Lou, or something like it

By now the Lou Reed tributes are plentiful but I'm going to add one more to the heap. Few DJs could resist an opportunity to play a full hour of music by a figure so awesome and influential, and as I soon found out, an hour is hardly enough.

Instead of simply sticking to the hits, I've included a smattering of VU covers from artists whose music is often featured on the show (Beck, Yo La Tengo, Swervedriver, Ride, Cat Power, etc.). Unsurprisingly, most of the songs covered come from 1967's The Velvet Underground & Nico, which incidentally happens to be the first VU record I owned. At the time I was probably more enamoured with the tracks featuring Nico but it wasn't long before I was spinning Loaded and 1969's self-titled album on a regular basis.

As to be expected, some of the covers play it pretty safe. Of Montreal's take on "She's My Best Friend" is virtually identical to the original, but when you have a pop song that's already perfectly crafted it's hard to think beyond it -- that is, unless you happen to be Cat Power's Chan Marshall, who, in my opinion, still lays claim to the most affecting Velvet Underground cover out there.

Along with all the covers, I had to play some tracks from 1970's Transformer and at least one of the many weird collaborations that popped up during the latter part of Reed's career (sorry, no Lulu). It was a bit tricky assembling some of these tracks so if I sound distracted or out of breath, or if I contradict myself and give the wrong dates it's because I'm trying to cue up several things at once and fighting back all the tears.



"Satellite of Love" - Lou Reed (Transformer, 1972)
"I Found a Reason" - Cat Power (Loaded, 1970)
"Perfect Day" - Lou Reed (Transformer, 1972)
"European Son" - Ride (The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967)
"Jesus" - Swervedriver (The Velvet Underground, 1969)
"All Tomorrow's Parties" - The Velvet Underground & Nico (previously unreleased mix, 1966)
"All Tomorrow's Parties" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967)
"Some Kind of Nature (feat. Lou Reed)" - Gorillaz (2010)
"She's My Best Friend" - The Velvet Underground (previously unreleased, 1969)
"She's My Best Friend" - Of Montreal (previously unreleased, 1969)
"I'll Be Your Mirror" - Beck (The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967)
"I'm Set Free" - Yo La Tengo (The Velvet Underground, 1969)
"Here She Comes Now" - Galaxy 500 (White Light/White Heat, 1968)