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CD
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FMCB 117CD
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"In December 1972 Lou Reed released his seminal, ground-breaking solo work Transformer. The album came just a few months after his eponymous debut, a record that struggled to find either a clear artistic voice or much of an audience, barely scraping into the top two hundred and drawing sniffy, dismissive reviews. Recorded in the summer of 72, Transformer signally benefitted from the intervention of David Bowie and guitarist Mick Ronson. Reed had been a key inspiration for Bowie in his own work, and he was determined to rehabilitate his idol's flagging career. The partnership of a New York eccentric and a British androgyne with a firm grip on the zeitgeist produced a lean collection of modern rock n roll that stormed the higher atmospheres of the charts, aided in no small part by a hit single in 'Walk on the Wild Side'. In the decades since Transformer has gone on to be critically appraised as one of the most important recordings of the modern era. This concert is from December 1972 a month, following the release of Transformer. Taking place at Ultrasonic studios in New York, it was broadcast live by WLIR, a local radio station that had developed a reputation for eschewing mainstream acts and chart performers in favour of featuring new and innovative music that was largely ignored by the majority of US stations. Reed gives a searing performance of songs from Transformer, Lou Reed and the Velvets period, a fascinating essay of his solo career and persona, right at the time that his fortunes were transformed."
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