Dubbed “The King of New York,” Lou Reed cut his teeth on the New York City scene in the 1960s with his first band, The Velvet Underground. After hanging around the local scene with groups like Andy Warhol and releasing four records with The Velvet Underground, Reed left the band to pursue a solo career while looking for the success he always desired. Now, in 2025, The Velvet Underground’s first four records are legendary and some of the greatest ever made. Though, back when they were released, no one cared much about them and maybe most wouldn’t if it had not been for Reed’s second solo record, 1972’s Transformer.
The record from the start was destined for greatness. The one and only David Bowie decided to help his friend and produce the record that would redirect Reed’s legacy as a musician. For an album, it runs on the shorter side at just 37 minutes. But, in those 37 minutes, there are some iconic and amazing songs, like “Vicious,” “Satellite of Love,” to the iconic “Walk on the Wild Side.” The calmness in Reed’s voice to the poetry he paints in his songs have gone down in history as iconic.
The record kicks off with “Vicious.” This three-minute track sets the tone for the rest of the record. This fair-paced tune features Reed taking a more straightforward approach to this song. It has the classic guitar solo stapled in the middle with a call and response from Reed and guitarist Mick Ronson. Ronson’s success on guitar can be heard on Bowie’s Spiders from Mars record and fits what Reed needed perfectly. It’s a fun song to listen to and calls listeners back to The Velvet Underground’s Loaded record back in 1970.
Track two, “Andy’s Chest,” is a little “right of center” in comparison to “Vicious.” The lyrics come across as bizarre, but to a fan of Reed’s music, it’s right on par with some of the other strange songs he’s crafted. It’s challenging to simply sum up “Andy’s Chest” in one word that is not odd. Fans get a treat and hear Brian Keith “Herbie” Flowers on the bass guitar. Hearing how high the bass is in the final mixing foreshadowing the juggernaut tune, “Walk on the Wild Side.” Reed yet again surrounded himself with more excellent musicians, this time with Flowers. He was most notably part of T. Rex and has worked with magnificent artists like Elton John and three-fourths of the Beatles minus John Lennon.
Reed keeps listeners on their toes with “Perfect Day.” This track is more of an orchestral grande finale rather than a rock song. The first portion of the song just features Reed, who is accompanied by Ronson on piano. You can almost picture Reed on stage at Lincoln Center with the piano and orchestra performing to a grand New York audience. Fans can interpret this tune as a cry from Reed as he declares that, despite him being solo, he is hear to stay until the end of time.
“Hangin’ Round” returns fans back to the “rock and roll animal’s” roots. This straight-ahead rock and roll song is a breath of fresh air after hearing all the different sounds that appeared in the first few songs. If you pay close attention to Reed’s lyrics, they follow the pattern of “Andy’s Chest,” yet that’s what makes his tunes exciting. They are a rock and roll meal. There’s a sprinkle of metaphors, a dash of real-world experience and a pinch of rock and roll debauchery all rolled up between the guitar duo that is Reed and Ronson on this track.
By the time fans get to song five, the iconic bass riff from Flowers greets fans with a warm hug. “Walk on the Wild Side” has become Reed’s most famous track. It’s his calling card, his rebel yell. The song’s lyrics yet again bring shock value until fans realize that the people that Reed mentions are real. Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Joe Dallesandro, Jackie Curtis and Joe Campbell are all referred to by their nicknames in this track and were all people that were regulars within the Warhol circles. While the lyrics are anything but, the overall song is calm and relaxing – by the end, fans will be singing along to the “do, do-do” section. It was a no-brainer that this song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015; it’s a kickass, beautifully poetic track that has propelled Reed’s status to rock and roll hero.
Due to the heroism of “Walk on the Wild Side” song six, “Make Up” gets heavily overshadowed. What comes across as a fun song about physically coming out of closets can be taken as more than the face value of what it is. It’s honorable that Reed would include this song on the record and not care what anyone thinks or any rumors that would arise from it.
The real magic is “Satillite of Love,” which clocks in as song seven. Throughout the three-minute and 40-second song, the pace and smoothness remain consistent. Throughout the track, the inclusion of the Thunderthighs as backup singers beefs up the song with more harmonies. The best part is when the Thunderthighs snap their fingers and the song rides the wave of repetition of the title as the song comes to a close.
“Wagon Wheel” is the last song on the record to feature Bowie on background vocals. There is one magical moment where Reed and Bowie sing with each other towards the end of the song where they have a call and response moment with the Thunderthighs. “Wagon Wheel” infuses rock with doo-wop style guitar chords and harmonies. It’s songs like “Wagon Wheel” that show that Reed has grown from his Velvet Underground days but also is not afraid to stick to his roots as a musician as well.
The odd and random song known as “New York Telephone Conversation” appears as song nine. It feels completely out of place on this album. Yet, since it’s a Reed record, it at the same time feels right at home. It’s hilarious to hear how clear Reed’s New York accent is on this song.
“I’m So Free” has similar production sounds to T. Rex’s Tanx record that would come out four months later in March of 1973. It’s possible that guitarist and singer Marc Bolan heard the successful Transformer record and looked to reinvent some of the sounds of T. Rex with songs like “I’m So Free” as a blueprint.
The record comes to a close with “Goodnight Ladies.” The jazz-infused tune features tubas and saxophones, which further add to the comical closing track. It’s rather ingenious that Reed would take the title from the last line of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land, which is also taken from Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Goodnight Ladies” ends the record on a rather light side, which shows the narrator sitting at home with his TV dinner while watching the network news.
Reed’s Transformer is one of the best records to come out of the early 1970s and it helped torpedo Reed into a whole new stratosphere. Some tunes on this record are magical, comical and downright weird. But it’s hard to ignore Reed’s marvelous vision for himself in the post Velvet Underground era. This record is perfectly captured by Bowie and features one of Reed’s best records ever. Whether it’s with The Velvet Undergound or solo, there is not one better record than Transformer. Take a walk on the wild side and give it a listen.
Rating 9/10
Tracklist:
1. Vicious
2. Andy’s Chest
3. Perfect Day
4. Hangin’ Round
5. Walk on the Wild Side
6. Make Up
7. Satellite of Love
8. Wagon Wheel
9. New York Telephone Conversation
10. I’m So Free
11. Goodnight Ladies
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in New York/New Jersey and go to school in Connecticut majoring in Journalism and I am always looking for the next concert to attend.
