The underrated guitar talents of Lou Reed
Lou Reed is remembered as one of the most important songwriters of the 20th century. Through his seminal work as a member of The Velvet Underground, in addition to a successful solo career spanning over 40 years, the New Yorker cemented himself as a consistently independent voice in alternative music. However, an aspect of Reed’s music that often goes overlooked is his impressive guitar abilities.
It certainly feels odd to refer to Lou Reed as a guitarist. His songwriting talents in The Velvet Underground and the solo career that followed seemed to overshadow his guitar playing. Indeed, for much of his solo work, the guitar generally took a backseat to piano, bass and even brass.
Of course, Reed’s guitar riffs formed the basis for unforgettable Velvet Underground tracks like ‘Run, Run, Run’. The legendary band, formed by Reed with the multi-instrumentalist John Cale, is responsible for creating some of the most exciting songs of the 1960s. Incredibly influential on later punk and new wave scenes, the Velvet Underground were noted for their avant-garde and experimental take on rock music. Although much of that experimentation, especially in the earlier years of the band, came from John Cale, Reed’s songwriting is what made the New York group so exciting and successful.
Starting his solo career in the early 1970s, with the lacklustre self-titled album released shortly before his defining record Transformer. During his long and illustrious solo career, Reed explored various different genres and styles, expanding upon the songwriting ability that landed him a role in the band. Although his nearly 20 solo albums certainly witnessed some missteps and disappointing releases, his discography as a whole reaffirms his position as an incredible musician, if not an incredible guitarist.
In many ways, Reed was not a hugely skilled guitarist. Certainly, within the context of his alternative music contemporaries, Ron Asheton, for instance, Lou is not the most technically gifted guitar player. So, it is easy to see why his writing often shadowed his instrumental work. Nevertheless, his ‘Ostrich tuning’ style that featured on iconic tracks like ‘Venus In Furs’ and the Nico-fronted ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ deserves much more credit within the tale of 1960s rock.
Perhaps it was his unorthodox methods, like the aforementioned Ostrich approach, that made Lou Reed a criminally overlooked guitarist. Despite not being skilled in the technical sense, his experimental methods and unique playing style were essential to his sound. In fact, his playing style was as critical to his early career as his distinctive vocal style. This sentiment is shared by noted indie guitarist Albert Hammond Jr of The Strokes, who lists Reed as one of his favourite guitarists, saying: “I love his melodic side. Sometimes when he got weird, it wasn’t what I loved about it. I’m surprised he wasn’t much bigger.”
Although the extensive discography of Lou Reed is littered with renowned songwriting, pioneering experimentation and beautifully poetic lyricism, his guitar playing remains perhaps the most underrated aspect of his musical career. It seems unlikely that he will be included in conversations alongside guitar heroes like Jimi Hendrix, Rosetta Tharpe or Carlos Santana, but then Reed would have probably resented being included in that list anyway. The musician was always fearlessly independent, happiest doing his own thing away from the popularity of mainstream rock, so maybe it is fitting that he remains one of the most underrated guitarists of the 20th century.
