Transformer (album)

Transformer
Lou Reed studio album
Publication (s)	December 8, 1972
admission	August 1972
Label (s)	RCA Records
Format (s)	LP , CD , MC
Genre (s)	Glam rock
Title (number)	11
running time	36:40
occupation	Lou Reed - vocals , guitar Mick Ronson - guitar , vocals , piano , recorder David Bowie - vocals Klaus Voormann - bass Herbie Flowers - bass , tuba Thunderthighs - backing vocals John Halsey - drums Ronnie Ross - baritone saxophone Barry DeSouza - drums Ritchie Dharma - drums
production	David Bowie , Mick Ronson
Studio (s)	Trident Studios, London
chronology Lou Reed (1972) Transformer Berlin (1973)

Transformer is the second solo album by the American rock musician and songwriter Lou Reed . The album was released in December 1972 and was produced by Mick Ronson and David Bowie .

meaning

Transformer was Lou Reed's first album that was really noticed outside of New York - and the factory scene around Andy Warhol based there . Lou Reed's growing popularity in England and the rest of Europe owed him not least to David Bowie , who had "introduced" him to the English audience. This happened on July 8, 1972 during a joint appearance with Bowie and his Spiders from Mars in the Royal Festival Hall, where Lou Reed gave his first concert in front of a British audience. Bowie had previously mentioned the Velvet Underground and its influence on him in connection with his song Queen Bitch on the album Hunky Dory . The album reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number 13 on the UK Albums Chart. The single Walk on the Wild Side (B-side: Perfect Day ) included on the album climbed to # 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and 10th in the UK .

reception

source	rating
Allmusic
Spin
Pitchfork
Laut.de

The music magazine Rolling Stone leads Transformer at number 194 of the 500 best albums of all time and Walk on the Wild Side at number 223 of the 500 greatest songs of all time . In the selection of the 500 best albums of the New Musical Express has Transformer space 72. Walk on the Wild Side reached # 50 and Perfect Day Place 269 of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The website Pitchfork voted Walk on the Wild Side # 36 of the 200 Best Songs of the 1970s. The song was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015 . Transformer is one of the 1001 albums You Must Hear Before You Die .

Track list

All songs are penned by Lou Reed .

page 1

1. Vicious - 2:58
2. Andy's Chest - 3:20
3. Perfect Day - 3:46
4. Hangin 'Round - 3:35
5. Walk on the Wild Side - 4:15

Page 2

6. Make Up - 3:00
7. Satellite of Love - 3:42
8. Wagon Wheel - 3:19
9. New York Telephone Conversation - 1:33
10. I'm So Free - 3:09
11. Goodnight Ladies - 4:21

Trivia

• The album cover shows a black and white photo which shows Lou Reed performing at the Royal Festival Hall. It was taken by the photographer Mick Rock . The photo was dyed blue and reused for Reed's 1982 album The Blue Mask .
• The hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest used a sample from Walk on the Wild Side for the song Can I Kick It? from 1990.
• The song Perfect Day is featured on the soundtrack of the film Trainspotting - New Heroes .

Web links

• official homepage
• Transformer at Discogs

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Review by Mark Deming on Allmusic (accessed November 20, 2019)
2. ^ David Marchese: Discography Lou Reed, in: Spin 11/2008, p. 67.
3. ↑ Review by Matthew Stephens on Pitchfork (accessed November 20, 2019)
4. ↑ Review by Ulf Kubanke on Laut.de (accessed November 20, 2019)
5. ↑ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time on Rolling Stone (accessed November 20, 2019)
6. ↑ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time on Rolling Stone (accessed November 20, 2019)
7. ↑ The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time on New Musical Express (accessed November 20, 2019)
8. ↑ The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time on New Musical Express (accessed November 20, 2019)
9. ↑ The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time on New Musical Express (accessed November 20, 2019)
10. ↑ The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s on Pitchfork (accessed November 20, 2019)
11. ↑ Grammy Hall of Fame on Grammy.com (accessed November 20, 2019)