{"product_id":"why-dont-you-smile-now-lou-reed-at-various-why-dont-you-smile-now-lou-reed-at-various","title":"Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed At \/ Various - Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed at \/ Various","description":"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 \u0026amp; 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 \u0026amp; 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 \u0026amp; 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\"), \u0026amp; previously unreleased material (The Beachnuts' \"Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy\").","brand":"Sonic Highway","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42597765611605,"sku":"826853212106","price":43.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1366\/5653\/files\/4367743-3226577.jpg?v=1781500320","url":"https:\/\/levitation.fm\/products\/why-dont-you-smile-now-lou-reed-at-various-why-dont-you-smile-now-lou-reed-at-various","provider":"LEVITATION","version":"1.0","type":"link"}