Transformer (album)
Encyclopedia
Transformer is the second studio album
by American rock music
ian Lou Reed
, released in November 1972.
, eight songs of which were written during his Velvet Underground days, Transformer contains mainly new material. However, there are four songs that date from his VU days: "Andy's Chest" and "Satellite of Love" (Velvet Underground demos of which surfaced in 1985 and 1995, respectively), "Goodnight Ladies" had been played by the Velvets live in 1970, and "New York Telephone Conversation" had been played in rehearsals during the band's summer 1970 residency at Max's Kansas City
.
and Mick Ronson
, both of whom had been strongly influenced by Reed's work with the Velvet Underground. Bowie had obliquely referenced the Velvet Underground in the cover notes for his album Hunky Dory
and regularly performed both "White Light/White Heat
" and "Waiting for the Man" in concerts and on the BBC during 1971–1973. He even began recording "White Light/White Heat" for inclusion on Pin-Ups, but it was never completed; Ronson ended up using the backing track for his solo album Play Don't Worry
in 1974.
Mick Ronson who was at the time the lead guitarist with Bowie's band, The Spiders from Mars, played a major role in the recording of the album, serving as the co-producer and primary session musician (contributing guitar, piano, recorder and backing vocals) and arranger, notably the lush string arrangement for "Perfect Day". Reed lauded Ronson's contribution in the Transformer episode of the documentary series Classic Albums
, praising the beauty of his work and fading out the vocal to highlight the strings. The songs on the LP are now among Reed's best-known works, including "Walk on the Wild Side", "Perfect Day" and "Satellite of Love
", and the album's commercial success elevated him from cult status to become an international star.
"Andy's Chest" had been recorded in 1969 for The Velvet Underground's "lost fourth album" (see VU
and Another View
) and demos of "Satellite of Love" had been produced for the band's 1970 album Loaded, but neither had been used. For Transformer, the up-tempo pace of these songs was slowed down. Although all songs on the album were credited to Reed, it has long been rumored that "Wagon Wheel" is actually a David Bowie composition. Although there are no known performances of "Vicious" by the Velvet Underground, the song apparently dates from Reed's time in the band and its association with Andy Warhol
. According to Reed, Warhol told Reed he should write a song about someone vicious. When Reed asked what he meant by that, Warhol replied, "Oh, you know, vicious, like I hit you with a flower." Also, the song "Goodnight Ladies" takes its title refrain from the last line of the second section ("A Game of Chess") of T. S. Eliot
's modernist poem, The Waste Land
: "Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night."
The cover art
was from a Mick Rock
photograph.
, Channel 4
, The Guardian
and Classic FM
. Transformer is also ranked number 55 on NME
's list of "Greatest Albums of All Time." In 2003, the album was ranked number 194 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
. It is also on Q Magazines list of "100 Greatest Albums Ever".
featuring an advert for the album.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian 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...
, released in November 1972.
Background
Unlike its predecessor, Lou ReedLou 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...
, eight songs of which were written during his Velvet Underground days, Transformer contains mainly new material. However, there are four songs that date from his VU days: "Andy's Chest" and "Satellite of Love" (Velvet Underground demos of which surfaced in 1985 and 1995, respectively), "Goodnight Ladies" had been played by the Velvets live in 1970, and "New York Telephone Conversation" had been played in rehearsals during the band's summer 1970 residency at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
.
Production
Transformer was produced by David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
, both of whom had been strongly influenced by Reed's work with the Velvet Underground. Bowie had obliquely referenced the Velvet Underground in the cover notes for his album Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
and regularly performed both "White Light/White Heat
White Light/White Heat (song)
"White Light/White Heat" is a song by American avant-garde rock band The Velvet Underground, the title track on their second album, released in 1968. It is a fast, relatively aggressive start to the album, similar to the punk rock genre it would ultimately influence.The song's vocals are performed...
" and "Waiting for the Man" in concerts and on the BBC during 1971–1973. He even began recording "White Light/White Heat" for inclusion on Pin-Ups, but it was never completed; Ronson ended up using the backing track for his solo album Play Don't Worry
Play Don't Worry
Play Don't Worry is the second album by former member of The Spiders From Mars, Mick Ronson. It contains mainly covers arranged by Ronson for his own sound, covering everyone from Pure Prairie League, The Velvet Underground and Little Richard...
in 1974.
Mick Ronson who was at the time the lead guitarist with Bowie's band, The Spiders from Mars, played a major role in the recording of the album, serving as the co-producer and primary session musician (contributing guitar, piano, recorder and backing vocals) and arranger, notably the lush string arrangement for "Perfect Day". Reed lauded Ronson's contribution in the Transformer episode of the documentary series Classic Albums
Classic Albums
Classic Albums is a documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.-Format:...
, praising the beauty of his work and fading out the vocal to highlight the strings. The songs on the LP are now among Reed's best-known works, including "Walk on the Wild Side", "Perfect Day" and "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...
", and the album's commercial success elevated him from cult status to become an international star.
"Andy's Chest" had been recorded in 1969 for The Velvet Underground's "lost fourth album" (see VU
VU (album)
VU is an outtakes compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was released in February 1985 by Verve Records.-Composition and collection:...
and Another View
Another View
Another View is an outtakes compilation album by The Velvet Underground. It was released in 1986 by Verve Records and is comprised of material recorded between 1967 and 1969.-Composition and collection:...
) and demos of "Satellite of Love" had been produced for the band's 1970 album Loaded, but neither had been used. For Transformer, the up-tempo pace of these songs was slowed down. Although all songs on the album were credited to Reed, it has long been rumored that "Wagon Wheel" is actually a David Bowie composition. Although there are no known performances of "Vicious" by the Velvet Underground, the song apparently dates from Reed's time in the band and its association with Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
. According to Reed, Warhol told Reed he should write a song about someone vicious. When Reed asked what he meant by that, Warhol replied, "Oh, you know, vicious, like I hit you with a flower." Also, the song "Goodnight Ladies" takes its title refrain from the last line of the second section ("A Game of Chess") of T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's modernist poem, The Waste Land
The Waste Land
The Waste Land[A] is a 434-line[B] modernist poem by T. S. Eliot published in 1922. It has been called "one of the most important poems of the 20th century." Despite the poem's obscurity—its shifts between satire and prophecy, its abrupt and unannounced changes of speaker, location and time, its...
: "Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night."
The cover art
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
was from a 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...
photograph.
Reception
In 1997, Transformer was named the 44th greatest album of all time in a Music of the Millennium poll conducted in the United Kingdom by HMV GroupHMV Group
HMV is a British global entertainment retail chain and is the largest of its kind in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also operates in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index...
, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
. Transformer is also ranked number 55 on NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's list of "Greatest Albums of All Time." In 2003, the album was ranked number 194 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. It is also on Q Magazines list of "100 Greatest Albums Ever".
Side one
- "Vicious" – 2:58
- "Andy's Chest" – 3:20
- "Perfect Day" – 3:46
- "Hangin' 'Round" – 3:35
- "Walk on the Wild Side" – 4:15
Side two
- "Make Up" – 3:00
- "Satellite of LoveSatellite 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...
" – 3:42 - "Wagon Wheel" – 3:19
- "New York Telephone Conversation" – 1:33
- "I'm So Free" – 3:09
- "Goodnight Ladies" – 4:31
Personnel
- Lou ReedLou ReedLewis 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...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Herbie FlowersHerbie FlowersHerbie Flowers is an English musician specialising in bass guitar, double-bass and tuba. He is noted as a member of Blue Mink, T...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, double-bass, tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
on "Goodnight Ladies" and "Make Up" - Mick RonsonMick RonsonMichael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, backing vocals, string arrangementsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones... - John HalseyJohn Halsey (musician)John Halsey is a rock drummer, best known for his appearance as "Barry" in The Rutles, leading to his playing with Neil Innes's band Fatso and appearing in the film All You Need is Cash ....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Ronnie RossRonnie RossAlbert Ronald "Ronnie" Ross was a jazz baritone saxophonist.Ross moved to England in 1946 and began playing tenor saxophone in the 1950s with Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath, and Don Rendell. During his tenure with Rendell he switched to baritone saxophone...
– baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
on "Goodnight Ladies" and "Walk on the Wild Side"
Additional personnel
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
– backing vocals - The ThunderthighsThunderthighsThunderthighs were a high-profile UK backing vocal group, who quickly became artists in their own right.-Career:The female trio, consisting of Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou and Casey Synge, provided the backing vocals to Lou Reed's hit single, "Walk on the Wild Side"...
– backing vocals - Barry DeSouza – drums
- Ritchie Dharma – drums
- Klaus VoormannKlaus VoormannKlaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
– bass - Ken ScottKen ScottKen Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
– engineer
Chart History
The first single from the album, "Walk on the Wild Side", became an international success, despite its adult subject matter (it was edited in some countries and banned in others). It is now generally regarded as Reed's signature tune. "Satellite of Love" was issued as the second single in February 1973. In 2002, a 30th anniversary edition of the album was released; in addition to demos of "Hangin' Round" and "Perfect Day", it includes a hidden trackHidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
featuring an advert for the album.
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
29 |
| 1973 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
13 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | "Walk on the Wild Side" | Billboard Pop Singles | 16 |
| 1973 | "Walk on the Wild Side" | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
10 |