Lou Reed
The RCA & Arista Vinyl Collection Vol. 1

Listening notes

Released in 2016 on RCA under catalog number 88985355011, Lou Reed's The RCA & Arista Vinyl Collection Vol. 1 is a six-LP box set drawing from across the artist's solo catalog. The set is catalogued under the Pop and Rock genres.

The collection gathers six complete albums onto twelve sides of vinyl, spanning sides A through L. Transformer occupies the first record, presenting its eleven tracks across sides A and B, from the two-minute-fifty-five-second opener "Vicious" through to "Goodnight Ladies," which closes side B at four minutes and nineteen seconds. Berlin follows on the second record, sides C and D, running to four tracks on side D alone, the last of which, "Sad Song," extends to six minutes and fifty-five seconds.

The third record presents Rock N Roll Animal across sides E and F. Side E is notable for carrying a thirteen-minute-eleven-second version of "Heroin" at position E2, while side F closes with a ten-minute-seventeen-second reading of "Rock 'N' Roll." Coney Island Baby occupies the fourth record on sides G and H, with several tracks sharing listed durations of six minutes on side G and three minutes and forty-five seconds across multiple positions on side H. Street Hassle fills sides I and J, with the title track clocking in at eleven minutes. The sixth and final record, The Blue Mask, runs across sides K and L, concluding the set with "Heavenly Arms" at four minutes and forty-five seconds.

This draft has not been fact-checked and is intended for editorial review prior to publication.