Listen to Lou Reed’s 1965 Demo of “Heroin”

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Listen to Lou Reed’s 1965 Demo of “Heroin”

Words & Music, May 1965 Due Out August 26 via Light in the Attic

Jul 18, 2022 By Joey Arnone Photography by Julian Schnabel

Light in the Attic, in collaboration with Laurie Anderson, will be releasing a new Lou Reed compilation album, Words & Music, May 1965, which features original demos of songs later recorded by The Velvet Underground as well as never-before-heard compositions. Today, they have shared a 1965 demo of Reed performing “Heroin,” the final version of which would be featured on the band’s 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico. The demo was recorded alongside bandmate John Cale. Listen below.

Words & Music, May 1965 was produced by Laurie Anderson, Don Fleming, Jason Stern, Hal Willner, and Matt Sullivan, with liner notes by Greil Marcus. An accompanying six-song digital EP, Gee Whiz, 1958-1964, will be released on October 7.