Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964 -1965 (Ox Blood and Gold Vinyl 2LP)

Lou Reed's The Velvet Underground appeared out of seemingly nowhere, the perfect band from the first note. This new collection demonstrates that Lou Reed had honing his chops for a good couple o' years before the first note of Sunday Morning, with a couple dozen or so of the tunes Lou penned for Pickwick in the mid 60s. Check out his own early incarnation here as The Primitives, radical stuff! - Flying Out

Light in the Attic, in cooperation with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive, is thrilled to announce the forthcoming release of Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65. Due out September 27th, the latest installment in LITA’s critically acclaimed Lou Reed Archive Series is a compilation of pop songs penned by Reed during his mid-60s stint as a staff songwriter for the long-defunct label Pickwick Records. The compilation follows on the heels of Lou Reed’s Hudson River Wind Meditations (2023) and Words & Music, May 1965 (2022).

One of the most original and innovative figures in music history, Reed (1942-2013) first gained recognition as co-founder and frontman of the massively influential Velvet Underground. Over the course of his five-decade career, the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer brought his singular vision to an eclectic expanse of musical endeavors, including era-defining albums like 1972’s Transformer and wildly experimental works like the 1975 avant-garde noise classic Metal Machine Music. But before establishing himself as an enduringly iconic singer, songwriter, musician, and poet, Reed got his start as an in-house songwriter (and occasional session guitarist/vocalist) for Pickwick Records—a label specializing in sound-alike recordings that emulated the major pop hits of the day. Encompassing everything from garage-rock and girl-group pop to blue-eyed soul and teen-idol balladry, Reed’s output for Pickwick ultimately offers
a fascinating early glimpse at his ever-evolving and truly limitless artistry.

Tracklist:

1. The Primitives - The Ostrich  
2. The Beachnuts - Cycle Annie  
3. The Hi-Lifes - I’m Gonna Fight  
4. The Hi-Lifes - Soul City  
5. Ronnie Dickerson - Oh No Don’t Do It  
6. Ronnie Dickerson - Love Can Make You Cry  
7. The Hollywoods - Teardrop In The Sand  
8. The Roughnecks - You’re Driving Me Insane  
9. The Primitives - Sneaky Pete  
10. Terry Philips - Wild One  
11. Spongy And The Dolls - Really - Really - Really - Really - Really - Really Love  
12. The Foxes - Soul City  
13. The J Brothers - Ya Running, But I’ll Getcha  
14. Beverley Ann - We Got Trouble  
15. The All Night Workers - Why Don’t You Smile  
16. Jeannie Larimore - Johnny Won’t Surf No More  
17. Robertha Williams - Tell Mamma Not to Cry  
18. Robertha Williams - Maybe Tomorrow  
19. Terry Philips - Flowers For The Lady  
20. Terry Philips - This Rose  
21. The Surfsiders - Surfin’  
22. The Surfsiders - Little Deuce Coupe  
23. The Beachnuts - Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy  
24. The Beachnuts - I’ve Got a Tiger in My Tank  
25. Ronnie Dickerson - What About Me