was great. This is the Lou read I've always expected. Really good.

This hit me like a flower.

1. Vicious=6/10 2. Andys chest=7/10 3. Perfect day=8/10 4. Hangin’’Round=7/10 5. Walk on the wild side=8/10 6. Make up=8/10 7. Satellite of love=7/10 8. Wagon wheel=7/10 9. New York telephone conversation=7/10 10. I’m so free=7/10 11. Goodnight ladies=8/10 Overall=7.5/10

Listening session: january 3nd, while taking a shower and getting ready in the morning Listened to before: have listened to some tracks on this album but not to the entire album Thoughts: don’t think I would listen to this on a daily basis but it’s a great album Favourite tracks: Perfect Day, Satellite of Love, I’m so Free

Lou Reed sounds like if Bob Dylan had a harder sound. I like it. A few lines that are a bit racist. Overall I’d listen to a few songs again.

- his voice sounds like john mulaney rock lobster i love it - vicious has a nice build methinks very fun - andy's chest weirdly reminds me of DJOs new album and def paul mccartney & magical mystery tour - perfect day so somber so sullen love it - HAY HUNNAYYY TAKE A Walk on da wyylll side - make up i like the tuba - satellite of love miiiiight be my fav oh my god this song so inspired lana ohhhhh my goooooooood - new york telephone conversation is soooo fucking mccartney i love it - goodnight ladies ugh so good love

easy! a Sagittarius baby

Already listened and loved

pretty fire. don’t listen to 70s glam rock that often, but i’ll definitely revisit this at some point. 4/5

Very much enjoyed

Way better than I expected. Never listened to anything besides the hits.

Awh so this is who signs all these songs

fav songs Perfect Day 8/10 Walk on the Wild Side - (CAN I KICK IT!!!!! ) 9/10 New York Telephone Conversation ( I only like this one cause its oddly memorable ) 6/10 Overall, I give this album like a 7/10, I don't think slow, older, sing-songy albums like this are my style 100% but i'm glad I gave it a shot

Good tracks and a nice chill vibe with real heart

This was a good album

Walk on the wild sample for can I kick it? Cool album, I liked vicious, hangin round, goodnight ladies. Would listen again!

As much as a good handful of the lyrics are dated, especially the whole song of Walk On The Wild Side, this album is a near perfect masterpiece. The songwriting of Lou Reed and his dead pan voice is not for everyone and I can get behind and understand that, while I can also acknowledge he's one of the best to do it. It's on MANY "greatest albums of all time" lists for a very good reason.

Never heared solo Lou Reed, always wondered what he did after VU (and before Metallica). Well, some nice glam / pop rock here. Some fillers are here, but even here they are quite enjoyable. Turns out he can be a good songwriter and compose music without earfuckery. Will surely return to it eventually.

чудовий альбом, він водночас звучить інтимно і глем-роково

This one is pretty consistent, but for me, a lot of the songs blend together, there's not necessarily anything I'd be racing to revisit, other than the stand outs of Perfect Day and Wild Side, both of which have endured for a reason. Reed's story telling and lyricism is really solid, and I really enjoyed the use of the Tuba on Goodnight Ladies & Make Up, it created a bit of a point of difference. Make Up is an interesting one, it's so cool to hear a song about a homosexual relationship from this era, despite it being heavily coded, the fact that it features on a release of this magnitude, from this era, is incredible.

This is the Lou Reed experience. At moments you’re in shock at the brilliance of a given song, the next you’re asking yourself how full of shit this guy is. How full of shit am I? Why is he singing like that? And on and on. Bowie producing helped greatly, if nothing more than for the street cred. I feel you can hear it distinctly on Satellite of Love.

Seano nailed this one. Lou reed is equal pAbttrdgmmthkloomkgfvbkklp🤗🤗🤗🤗🤥😮😴. My daughter took my phone and put in the last sentence but actually kinda nailed it

I’d never listened to this one all the way through and only knew the hits. Glad I’ve changed that.

Vicious. You hit me with a flower. You do it every hour. Lou Reed's second album could've been more aptly titled Transformed, you know? Bowie and Ronson quietly re-wire the record, surely pushing it into more fluid territory. It's a record flirting with greatness. Or does it land just shy of greatness for you? Could be that it's smooth, oddly exposed, and slightly ridiculous, like a shaved Honey Bear? And then you know what they say: you have a hairy-minded pink bare bear. There is a lot to Transformer I appreciate. The lyrics, certainly. The production that frames Reed's humor and weariness in a cleaner, more deliberate light. All those easy mid-tempo rockers that manage to maintain momentum within the album and not bore me like they usually do. And the ballads like Perfect Day, they elevate the album and keep me hanging on.

Lou Reed was what I needed today. I’m surprised by how much I truly enjoyed this album. I think he was a bit before his time. Mixing genres and sounds and bringing up raising questions that led to a more open and collaborative music scene.

Sublime - unpolished and often straying into performance art... but undeniably catchy and connecting in unexpected ways.

Reed's vibe is so dark and edgy that it's easy to miss the innocence and even joy in his work, but I caught it listening to this album. This is a guy whose world is probably darker than I'd want to live in, but it's honest, and he wants the same things we all do -- and he loves rock and roll.

- very clash-esque - i think this is more a sign of my current mental state, but all i could think of whilst listening was “BYLER” - i really enjoyed it but ill prolly have to give it a few more listens to REALLY get it yk (no complaints here)

I love the begging of the album. The whole thing has the right amount of absurdity.

Good and decent, with powerful messages interleaved into the songs.

Ok so not everything on this album is a hit. Perfect day and walk on the wild side are timeless classics. But it has just the right amount of Ronson guitar sprinkled in and the good Bowie-isms that give it a glam sheen but still its own thing. Music was made differently back then... Someone offers you to take the songs you wrote and put them in a whole different genre.

Another great classic, two of the best songs ever made, Walk on the wild side and perfect day. Wotws is attached to a very stong memory, I was maybe 16yo in a huge swiss chalet for new years eve with some of my parent's friends. There was a record player and I put this album, then the song played and I was just amazed and really surprised my the sax at the end of the song, truly beautiful, I was like, that's music. Even if I found the lyrics a bit to focus on women, come on Lou, life is a bigger picture than wanted to put your pipi in some poupous.

Cool! Has a song of generation

Some excellent songs and some terrible songs. 3.5 rounded up.

a good rock n roller kind of sing and songwriter gem. Lou Reed's most famous/some of the best of his solo discography shows up on this one.

Really grew on me as I listened through. Obviously some absolute classics on here. Great songwriting and quirkiness throughout. Took a little while to settle to his voice but will be listening through a second time now I have found my feet with him. Yeh, growing on me the more I listen and appreciate all the quirks and originality.

Toll

Transformer is Lou Reed’s second album after he left The Velvet Underground, and it's an extension of that band's varied vibe and street sensibility. The best tracks for me are "Vicious," "Andy's Chest," and "Hangin' 'Round." “Walk on the Wild Side." This is an unusual and even unfortunate song to be Lou Reed’s most recognizable, as it’s a stylistic outlier. Not my favorite, actually. But, it does capture the commitment Reed had in VU and as a solo artist to tell stories of the underground. This is a 4/5 album from a noteworthy artist. He probably peaked when he was in The Velvet Underground, meaning before anybody knew who he was! But we do now. Good album.

I am not sure what I expected from a Lou Reed solo effort (his 2nd, I think), but I didn’t expect the theatrical side to be so strong. Still, this is a fabulous album. It is very recognizable, but at the same time there is a lot of experimentation that is quirky, playful, odd, and some almost clamoring for stage production. While some of the content is a little saucy for me, we find Reed at his experimental best. For me, side one is most enjoyable and most accessible. I imagine that if you can embrace side two, you’ll rate this a five.

(listened before, like it)

Discazo. Simple pero efectivo. Todos temazos. Mezcla géneros pero todos a su estilo. 8/10

I think the album is weaker after Satellite of Love, barring the jazzy Goodnight Ladies, but the first half is so good that this was never getting a middling review. Perfect Day is one of the greatest songs ever, this album is a 4.

J'aime bien l'ambiance. La fin est moins bonne que le début

# Album Name: Transformer # Artist: Lou Reed # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Theres some real highs and lows on this album. Two absolutely massive tracks though. Overall an enjoyable album. Didnt quite hit the highs I hoped throughout though. # Top Tunes: Vicious / perfect day / walk on the wild side # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Incredible that Lou Reed could go from The Velvet Underground to writing some of the finest 70s pop-rock tracks around.

Lou Reed goes mainstream? Yes, and it works like a charm. Really amazing stuff, full of catchy melodies that even a vocalist with such a limited range like Reed can make work. He speak-singing style add a sort of sexiness that these songs would otherwise be lacking. It truly does sound like Lou Reed and the Spiders from Mars! Key tracks: Vicious Perfect Day Hangin' Round Walk on the Wild Side Satellite of Love

Mooi album! Ik kende 2 liedjes van dit album, maar op zich is het hele album heel mooi. Er zitten ook echt verschillende vibes bij, maar dat maakt het net leuker te luisteren. Ondertussen las ik een beetje over de betekenis van de nummers en zag dat ze vaak te maken hadden met Andy Warhol en zijn Factory, terwijl ze in conflict waren. Ook voor die tijd een heel 'alternatieve' kijk op de wereld, dat zal ook wel eens de reden zijn waarom hij en Bowie elkaar konden aanvullen in de muziek/ klankkleur en lyrics.

Not my favorite Lou Reed record, but it’s still a Lou Reed record! And for my money, he's still one of the best writers ever to turn his attention to rock and roll. I like Transformer, but the songs are a little underfed for me and I miss his distinctive, occasionally corrosive guitar tone. Too much Bowie/Ronson for me. I prefer underdog albums like Coney Island Baby and New York, but I won't turn the volume down if you put this one on.

not gonna lie to you, i liked it

Quite liked this. Different sound, not quite rock, experimenal, good sounds.

Probably my favorite glam rock album, though admittedly that's not saying much. Better than WL/WH or Loaded, but worse than the two self-titled Velvet Underground albums. For the most part it works as a fun rock album, but I've got no real need for "Walk on the Wild Side". If I want poorly-aged trans songs, I'll listen to "Lola", and if I want that bassline, I'll listen to "Can I Kick It".

A very chill and enjoyable listen

Sometimes the inability to sing doesn’t hold you back

Not my favourite by reed

My first Lou Reed listening experience was actually a lot more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be. I definitely had a preconceived notion of what this album was going to sound like and I was wrong and I'm glad I was. You can hear the Bowie influence in the melodies he chooses to sing as well as the overall vibe of many of the songs. He's not trying to sound like a Bowie clone in any way, but the sound of Lou Reed with a David Bowie filter on it is a sound I can get behind.

Man I love this album. I listened to it a lot during my life. It’s just a bunch of of Reed’s super cool narratives of New York and its art scene. Music is pretty simplistic but he does throw some curveballs like the trombone on Make Up. The songs are great and super varied, with a production that is airy and roomy and lets the songwriting shine. I’m debating four and five. Let’s do four.

I've heard some Velvet Underground and it wasn't for me, so I tiptoed into this project, but this is so much better. I can instantly appreciate the Bowie production, but what really gets me is how without Warhol, this album wouldn't have been half as good as it is. Andy is such a killer muse. Not really my favorite music producer. This project feels like American '60s rock with Bowie influences and eclectic Warhol ideas. Even though it might sound a little dated, it holds up real good half a century later. I wouldn't mind a copy in my collection, I could also live without it. 3.7/5

Listened to this recently for the first time in years. A classic for sure, as good as early Velvets? Nope. Still though, exceptional. 4 Heard before? Yes Owned: No: 30/119 (24%) Will I get? Already have a couple

Vicious - 5/5 Andy's Chest - 5/5 Perfect Day - 5/5 Hangin' 'Round - 4/5 Walk on the Wild Side - 5/5 Make Up - 4/5 Satellite of Love - 5/5 Wagon Wheel - 4/5 New York Telephone Conversation - 3/5 I'm So Free - 4/5 Goodnight Ladies - 3/5 Average score: 4.3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Really enjoyed.

Good to listen to. Lyrics strange, sometimes funny.

This one lands right in that sweet spot where weird, clever, and stylish all overlap. Lou Reed has never been what you’d call a “good” singer in any traditional sense, but somehow his talk-sing, half-shrug delivery works better here than it has any right to. It’s like he bends the entire album around his voice instead of trying to bend himself to the songs, and the whole thing ends up feeling intentional, even cool. The big tracks are undeniable. “Walk on the Wild Side” is one of those songs that feels like it’s always existed, and “Perfect Day” hits that strange emotional tension only Reed can summon: tender, ironic, and unsettling all at once. But what really surprised me were the deep cuts. The tuba drop on “Make Up” is the kind of off-kilter choice Tom Waits might pull — grimy, theatrical, oddly perfect — and “Goodnight Ladies” is a fantastic closer, all horns and late-night swagger, like the band is sweeping the floor around you as the lights come up. It’s not a flawless album, but it’s a fascinating one, full of personality and sharp writing. Reed commits to every eccentric choice, and Bowie and Ronson’s glam production somehow ties it all together without sanding down the edges. Not quite a five for me, but a rock-solid classic that I’m glad to have fully absorbed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rv/g

Another album that I have listened to a little Over the years and when it’s on, I like it. Lou reed is without a doubt so important to music and this album is great. But I already know I won’t listen to this for another 2 years. Doesn’t mean it’s not great, it’s though.

Some fantastic songs. Elements of others throwback to the Velvet Underground who I also like.

Loved Lou’s stylish vibe

Some of his best

Already a great album that I like... But listening again

Such a solid album

This album made me feel things I can't describe. I don't know how much I liked it but I can't help but give it credit for that. 8/10

Hehe

Solid album with some great songs. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson and you can tell. Has a similar sound to Bowie’s albums at the time (Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane). Favorite tracks include Vicious, Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love, Wagon Wheel, I’m So Free.

His greatest hits?

Idk man, the best so far

Impressive classic that I already knew. Most of the songs on there are absolute gems, it is concise, has scope and ambition, different sounds and some good writing. I just have some reservations concerning the themes that at times can be a bit repetitive (ok you horny I get it)and I do think it is absolutely front loaded with mega hits and the end does suffer a bit in comparison.

Great album some Bat shit crazy lyrics though.

I enjoy his stuff. He loves to layer on sounds and meaning into his work that hits me. His storytelling in this is superb. Perfect Day is a prime example of it. You feel the lyrics, same with Hanging Around. Walk on the Wild side is the breakout, it could be that I remember this getting radio play even in the 80's shows it stands the test of time. Great album.

A glam classic. Needs time and attention for optimal listening. Sleazy.

delle tracce che adoro, come perfect day e walk on the wild side

"I wonder what it would sound like if Lou Reed made The White Album?"

Some catchy, punky rock songs with that classic raw Lou Reed vocal. But it's tough to rate this 5 stars after listening to Velvet Underground days ago.

Faves: Satellite of Love, Vicious

**Lou Reed – *Transformer* (1972)** _In-depth review: lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, pros & cons_ --- ### 1. **Lyrics – Street-poet as pop-culture anthropologist** Lou Reed’s writing on *Transformer* is a **tightrope between deadpan camp and bruised sincerity**. - “**Walk on the Wild Side**” turns five Warhol “superstars” (Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Joe Dallesandro, etc.) into three-minute comic-strip myths, complete with racially-coded bass-slides and punch-line oral sex. It was **the first Top-40 hit to speak openly about race, drag, and queer sex**—and it still feels subversive because Reed delivers it like a bored tour-guide who refuses to moralize . - “**Perfect Day**” is either a love song to heroin, to a person, or to the moment when the two become indistinguishable. The string arrangement (Bowie/Ronson) tricks the ear into “pretty,” but the lyric’s final couplet—“You’re going to reap just what you sow”—plants a moral shiv. - Lesser-known cuts keep the same double vision. “**Make Up**” satirizes cosmetic femininity while clearly loving the ritual; “**Andy’s Chest**” sprays surreal one-liners (“You know I’m so horny I can’t get my tongue unfurled”) that read like Pop-art captions; “**New York Telephone Conversation**” lampoons gossip culture in the cadence of a bored housewife on Quaaludes. **Verdict:** Reed’s flat, conversational delivery lets the words sit in your lap. The jokes, threats, and confessions all arrive with the same shrug, which makes the emotional sucker-punches land harder. --- ### 2. **Music – Glam varnish on NYC grit** Musically *Transformer* is **Reed’s most accessible solo set**, but accessibility here is a **production choice**, not a creative surrender. - **Glam-rock chassis:** Mick Ronson’s guitars are T-Rex’d-out—glittery crunch on “Vicious,” syrupy sustain on “Satellite of Love.” - **Music-hall flourishes:** Tuba bass-line in “Make Up,” bar-room piano on “Goodnight Ladies,” Bowie’s falsetto counter-hooks—the album **winks at British cabaret** while retaining Reed’s urban seediness. - **Rhythm-section discipline:** Herbie Flowers’ bass (especially that **legendary chromatic slide** opening “Walk on the Wild Side”) gives the record its jazz-tinted spine; the drums are dry, close-mic’d, almost proto-punk in their refusal to swing . - **Hidden avant-gardism:** The layered drones under “I’m So Free,” the telephone-filtered vocals on “NY Telephone Conversation,” or the **string quartet drop** into “Perfect Day” show the same ear for **textural disruption** Reed honed in the Velvet Underground. **Verdict:** The songs **sound** like straightforward pop until you notice the odd bar-counts, the sudden mute-button mixes, the way guitar feedback is **treated like a backing vocal**. It’s **art-rock wearing platform boots**. --- ### 3. **Production – Bowie & Ronson’s star-dust filter** David Bowie and Mick Ronson were at **peak Ziggy-mania** when they entered Trident Studios with Reed. Their brief: **make Lou commercial without sanding off the danger**. - **Vocals forward, but hollowed:** Reed’s voice is double-tracked, lightly compressed, and **floated on top** rather than embedded; this creates the **detached narrator** effect that lets lurid content slip past radio censors . - **Glam sheen vs. street ambience:** Ronson **overdrives guitars** but leaves acoustic room-reverb on hand-claps and backing vocals, so **Chelsea hotel grit** co-exists with **Carnaby-Street gloss**. - **Orchestration as sarcasm:** The **Disney-esque strings** on “Perfect Day” or the **tacky ballroom piano** on “Goodnight Ladies” are **mixed so sweetly they become ironic**, underscoring Reed’s lyrical ambivalence. **Criticism:** Some listeners feel the **production homogenizes** Reed’s earlier rawness; Robert Christgau called the album “effete… stripped to inessentials” . There’s truth here—**“Vicious”** would bite harder without the glitter—yet the **tension** between Reed’s deadpan and Bowie’s theatrics is precisely what gives *Transformer* its queer-camp frisson. --- ### 4. **Themes – Glamour, gender, voyeurism, addiction** - **Queer visibility:** Released in Nov 1972, the same month Bowie declared himself gay on Melody Maker, *Transformer* **soundtracks a moment** when gender fluidity stepped from underground clubs into the suburban hi-fi. - **Urban voyeurism:** Reed **doesn’t judge** his subjects; he **catalogues** them—trans sex-workers, drug buddies, telephone gossips—turning **New York’s demi-monde** into a **comic-book pantheon**. - **Addiction as romance:** “Perfect Day” and “Wagon Wheel” treat **getting high** like a date-night; the moral hangover is present but never sermonized. - **Fame & self-mythology:** Songs name-check Andy Warhol, the Factory, and Reed’s own reputation (“You know me, I’m so free”)—**Transformer** is partly Reed’s **instruction manual on how to turn notoriety into pop art**. --- ### 5. **Influence – The ripple effect** - **Pop culture:** “Walk on the Wild Side” bass-line has been **sampled** (Marky Mark, Tribe Called Quest), **covered** (M. Ward, Duran Duran), and **licensed** to sell everything from **PlayStation** to **LGBT tourism**—a rare case of corporate media **paying to queer the pitch**. - **Punk & post-punk:** The **dry drum sound**, street-narrative lyrics, and **detached vocal** were **blueprints** for everyone from **Television** to **Joy Division**; Reed’s **“I’m So Free”** is basically a **proto-power-pop** template. - **Alt-cabaret & art-pop:** Tori Amos, Rufus Wainwright, Antony & the Johnsons, and **Héloïse Letissier (Christine & the Queens)** all cite *Transformer* as proof that **intimate confession and camp theatricality** can share a stage. - **Queer rock canon:** Alongside Bowie’s *Ziggy* and *Hunky Dory*, *Transformer* **legitimized gender-non-conforming narratives** in rock’s top-40—an impact still measured in **LGBTQ+ visibility** decades later . --- ### 6. **Pros & Cons – The quick balance sheet** | PROS | CONS | |------|------| | Contains **three unimpeachable classics** (“Walk on the Wild Side,” “Perfect Day,” “Satellite of Love”) plus **deep-cut gems** (“Andy’s Chest,” “I’m So Free”) that **never flag on melody** . | **Filler quotient:** “Hangin’ Round” and “Wagon Wheel” are **rollicking but lightweight**; some critics find **half the album forgettable** after the hits . | | **Lyrics** that **normalize queer life, sex-work, drugs** without sermon or sensationalism—**still radical in 2025** . | Reed’s **limited vocal range** can feel **monotone across eleven tracks**; if you don’t buy the **talk-sing charisma**, the album **drags** . | | **Bowie/Ronson production** gives **gloss without sanitizing**; orchestral touches add **ironic glamour**. | Production **dates the record** to glam-era 1972; **over-driven guitars and cabaret flourishes** can scan as **cartoonish** to ears bred on punk minimalism . | | **Cohesive persona:** every song contributes to a **unified portrait** of Lou-as-flaneur, **urban poet laureate** of the forbidden. | **Not as musically adventurous** as *Berlin* or as **raw** as *Velvet Underground*; some fans miss the **noise quotient** and **existential dread** of earlier work . | | **Historical import:** **First openly queer Top-40 hit**, **template for art-pop** and **punk detachment**—**cultural footprint outweighs any sonic quibble**. | If you demand **vocal virtuosity** or **prog-level complexity**, *Transformer* will feel **under-powered** and **over-hyped** . | --- ### 7. **Bottom line** *Transformer* is **not Lou Reed’s most experimental hour**, but it is his **most perfectly framed**. Bowie and Ronson’s **glam filter** turns street-reportage into **pop art**, while Reed’s **stone-cold conversational lyrics** make **gender-fluid, drug-tinged vignettes** feel as **everyday** as a phone call. The album’s **influence on punk, queer rock, and alt-cabaret** is incalculable, and its **best songs** remain **untouchable standards** half a century on. Accept the **occasional filler** and the **period-production sheen**, and *Transformer* still **opens a door to the wild side**—no apologies, no safety net, just **Lou Reed lighting a cigarette and telling you how it really is**.

Some great moments on this record but a few stinkers. Almost perfect but not quite

Walk On The Wild Side is still the best track from this album

Lou Reed possui uma das minhas vozes preferidas de todo o Rock, eu adoro a forma com que ele entrega seus vocais. A produção de David Bowie complementa brilhantemente o estilo lírico e vocal de Reed, é um casamento feito no paraíso. Não sou um cara que costuma prestar atenção em letras, mas no caso de Transformer, é impossível não notar as cenas que Reed constroi em cada uma de suas canções. São todas pura poesia beat, entregues com a voz agridoce do cantor, e tudo ornamentado lindamente pela produção mínima e de ótimo gosto. Infelizmente, acho este disco um pouco desbalanceado. Seu primeiro lado é infalível, mas não acho o mesmo do segundo lado. Acho que ele se perde um pouco chegando perto do final, infelizmente. Ainda assim é um ótimo disco, mas há uma faixa ou outra que não me conquistam completamente. Dito isso, continua sendo um fantástico álbum. O que não me surpreende considerando o trabalho de Lou Reed com o Velvet Underground, e a minha infinita apreciação da década de 1970. 4.5/5

I enjoy the Lou Reed voice. The simplistic music that's just decent rock and roll. Love that Bowie produced this.

It’s a very good album, but not as amazing as the hype would have you think. Then again, we should all take hypes with a pinch of salt. 4/5

Best Lou solo album.

I had no idea Perfect Day was by Lou Reed. Such an amazing song! Immediate flash-back to Trainspotting. Walk on the Wild Side is another I have heard and remember listening to with my dad.

Some of the best songs you’ll even listen to but let down by a couple.

Mostly enjoyed. Not sure too many of these would be written now but enjoyed. ‘Goodnight ladies’ is a strong finish.

Perfect Day is just really good. Walk on the Wild Side also talks respectfully about matters that used to be, and maybe still are, very much taboo, and is at the same time a very fun song

Extremely enjoyable album. I don’t think there was a song I didn’t like. Lou Reed’s got such a dry and deadpan voice that’s almost offputting at times, it really makes his solo music and his work with the Velvet Underground so distinct. The production’s also very good and varied on this.

A classic

This was good, but it didn’t hit hard enough. I had very high expectations for this one and the Bowie production shows, but I’d rather take at least 3 other Velvet Underground albums over this one if I was looking for some Lou Reed. I’ll give it a low 4 because I’m pretentious.

Transformer manages to break the mold and serve as a biting insight into social issues still plaguing us today

Car with katherine

This is the "big" Lou Reed album. Makes sense – it's aggressively VU-ish right from the opener. Vicious is an excellent start: it's fast, groovy, has a fantastic distorted guitar line, and (of course) includes Reed's deadpan vocal that emulates Dylan and early Bowie. Satellite of Love is in the conversation for one of Reed's finest creations. Again, intensely Bowie-esque; it wouldn't be at all out of place on Ziggy Stardust. Perfect Day continues the conversation: it's genuinely a really strong track, beating out nearly all VU tracks (as compositions) as though they never existed. Who would've thought a gritty proto-punk proto-rapper whose main focus is realist, street-smart poetry could compose such a beautiful ballad? I really like the strings, piano, soft drumming... everything about it. This is the album's strongest track. Perhaps surprisingly, I hadn't heard Walk On the Wild Side before today. It's strong – but not top-3 (on the album) material. The sax solo is cool but a little out of place for the style Reed's going for. The two-chord progression also gets old really quickly. Seeing a track called New York Telephone Conversation is definitely cause for concern. Fortunately, it's essentially an early-70s campy piano track, even complete with the high-pitched, out-of-tune vocal harmony. Very charming, but probably the weakest song of the bunch. Though it did make me realise: this album doesn't have much going on musically. Half the appeal is knowing that the likes of Lou Reed (and other rock/underground/glam giants of the era) are involved. "But she never lost her head / Even when she was giving head / She says, "Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side"" Dang. I love how shamelessly blunt Lou Reed's lyrics can be. This one's right up there with Heroin and The Gift. 4/5 Key tracks: Vicious, Perfect Day, Satellite of Love

Unique Lou reed. Always fun.

I dont know why I had never listened to this. 8/10

Wow i actually love this record! Of course I’d seen the cover before but I guess I just never came around to actually checking it out. While the instrumentals are quit simple, it does strike a nostalgic string and it feels so warm and fuzzy. The lyrics are such a creative way of talking about theme’s like love and loneliness. Maybe it just also hit me at the right time, but this was a pleasant surprise!!

Take a long time to appreciate this. Now I like the down-to-earth approach of his solo albums. It's very fun to listen to, have different moods through the album. The lyrics have something very unique that engage you in the storytelling. Very interesting and simple at the same time.

I know this album is high rated but I was only digging take a walk on the wild side. A few others where good at times but lost momentum

Kaikin puolin kelpo teos. Ei olis varmaan luu riidiäkään hirveesti tullut kuunneltua ilman tätä ”haastetta”. Levyllä sopivasti erilaisia biisejä ja Reedin välittyi tuli hienosti läpi

Ihan hyvä levy, sopivasti vaihtelua ja mukavaa seiskytluvun rokkia. Tältä levyltä olikin tuttuja jo Perfect Day ja Walk On the Wild Side. Tää on tällanen aika sopiva nelosen levy.

Tässä oli kyllä pari sen verran hyvää biisiä ja muutenkin ihan mukava meininki, että on melkeen nelonen täräytettävä.

Noniin Yrtsi, miltä meno nyt maistuu? Tän ostin joskus seedeenä svämp myysikistä ja tuli kuuneltuukin kohtalaisesti ja ihailtua kansikuvissa olevaa kaveria, jolla oli tiukassa farkussa banaani lahkeessa. Albuumina tää lukeutuu varmaan johonkin glam-rokin lähdeteoksiin tms. Ihan hyvii veisuja täynnä ja sellasia kunnon ikivihreitäkin. Vahvaa tekemistä ilmeisesti täysmulkero äijältä. Ei nyt sillain mitään mullistavaa tai todellista eteen_näyttäjää, joten ihan ei täysii pisteitä pysty antaan. Kuitenkin heleppo nelkkukelkku. Metal Machine Musicia sitten vaan oottelemaan, jos vaikka joku kuratoija on pikkuhönössä keksinyt, että tää pitäs kyl kaikkien kuulla ennen alakertaan siirtymistä.

Noniin Yrtsi, miltä meno maistuu? Eipä ollut tästäkään Yrtsin meininkien lisäksi tuttuja biisejä entuudestaan kuin Perfect Day, molemmat kyllä pirun kovia kappaleita! Muuten vähän ehkä hajuton ja mauton levy, mutta plussaa siitä että on sopivan mittainen, eikä tuolla nyt mitään varsinaisesti paskoja biisejä ole seassa yhtään. Muutamasta biisistä (erityisesti Satellite of Love) tuli aika paljon Ziggy Stardustin aikainen Bowie mieleen. Tai no, tämähän oli ennen sitä, joten kai Bowiesta tulee sitten tämä mieleen. Itseasiassa kaikissa menobiiseissä olin kuulevinani Mick Ronsonin kitarasaundia, eli olisiko tämä levy ollut vähän niinkuin suunnannäyttäjä glamrock-meininkeihin? Tykkään kyllä tuosta pintaan tuodusta Lou Reedin laiskasta laulusta. Tämä olisi viikko sitten ollut kirpparilla vinyylinä kahdeksalla eurolla, nyt vähän semisti harmittaa etten ostanut. Sen verran tullut nyt kolmea ja kahta tähteä annettua, että annetaan ihan vastavoimana tälle neljä tähteä, ja yritetään ottaa reissu uudestaan sille kirpparille missä tämä oli vinskana.

produceret af bla david bowie. Gammel frontmand fra velvet underground. åbenbart tekster om byens tabere og lidt tørt osv. Det er sgu da meget fedt. Del af en scene hvor the factory og andy warhol tog del, som var meget præget af drag, hustlere og perfomance kunstnere. Fortæller om folk der ikke passer ind, deraf også queer og LGQBGTSDFLA miljø som var atypisk for sin tid. SYnes det er fedt at støtte op om mennesker der ikke føler de passer ind. Gælder både seksualitet men også bare generelt hvordan man opfatter verden og ens sted i den. Det er glamrock, art rock og singersong writer og en smule proto-punk? har svært ved at se proto-punk delen selv, men den er der åbenbart. også lang tid siden jeg har haft et punk album. Tror måske det er teksterne og så minimalisme i instrumenter som spiller ind her. Jeg synes det er godt. jeg elsker jo det teatralske i glam rocken og lyden af det. Kan godt lide bowie og kan godt lide T-rex f.eks.

Okay so I didn't love it at first. It was too abrasive, loud and pointed for me at the moment in time. And then i listened again. I don't know this type of music: its familiar. And I really liked some of the songs: perfect day or good night ladies. I love how intentional the piano feels. I like the humour in the lyrics here and there! I keep thinking he is saying fishes in the vicious song and it's so funny. But i still can't get over the voice. He seems like he's reading to me always!

Mr Velvet Underground. Jak odpalałem, to nie wiedziałem, że to ziomek z VU, ale po jednej nutce się zorientowałem. Przychylni powiedzieliby, że to duchowy spadkobierca VU, złośliwi, że kopiuj-wklej. I obie strony by miały rację. Wiele utworów było bardzo podobnych do konkretnych piosenek VU i nawet układ albumu był zbliżony, ze skocznym otwarciem ("Vicious" - "What Goes On", nawet riffy są bardzo podobne), romantyczną odą w pierwszej połowie ("Perfect Day", zdecydowanie jeden z moich ulubionych utworów, klimatem zbliżony do "Pale Blue Eyes"), eksperymentalnym kawałkiem w 2/3 krążka i goofy utworem o stylistyce zupełnie odmiennej od całej reszty na końcu ("Goodnight Ladies", które kojarzyło mi się z "After Hours"). I pewnie jakbym poświęcił temu trochę więcej czasu, to znalazłbym jeszcze więcej podobieństw. Jedynym przesunięciem względem VU jest zrobienie kroku w stronę subwersji i pikanterii, a odjęcie eksperymentalnej i art-rockowej warstwy. Taki skręt w stronę wizerunku rockmana. Jednak już patrząc na ten album jako kompletny stand-alone - ma dużą słuchalność, jest naprawdę fun i to po prostu kawał dobrej muzyki. Na pewno będę wracał.

Glamowy sen Lou Reeda o Nowym Jorku. Świetna płyta, produkcja Bowiego, mocne 4.

Can't believe this is the same guy that did Mambo #5. What range he's got (jk jk)

Always enjoyable

I liked this! I hadn't heard much Lou Reed before and dug it

Take a Walk on The Wild Side is an underrated song that deserves more praise. Rest of the album was good. Nice pick for a Friday!

Really enjoyed this album - much, much more than Berlin. Reed is batting a thousand on side one; "Vicious," "Andy's Chest" (apparently written to cheer up Andy Warhol after someone shot him in the chest), "Perfect Day," "Hangin' 'Round," and "Walk on the Wild Side" are all great. I don't like side two quite as much (the quirky "New York Telephone Conversation" is fun though). I'd have considered rating this a 5 if there was a little more power on side two. Reed looks like Frankenstein's Monster on the album cover. Just an observation, not a criticism.

A classic album and work of art curated by a personal soul. “Walk On The Wild Side” and “Perfect Days”, the two most popular songs on the album, got the love they deserved—for they, as well as the rest, were way ahead of their time. We need more artists like Lou Reed today.

Love the vibe, the general casual-ness and I hear threads of this style all throughout modern indie. Songwriting and arranging are very strong, and the guitar work is great (Mick Ronson?). HATE Lou's vocals

Did you know this dude's parents forced him to get electric shock 'therapy' as a kid

Thank you Mr Reed for inventing being awkward cool I promise I will not try and abuse your vision for my own disgusting ends FOUR STARS

almost infantile, yet enjoable

Obviously iconic album, as is this Earthern legend. However, when I hear Lou Reed, I want to listen to the velvet Underground. Love them. Mal

7/10

Kick ass Bowie produced Lou Reed album. Lou trying to make you uncomfortable with the subject matter in his songs. His spoken word singing in some parts isn't his best but the music is killer.

such a good opening track

My only experience with Lou Reed's music up to this point in time is having heard the album 'The Velvet Underground' before, so I was going absolutely blind and I didn't know what to expect of it when listening to this for the first time (I didn't even know 'Walk on the Wild Side' was in this record). So it seems like Lou Reed decided to depart from the psychedelic rock scene and lean towards the glam rock sound with the help of David Bowie in both the production and the songs as backing vocals, acoustic guitar and keyboards. And honestly, he did an incredible job. I found this album to be extremely likeable thanks to the rich instrumentation, his charming voice and the interesting lyrics, Fantastic album. Not perfect (some of the latests songs are a bit weak), but still incredible.

Fun listen! some good tunes. can i kick it "walk on the wild side" was fun

You gotta smoke a cigarette in a back alley while listening to this one. Or literally take a walk on the wild side.

Love the quirky lyrics in particular

Klassikko, tää ollu vahvasti kuuntelulistalla pitkään -A

Couple of iconic songs in Perfect Day & Wild Side. You can definitely hear the Bowie influence on the album. Some of the songs are a little drab. Not really an album I would return to and re-listen in its entirety.

very chill

Not that wild anymore!

This is the same guy that made Lulu

Love this!!!!! Such a classic

Hits are genius. The other tracks…..are a chore

I totally get why it's so revered, but as an album...meh. I think I like Lou Reed as a concept more than I like most of his output. This probably has the greatest concentration of songs of his I like - Perfect Day and Satellite of Live are great, WOTWS is iconic, Vicious is groovy enough...but I just don't vibe with his more cabaret type things. Really, this is a 3 to me - not appalling, just OK - but those 3 really 4 songs push it to a 4. Just.

Very good album. Lou is very talented and his music is fun and different.

Better than I thought

Familiar songs placed in album context can def ehar bowie in it was really chill and enjoyable.

Like, very good. So groovy wtf.

Delightfully bizarre and very entertaining.

Not one mention of the All Spark??!

Can see why so many of my favorite rock artists cite Lou Reed as a major influence

sort of hit or miss for me but the best songs are sooo good. Pretty basic but my favs are walk on the wild side and perfect day. These are actually accurate unlike the belle and Sebastian album 😭

Lou Reed’s lyrics and guitar work fit on some tracks, but can also be slightly clunky/abrasive at times. The songs it clicks on are super great, like Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side. This album sounds and feels a lot like his previous stuff with the Velvet Underground. Standout tracks: Perfect Day, Walk On the Wild Side, Hangin’ ‘Round

I liked this. I've heard a couple of songs, but didn't know the artist at all

Lots of really good stuff here. The album as a whole didn’t quite get to a 5 for me. Regardless it deserves a spot on this list. I was happy to have listened to this.

Great

Очень интесный альбом! Музыка такая с одной стороны энергичная, а с другой, мягкая. 8 из 10.

This was great - a very enjoyable listen. Fantastic, interesting songs. An album I know I should have listened to prior and now I’m very glad I did.

Aantal klassiekers (met recht) en overall een interessante sfeer. Lekker album.

His sleepy voice has grown on me considerably after multiple listens. Perfect Day and Wild Side were already solid listens, but everything else was new to me and all but NY Telephone Conversation treat me well. I’m at a solid 3.5.

I swear you could have put David Bowie in place of Lou here and it would sound like it was a Bowie album.

Lovely Lou

solid lou

If you've never heard it, it brings a vibe not easily found. The whole album is good, with some serious gems within. Pairs well with washing your car or rolling blunts.

Big fan of this album!

Класний альбом, круто зіграно, є прям хітяри. Дуже стильна міська музика, не тривіальна, але й не експертиментальна як на The Velvet Underground. Вважаю, що дуже жлобський мув брати 100% роялті з Can I Cick It за бас лінію, яку ти навіть не зіграв. Тому оцінку понижаємо до 4.

This record surprised me by leaning into some pop sensibilities and using them to elevate the confrontational aspects of pink and No-Wave. Lou Reed harnesses his ghost writing experience for his own artistic ends instead of turning his back on the whole shebang like other artist in the scene.

Ok so it is the Lou Reed record with the hits, sure. Relistening to it now though.. I do think I'd rather put on The Blue Mask, New Sensations, or New York first.

Veldig chill, flere kjente sanger

perfect dаy - норм песня.

Enjoyable listen. Some of it was a little different but that is okay.

Really, really good. Holds up well. Some timeless hits.

Bookended by two excellent songs. Enjoyed listening to this one.

Fav song: Perfect Day

This was a fun ride all the way through. Perfect Day and I’m So Free were the best tracks.

Transformer was my first Lou experience. Before velvet, Before anything else. I guess it's a norm for many, as it includes his most well known songs. But it does more than contain singles. It deliveres a very rounded and well made album experience that I think is a great asset in one's discography. Ronson and Bowie's production is great and clean. And lou's vocals are incredible. The versatility is also impressive. Great rock tracks 1, 4, 8, 10 the theatrical numbers 2, 5, 9, 11, and no one can deny the power of ballads like perfect day and satellite of love. (I have to ad that i adore Bowie's backing vocals when ever they show up!) Overall, it's a great listen and an undisputed classic. Through the years, I find myself going back more to lou's more out there material (BERLIN), But this one is just great. A high 4

Surprised Walk on the Wide side and Perfect Day were on the same record to be honest. Never been much a Velvet/Lou Reed guy myself but I've always appreciated his 60/70s casual style. This album feels like a good cross from the 60s debaucherous easy rider themes into a something more serious. Not for me but I totally get the appeal. Dig the raunchiness too!

You can hear the sounds that influenced a whole ton of band.

Muy buena sorpresa. Solo conocía a Lou Reed de oído pero no había escuchado nada de su música de forma consciente. Me guardo varios temas, incluido "Walk On the Wilde Side" que es un clásico.

By far the best Lou Reed album including his most memorable songs. Bowie and Ronson production is big part why this one stands out from his other albums. Special hats off to Mick Ronson's role on guitar, piano and string arrangements.

I like the new York conversation a lot lol

Excellent, can definitely feel Bowie’s influence on this album. Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side are all timers and Vicious is great too. First listen for me so will be revisiting for sure.

Haven't listened to the entire record before, having said this: it is an amazing record, songs flow nicely and they're well composed, it feels personal, thought out and incredibly well done. Will keep it in rotation. Very good.

Love this. His voice takes center stage which is perfect because lyrically it's super strong. Bowie's production shines too.

sounds a lot like the guy from TVU… strange

It was fine

An easy 4

Good stuff right here. This album had that Bowie magic tough all over it as well, with him and Mick Ronson producing and arranging

I thought this might be quite bad, but no not really. I just really like the 'arty' rock and roll type of style, using slightly unorthodox instrumentation like brass and gospel backing singers and stuff. Also lyrically I think he was willing to break the 4th wall and use a lot of irony, which is refreshing in an era of quite serious music. Its still a lot more 'conventional' than some of the Velvet Underground stuff I've heard, which is both good and bad I suppose. Some of the Tuba (I think) bass lines are quite goofy (like the last song), and I'm not entirely sure if he knew that when making it, but its fine for a laugh I guess. Favourite songs: Vicious, perfect day, hangin''round, walk on the wild side, make up, satellite of love, wagon wheel, I'm so free, and kind of some of the goofy ones which I left out. Overall around 7/10

“It doesn't matter what you look like. I mean, if you have a hunchback just throw a little glitter on it, honey, and go dancing!” – James St. James In Lester Bangs’ 1975 interview-turned-sparring-match with Lou Reed, Let Us Now Praise Famous Death Dwarves (or how I slugged it out with Lou Reed and stayed awake), the rock critic emerged bruised, bemused, and baffled. He had gone in hoping to talk to his hero and walked away having survived a bout with a sneering, passive-aggressive troll in black leather. Reed, three years and one Metal Machine Music into his solo career, had become – if he hadn't always been - what Bangs would call a “death dwarf”: a creature of sickness, spite, genius, and self-destruction. The death dwarf archetype suits Lou Reed not just physically - with his hunched, sour presence and nasal bark - but emotionally and theatrically. He is, in a sense, a poisoned Rigoletto figure: embittered, cynical, mocking. The cruelty the world showed him – and he was ill-treated in his youth - he handed back with interest, in barbed quips and cool derision. His first solo album, 1972’s Lou Reed, was met with a shrug. It drew heavily from discarded Velvet Underground material, and in doing so made clear that Reed, outside the context of that band’s invention, was uncertain, maybe even lost. Without John Cale, Andy Warhol, and the crew, he was diminished. Reed never missed a chance to reassert himself as a mean-spirited, half-laughing antagonist. That’s why, decades later, when he recorded his sprawling The Raven, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, he naturally gravitated to Hop-Frog, a tale of a deformed dwarf’s bloody revenge on his tormentors. In keeping with Reed's twisted way of thinking, he didn’t do it alone. Instead, he brings in his old friend David Bowie, making him the death dwarf - the beautiful alien avatar turned tight, gnarled jester. It’s a choice at once petty and poetic, like so much of Reed’s career. Transformer, his second solo album, throws that archetype into stark relief, as a couple of friends threw glitter on his hunchback and made him dance. This is his first working encounter with David Bowie – Bowie who owned the first acetate of the Velvets' debut to enter the UK, who wrote the affectionate Queen Bitch about Reed. Lester Bangs loved Reed, although he didn't seem to like him. Bowie loved him and liked him to begin with. That's why turning Bowie into Hop-Frog is such a significant transformation, like a witch transforming the beauty into a toad. It was payback in kind. Because on Transformer – a transparent title - Bowie and Mick Ronson had done Reed an extraordinary favour. It was an act of charity to a friend, an offering to a god, and one might say an act of love. They threw some glitter on his hunchback. And the magic trick, at least in places, works. It works because all of them - Reed, Bowie, Ronson - were hunchbacked in some way. That was the alchemy of glam rock: it was deformity disguised in dazzle, a celebration of brokenness lit up in neon. If you were an artist, like Bowie, it was a playbox. If you were a working-class lad like Ronson, you wore glitter simply because it got you on Top of the Pops. But if you were Lou Reed, a chance at survival. Transformer is not a Bowie album, but it is only partially a Reed album. Bowie was, at this moment, cresting into superstardom, and here he was gifting Reed a second chance - not with Velvet Underground obscurities or half-formed sketches, but with new material, dressed in glam drag, arranged with the intention to chart. Reed had written to spec before - in the 1960s, for Pickwick Records, where he had churned out cheap knockoffs like The Ostrich - but Transformer was different. It had aspirations, polish, and charm, even when Reed himself seemed ill at ease. You can hear this unsteadiness on tracks like Make-Up and I’m So Free. They aim to embrace the themes of glam - sexual fluidity, glittery self-invention. It's almost embarrassingly on-the-nose, like a cash-in Christmas record, and Reed’s performance is flat, almost self-sabotaging. He's not dead, but his collaborators haul him through it like Weekend at Bernie’s. New York Telephone Conversation and Goodnight Ladies reach for a Weimar cabaret aesthetic, but feel like dry runs for Bowie’s Aladdin Sane. Ronson’s arrangements in these moments are full of tropes - tuba blurts, campy piano - but not much imagination. He would step up, with the help of Mike Garson, on Bowie's next record, but here even Reed doesn't feel convinced by his performance. Still, in this forced theatricality, we also glimpse the early seeds of goth rock’s obsession with cabaret decay. With the bats and sexualised beatings elsewhere on the record, the gothic language later adopted by bands like Bauhaus and Siouxsie Sioux begins to form. Reed always birthed things he’d later disown – that's what Goths do. And then there are the songs that don’t need my commentary. Perfect Day and Satellite of Love are nearly immune to critique - they are ubiquitous and nothing any of us write will reduce them. They are also gorgeous. They borrow from Velvet Underground ballads like Candy Says or Pale Blue Eyes, but Ronson’s arrangements give them a clean, glossy edge. Bowie’s backing vocals - full of swoops and sparkle - animate Reed’s drawl, enlivening his cadaver. On Walk on the Wild Side, Ronson pulls off something akin to what VU achieved with Heroin: sustaining a song with minimal harmonic movement through sheer will: the backing vocals get louder and louder, then pull back. It's an impressive feat. The band throughout is stellar. As with Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal, another example of Reed elevated by superior musicianship (supported by Alice Cooper's band), Reed is given dignity, scale, and stature. Backed by greatness, he can almost meet Bowie eye-to-eye. As he sang on his scrappy first album, “Love makes me feel ten feet tall,” and Transformer is, if nothing else, an album of love: Bowie’s love for Reed, Ronson’s care in arranging, and Reed’s occasional willingness to accept it. That he puts up such a fight against his collaborators' generosity is part of the album's charm. But love with Lou Reed was always one-sided. He didn’t have much to give, not even to himself. “You’re not good, and you certainly aren’t very much fun,” he sings on Vicious, and it sounds less like a jibe than a grim self-assessment. Without Bowie and Ronson, much of Transformer would, ironically, collapse under its own straightness. Reed’s toxic wit could kill a room, and too often, he chose to use it that way. That imbalance - between love given and love withheld - would eventually curdle. In 1979, when Reed approached Bowie about producing a new album, Bowie agreed, but insisted Reed clean up. Reed responded with a punch to the face. He didn’t like being told to lighten up. He didn’t like being told anything. He should have lightened up though. Still, for one brief moment, the glitter stuck. Transformer doesn’t conceal Reed’s deformities - it illuminates them. For once, Reed didn’t just spit at the world - he let the world dress him up and take him dancing. Bowie would help other friends and heroes out with songs, production, and co-writes, but his relationship with Reed was special, because he knew they were inverses of each other. Where Bowie was gregarious, Reed was guarded. Where Bowie would expand his listeners' minds, Reed would try their patience. Bowie, cool. Reed, cruel. Bowie, tall. Reed, small. That's why, years after Reed punched him in the face, Bowie was happy to take on the cox's comb, the cuckold's crown: because he was the bigger man. 3.5 Transformer is a strange but charming album. Between the arrangements which are just beautiful and Reed’s affable, relaxed vocal clowning the weaker material (most of side 2) almost becomes good. The stronger material…flip. It is an oddly static album; no dramatic momentum or emotional shape ever becomes clear. Hangin’ Round feels like it is mocking what Perfect Day invites us to feel. Its elegant, twinkly music evaporates along with the touching first person narrative and suddenly Harry was a rich young man while generic rock n roll half chords flatulate in the speakers. Shouldn’t Perfect Day have been last? Or somewhere near the end? Or closed a side at least? Satellite of Love feels similarly climactic…but c’mere, there’s more. The constant puncturing of the atmosphere doesn’t detract much from the record’s core strength though. Half of this album is one of the best half albums of the 1970s. 3.5/5

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Not really for me.

I liked the first half more than the second. I was impressed that an album from the 70s sounded so much like it was from the 90s or early 2000s. Sounded similar to Cake to me.

Stunning album, really enjoyable listening and you can hear Bowie’s influence in the production. My favourite songs were “Perfect Day” and “Satellite of Love”.

I liked it, it's a pretty laidback record that keeps a bit of an edge to it. Reed is a very good songwriter, his songs are catchy and fun, but don't feel shallow. Reed's singing is nice and unique, he's not an spectacular vocalist but nonetheless he sings good. The guitar lines are good, though nothing to write home about. The highlight is Reed's songwriting. It feels super personal, vulnerable but with an attitude. It's complex and he's great at it. The best songs are of course, the classics: "Perfect Day" and "Walk On The Wild Side". "Vicious", "Andy's Chest" and "Satellite Of Love" were pretty good too. I feel like this record was a 3.5 for me. I can see why it's so influential, and why a lot of people love it. I can't deny Reed's talent or the quality of the record. But being honest, I didn't click with it that much, and it lost me a couple of times when listening to it (and I listened to it like 5 times). I'll give it a 4, but that extra half star is just because it's Lou Reed.

Fell in love with this album end of college. Lou Reed's deadpan delivery as well as a number of the song subjects are rather quirky, but there are some undeniably beautiful songs and the whole album is nothing if not memorable. Vicious is a solid starting point for the album. Feels very in family with his other work with The Velvet Underground. Perfect Day is an all time favorite of mine -- love the simplicity of the sentiment "its such a perfect day; I'm glad I spent it with you." Hangin' 'Round is a solid straightforward jam. Walk On the Wild Side is the one that everyone knows Reed for. Simple ballad built around a loping bass line (later adapted into ATCQ's Can I Kick It) telling succinct stories about myriad people migrating to NYC. Make Up is among the better polka-infused rock songs ever produced. Once again touching on homosexuality -- this time in the context of a drag queen. Satellite of Love is just a beautiful song -- never realized that Bowie was on in the backing vocals, but certainly makes sense as this has his imprint on it. High 4 for me.

Such a whacky album this guy seems like a real nutcase. You could have given me 1001 guesses and I would have never known that Walk on the Wild Side was Lou Reed. Don't normally like that song as a stand alone but it worked very well with the album. Not my normal jaunt but I did actually really enjoy listening to this

Haven't really cared much for Lou Reed during this project. Perfect Day is such a beautiful song. I know Walk on the Wild Side is super popular but I just always think of Tribe Called Quest when I hear it. Great song though. Man I really loved this album actually until New York Telephone Conversation. Album is better without it. Had pretty high hopes for this one after the first half but I got kinda tuned out by the end. Still has some jams of songs on here. Low 4.