3CD/DVD/2LP 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Lou Reed’s Sire Records debut!
Features remastered sound, unreleased studio, live tracks, plus DVD debut of “The New York Album” concert video!
Packaged in a 12″ x 12″ hardcover book w/ liner notes written by music journalist David Fricke
Also includes essays from archivist Don Fleming
Produced for release by Laurie Anderson, Don Fleming, Bill Ingot, Jason Stern, and Hal Willner
The career of Lou Reed defied capsule summarization. Like David Bowie (whom Reed directly inspired in many ways), he made over his image many times, mutating from theatrical glam rocker to strung-out junkie to avant-garde noiseman to straight rock & roller to your average guy. Few would deny Reed’s immense importance and considerable achievements. As has often been written, he expanded the vocabulary of rock ‘n’ roll lyrics into the previously forbidden territory of kinky sex, drug use (and abuse), decadence, transvestites, homosexuality, and suicidal depression.
As has been pointed out less often, he remained committed to using rock ‘n’ roll as a forum for literary, mature expression throughout his artistic life.
Reed’s 1989 album New York captures Reed in exceptional form and is packed with incredible songs such as “Busload Of Faith,” “Halloween Parade” and “Dirty Blvd.” The entire album has been remastered for the first time ever for this massive deluxe edition. The second disc presents unreleased live versions from the Lou Reed Archive of every album track compiled from multiple performances. To avoid duplication, none of these live tracks were taken from the set’s accompanying DVD.
The third disc showcases unreleased early versions of several album tracks from the Lou Reed Archive, including “Last Great American Whale,” “Sick Of You” and “Dirty Blvd.” Also featured is the non-LP track “The Room,” as well as live versions of “Sweet Jane,” a song Reed originally recorded with The Velvet Underground, and “Walk On The Wild Side,” from his second solo album, Transformer (1972.)
This set also includes “The New York Album,” a concert video that was originally released in 1990 on VHS and Laserdisc. It has never been available on DVD, until now. It features Reed performing the entire New York album live in Montreal at the Theatre St. Denis. The DVD concludes with an audio-only interview with Reed.
