LOU REED Vinyl & CDs

Review: Remarkably, it's 25 years since the release of Lou Reed's seventeenth solo album, Set the Twilight Reeling. To celebrate this significant anniversary, Reed has decided to offer-up a fresh vinyl edition, this time on audiophile-friendly heavy wax with an accompanying booklet. To aid sound quality, the album has now been stretched over three sides of vinyl, with the fourth featuring an etched image of the album's artwork. It's a beautifully presented reissue all told, though it's the quality of the music - typically fuzzy, lo-fi and dominated by the twin attractions of Reed's proto-punk guitars and weather-worn vocals - that impresses most. While not one of the most celebrated sets in Reed's epic catalogue, Set The Twilight Reeling is still a hugely impressive and involving album.

Review: This broadcast was first aired on French TV having been recorded at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972. It got a first official release in 2004 having been bootlegged for many years before that from a recording taken from the sound board at the gig. Fans of The Velvet Underground will know that this was the first time the group members Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico had all been up on stage together.

Review: You can now get your hands on this superb live album from The Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico on plain black vinyl or, more excellently, this white limited edition version. This set was the first time the group members had all been up on stage together since the original band disbanded. It was first aired on French TV having been recorded at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972. It got a first official release in 2004 having been bootlegged for many years before that from a recording taken from the sound board at the gig. Due to a problem with tape transfers, the speed on some releases is slower than the original concert.