Check out Lou Reed’s 1965 demo of ‘Men Of Good Fortune’
Lou Reed’s demo version of ‘Men Of Good Fortune’ from 1965 was released yesterday (August 16th). It is the third preview track from a forthcoming archival collection entitled Words & Music, May 1965.
The collection is scheduled for full release on August 26th on Light In The Attic. The date is what would have been Lou Reed’s 80th birthday. However, this rendition of ‘Men Of Good Fortune’ is comprised of an earlier version of lyrics and musical composition, compared to the full studio version that would arrive on Reed’s Berlin album in 1973.
Last month, we saw the release of the first recorded demo of the famous The Velvet Underground track ‘Heroin’. The demo, also from 1965, was recorded by the legendary New York musician around two years before it would be released on the band’s significant first studio album The Velvet Underground & Nico.
The elusive demo track sees Reed playing the guitar and singing. Structurally it is more or less the same as the future album version, though it is some three minutes shorter in length. A month prior to ‘Heroin’, the Reed estate released an early demo version of ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’, which gave us a further glimpse into Reed’s writing process.
On Words and Music, May 1965, we also find more hitherto unreleased demos, including ‘Buzz Buzz Buzz’, ‘Buttercup Song’ and ‘Stockpile’. The archival collection will be released on vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CD and digital formats.
There is a special edition 45rpm double LP version of the album, that is limited to just 7,500 copies, which includes two 12-inch vinyls and an additional 7-inch that features a cover version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right. These are in addition to a 28 page lyric book with archival photos and liner notes.
Check out the demo of ‘Men Of Good Fortune’ below.
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