Walking On The Wild Side

Taped from a live radio show performance in New York on December 26 1972, Walking On The Wild Side opens with the Velvet Underground’s “White Light White Heat” in a version sounding slightly more glammy than the original. These recordings predated Reed’s second solo outing, and it’s very interesting to hear how certain songs from the seminal Transformer album got hashed-out live before its release. “Vicious” sounds more loose and groovy here than the studio version, and the guitar solo plays with more improvised attack and bite. Listening to an early live rendition of “Walk On The Wild Side” makes you realize how much the bass guitar is the foundation of this seedy hit. An early rendering of 1973’s “Berlin” also surfaces with the same narrative but a much more sinister tone in the performance. Other highlights include an interview where Reed talks about working with David Bowie, his hatred for Doug Yule, and how the Velvet Underground would “never” reform.