Light In The Attic has teamed up with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive to put together a new anthology documenting Reed’s work for the defunct label Pickwick Records.
Spanning 25 songs, Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-65 is a compilation of pop songs written by Reed during his mid-60s stint as a staff songwriter for the record label, which ultimately shut up shop in 1977. Much of the material featured was written shortly before or around the time of the formation of The Velvet Underground, with styles on the compilation ranging from the soul-pop of The Hi-Lites’ ‘Soul City’ and the garage rock of The Roughnecks’ ‘You’re Driving Me Insane’ to the doo-wop sounds of The Hollywoods’ ‘Teardrops In The Sand’.
All of the tracks included on Why Don’t You Smile Now have been restored and remastered especially for the release. It will be made available across digital, vinyl and CD formats, with the latter two set to include in-depth booklets taking in unseen photos, extensive liner notes and an essay about Reed’s time at Pickwick Records.
You can listen to the Lou Reed-penned ‘The Ostrich’ by The Primitives, which appears on Why Don’t You Smile Now, below.
This marks the latest release in Light In The Attic’s ongoing Lou Reed Archive Series, following 2023’s reissue of Hudson River Wind Meditations and the 2022 issue of Words & Music, May 1965. The label also put out a tribute album to the late artist featuring covers of his work earlier this year.
Light In The Attic will release Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-65.
