First, you know you wanted another selection from Lou’s 1974 All-Star Porn Rock Band. It’s going to be hard continuing this feature once I move beyond this era, but I’ll do my best.
I was watching a making of Transformer doc on VH1 Classics. You know, as much as I love Lou Reed and as many mediocre – some might say “humble” – albums as I do by the man, Tranformer is a generally flat listening experience for me. I’m only stoked by the album’s version of “Walk on the Wild Side”. As great a song as “Satellite of Love” is, I find the album’s version lacking in something. I’ll take any number of live versions over it.
The album’s subject matter doesn’t grab me – all that glam/butch-femme dynamic/Andy Warhol stuff ranks down there with workin’ for the weekend cock-rock subject matter in terms of my lyrical interests, but I think the real problem is Bowie. Here’s a rare example of an artist in his prime being produced by an artist he heavily influenced. As with Bowie’s production of Raw Power, I’m left cold.
That said, let’s hear what Lou and his contributors had to say about the making of this supposed classic!
