A Coney Island of The Mind

Lou Reed was a singer and guitarist best known as a co-founder of the influential rock group the Velvet Underground and later, as a legendary solo artist. He wrote evocative music using his knowledge of poetry while exploring a variety of genres and personas over his career including glam rock and heavy metal. Famous for writing and singing famous classic hits including 'Perfect Day', 'Sister Jane', and 'Rock and Roll', Reed continued to perform and record into his later years, releasing more than 16 albums over the course of his lengthy career.

In 1972, Lou Reed was a minor cult hero to a handful of rock critics and left-of-center music fans who championed his former band, the Velvet Underground, but he was unknown to the mainstream music audience. By 1986, Reed was a rock & roll icon, widely hailed as a master songwriter and one of the founding fathers of punk, glam, noise rock, and any number of other vital rock subgenres; he even scored a few hits along the way. If you want to know what happened during those 14 years to make such a difference, the answer can be found in The RCA & Arista Album Collection, a 17-disc box set that brings together nearly all of Reed's recorded work from this period…