Marking what would have been Lou Reed’s 80th birthday, Light in the Attic and Laurie Anderson have revealed today a partnership that will see the release of several installments of the late Velvet Underground frontman’s archival recordings, kicking things off with never-before-heard earliest-known recordings of VU classics including “Heroin” and “I’m Waiting for the Man.” Following Todd Haynes’ straightforwardly titled biopic of the band released last year, Words & Music, May 1965 will dive deeper into the lore of the Velvets’ universe.
With a production team including Anderson and Hal Willner, the first installment of the archive series will also include previously unheard compositions, all of which will be released as a two-LP package or an 11-track digital release featuring an additional six-song bonus EP titled Gee Whiz, 1958-1964. In tandem with the album’s August release, LITA will also be unveiling a podcast special about the project also titled Words & Music, which will be hosted by TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe.
Find more details on the project here and a trailer for it here, and listen to the first sample of the release in the form of the 1965 demo for “I’m Waiting for the Man” below.
