American Poet is an album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 of an early solo concert by Lou Reed

Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...

, recorded live at the Hempstead Theatre, New York on Boxing Day

Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...

- 26 December 1972 during the Transformer

Transformer (album)

Transformer is the second studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in November 1972.-Background:Unlike its predecessor, Lou Reed, eight songs of which were written during his Velvet Underground days, Transformer contains mainly new material...

tour. The backing band are The Tots. It features material from that album, The Velvet Underground, his 1972 solo debut Lou Reed

Lou Reed (album)

Lou Reed is Lou Reed's 1972 debut solo album, released two years after he left The Velvet Underground. The album comprises seven new recordings of then-unreleased Velvet Underground songs, plus three new songs, "Going Down," "Wild Child," and "Berlin" .With increasing interest in the Velvet...

. The version of "Berlin" is from that debut album. American Poet was released in 2001. It had previously been released as a bootleg recording

Bootleg recording

A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...

.

The album's cover photo is by Mick Rock

Mick Rock

Mick Rock is a British photographer best known for his iconic shots of rock and roll legends such as Queen, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Crossfade, Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, and Blondie...

, evidently from the same shoot that yielded the Transformer

Transformer (album)

Transformer is the second studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in November 1972.-Background:Unlike its predecessor, Lou Reed, eight songs of which were written during his Velvet Underground days, Transformer contains mainly new material...

cover.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Lou Reed

1. "White Light/White Heat
   White Light/White Heat
   The album briefly appeared on the Billboard 200, although only peaking at number 199. Despite its poor sales, the distorted, feedback-driven, and roughly recorded sound on White Light/White Heat became a notable influence on punk and experimental rock...
   
   " (4'04)
2. "Vicious" (3'06)
3. "I'm Waiting For The Man
   I'm Waiting for the Man
   "I'm Waiting for the Man" is a song by the American rock band The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed. It was first released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico....
   
   " (7'14)
4. "Walk It Talk It" (4'04)
5. "Sweet Jane
   Sweet Jane
   "Sweet Jane" is a song by The Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by band's leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the piece into live performances years later as a solo artist....
   
   " (4'38)
6. "Interview" (5'01)
7. "Heroin
   Heroin (song)
   "Heroin" is a song by The Velvet Underground, released on their 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Written by Lou Reed in 1964, the song is one of the band's most celebrated compositions, overtly depicting heroin use and abuse...
   
   " (8'34)
8. "Satellite of Love
   Satellite of Love
   "Satellite of Love" is one of Lou Reed's best-known songs from his solo career. It is the second single from his 1972 album Transformer. At the time of its release it did not achieve any chart success, though it later became a staple of his concerts and compilation albums.-Background and...
   
   " (3'28)
9. "Walk on the Wild Side" (5'55)
10. "I'm So Free" (3'52)
11. "Berlin" (6'00)
12. "Rock 'N' Roll
    Rock & Roll (Lou Reed song)
    "Rock & Roll" is a song by The Velvet Underground, originally appearing on their 1970 album Loaded. The song was written by the Velvet's then-leader Lou Reed, who continued to incorporate the song into his own live performances years later as a solo artist.The song recounts the advent of rock &...
    
    " (5'13)