Before Lou Reed co-founded the Velvet Underground, the future rock legend was a staff songwriter for artists at Pickwick Records. The songs that Reed wrote for the label in the mid-1960s – which are mostly performed by assorted Pickwick artists with occasional musical contributions from Reed himself – have been compiled on a new album titled, Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65. The compilation will be released on September 27 via Light in the Attic, with oversight by Reed’s widow, Laurie Anderson, along with the Lou Reed Archive.
In addition to announcing the release, they have also shared the project’s opening track, the Primitives’ “The Ostrich,” which features Reed on vocals. Another song included on the record, the All Night Workers’ “Why Don’t You Smile,” was John Cale’s first credit as a songwriter. Soon after its release, he and Reed left Pickwick and formed the Velvet Underground. Why Don’t You Smile Now was restored and remastered by John Baldwin, with liner notes by Richie Unterberger, an essay by Lenny Kaye, and package design by Masaki Koike. (Pitchfork)
