WORDS & MUSIC: Light In The Attic Launches Lou Reed Archive Series With Collection Of Unheard Demos

One of my favorite things about Light In The Attic Records is how much they truly invest themselves into everything they touch; something that is never more evident than in their archival series projects. Rather than restrict themselves to low-effort one-off reissues to cash in, they’ve chosen to take a much deeper dive into the extensive catalogs of select artists like Lee Hazlewood. The label has now released over 20 titles from the infamous baritone, as part of their ongoing Lee Hazlewood Archive Series, with some slight overlap coming with the Nancy Sinatra Archival Series they began in 2020. Their Japan Archive series is responsible for a number of universally acclaimed compilations highlighting Japanese music ranging from folk, rock, and boogie to ambient, electronic minimalism, and “mutant pop.” One particular joy for me has been watching the prolific catalog of living legend and founding member of Yellow Magic Orchestra, Haruomo Hosono gradually coming back into print through an archive series of his own. With all the various imprints that they have, these archival ventures are not their primary output, so it doesn’t require the company to pump them out to stay afloat. Rather, these are something that they can be selective with, choosing the right subjects to explore, lay out a general approach, and then, when it’s time, really go in and tackle it in a way that does the catalog justice. That’s why it’s so exciting to see that they’ve created a brand new archive series where they will be exploring the work of chosen none other than the late Lou Reed.

The Velvet Underground doesn’t have the sort of vaults to mine through as the Grateful Dead does, but fans still know that there is unearthed material out there and, on the infrequent occasion that it does surface, it’s worth celebrating. In 2015, an official box set release of The Complete Matrix Tapes arrived in glorious fashion. Finally offering a high-quality recording of the notoriously sectioned out and/or bootlegged live shows, it provided a different take on classic tunes, along with a couple of songs that never even made it onto any studio albums. This past April, a collection of Lou Reed‘s 1971 RCA demos was released exclusively for Record Store Day. Titled, I’m So Free, it was recorded during Reed‘s first-ever studio session as a solo artist and consisted of raw stripped-down takes of songs that would grace future solo albums throughout the 1970s. For their inaugural release in the Lou Reed Archive Series, LITA is releasing a completely different set of demos. Words And Music, May 1965 is a collection that predates Reed‘s solo work, is even rarer than the RSD recordings, and has a story that’s far more compelling.

Check out a more detailed breakdown via Light In The Attic, just after this product image featuring the deluxe version of the release.

“I’m Waiting for the Man,” “Heroin,” “Pale Blue Eyes” — In May of 1965, Lou Reed, with the help of future bandmate John Cale, recorded the very first known versions of these iconic songs along with a handful of others and mailed the tape to himself as a “poor man’s copyright.” The tape remained sealed in its original envelope and unopened for nearly 50 years — entirely unheard and forgotten, until now. In partnership with Laurie Anderson, the tape will be released for the first time (remastered from the original analog tape) on Deluxe Edition LP, Standard LP, CD, Cassette Tape, and Digital on 8/26 and are available for pre-order now.

The centerpiece of the inaugural Lou Reed Archive Series release is the Deluxe 45-RPM Double LP Edition of Words & Music, May 1965. Limited to 7,500 copies worldwide, this collection was designed by multi-GRAMMY®-winning artist Masaki Koike and features a stylized, die-cut gatefold jacket manufactured by Stoughton Printing Co. Housed inside are two 45-RPM 12-inch LPs, pressed on HQ-audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) featuring the only vinyl release of “I’m Waiting for the Man – May 1965 Alternate Version.” A bonus 7-inch, housed in its own unique die-cut picture sleeve and manufactured at Third Man Record Pressing includes the only vinyl release of six previously-unreleased bonus tracks providing a never-before-seen glimpse into Reed’s formative years, including early demos, a cover of Bob Dylan and a doo-wop serenade. An accompanying saddle-stitched, die-cut 28-page book features lyrics, archival photos, and liner notes. Also included is an archival reproduction of a rarely-seen letter, written by Reed to his college professor and poet, Delmore Schwartz, circa 1964. The set includes a CD containing the complete audio from the package, housed in a die-cut jacket. The first single, “I’m Waiting For The Man is available to stream now. Throughout 2022 and beyond, Light in the Attic will continue to honor the music and influence of Reed through the Lou Reed Archive Series. Visit LouReedArchive.com to learn more, and stay tuned for forthcoming releases.”

For those who are interested in the project, but don’t feel like they need to go all out on a pricy deluxe version, there is a more basic single-LP option, which comes in basic black or limited edition yellow vinyl, as well as a CD version available. In fact, there are a number of options to choose from including a cassette or even an 8-track tape. For those who feel like need even more than the deluxe offers, there is related merchandise like T-shirts, a turntable mat, a tote bag, and a numbered lithograph that can either be purchased individually or as part of various bundle options.

Visit LightInTheAttic.net or LouReedArchive.com to preorder now.