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Lou Reed’s Pre-Velvet Underground Recordings for Pickwick Records Compiled in New Anthology
Before he formed the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed was a songwriter for hire. His songs for the budget label Pickwick Records are on a new anthology.
The collection, which also includes previously unreleased material, features an essay by Patti Smith Group co-founder and “Nuggets” compiler Lenny Kaye, along with liner notes from author/journalist Richie Unterberger. Despite the assembly-line nature of the job, Reed’s tenure at Pickwick dramatically increased his studio experience, discipline and musical versatility, all of which would bear fruit in the Velvet Underground (for example, his song for the group “I Found a Reason” was recorded in both a country-esque version and the final doo-wop inflected release) and later in his career. Along with “The Ostrich” and “Why Don’t You Smile” (the latter of which was the first released Reed-Cale composition, and was later covered by Spiritualized), the 25-song collection includes soul-pop (on the Hi-Lifes’ “Soul City”), surf-tinged doo-wop (on the Hollywoods’ “Teardrop In The Sand”), and riff-driven garage-rock (on the Roughnecks’ “You’re Driving Me Insane”).
Or read this on Variety
