Earliest demo of Lou Reed’s ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ arrives, marking the first release from Lou Reed’s Archives

Music
07 Jun 22

The Velvet Underground frontman’s hidden demos and unheard tracks will be heard for the first time later this summer as part of a collection entitled Words & Music, May 1965, the effort of Laurie Anderson and Light In The Attic.

The first instalment of Lou Reed’s collection of never-before-heard recordings entered the world today in the form of the Velvet Underground’s ‘I’m Waiting for the Man.’ The unreleased demo is part of a series of Lou Reed Archives recorded by a young Reed and John Cale, two of the eventual founding members of the Velvet Underground.

Laurie Anderson teamed up with Light In The Attic to compile Reed’s archives into Words & Music, May 1965, which will become available later this summer, August 26. The release of the first unheard recording, available from today, precedes Lou Reed’s Archives, an exhibit on display at the New York Public Library later this week. Organised by Anderson, Reed’s demos will, of course, be on display as well at the library.

After recording the unreleased demos, Reed mailed the tracks to himself and kept them sealed away. Along with ‘I’m Waiting for the Man,’ the collection includes the earliest recordings of ‘Heroin’ and ‘Pale Blue Eyes,’ unreleased and entirely unknown tracks, Cale on vocals for Nico’s ‘Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams,’ a take on the Berlin track ‘Men of Good Fortune,’ and the little known gem ‘Buttercup Song.’ Check out Hot Press' year 2000 interview with the Velvet Underground frontman online, which depicts the enigmatic musician in full control.

The record will be available in digital format as well as LP, cassette, CD and 8-track, while the deluxe LP will only be available in 7,500 copies and gatekeepers six extra songs with early demos, plus a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.’ In time with the album release, LITA will emit a special podcast hosted by TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, also entitled Words & Music, to discuss the archives in depth.

Words & Music, May 1965 is the effort of producers Laurie Anderson, Don Fleming, Jason Stern, Hal Willner and Matt Sullivan, with liner notes from Greil Marcus.

Listen to the earliest known recording of ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ by Lou Reed and John Cale below. You can pre-order Words & Music, May 1965 online now via Light In The Attic.