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Perhaps the closest thing Reed ever did to a concise and conventional pop song, \u2018Satellite of Love\u2019 also happens to be one of Reed\u2019s finest achievements. While he may also have David Bowie to thank in part for the production flourishes, backing vocals and additional touches of genius, the track itself is Reed all over, and is the crowning glory of Transformer.<\/p>\n
One could argue that the clunky lyrics of the middle eight bring things down a few notches; the counter-argument to this is that Reed\u2019s music has always been rife with imperfections, and it\u2019s the moments of slight naivete that end up being the most appealing aspects of his work. <\/p>\n
Of course, the \u2018bom-bom-boms\u2019 in the chorus are glorious, and the soaring coda at the end of the track where the horns come into full swing and Bowie\u2019s dramatic backing vocals kick in is equally masterful, but it\u2019s the way that every element, good and bad, manages to coalesce, is what truly makes the song a gem in Reed\u2019s solo catalogue.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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The entirety of The Velvet Underground & Nico is a demonstration of Reed\u2019s unwavering creative spark, and could reasonably be considered to take up every spot on this list, but the track that truly captures the band at their most avant-garde and boundary-pushing is the funereal dirge of \u2018Venus in Furs\u2019. The argument that is often made to support this album\u2019s brilliance is that no music had sounded like it before, but in the case of \u2018Venus in Furs\u2019, very few songs have managed to sound like it since.<\/p>\n
From the simplistic yet hypnotic drum beat of Maureen Tucker to the droning and screeching violin of John Cale, the atmosphere of the track is unsettling from start to finish, but it wouldn\u2019t have ever come to fruition without Reed\u2019s insistence that it could all work alongside his drugged-out drawl and detuned \u2018ostrich\u2019 guitar. <\/p>\n
For any band to release a track like this as early as 1967 takes bravery, but for a band to do it on their debut album is another thing entirely, and the fact that the record has gone on to shape so much of rock music since speaks volumes of how successful it was in its quest to blow minds.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Is a 17-minute track that repeats the same two chords for its entire duration a mark of genius? Yes, yes it is. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve already talked about how much Reed loved to push boundaries, and stretching a basic garage rock riff out for over a quarter of an hour is bound to test the patience of most listeners, not least their producer, Tom Wilson, who allegedly walked out of the studio and left the band to do their thing. Having that song also make reference to drug use, homosexuality, fellatio, and violence was also likely to prove a stumbling block for a late \u201860s audience.<\/p>\n
Did Reed care about that? Of course not. The entire point of his artistic outlook was to be transgressive, and to achieve that, you have to have an unwavering confidence in your decisions. The song was bound to turn heads and cause people to squirm at its uncomfortable subject matter, but it was just as likely to astound people for all the right reasons and turn them onto some of the most electrifying music they\u2019d been exposed to. Reed knew exactly what he was doing with \u2018Sister Ray\u2019, and he succeeded in every manner imaginable.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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For all of his experimental moments, Reed was also a master of writing a heartbreaking ballad. The only difference between \u2018Perfect Day\u2019 and your regular ballad is that it\u2019s not directed at the object of his desire in a romantic fashion, but his insatiable desire for taking heroin. <\/p>\n
Yes, he\u2019d covered the topic before on several occasions, but had always done so in a more obvious fashion, and what makes \u2018Perfect Day\u2019 so special is how he distorts the listener\u2019s perception once they\u2019ve figured out what he\u2019s singing about.<\/p>\n
It could so easily be about spending the best day of his life with a loved one, but when it becomes apparent that it bears a much darker undertone, the song becomes crushing and full of despair. Reed manages to subvert expectations and dispel the notion that a ballad of this ilk has to be about a conventional love story, and to do that so subtly is another reason why this track has become so beloved by his own fans, and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Writing lengthy compositions isn\u2019t unknown territory for Reed. We\u2019ve already mentioned how \u2018Sister Ray\u2019 does its best to exhaust the listener with its runtime, but where that Velvet Underground track and \u2018Street Hassle\u2019 differ is that the former largely sticks to the same mood throughout and is all about capturing an off-the-cuff vibe through jamming. <\/p>\n
\u2018Street Hassle\u2019 is a masterclass in letting a song evolve through different movements, and is very deliberate in how it progresses from one section to the next.<\/p>\n
Starting with just a vibrant cello, the song distorts and mangles itself as more elements come into play, and while it still bases itself around a repetitive motif, it\u2019s still a fine example of how Reed always had his finger on the pulse. It\u2019s not a million miles away from where he was a decade prior, but it shows a remarkable shift between the no-fucks-given attitude he had on The Velvets\u2019 debut and a desire to prove his genius to audience by continuing to evolve as an artist.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u2018Walk On The Wild Side\u2019 <\/p>\n
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