Lou Reed - Words & Music, May 1965

Light in the Attic Records, in cooperation with Laurie Anderson, proudly announces the inaugural title in their ongoing Lou Reed Archive Series: Words & Music, May 1965.

+ All tracks previously unreleased.
+ Produced in partnership with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive.
+ Inaugural release in Light in the Attic’s Lou Reed Archive Series.
+ Features the earliest-known recordings of “I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Pale Blue Eyes" and “Heroin" as made famous by The Velvet Underground.
+ Includes seven unheard Lou Reed compositions.
+ Remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin.
+ Package designed by multi-GRAMMY®-winning artist Masaki Koike.
+ Vinyl pressed at RTI.
+ LP available on Standard Black Wax plus a Special Limited Color Edition.
+ LP & CD include booklets featuring lyrics, archival photos, and liner notes by Greil Marcus, Don Fleming and Jason Stern (LP: 20-pgs, CD: 60-pgs)
+ CD & Cassette include six unheard tracks recorded between 1958 and 1964, including early demos, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and a doo-wop serenade recorded in ‘58 when the legendary singer-songwriter was just sixteen-years-old
+ Limited first CD edition housed in special die-cut jacket
+ 45 RPM 2LP set pressed on Audiophile-Quality 180-gram vinyl at RTI and features the only vinyl release of “I’m Waiting for the Man – May 1965 Alternate Version”.

Released in tandem with the late artist’s 80th birthday celebrations, the album offers an extraordinary, unvarnished, and plainly poignant insight into one of America’s true poet-songwriters. Capturing Reed in his formative years, this previously unreleased collection of songs—penned by a young Lou Reed, recorded to tape with the help of future bandmate John Cale, and mailed to himself as a “poor man’s copyright”—remained sealed in its original envelope and unopened for nearly 50 years. Its contents embody some of the most vital, groundbreaking contributions to American popular music committed to tape in the 20th century. Through examination of these songs rooted firmly in the folk tradition, we see clearly Lou’s lasting influence on the development of modern American music – from punk to art-rock and everything in between. A true time capsule, these recordings not only memorialize the nascent sparks of what would become the seeds of the incredibly influential Velvet Underground; they also cement Reed as a true observer with an innate talent for synthesizing and distilling the world around him into pure sonic poetry.