Audiopile Review: We live in an age of instant access to unlimited musical inspiration. It’s hard to believe that a small hardcore of seminal artists drove the pre-post-punk underground. Some of these artists have gotten lost in the abundance and no longer have the stature they deserve, most obviously the godlike Peter Hammill. You could argue that the stature of other underground legends continues to grow. Certainly, Lou Reed and his Velvet Underground are well within the classic rock pantheon. And yet, it’s hard to capture the power this poet-curmudgeon had in the 70s and 80s. There’s a lot to be said for instant limitlessness, but it does tend to encourage surface engagement. Back in the day, figures like Reed, Hammill, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, and a handful of others demanded deep immersion. And no one demanded deeper immersion than Lou Reed, the man, the myth. Part of the Lou Reed myth is the story that he was a writer of bubblegum pop singles for Pickwick Records in the mid 60s. The bizarre stories of Reed’s Pickwick antics were fascinating and tantalizing. But did this stuff even exist? And that’s why living in an age of access and abundance is not so bad after all. Because here’s a compilation of Reed-penned Pickwick releases, courtesy of Light in the Attic. It opens with ‘The Ostrich’ by pre-Velvet Underground group The Primitives, which, it turns out, is even more bonkers than rock history has portrayed it. Then we’re straight into ‘Cycle Annie’ by another clearly Reed-fronted group, The Beachnuts, which itself could be a late-period Velvets tune. The bulk of the songs really do sound like production-line 60s pop confections, but they are entirely irresistible and are richly infused with Reed’s eccentric genius and deadpan humour. Far from being a fans-only collection of curios, this is an essential insight into one of left-field rock’s most influential figures.

Light in the Attic, in cooperation with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive, is thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65. Due out September 27th, the latest installment in LITA’s critically acclaimed Lou Reed Archive Series is a compilation of pop songs penned by Reed during his mid-60s stint as a staff songwriter for the long-defunct label Pickwick Records. The compilation follows on the heels of Lou Reed’s Hudson River Wind Meditations (2023) and Words & Music, May 1965 (2022).

One of the most original and innovative figures in music history, Reed (1942-2013) first gained recognition as co-founder and frontman of the massively influential Velvet Underground. Over the course of his five-decade career, the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer brought his singular vision to an eclectic expanse of musical endeavors, including era-defining albums like 1972’s Transformer and wildly experimental works like the 1975 avant-garde noise classic Metal Machine Music. But before establishing himself as an enduringly iconic singer, songwriter, musician, and poet, Reed got his start as an in-house songwriter (and occasional session guitarist/vocalist) for Pickwick Records—a label specializing in sound-alike recordings that emulated the major pop hits of the day. Encompassing everything from garage-rock and girl-group pop to blue-eyed soul and teen-idol balladry, Reed’s output for Pickwick ultimately offers a fascinating early glimpse at his ever-evolving and truly limitless artistry.

The album has been restored and remastered by GRAMMY®-nominated mastering engineer John Baldwin. Both the 2xLP & CD editions feature in-depth booklets with unseen photos, liner notes by Richie Unterberger (renowned music journalist and author of such acclaimed titles as White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground day-by-day), and an essay by Lenny Kaye (the legendary guitarist, Patti Smith Group co-founder, writer, producer, and curator of seminal garage-rock anthology Nuggets). The double-LP package is designed by multi-GRAMMY®-winning artist Masaki Koike and pressed at world-renowned plant Optimal (Germany). A special color vinyl edition is pressed on “Oxblood” wax (A/B side) and “Gold” wax (C/D side). This release marks the first official anthology of Lou Reed’s work for Pickwick Records and features rarities, cult classics (The Primitives’ “The Ostrich”), & previously unreleased material (The Beachnuts’ “Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy”).