New York: Deluxe Edition includes three CDs, a two-LP set and a DVD, encased in a hardcover book with liner notes by David Fricke and essays by archivist Don Fleming. It was produced by Laurie Anderson, Fleming, Bill Ingot, Jason Stern and late producer Hal Willner.
The deluxe set consists of 26 unreleased recordings. The first CD makes up the remastered album, the second CD consists of live versions and the final disc contains unreleased early versions of the album’s tracks — including a “work tape” and rough mix of the single “Dirty Blvd,” the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” and the Transformer track “Walk on the Wild Side.”
The set also includes “The New York Album” concert video, released on DVD for the first time. It features Reed’s set at the Theatre St. Denis in Montreal and includes an audio-only interview with the late musician.
A cassette edition of the album will be included through a preorder on Rhino’s website.
Poetry We are the people reflecting on nationhood, sex and whiskey, written in 1970 is to be published for the first time.
We are the people without land. We are the people without tradition. We are the people who do not know how to die peacefully and at ease. We are the thoughts of sorrows. Endings of tomorrows. We are the wisps of rulers and the jokers of kings.
We are the people without right. We are the people who have known only lies and desperation. We are the people without a country, a voice or a mirror. We are the crystal gaze returned through the density and immensity of a berserk nation. We are the victims of the untold manifesto of the lack of depth of full and heavy emptiness.
We are the people without sorrow who have moved beyond national pride and indifference to a parody of instinct. We are the people who are desperate beyond emotion because it defies thought. We are the people who conceive our destruction and carry it out lawfully. We are the insects of someone else’s thought. A casualty of daytime, nighttime, space and god without race, nationality or religion. We are the people. The people. The people.
The poetry comes from a six-month period in 1970, after he left the Velvet Underground and went to work for his father’s accounting firm. Within six months, he had reversed his decision to quit music and was writing solo material, but the book gives a fascinating glimpse into his mindset at the time.
Lou Reed (2 March 1942 – 27 October 2013) was an influential American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He first came to prominence as the guitarist and principal singer-songwriter of the Velvet Underground (1965–1970).
Poetry We are the people reflecting on nationhood, sex and whiskey, written in 1970 is to be published for the first time.
We are the people without land. We are the people without tradition. We are the people who do not know how to die peacefully and at ease. We are the thoughts of sorrows. Endings of tomorrows. We are the wisps of rulers and the jokers of kings.
We are the people without right. We are the people who have known only lies and desperation. We are the people without a country, a voice or a mirror. We are the crystal gaze returned through the density and immensity of a berserk nation. We are the victims of the untold manifesto of the lack of depth of full and heavy emptiness.
We are the people without sorrow who have moved beyond national pride and indifference to a parody of instinct. We are the people who are desperate beyond emotion because it defies thought. We are the people who conceive our destruction and carry it out lawfully. We are the insects of someone else’s thought. A casualty of daytime, nighttime, space and god without race, nationality or religion. We are the people. The people. The people.
The poetry comes from a six-month period in 1970, after he left the Velvet Underground and went to work for his father’s accounting firm. Within six months, he had reversed his decision to quit music and was writing solo material, but the book gives a fascinating glimpse into his mindset at the time.
Lou Reed (2 March 1942 – 27 October 2013) was an influential American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He first came to prominence as the guitarist and principal singer-songwriter of the Velvet Underground (1965–1970).
