release date: Nov. 8, 1972
format: vinyl (LSP-4807) / cd (2006 remaster)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,65]
producer: David Bowie, Mick Ronson
label: RCA Records - nationality: USA
2nd solo studio album by Lou Reed following his debut by only 7 months is produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson (then guitarist in Bowie's backing band The Spiders From Mars). Both Bowie and Ronson are credited as musicians - Bowie for backing vocals and keyboards as well as playing acoustic guitar on "Wagon Wheel" and "Walk on the Wild Side", and Ronson plays lead guitar, keyboards and is credited as arranger of all songs.
Half of the songs are actually composed for The Velvet Underground, but as contrary to the songs found on Lou Reed (Apr. 1972) all songs here have been arranged in a slower glam rock style with a distinct singer / songwriter touch, which makes a remarkable difference.
Transformer is Lou Reed's contribution to the rock & roll Hall of Fame, and his most legendary album. Alongside the two T. Rex [Marc Bolan] albums Electric Warrior (1971) and The Slider (1972), Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust... (1972) this album told anyone interested in Western popular music that glam rock was it. It's one of the best albums of a decade, it's Reed's most famous album, which is enlisted in most of popular music's best of lists comprising the best pop / rock albums, and it's also one of only two of his to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Transformer is his acclaimed and most important album in his long fascinating career that saw him as an international star for five decades. It's also one of my top-10 favourite rock albums of all-time.
The 2006 cd remaster contains two additional demo recordings as bonus tracks.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4 / 5 stars ]
1972 Favourite releases: 1. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars - 2. Lou Reed Transformer - 3. Jethro Tull Thick as a Brick
