After leaving his post as lead singer of Velvet Underground, Lou Reed went on to pursue his solo career. His debut album mainly used unreleased material from Velvet Underground and soon floundered.
But luck was in store.. After finding Lou a great inspiration, David Bowie hopped aboard the creation of Lou Reed's second album as producer, along with the acclaimed Mick Ronson. And together they created Lou Reed's biggest album with poetic tracks that still seem fresh today.
Walk on the Wild Side originally took its inspiration from Nelson Algren's 1956 novel of the same name, but slowly morphed to reflect people in Lou's own life - The Superstars of Andy Warhol's New York studio The Factory, who were an eclectic mix of actors, transgenders, hustlers.
A sense of ambiguity surrounds Perfect Day.. some believe it to be written after a day spent in Central Park with Lou's soon to be wife Bettye Kronstad. But others see it as a love song to heroin, the belief is lamented with the inclusion of the track in the Trainspotting movie soundtrack.
Album producer David Bowie provided backing vocals on Satellite Of Love..
Tune in every week to the Paul McLoone Show to hear Paul's pick for #ClassicAlbumOfTheWeek
