Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65 (Oxblood & Gold Vinyl) - By: Various Artists - Model Number: LITA212-1-1

Description

First official anthology of Lou Reed™s work for Pickwick Records 1964-1965
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).

¢ Features rarities, cult classics (The Primitives™ The Ostrich), & previously unreleased material (The Beachnuts™ Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy)
¢ Produced in partnership with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive
¢ 20-page LP book/40-page CD book featuring unseen photos and essays by Lenny Kaye & Richie Unterberger
¢ Remastered by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin
¢ Art Direction & Design by multi-GRAMMY®-winning artist Masaki Koike at Phyx Design
¢ 2xLP pressed at Optimal

Label
Night In the Attic

Tracks & Genre

SOUTHBOUND