THE LIFE OF LOU REED: NOTES FROM THE VELVET UNDERGROUND is a biography by Howard Sounes that covers not only the period of time up to including Reed’s life and career up to and including the Velvet Underground era, but also follows his entire life and career from that point until his death.

Excellent history of this unusual artist’s life and career, and the difficulties and setbacks he experienced (many he was responsible for), and his far reaching influence in spite of his erratic behavior and erratic output.

Lou’s time with the Velvet Underground showcased his ability to influence fashion and inspired countless others to follow his lead and form bands and become musicians, also this period of time served notice that Lou Reed was a great songwriter with an unusual approach.

Andy Warhol was very supportive and influential to Lou during this period of time, and Lou later made mention of how his work ethic was a direct influence of the artist, although they were not on speaking terms at the time of Warhol’s death.

Relationships in the life of Lou Reed as described by the author illustrates the difficulties he had in maintaining them, and that his seemingly narcissistic actions made many people in his life disposable often without warning.

Something that I liked about this biography was that it did a good job of highlighting the good and the bad in the life of Reed, and lists his strengths as well as his weaknesses.

5 stars.

A great addition to any music fan's collection of influential biographies. Highly recommended, lots of information I did not know.

"...Lou’s sexuality remained enigmatic throughout his life, a conundrum to many friends and one suspects, himself…"

Lou Reed’s sexuality was pretty much the main focus of the biography. That and what an asshole he was. But he did become a rock and roll icon and he did write a few good songs. But to place him in the same tier as Bob Dylan is ludicrous at best. A fairly interesting book that in the long run disappoints because of its emphasis on Lou’s sexual proclivities.

This biography was well researched and contained a lot of information that I hadn’t previously read in other books. The author’s attention to detail is evident in the writing. Highly recommend!

An informative and well written biography of Lou Reed.
I discovered some things I didn't knew and it was a pleasant and entertaining read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Life of Lou Reed was very thoroughly researched and it was evident throughout that the author really immersed himself in his work. I've listened to Lou Reed's music in the past but didn't know much about him at all prior to reading this biography. I had always wondered about his connection with Andy Warhol and now I know!

Lou Reed was...a terrible person at heart. He was clearly a misogynist and an all-around not nice guy. It was interesting to read about his flippant remarks and sometimes violent reactions to those around him.

Overall this was an informative biography. However, I did find myself skimming a bit towards the midway point. Also, I feel that a strong biography really gives the reader a true feel for the individual, but this one didn't do that for me. It's like the old adage, "Show me, don't tell me" needs to be applied here. At times I felt this was more of a chronicling of his career with quotes from friends/family in Lou's life saying he was a jerk. I wish this biography opened the door into Lou's life a bit more because for someone who was so colourful, this biography came across more as a textbook when it could've easily been a thrilling read given the subject matter.

Notes From The Velvet Underground:TheLife Of Lou Reed
by Howard Sounes
due 9-10-2019
4.0/5.0

#netgalley. #TheLifeOfLouReed

I spent a lot of time listening to Lou Reed, 'Transformer' is still one of my favorite albums.
Although many claimed he was a difficult person to work with, and some call him a controlling, misogynistic prick, almost everyone agrees he is a talented and prolific songwriter and lyricist.
I really enjoyed this walk on the wild side of Lou Reed, it follows his life and career, the chapters all are years of his life. His relationships with other band mates (from Velvet Underground and his solo career), girlfriends, boyfriends, family, wives are all clearly portrayed and easy to follow. This is a great bio, Sounes has clearly done much research and digging to put together an intimate biography of a complex man, driven by an inner emotional turmoil he could never quite tame. Be sure to pick this up.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for sending this requested e-book ARC for review.

Linear and repertorial narrative approach; the book is a good introduction to Reed's life and spans his entire career. At times it reads like the author seems to think that he is the main authority on the life and times of Lou Reed, but for the most part it is informative and well written.