The release of such sacred artefacts has been taken on by the US record label Light in the Attic, in partnership with Reed’s widow Laurie Anderson. Titled; Words & Music, May 1965, one can expect to hear versions of songs like “I’m Waiting for the Man” and “Heroin” with subtle differences in lyrical choices that were yet to be solidified in their ground-breaking 1967 debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Yet “Pale Blue Eyes” would change dramatically from its humble origins on this archival record for its arrival in 1969 in their self-titled album. To see a teaser video for what to expect in this rare find, take a look at the video below;

In the liner notes for the record, the US rock music critic Greil Marcus states; “The poverty in these songs – the bathtub-in-the-kitchen you hear in their clumsiness, the fifth-floor-walkup you can hear in their defiance – lets you hear them, now, as chalk on a wall, not the markings that wash away in the next rain but inscriptions that somehow become part of the brick, even if in a year or two no one will be able to read them.”

This latest reissue will feature 100% bonafide originals that never made it to the studio. Such as; “the doo-wop-tinged Too Late, and the R&B track Buzz Buzz Buzz. Another folk-tinged song, Men of Good Fortune, shares a title with a track from Reed’s solo album Berlin but is completely different. Included with some versions of the reissue are unheard Reed songs from home recording sessions in 1963 or 1964, plus doo-wop number Gee Whiz, recorded by Reed in 1958 when he was 16 years old.”

You can hear clips of the new songs via the Light in the Attic website, as well as to assess the numerous buying options available for the LP.

Reed had been unwell for several months following a liver transplant in April, though his physician stated he had been ‘fighting right up until the end’.

With a career spanning nearly five decades, few can claim a musical legacy as important as Mr. Reed’s.  Beginning as a radio DJ and in-house songwriter in the early 1960’s, Reed eventually founded a little band with his roommate that would change music history.

While The Velvet Underground may have become eclipsed by their own iconography in the eyes of younger music fans – the famous Banana image is as prevalent to alternative culture as the visage of Che Guevera – their influence is undeniable, and their debut,  ‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’, while commercially unsuccessful at the time, has gone on to earn recognition as one of the most influential rock albums of all time   ‘Only 10,000 people bought the album.’ Brian Eno famously mused years later, ‘but everyone who bought it went out and formed a band.’

Lou Reed departed The Velvet Underground and after a brief career break, turned to solo work, releasing two albums, ‘Lou Reed’ and ‘Transformer’ in 1972. The latter, in a case of history repeating itself, met mixed reviews at the time, but has since gained enormous critical accolade, recognised as among the best albums of the era, and launching the renowned tracks, ‘Perfect Day’ and ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Several successful albums followed, though Reed did not always take kindly to commercial success, evidenced by his fifth album, ‘Metal Machine Music’, an unlistenable hour-long piece consisting entirely of distorted feedback, generally viewed as a middle finger to his record company.

Reed released twenty-five albums in total as a solo artist, and twelve with The Velvet Underground, reuniting with them at various points in the 80’s and 90’s.

Reed continued to perform into his elder years, collaborating with Gorillaz, Metric, and Metallica, as well as supporting numerous political and social causes.

In tribute to his stellar career, below is but a small sample, his 1972 hit, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.