Transformer is the second studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, the album was released in November 1972 through RCA Records.

As with its predecessor Lou Reed, Transformer contains songs Reed composed while in the Velvet Underground (here, four out of ten). “Andy’s Chest” was first recorded by the band in 1969 and “Satellite of Love” demoed in 1970; these versions were released on VU and Peel Slowly and See, respectively. For Transformer, the original up-tempo pace of these songs was slowed down.

“New York Telephone Conversation” and “Goodnight Ladies” are known to have been played live during the band’s summer 1970 residency at Max’s Kansas City; the latter takes its title refrain from the last line of the second section (“A Game of Chess”) of T. S. Eliot’s modernist poem, The Waste Land: “Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night.”

As in Reed’s Velvet Underground days, the Andy Warhol connection remained strong. According to Reed, Warhol told him he should write a song about someone vicious. When Reed asked what he meant by vicious, Warhol replied, “Oh, you know, like I hit you with a flower”, resulting in the song “Vicious.”

Released: November 8, 1972

Recorded: August 1972 at Trident Studios, Londonk

Genre: Glam rock

Length: 36:40

Label: RCA

Producers: David Bowie and Mick Ronson

Singles released from the Album:

“Walk on the Wild Side” Released in November 1972

“Satellite of Love” Released in February 1973

“Vicious” Released in March 1973