Prije nego što je postao jedan od osnivača Velvet Undergrounda, Lou Reed je radio kao pisac pjesama za druge umjetnike u Pickwick Records. Sada su njegove pjesme iz sredine 1960-ih, koje su izvodili razni umjetnici s te etikete (uz povremene doprinose samog Reeda), prikupljene na jednom albumu.
Album, pod nazivom Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65, izlazi 27. septembra, kao proizvod saradnje između Light in the Attic, Laurie Anderson i Lou Reed Archive, nakon što su prethodno reizdali njegov posljednji solo album Hudson River Wind Meditations i set demoa Velvet Undergrounda Words & Music, May 1965. Prva pjesma na albumu, “The Ostrich” grupe Primitives, sadrži Reedov doprinos na vokalu
Pjesma “The Ostrich” grupe Primitives, koju su zajedno napisali Reed i Pickwick-ov glavni producent Terry Phillips, posijala je sjeme za Velvet Underground kada se John Cale pridružio grupi na ranoj turneji. Još jedna pjesma na albumu, “Why Don’t You Smile” grupe All Night Workers, bila je prvi Caleov komercijalni autorski kredit; ubrzo nakon njenog objavljivanja, on i Reed su napustili Pickwick kako bi formirali Velvet Underground.
John Baldwin je obnovio i remasterizovao novi album, koji dolazi s liner notama Richieja Unterbergera, esejem Lennyja Kayeja i još mnogo toga. Masaki Koike je dizajnirao pakovanje dvostrukog LP-a.
Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65:
01 The Primitives: “The Ostrich”
02 The Beachnuts: “Cycle Annie”
03 The Hi-Lifes: “I’m Gonna Fight”
04 The Hi-Lifes: “Soul City”
05 Ronnie Dickerson: “Oh No Don’t Do It”
06 Ronnie Dickerson: “Love Can Make You Cry”
07 The Hollywoods: “Teardrop In The Sand”
08 The Roughnecks: “You’re Driving Me Insane”
09 The Primitives: “Sneaky Pete”
10 Terry Philips: “Wild One”
11 Spongy and the Dolls: “Really – Really – Really – Really – Really – Really Love”
12 The Foxes: “Soul City”
13 The J Brothers: “Ya Running, but I’ll Getcha”
14 Beverley Ann: “We Got Trouble”
15 The All Night Workers: “Why Don’t You Smile”
16 Jeannie Larimore: “Johnny Won’t Surf No More”
17 Robertha Williams: “Tell Mamma Not to Cry”
18 Robertha Williams: “Maybe Tomorrow”
19 Terry Philips: “Flowers For The Lady”
20 Terry Philips: “This Rose”
21 The Surfsiders: “Surfin’”
22 The Surfsiders: “Little Deuce Coupe”
23 The Beachnuts: “Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy”
24 The Beachnuts: “I’ve Got a Tiger in My Tank”
25 Ronnie Dickerson: “What About Me”