"Transformer", Lou Reed, 1972
Dia: 11
Mês: Abril
Ano: 2013
Ano: 2013
Ouvir: http://youtu.be/ILNdBj_Dg8I
Patrocinado pela experiência de José Carlos Soares.
Produzido por David Bowie, em 72, na época do Ziggy Stardust. Para além da influência directa de Bowie na produção do álbum, há também a forte presença do guitarrista Mick Ronson dos Spiders From Mars, que fez muitos dos arranjos de "Transformer".
The Trouser Press Record Guide – Fourth Edition (Collier Books, 1991): The existence of a glam-rock New York café society in the early '70s led to an alliance between Reed and David Bowie, who co-produced Transformer with his then-sideman, Mick Ronson. Joining the legion of androgynous glam-rockers, Reed penned "Walk on the Wild Side", a chronicle of the Warhol crowd that – issued as a single – became a genuine hit (and, many years later, a television jingle!). Although Transformer's music is a bit too campy, the LP is nonetheless a classic.
The Rolling Stone Album Guide – Third Edition (Random House, 1992): Co-produced by David Bowie, Transformer casts Reed in the role of androgynous glam rocker – sort of like Ziggy Stardust's earthier, sexually brazen older brother. "Walk on the Wild Side" strolled out of left field onto the pop charts in 1973; "Shaved her legs and then he was a she" actually co-existed with the Carpenters and Donny Osmond. Of course, Reed's startling reminiscences of those infamous Warhol superstars come cloaked in billowy sax strains and an ironic, catchy background chorus. Though Transformer is one of Reed's best-known and most popular albums, overall it's uneven; the affected, campy tone (as well as Bowie's production) grows thin and brittle after a while. But the good bits are great: that snarling guitar riff on "Vicious", the halting beauty of "Satellite of Love", every last "do-do-do" of "Walk on the Wild Side". ★★★★
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave (Virgin Books and Muze, 1998): David Bowie, a long-time Velvets aficionado, oversaw Transformer, which captured a prevailing mood of decadence. Although uneven, it included the classic "Walk on the Wild Side", a homage to transsexuals and social misfits drawn to artist and film-maker Andy Warhol. This explicit song became a surprise hit, reaching the UK Top 10 and US Top 20 in 1973, but Reed refused to become trapped by the temporary nature of the genre and returned to the dark side of his talents with Berlin. ★★★★
AllMusic: The sound and style of Transformer would in many ways define Reed's career in the 1970s, and while it led him into a style that proved to be a dead end, you can't deny that Bowie and Ronson gave their hero a new lease on life – and a solid album in the bargain. ★★★★1/2
Pitchfork: Thirty years on, Transformer still sounds startlingly fresh, free from many of the clichés that taint other similarly minded records of the period. [8.4]
Rolling Stone: A real cockteaser, this album. That great cover: Lou and those burned-out eyes staring out in grim black and white beneath a haze of gold spray paint, and on the back, ace berdache Ernie Thormahlen posing in archetypal butch, complete with cartoon erectile bulge, short hair, motorcycle cap, and pack of Luckies up his T-shirt sleeve, and then again resplendent in high heels, panty hose, rouge, mascara, and long ebony locks; the title with all its connotations of finality and electromagnetic perversity. Your preternatural instincts tell you it's all there, but all you're given is glint, flash and frottage.
BBC: To this day, probably the most universally loved collection of songs he has recorded as a solo artist. As with many classic albums, the stars were aligned for this one.
How photographer Mick Rock shot the cover of Lou Reed's 'Transformer': The blurry cover photo looks like a studio shot, staged to make Reed look vacantly wasted, but it’s actually a live photo taken at London’s King’s Cross Cinema on July 14, 1972. "The shot wasn’t meant for an album cover", says Rock. "But I remember showing Lou the contact sheet, and he zeroed in on that. It’s actually quite a sharp shot. I went away and made up a few prints, and the first pass on that one, it fell out of focus in the printing. I loved it when I saw it coming up. When I brought the prints back, he said, 'That’s got to be the cover.' And of course, it haunted him and me for, like, 45 years." (http://youtu.be/HtevFkWex38)
The New York Times – The Real-Life Stories Told in ‘Walk on the Wild Side’: If Lou hadn’t written that song, none of these characters would be remembered.
Arena: Tales of Rock 'N' Roll – Walk On The Wild Side: BBC Arena's Tales of Rock 'N' Roll series that looks into Lou Reed's 1972 recording "Walk On The Wild Side". The characters named in it were people who frequented Andy Warhol's studio in the late 1960s. Holly Woodlawn and Joe Dallesandro are the only "superstars" who have survived and they are interviewed in the programme. Originally broadcast on 1st May 1993 (BBC2).
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