Notes: Reed had found fame in the Velvet Underground, but left in Aug 1970. After a break, he arrived in London in late Dec 1971 to make this, his debut solo album, feted by the music press. All but (2) and (5) were written for the Velvet Underground. (1), (4), (9) and (10) had actually been recorded by the Velvets (Reed, Sterling Morrison, Moe Tucker, Doug Yule) in late 1969. These versions of (4) and (10) were released on 1985's VU, while the version of (9) is on 1986's Another View. In April 1970, a reduced line-up of Reed/Morrison/Yule (Tucker was pregnant) recorded demos of (3), (6), (8) (as "Love Makes You Feel Ten Feet Tall"), (9) and (10) for the album Loaded. (10) got closest to being used. These versions were included on the 1997 2CD version of Loaded called Fully Loaded. Reed fans generally argue these earlier versions are better than what was released on Lou Reed. (7) had been played live by the Velvets in 1970.

Lou Reed was recorded Dec 1971/Jan 1972. Reed and producer Robinson picked some big name session players. As well as Howe and Wakeman, there was Cattini on drums, who had been in The Tornados in the 1960s and gone on to play with the likes of Joe Cocker and Roy Harper. Quaye on bass had become known for playing with Elton John. What tracks Howe and Wakeman are on remains unclear.

Release came June 1972 in the US, and a month later in the UK. "Going Down" b/w "I Can't Stand It" was released as a single in the US, followed by "Walk and Talk It" b/w "Wild Child" in both the US and UK. The album sold poorly, making #189 in the US (although that was slightly better than the preceding 3 Velvets albums and only slightly behind their 1967 debut, which had made #171) and not charting anywhere else. Neither single charted. Reed was subsequently critical of the album, as are his fans and the music reviewers. By November 1972, he had released his next solo album, Transformer, with a different array of guests, including David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Herbie Flowers and Klaus Voorman, which became a hit (#29 US, #13 UK, #1 France) and included "Walk on the Wild Side" (#16 US, #10 UK). (HP, 2 Jun 21; thanks to Cristiano Massaro for info)