'Lou Reed Archive series' kicks off with Words & Music, May 1965

Light in the Attic Records and Laurie Anderson on June 6 announced a partnership on the Lou Reed Archive Series. The series will feature a roll-out of rare and unreleased material from the late punk godfather’s catalog. The archive will feature some of the late artist’s early demo recordings for the first time. The initial release, Words & Music, May 1965, will arrive on August 26. The new material will be a compilation of the tapes recorded by Lou Reed before Velvet Underground was formed.

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Lou Reed’s archives feature the earliest recordings of Velvet Underground

While scouring through Reed’s office, two tapes and an unopened, self-addressed envelope were found with a five-inch reel-to-reel recording comprising Words & Music, May 1965.

In a release, Fleming and Stern explained that Lou Reed had notarised and shipped the package dated May 11, 1965, and that Reed had earned a 'poor man’s copyright' on his recordings, doubly secured by listing each song with “Words and music [or lyrics and music] by Lou Reed.”

The archival tape features the earliest-known recordings of Velvet Underground numbers like Heroin and Pale Blue Eyes and some of the first collaborations with future bandmate John Cale. The songs were written by a then-unknown Reed and recorded by his Velvet Underground bandmate and musical partner, John Cale.

Also among the rarities are a 1958 rehearsal with his high school group The Jades (aka The Shades) and Reed’s folk music in 1963-64 while he was attending Syracuse University, including acoustic guitar/harmonica takes on Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, as well as instrumental versions of Baby, Let Me Follow You Down and Michael, Row the Beat Ashore and his own W, & X, Y, Z Blues.

The entire album release will consist of unsealing of demos through five decades. It will be preceded by I’m Waiting for the Man (May 1965 Demo), which Fleming and Stern note was nearly complete, with minor changes made in the final arrangement.

According to a release announcing Words & Music, it offers an “extraordinary, unvarnished and poignant insight into one of America’s true poet-songwriters.”

The track version will be stripped-down and folk-based. However, it will show early signs of Reed’s raw, sonic exploration.

A 6-song digital EP, Gee Whiz, 1958-1964, is scheduled to release on October 7 and will feature folk covers and original blues recordings from 1963-64.

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Words & Music, May 1965 tracklist

The tracklist of Words & Music 1965 will include the following tracks -- I’m Waiting for the Man (May 1965 demo), Men of Good Fortune (May 1965 demo), Heroin (May 1965 demo), Too Late (May 1965 demo), Buttercup Song (May 1965 demo), Walk Alone (May 1965 demo), Buzz Buzz Buzz (May 1965 demo), Pale Blue Eyes (May 1965 demo), Stockpile (May 1965 demo), Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (May 1965 demo) and I’m Waiting for the Man (May 1965 alternate version).