Just catching up on some reading material and Mojo mag , Nov 2016  which has a fascinating feature on Lou Reed and a great cd 'a life in music ' . Part of the feature includes an article by Andrew Male citing Lou's  Velvet Underground influences  of 50s doo wop , pop and rnb . 'I'm waiting for the man' ...'its roots in gutbucket black '50s RnB - barrelhouse piano ..' and 'there she goes again ' citing an almost direct lift from the Funk Bros guitar intro to Marvin Gaye's 1962 single Hitchhike ...'

Hadn't previously made the connection myself even tho a massive Velvets and Lou Reed fan . Thoughts ? 

Always thought "Temptation Inside My Heart" by the Velvet Underground had a very Motown feel to it. Youtube isn't letting me link...

Got broad tastes but really can't bear anything Reed did myself. However...

I think anyone from his background interested in popular music at that time would have had those influences.

Also, I remember reading he started off working for one of those budget labels that did soundalike covers of recent hits. So it seems likely he would have known how to play loads of things that were originally recorded by other artists.

 

 

I remember an interview with Lou Reed, in Mojo I think and probably about ten years ago now, where the interviewer recounts  handing Lou a copy of the Dave Godin Eddie and Ernie Kent CD as a thank you for the interview.  Lou gave him a knowing grin.

Not sure how much Eddie and Ernie influenced his music but he obviously had exemplary taste.

Regards - Alan

Always wondered if Lou Reed was in The All Night Workers, but reading the comments it seems he only co-wrote the flip-side of "Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket" - seems like a good enough reason to post it, mind!

I think if you listen to Walk on the Wild Side and then to Forgive Me Darrell Banks you can hear how it influenced Reeds record.

More so on the Darrell Banks version than the earlier JJ Barnes take

I'm sure this must have been commented on before as it's a fairly obvious influence I think.