SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – WHY DON’T YOU SMILE NOW: LOU REED AT PICKWICK RECORDS 1964-65

VARIOUS ARTISTS
WHY DON’T YOU SMILE NOW: LOU REED AT PICKWICK RECORDS 1964-65
LIGHT IN THE ATTIC RECORDS

Back in the sixties Pickwick Records were supposed to be a budget version of the then-dominating songwriter powerhouse that was New York’s Brill Building. Die-hard Lou Reed fans were certainly aware that this is where Reed started his songwriting career. Like the Pickwick Records themselves, most of the songs Reed wrote that were eventually recorded and released on the label were for decades existing only on dusty studio tapes.

Now one of the best reissue labels today, Light In The Attic, in cooperation with Laurie Anderson and The Lou Reed Archives, has dug these up, restored them meticulously, and presented them to a wide audience.

So, are these any good after all? Actually, they are more than good – not only do they show that Reed had a songwriting talent from the start, but that he had a keen and detailed knowledge of practically any genre of pop music at that moment, from surf rock to smooch ballads, to soul pop.

At the same time, he was able to transfer that talent and vast musical knowledge into some instantly catchy stuff. Great collection.

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