10 Essential Glam Rock Albums
3. Lou Reed - Transformer
Lou Reed’s post-Velvet Underground career has seen him indulge in some confrontational and experimental work - an LP of pure industrial noise; a concept album based on Edgar Alan Poe - but his early solo material is among the most accessible of his career, with 1972’s Transformer a perfectly crafted selection of glossy pop rock.
Being Reed, he couldn’t help but indulge in his seedier impulses, and even the poppier songs are drenched in sex and violence, like the upbeat but sneering “Vicious” and breakthrough hit “Walk On The Wild Side”, a song you’ll hear on adverts in spite of its lyrical content.
“Perfect Day’s subject matter remains ripe for rock debate - is it about heroin, or just a nice trip to the zoo?
With David Bowie on production, Reed’s songcraft is kept sharp and focussed, with “I’m So Free” an underrated highlight, a pacy, guitar-laden track that sounds fresh to this day.
And then there’s “Satellite Of Love”, a gorgeous ballad with Bowie howling away on backing vocals. It’s the perfect merging of pop genius and freewheeling outsider art.