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Lou Reed and Paul Simon

Johnnie Walker looks at his favourite classic albums. Another chance to hear Lou Reed's Transformer and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years, recorded in February 2012.

Johnnie Walker looks at his favourite classic albums. This week it's Lou Reed's Transformer from 1972 and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years from 1975. The show was recorded in February 2012 before Lou's sad death.

'Transformer' was produced by Mick Ronson and David Bowie (both of whom were influenced by the Velvet Underground) and contains some of Reed's best work - 'Walk on the Wild Side', 'Perfect Day' and 'Satellite of Love', some written in the VU days. Novices could be forgiven for thinking it was Lou Reed's 'Greatest Hits'.

'Still Crazy' was Paul Simon's fourth solo studio album, winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1976. It also reunited him with his former partner Art Garfunkel (on the track 'My Little Town') for the first time since 1970.

Simon also recruited a veritable 'Who's Who' of english speaking (and Belgian) world class players and singers (including Patti Austin, Toots Thielemans, Valerie Simpson, Tony Levin, Ralph McDonald, Phoebe Snow, David Sanborn, Hugh McCracken, Bob James and Michael Brecker) for the tracks which included '50 Ways To Leave Your Lover' and 'Gone At Last'.

The programme features highlights from the albums with comment and cultural history from Johnnie and broadcaster and critic David Hepworth alongside archive interviews with many of the key players.

57 minutes

Music Played

  • Paul Simon

    Still Crazy After All These Years

    • Still Crazy After All These Years.
    • CBS.
    • CD-86001.
  • Simon, Paul With Art Garfunkel

    My Little Town

    • Still Crazy After All These Years.
    • CBS.
    • CDCBS-86001.
  • Paul Simon

    Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy

    • Still Crazy After All These Years.
    • WARNER.
    • 7599-25591-2.
  • Paul Simon

    50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

    • Still Crazy After All These Years.
    • CBS.
    • CDCBS-86001.
  • Paul Simon

    Gone At Last

    • Still Crazy After All These Years.
    • WARNER BROS.
    • NO FUR INF-NO FUR INF.
  • Lou Reed

    Vicious

    • Transformer.
    • RCA.
    • RCA-74321 601812.
  • Lou Reed

    Perfect Day

    • Transformer.
    • RCA.
    • 74321-601812.
  • Lou Reed

    Satellite Of Love

    • Transformer.
    • RCA.
    • 74321-601812.
  • Lou Reed

    Walk On The Wild Side

    • Transformer.
    • RCA.
    • ND-83 806.

Broadcasts

  • Thu 16 Feb 2012 23:00
  • Sat 7 Dec 2013 21:00