What Goes onWhat Goes on

Lewis Allan Reed was an American musician, singer, songwriter and poet. He was the guitarist, singer and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades.
The latest in Ace Records' Songwriters series takes the listener from a version of 'Why Don't You Smile Now' from Lou Reed's pre-Velvet Underground days through selections from the band's albums to three from 1972's solo "Transformer". Here's Kris Needs - author of a 7,000-word essay in the accompanying 24-page booklet - with some background on the two songs that bookend the collection