Lou Reed’s Pickwick Records Era Officially Anthologized

Before he linked up with Andy Warhol and established himself as the dark prince of New York rock as leader of The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed had an office job.

But not just any office job. The Freeport, NY, native found his entryway into the music industry by working as an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records, the San Francisco, CA-based record label notorious for its soundalike pop recordings and cheap reissues. It was during this time Lou learned his way around the studio and began planting the seeds of his artistry as a songwriter. He had the skills to emulate any style of the day: garage rock, blue-eyed soul, girl group pop, surf, doo-wop and teenage heartbreak. 

Yet while Pickwick found a young Reed copying fads of the day at a dimestore Brill Building, the roots of Lou grew strong under those office lights. It was at this cheesy label where he was able to experiment with different sounds and genres under the cover of such acts as The Primitives, The Hollywoods and The Hi-Lifes. Working in collaboration with chief Pickwick songwriter Terry Philips, Reed was enabled to incubate the Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal while still in its embryonic stage. 

In a strange twist of fate, compilations of Reed’s Pickwick era have been released on the gray market through the years. But this fall, Light in the Attic (LITA), in cooperation with Laurie Anderson and the Lou Reed Archive, will be releasing the first official anthology of this crucial period in the career of an American legend.

Entitled Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65, it comes out digitally on September 27th and via 2xLP/CD on October 4th. Following on the heels of Reed’s Hudson River Wind Meditations (2023 reissue) and Words & Music, May 1965 (2022), this is the latest installment in LITA’s acclaimed Lou Reed Archive Series.

There are 25 tracks in total here, making it by far and away the most comprehensive collection of Reed’s Pickwick era. And guiding you through the material is an essay by Nuggets curator and Patti Smith Group co-founder Lenny Kaye alongside liner notes from acclaimed author/journalist Richie Unterberger. 

You can see the full tracklisting for the compilation below, but it’s important to point out two songs from the set of particular historical significance. Namely the title track, 

The All Night Workers’ “Why Don’t You Smile,” which marked the first commercial release featuring the name of Reed’s future Velvet Underground partner John Cale as a composer, with songwriting credit given to Reed, Cale, Philips, and Jerry Vance. Soon after a 1965 session in which he recorded a series of demos, Reed parted ways with Pickwick and joined Cale in forming The Velvet Underground along with guitarist Sterling Morrison, drummer Maureen Tucker, and occasional singer Nico. 

The opening track to Why Don’t You Smile Now…, meanwhile, is a stand-alone single called “The Ostrich,” which finds Reed taking the helm as lead vocalist and delivering his zany take on the dance records that dominated the first half of the 60s. 

“It’s as much a parody of dance craze rock ’n’ roll as an entry into its overcrowded field,” Unterberger writes. “Yet it isn’t without the kind of hooks aimed at sparking a hit single, performed with the all-out élan of a youngster living and breathing rock ’n’ roll at its most devil-may-care corner.” 

Co-written by Reed and recorded as The Primitives, “The Ostrich” actually paved the way for the initial meet-cute between Reed and Cale after Philips recruited Cale to join the live Primitives band for a short promotional tour. 

Why Don’t You Smile Now… was produced and compiled by Pat Thomas, remastered by John Baldwin and sports the beautiful LP packaging of Masaki Koike. For more information or to pre-order the set, click here.

Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65 Tracklist

Side A

1. The Primitives – “The Ostrich”
2. The Beachnuts – “Cycle Annie”
3. The Hi-Lifes – “I’m Gonna Fight”
4. The Hi-Lifes – “Soul City”
5. Ronnie Dickerson – “Oh No Don’t Do It”
6. Ronnie Dickerson – “Love Can Make You Cry”
7. The Hollywoods – “Teardrop In The Sand”
8. The Roughnecks – “You’re Driving Me Insane”

Side B

1. The Primitives – “Sneaky Pete”
2. Terry Philips – “Wild One”
3. Spongy And The Dolls – “Really – Really – Really – Really – Really – Really Love”
4. The Foxes – “Soul City”
5. The J Brothers – “Ya Running, But I’ll Getcha”
6. Beverley Ann – “We Got Trouble”
7. The All Night Workers – “Why Don’t You Smile”
8. Jeannie Larimore – “Johnny Won’t Surf No More”

Side C

1. Robertha Williams – “Tell Mamma Not to Cry”
2. Robertha Williams – “Maybe Tomorrow”
3. Terry Philips – “Flowers For The Lady”
4. Terry Philips – “This Rose”

Side D

1. The Surfsiders – “Surfin’”
2. The Surfsiders – “Little Deuce Coupe”
3. The Beachnuts – “Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy”
4. The Beachnuts – “I’ve Got a Tiger in My Tank”
5. Ronnie Dickerson – “What About Me”

VIDEO: The Primitives “The Ostrich”

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Ron Hart

Ron Hart is the Editor-in-Chief of Rock and Roll Globe. Reach him on X @MisterTribune.

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