Lou Reed RIP

I really can't let the death of such a major music figure as Lou Reed go unremarked. Sadly he has passed away aged 71, following a liver transplant earlier this year.
His early association with John Cale led to the formation of Velvet Underground and his association
with Andy Warhol and relationship with Nico. The album The Velvet Underground With Nico was listed by Rolling Stone as the 13th most influential album of all time despite its lack of success at the time. After leaving the band in 1970 Lou recorded albums for RCA including Lou Reed and Transformer, which included his most famous track, Walk On The Wild Side. Other albums followed included Berlin, Sally Can't Dance and Rock 'n' Roll Animal but Metal Machine Music failed. After a hiatus Velvet Underground reformed in 1990 and Lou recorded his 16th solo album, Magic and Loss, in 1992. He continued to record into the 21st century and even performed before Pope John Paul 2 in Rome in 2000.
I have to say that I never found it essential to see Lou Reed perform (although I liked many of his recordings), but I have enjoyed quite a bit of his work and it's sad to see him go at such a young age.
Here's my favourite track by Lou - Waiting For My Man - and the great Walk On the Wild Side.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rhiqI6PlTo   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkwD261MHsc