Don Fleming & Jason Stern - Late Junction: The Lou Reed Archive Mixtape

DON FLEMING & JASON STERN - LATE JUNCTION: THE LOU REED ARCHIVE MIXTAPE (320kbs-m4a/70mb/31mins)
BBC Radio 3 broadcast: 23rd September 2022

Verity Sharp shares an exclusive mixtape from the Lou Reed Archive, celebrating the work of the influential American musician, singer, songwriter, and poet. A leading figure in New York's underground music scene, most famously as leader of The Velvet Underground, Reed is celebrated for his avant-garde approach to rock as well as his lyrical storytelling and love of sonic poetry. This year he would have turned 80, and to mark it the Lou Reed Archive is releasing a previously unheard collection of demos and recordings, including the earliest known versions of some of his most famous songs.

For Late Junction, the overseers of the Lou Reed Archive Don Fleming and Jason Stern have curated a mixtape of some of these 1965 demos, as well as early recordings of Reed talking about and performing his poetry, and some of his favourite tracks from artists like Ornette Coleman and Scott Walker.

Produced by Katie Callin and Gabriel Francis
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3

Lou Reed - Lou's 12-Bar Instrumental (1963/64 Home Recording) [Light In The Attic]
Lou Reed - Stockpile [Light In The Attic]
Lou Reed - Lipstick [Anthology Recordings]
The Velvet Underground - Ride Into The Sun [Velvets]
Lou Reed - Heroin (poetry reading, St Marks 1971) [Not Given]
Lou Reed - Heroin (May 1965 Demo) [Light In The Attic]
Lou Reed - Men Of Good Fortune (May 1965 Demo) [Light In The Attic]
Lou Reed - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Partial) (1963-64 Home Recording) [Light In The Attic]
Lou Reed - Street Hassle [Arista]
Kanye West - Black Skinhead [Def Jam Recordings]
Ornette Coleman - Lonely Woman [Atlantic]
Nolan Strong - The Wind [Fortune]
Antony And The Johnsons - The Lake [Secretly Canadian]
Lou Reed - We Are The People (poetry reading, St Marks 1971) [Not Given]
Scott Walker - Epizootics! [4AD]
Lou Reed - Endless Cycle [Sire]
Ornette Coleman - Lonely Woman [Atlantic]
Ann Peebles - I Can'’t Stand The Rain [London]
Laurie Anderson - From The Air [Big Science]
Lou Reed - Spirited Leaves Of Autumn (poetry reading, St Marks 1971) [Not Given]
Nolan Strong - The Wind [Fortune]
Lou Reed - Gee Whiz (1958 Rehearsal) [Light In The Attic]
Lou Reed - Lipstick (poetry reading, St Marks 1971) [Not Given]
Kanye West - I Am God [Def Jam Recordings]
Jimmy Scott - Someone To Watch Over Me [Warner Jazz]
Lou Reed - I'm Waiting For The Man (May 1965 Alternate Version) [Light In The Attic]

Intro (320kbs-m4a/21mb/9mins)
Outro (320kbs-m4a/2mb/1min)

Archive On 4: Walking The Wild Mind

ARCHIVE ON 4: WALKING THE WILD MIND (320kbs-m4a/130mb/56mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 2nd March 2019

Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega explores Lou Reed's complexities with New Yorkers who knew him well.

Suzanne first saw Lou Reed perform when she was a student in New York. In that first concert she saw him intimidate and upset the audience in the first half of the show but, after the interval, he was another performer entirely. This was Lou bestowing all his charisma and talent to fans.

She explores the two sides of Lou Reed in a programme celebrating the imminent unveiling of his archive. Lou's widow, artist and musician Laurie Anderson, has donated it to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Suzanne Vega lived a couple of blocks away from Lou and Laurie and often visited them at their country home. She wanted to get him know him better, but it was obvious that he needed to protect himself. Now, Suzanne talks to other New Yorkers who knew and worked with him.

Few got to see all sides of Lou Reed. Poet Anne Waldman talks about how seriously he took his poetry and songwriting. His second wife Sylvia Reed also describes his love of literature. Biographer Anthony De Curtis talks about the R and B music Lou loved all his life. Music entrepreneur Michael Dorf, shared with Lou his love of Jewish celebrations. Garland Jeffreys, a musician who knew Lou from university days to his death in 2013, describes their love of doo wop on Brooklyn street corners. He also witnessed Lou's rage at his father.

Throughout the programme, Suzanne asks her interviewees to bring objects that remind them of Lou or talk about an item in the archive. Along with producer Judith Kampfner, she has an exclusive sneak peek at some of the archival gems - the jewel, an exclusive for the BBC, is the opening of an iconic song from a 1965 demo.

Presenter: Suzanne Vega
Producer: Judith Kampfner
Executive Producer: Jeremy Mortimer

A Corporation for Independent Media production for BBC Radio 4

Lou Reed - Live Hammersmith Odeon 1994

LOU REED - LIVE HAMMERSMITH ODEON 1994 (320kbs-m4a/129mb/56mins)
BBC Radio 6 Music broadcast: 4th February 2017

Lou Reed - Harry's Circumcision
Lou Reed - Magic And Loss
Lou Reed - Images
Lou Reed - A Dream
Lou Reed - Dirty Boulevard
Lou Reed - Begining Of A Great Adventure
Lou Reed - Strawman
Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side
Lou Reed - Satellite Of Love