The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member(s) of the genus ''Struthio''. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies.

Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, emus, and other ratites. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at maximum speeds of about , the top land speed of any bird. The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand did lay larger eggs).

The diet of Ostriches mainly consists of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates. It lives in nomadic groups which contain between five and fifty birds. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick from its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females. These fights usually last just minutes, but they can easily cause death through slamming their heads into opponents.

The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used as feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather products and its meat marketed commercially.

Description

Ostriches usually weigh from , with exceptional male Ostriches weighing up to . The feathers of adult males are mostly black, with white primaries and a white tail. However, the tail of one subspecies is buff. Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. The head and neck of both male and female Ostriches is nearly bare, with a thin layer of down. The skin of the females neck and thighs is pinkish gray, while the male's is blue-gray, gray or pink dependent on subspecies.

The long neck and legs keep their head above the ground, and their eyes are said to be the largest of any land vertebrate – in diameter; they can therefore perceive predators at a great distance. The eyes are shaded from sun light falling from above.

Their skin varies in colour depending on the sub-species. The strong legs of the Ostrich are unfeathered and show bare skin, with the tarsus (the lowest upright part of the leg) being covered in scales – red in the male, black in the female. The bird has just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof. The outer toe has no nail. The reduced number of toes is an adaptation that appears to aid in running. Ostriches can run at over for up to 30 minutes. The wings reach a span of about 2 metres (7 ft) and are used in mating displays and to shade chicks. The feathers lack the tiny hooks that lock together the smooth external feathers of flying birds, and so are soft and fluffy and serve as insulation. They have 50-60 tail feathers, and their wings have 16 primary, four alular and 20-23 secondary feathers. The Ostrich's sternum is flat, lacking the keel to which wing muscles attach in flying birds. The beak is flat and broad, with a rounded tip. Like all ratites, the Ostrich has no crop, and it also lacks a gallbladder. They have three stomachs, and the caecum is long. Unlike all other living birds, the Ostrich secretes urine separately from faeces. Contrary to all other birds who store the urine and faeces combined in the coprodeum, they store the faeces in the terminal rectum. They also have unique pubic bones that are fused to hold their gut. Unlike most birds the males have a copulatory organ, which is retractable and long. Their palate differs from other ratites in that the sphenoid and palatal bones are unconnected.

At sexual maturity (two to four years), male Ostriches can be from in height, while female Ostriches range from . During the first year of life, chicks grow about per month. At one year of age, Ostriches weigh around . Their lifespan is up to 40 or 45 years.

A female ostrich can determine her own eggs amongst others in a communal nest.

Taxonomy

The Ostrich was originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work, ''Systema Naturae'' under its current binomial name. Its scientific name is derived from Latin, ''struthio'' meaning "Ostrich" and ''camelus'' meaning "camel", alluding to its dry habitat.

The Ostrich belongs to the ratite order Struthioniformes. Other members include rheas, emus, cassowaries, moa, kiwi and the largest bird ever, the now-extinct Elephant Bird (''Aepyornis''). However, the classification of the ratites as a single order has always been questioned, with the alternative classification restricting the Struthioniformes to the Ostrich lineage and elevating the other groups. Presently, molecular evidence is equivocal while paleobiogeographical and paleontological considerations are slightly in favor of the multi-order arrangement.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognized:

'Common Ostrich (S. struthio) complex':

''S. c. australis'', Southern Ostrich, southern Africa. It is found south of the Zambezi and Cunene rivers. It was once farmed for its feathers in the Little Karoo area of Cape Province.

''S. c. camelus'', North African Ostrich, or Red-necked Ostrich, North Africa. Historically it was the most widespread subspecies, ranging from Ethiopia and Sudan in the east throughout the Sahel to Senegal and Mauritania in the west, and north to Egypt and southern Morocco, respectively. It has now disappeared from large parts of this range, and it only remains in 6 of the 18 countries where it originally occurred, leading some to consider it Critically Endangered. It is the largest subspecies, at in height and up to in weight. The neck is pinkish-red, the plumage of males is black and white, and the plumage of females is grey.

''S. c. massaicus'', Masai Ostrich, East Africa. It has some small feathers on its head, and its neck and thighs are pink. During the mating season, the male's neck and thighs become brighter. Their range is essentially limited to southern Kenya and eastern Tanzania and Ethiopia and parts of Southern Somalia.

''S. c. syriacus'', Arabian Ostrich or Middle Eastern Ostrich, Middle East. Was formerly very common in the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, and Iraq; it became extinct around 1966.

''S. c. molybdophanes'', Somali Ostrich, southern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya, and Somalia. The neck and thighs are grey-blue, and during the mating season, the male's neck and thighs become brighter and bluer. The females are more brown than those of other subspecies. It generally lives in pairs or alone, rather than in flocks. Its range overlaps with ''S. c. massaicus'' in northeastern Kenya.

Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species, but there is no consensus among experts about this. The Tree of Life Project and IOC recognize it as a different species, but ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World'', ''Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World'' and BirdLife International do not. As of 2010 BirdLife International is reviewing the proposed split. Mitochondrial DNA haplotype comparisons suggest that it diverged from the other Ostriches not quite four mya due to formation of the Great Rift Valley. Hybridization with the subspecies that evolved southwestwards of its range, ''S. c. massaicus'', has apparently been prevented from occurring on a significant scale by ecological separation, the Somali Ostrich preferring bushland where it browses middle-height vegetation for food while the Masai Ostrich is, like the other subspecies, a grazing bird of the open savanna and ''miombo'' habitat.

The population from Río de Oro was once separated as ''Struthio camelus spatzi'' because its eggshell pores were shaped like a teardrop and not round. However, as there is considerable variation of this character and there were no other differences between these birds and adjacent populations of ''S. c. camelus'', the separation is no longer considered valid. This population disappeared in the latter half of the 20th century. There were 19th century reports of the existence of small Ostriches in North Africa; these are referred to as Levaillant's Ostrich (''Struthio bidactylus'') but remain a hypothetical form not supported by material evidence.

Evolution

The earliest fossil of Ostrich-like birds is the ''Palaeotis'' living near the Asiatic steppes, from the Middle Eocene, a middle-sized flightless bird that was originally believed to be a bustard. Apart from this enigmatic bird, the fossil record of the Ostriches continues with several species of the modern genus ''Struthio'' which are known from the Early Miocene onwards. While the relationship of the African species is comparatively straightforward, a large number of Asian species of Ostrich have been described from fragmentary remains, and their interrelationships and how they relate to the African Ostriches is confusing. In China, Ostriches are known to have become extinct only around or even after the end of the last ice age; images of Ostriches have been found there on prehistoric pottery and petroglyphs. There are also records of Ostriches being sighted on islands of the Indian Ocean and when discovered on the island of Madagascar the sailors of the 18th century referred to them as Sea Ostriches, although this has never been confirmed.

Several of these fossil forms are ichnotaxa (that is, classified according to the organism's footprints or other trace rather than its body) and their association with those described from distinctive bones is contentious and in need of revision pending more good material.

''Struthio coppensi'' (Early Miocene of Elizabethfeld, Namibia)

''Struthio linxiaensis'' (Liushu Late Miocene of Yangwapuzijifang, China)

''Struthio orlovi'' (Late Miocene of Moldavia)

''Struthio karingarabensis'' (Late Miocene - Early Pliocene of SW and CE Africa) - oospecies(?) ''Struthio kakesiensis'' (Laetolil Early Pliocene of Laetoli, Tanzania) - oospecies

''Struthio wimani'' (Early Pliocene of China and Mongolia)

''Struthio daberasensis'' (Early - Middle Pliocene of Namibia) - oospecies

''Struthio brachydactylus'' (Pliocene of Ukraine)

''Struthio chersonensis'' (Pliocene of SE Europe to WC Asia) - oospecies

Asian Ostrich, ''Struthio asiaticus'' (Early Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of Central Asia to China ?and Morocco)

Giant Ostrich, ''Struthio dmanisensis'' (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Dmanisi, Georgia)

''Struthio oldawayi'' (Early Pleistocene of Tanzania) - probably subspecies of ''S. camelus''

''Struthio anderssoni'' - oospecies (?)

Distribution and habitat

Ostriches formerly occupied Africa north and south of the Sahara, East Africa, Africa south of the rain forest belt, and much of Asia Minor. Today Ostriches prefer open land and are native to the savannas and Sahel of Africa, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone. In Southwest Africa they inhabit the semidesert or true desert. They rarely go above . The Arabian Ostriches in the Near and Middle East were hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century.

Behaviour

Social and seasonal behaviour

Ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone. Only 16 percent of Ostrich sightings were of more than two birds. During breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless periods Ostriches live in nomadic groups of five to 50 birds (led by a top hen) that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as zebras or antelopes. Ostriches are diurnal, but may be active on moonlit nights. They are most active early and late in the day. The male ostrich territory is between .

With their acute eyesight and hearing, Ostriches can sense predators such as lions from far away. When being pursued by a predator, they have been known to reach speeds in excess of , and can maintain a steady speed of , which makes the Ostrich the world's fastest two-legged animal. When lying down and hiding from predators, the birds lay their heads and necks flat on the ground, making them appear as a mound of earth from a distance. This even works for the males, as they hold their wings and tail low so that the heat haze of the hot, dry air that often occurs in their habitat aids in making them appear as a nondescript dark lump.

When threatened, Ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. Their legs can only kick forward. Contrary to popular belief, Ostriches do not bury their heads in sand. This myth likely began with Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), who wrote that Ostriches "imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed."

Feeding

They mainly feed on seeds, shrubs, grass, fruit and flowers; occasionally they also eat insects such as locusts. Lacking teeth, they swallow pebbles that act as gastroliths to grind food in the gizzard. An adult Ostrich carries about of stones in its stomach. When eating, they will fill their gullet with food, which is in turn passed down their esophagus in the form of a ball called a bolus. The bolus may be as much as . After passing through the neck (there is no crop) the food enters the gizzard and is worked on by the aforementioned pebbles. The gizzard can hold as much as . Ostriches can go without drinking for several days, using metabolic water and moisture in ingested plants, but they enjoy liquid water and frequently take baths where it is available.

Ostriches can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. In much of their habitat, temperatures vary as much as between night and day. Their temperature control mechanism relies on action by the bird, which uses its wings to cover the naked skin of the upper legs and flanks to conserve heat, or leaves these areas bare to release heat.

Reproduction

Ostriches become sexually mature when they are 2 to 4 years old; females mature about six months earlier than males. The species is iteroparous, with the mating season beginning in March or April and ending sometime before September. The mating process differs in different geographical regions. Territorial males typically hiss and use other sounds to claim victory over a harem of two to seven hens. The successful male will then be allowed to breed with all the females in an area, but will only form a pair bond with the dominant female.

The cock performs with his wings, alternating wing beats, until he attracts a mate. They will go to the mating area and he will maintain privacy by driving away all intruders. They graze until their behaviour is synchronized, then the feeding becomes secondary and the process takes on a ritualistic appearance. The cock will then excitedly flap alternate wings again, and start poking on the ground with his bill. He will then violently flap his wings to symbolically clear out a nest in the soil. Then, while the hen runs a circle around him with lowered wings, he will wind his head in a spiral motion. She will drop to the ground and he will mount for copulation.

Ostriches are oviparous. The females will lay their fertilized eggs in a single communal nest, a simple pit, deep and wide, scraped in the ground by the male. The dominant female lays her eggs first, and when it is time to cover them for incubation she discards extra eggs from the weaker females, leaving about 20 in most cases. Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs (and by extension, the yolk is the largest single cell), though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird. — on average they are long, wide, and weigh , over 20 times the weight of a chicken egg. They are glossy cream-coloured, with thick shells marked by small pits. The eggs are incubated by the females by day and by the males by night. This uses the colouration of the two sexes to escape detection of the nest, as the drab female blends in with the sand, while the black male is nearly undetectable in the night. The incubation period is 35 to 45 days. Typically, the male defends the hatchlings and teaches them to feed, although males and females cooperate in rearing chicks. The survival rate is low for the hatchlings, with an average of one per nest surviving to adulthood. Common predators of nests and young ostriches include jackals, various birds of prey, mongoose and vultures. Animals that prey on Ostriches of all ages include cheetahs, lions, leopards, african hunting dogs, and spotted hyena. Ostriches can often outrun their predators in a pursuit and can even outpace Cheetahs over long distances. However, they may sometimes fiercely fight predators, especially when chicks are being defended, and have been capable of killing enemies as large as lions in such confrontations.

Ostriches reared entirely by humans may not direct their courtship behaviour at other Ostriches, but toward their human keepers.

Ostriches and humans

Hunter-gatherers

Hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari use ostrich eggshells as water containers in which they puncture a hole to enable them to be used as canteens. The presence of such eggshells with engraved hatched symbols dating from the Howiesons Poort period of the Middle Stone Age at Diepkloof Rock Shelter in South Africa suggests ostriches were an important part of human life as early as 60,000 BP.

History

Ostriches have inspired cultures and civilizations for 5,000 years in Mesopotamia and Egypt. A statue of Arsinoe II of Egypt riding an Ostrich was found in a tomb in Egypt. The Kalahari bushmen still use their eggs as water jugs.

Hunting and farming

In Roman times, there was a demand for Ostriches to use in ''venatio'' games or cooking. They have been hunted and farmed for their feathers, which at various times have been popular for ornamentation in fashionable clothing (such as hats during the 19th century). Their skins are valued for their leather. In the 18th century they were almost hunted to extinction; farming for feathers began in the 19th century. The market for feathers collapsed after World War I, but commercial farming for feathers and later for skins became widespread during the 1970s. Ostriches are so adaptable that they can be farmed in climates ranging from South Africa to Alaska.

It is claimed that Ostriches produce the strongest commercial leather. Ostrich meat tastes similar to lean beef and is low in fat and cholesterol, as well as high in calcium, protein and iron. Uncooked, it is dark red or cherry red, a little darker than beef.

Attacks

Ostriches typically avoid humans in the wild, since they correctly assess humans as potential predators, and, if approached, often run away. However, Ostriches may turn aggressive rather than run when threatened, especially when cornered, and may also attack when they feel they need to defend their offspring or territories. Similar behaviors are noted in captive or domesticated ostriches, which retain the same natural instincts and can occasionally respond aggressively to stress. When attacking a person, ostriches kick with their powerful feet, armed with long claws, which are capable of disemboweling or killing a person with a single blow. In one study of Ostrich attacks, it was estimated that two to three attacks that result in serious injury or death occur each year in the area of Oudtshoorn, South Africa.

Racing

In some countries, people race each other on the back of Ostriches. The practice is common in Africa and is relatively unusual elsewhere. The Ostriches are ridden in the same way as horses with special saddles, reins, and bits. However, they are harder to manage than horses.

The racing is also a part of modern South African culture. Within the United States, a tourist attraction in Jacksonville, Florida called 'The Ostrich Farm' opened up in 1892; it and its races became one of the most famous early attractions in the history of Florida.

In the United States, Chandler, Arizona hosts the annual 'Ostrich Festival' which features ostrich races. Racing has also occurred at many other locations such as Virginia City in Nevada, Canterbury Park in Minnesota, Prairie Meadows in Iowa, and Ellis Park in Kentucky.

Conservation

The wild Ostrich population has declined drastically in the last 200 years, with most surviving birds in reserves or on farms. However, its range remains very large, leading the IUCN and BirdLife International to treat it as a species of Least Concern. Of its 5 subspecies, the Middle Eastern Ostrich (''S. c. syriacus'') became extinct around 1966, and the North African Ostrich (''S. c. camelus'') has declined to the point where it now is included on CITES Appendix I and some treat it as Critically Endangered.

See also

Greater Rhea

Footnotes

References

Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.

.

External links

British Domesticated Ostrich Association

Index for various Ostrich studies and papers

World Ostrich Association.

Category:Domesticated birds Category:Flightless birds Category:Genera of birds Category:Heraldic birds Category:Livestock Category:Ratites Category:Struthio Category:Birds of Africa Category:Birds of Angola Category:Birds of Botswana Category:Birds of Chad Category:Birds of Djibouti Category:Birds of Eritrea Category:Birds of Ethiopia Category:Birds of Tunisia Category:Birds of Kenya Category:Birds of Mali Category:Birds of Mauritania Category:Birds of Namibia Category:Birds of Niger Category:Birds of Somalia Category:Birds of Sudan Category:Birds of Tanzania Category:Birds of Uganda Category:Birds of Zambia Category:Birds of Zimbabwe Category:Megafauna of Africa Category:Animals described in 1758

af:Volstruis am:ሰጎን ang:Strȳta ar:نعامة an:Struthio camelus az:Dəvəquşu bn:উটপাখি be:Страус br:Struskañval bg:Щраус ca:Estruç cs:Pštros dvouprstý tum:Ntibatiba da:Struds de:Afrikanischer Strauß nv:Tsídiitsoh el:Στρουθοκάμηλος es:Struthio camelus eo:Struto eu:Ostruka fa:شترمرغ fr:Autruche d'Afrique gd:Sruth (eun) gl:Avestruz hak:Thò-niâu ko:타조 ha:Jimina hr:Noj io:Strucho id:Burung unta it:Struthio camelus he:יען jv:Manuk unta sw:Mbuni lbe:Варани чӀелму la:Struthio lv:Strauss lt:Afrikinis strutis li:Struusvogel hu:Strucc mk:Ној ml:ഒട്ടകപ്പക്ഷി mr:शहामृग ms:Burung Unta my:ငှက်ကုလားအုတ် nl:Struisvogel ne:सुतुरमुर्ग ja:ダチョウ no:Struts nn:Struts oc:Estruci ps:اوښمرغه pcd:Oetriche pl:Struś czerwonoskóry pt:Avestruz qu:Awistrus ru:Страус scn:Struzzu simple:Ostrich sk:Pštros dvojprstý sl:Noj so:Goronyo sr:Ној sh:Noj fi:Strutsi sv:Struts tl:Abestrus ta:தீக்கோழி te:నిప్పుకోడి th:นกกระจอกเทศ tg:Шутурмурғ tr:Deve kuşu udm:Страус uk:Страус ur:شترمرغ ug:تۆگىقۇش vi:Đà điểu châu Phi vls:Struusveugel yi:שטרויס yo:Ògòngò zh-yue:鴕鳥 zea:Struusveugel zh:鸵鸟

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Alvin Hall
birth date	1953
birth place	Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
occupation	Financial adviser, journalist, broadcaster }}

Alvin D. Hall (born 1953) is an American financial adviser, author and media personality.

Early life

Hall was born in Tallahassee, Florida, one of seven children to a family of farmers, day workers and fishermen. He grew up in severe poverty. He studied for a Bachelor of Arts in English at Bowdoin College and a Master of Arts in American literature at the University of North Carolina. After a period of unemployment and working as a college professor (teaching literature), he started to take an interest in finance.

Financial adviser

Hall started buying shares a little at a time and his ability to translate complex financial concepts into simple English through the use of slices of cake led to him becoming director of course development at Leo Fleur, a company selling training materials for Wall Street examinations. In 1986 he became director of marketing for the Chicago-based Longman Financial Services Institute in creating and implementing marketing campaigns for training programmes and products and consequently was executive director of the New York Institute of Finance.

He is the president of Cooperhall Press and designs and runs seminars for financial institutions around the world.

He has written books and articles on saving and investing and debt management. He presented ''Your Money or Your Life'' on BBC2 and has made various television and radio appearances. He has also appeared on ''The Apprentice: You're Fired'' as a panelist on several occasions.

He also edits a money column in the UK's ''Reveal magazine''. He has written ''Money Magic'' for the charitable organisation Quick Reads which encourages people to get back into the habit of reading.

He was involved in Jamie Oliver's programme, ''Jamie's Dream School''. On the programme, Hall taught the pupils mathematics.

Art collector

Hall is a private art collector and presented ''Alvin Hall's Art World'' for BBC Radio 4. His collection includes pieces by Carroll Dunham, Victoria Morton, Tina Barney, Lee Friedlander, Carrie Mae Weems and Mel Kendrick.

Politics

Hall is a Democrat and supported Barack Obama in the 2008 US Primaries. It was his view that Obama would win the Primary to become the Democratic nominee, but that race would play an important part in the November 2008 General Election and that Obama would not reach the White House.

References

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/2050922.stm

''Interview with asrecommended''

http://www.take3management.co.uk/alvin_hall.htm

http://business.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=1077&id;=814932004}

http://www.bettermoneyadvice.co.uk/finance/AlvinHallOnThe%20CreditCrunch

External links

Alvin Hall On Small Spending

BBC raw Quick Reads - Money Magic by Alvin Hall

Alvin Hall's World of Money on Money box for BBC Radio 4

Category:1953 births Category:African American television personalities Category:American finance and investment writers Category:Bowdoin College alumni Category:Date of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:People from Tallahassee, Florida

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	The Primitives
background	group_or_band
origin	Coventry, England
genre	Indie pop
years active	1985–1992; 2009–present
label	Lazy Records, RCA
current members	Paul Court (guitar, vocals)Tracy Tracy (vocals, tambourine)Raph Moore (bass)Tig Williams (drums)
past members	Keiron McDermott (vocals)Steve Dullaghan (bass) [deceased]Paul Sampson (bass)Pete Tweedie (drums)| notable_instruments }}

The Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".

Biography

The Primitives (who had nothing to do with the original "Mal Ryder and the Primitives" band formed in the 60's) were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup Dragons and the Wedding Present. They were formed in 1985 by PJ Court (born Paul Jonathan Court) (vocals, guitar), Keiron McDermott (vocals), Steve Dullaghan (bass) and Pete Tweedie (drums). The band shared a love of melody, the Sixties, fast Ramones-like guitars and the pop influences of Buzzcocks and Orange Juice. McDermott was soon replaced by vocalist Tracy Tracy (born Tracy Cattell) and Tig Williams replaced Pete Tweedie on drums in October '87.

They received valuable publicity when The Smiths singer Morrissey was photographed wearing a Primitives T-shirt. After a successful first album, which gave them with their UK Top 5 hit single "Crash" in early 1988 (and made the Top 3 in the U.S. Modern Rock Charts), their career began to fade in the early 1990s. They split in 1992 following the commercial failure of their final album, 1991's ''Galore''. Their major rivals within the 'blonde pop' scene were Transvision Vamp and The Darling Buds.

Dullaghan died in Coventry on 4 February 2009.

After nearly 18 years of dormancy, The Primitives re-formed for live shows in Coventry on 2 October 2009 and the Buffalo Bar in London on 9 October 2009. In spring of 2010, The Primitives toured the UK and also performed a single US concert at the Bell House in Brooklyn, New York. The Primitives also went back into the studio with original producer Paul Sampson, intending to record cover versions of lesser-known female-fronted songs, including Lee Hazlewood's "Need All the Help I Can Get", originally recorded by Suzi Jane Hokum in 1966 and "Breakaway" recorded by Toni Basil in 1966. During the summer of 2010, the Primitives have also recorded a few new songs for future release, such as "Rattle My Cage" and "Never Kill a Secret".

The Primitives supported The Wedding Present at Koko in Camden, London on December 13, 2010 as part of the Weddoes Bizarro Album 21st anniversary tour.

Discography

Albums

''Lovely'' (1988) UK #6

''Pure'' (1989) UK #33

''Galore'' (1991)

Compilations

''Lazy 86-88'' (1989) UK #73

''Bombshell - The Hits & More'' (1994)

''Best of The Primitives'' (1996)

''Bubbling Up - BBC Sessions'' (1998)

''Thru the Flowers - The Anthology'' (2004)

''Buzz Buzz Buzz'' (2005)

''The Best of The Primitives'' (2005)

''Buzz Buzz Buzz - Complete Lazy Recordings'' (2006)

Singles

UK Singles Chart
	"Really Stupid"	align="center"
align="center"
	"Stop Killing Me"	align="center"
align="center"
rowspan="4"
"Thru the Flowers"	align="center"
align="center"
"Out of Reach"		align="center"
"Way Behind Me"			rowspan="3"
	"Sick of It"
"Secrets"
	"You Are the Way"		align="center"
"Earth Thing"	align="center"
align="center"
	"Crash - the '95 Mix"	align="center"

References

External links

Crashsite -- Primitives fan site, with history, news, music and video clips, etc

Category:British indie pop groups Category:English pop music groups Category:Music from Coventry, England Category:Musical groups established in 1985 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1992

de:The Primitives gl:The Primitives it:The Primitives (1985) pl:The Primitives ru:The Primitives

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Lou Reed
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Lewis Allan Reed
Born	March 02, 1942Brooklyn, New YorkUnited States
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, ostrich guitar, bass, synthesizer, keyboards, piano, harmonica, drums, percussion
Genre	Rock, experimental rock, art rock, protopunk, noise music, drone music, psychedelic rock, folk rock, glam rock
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter, producer, photographer
Years active	1964–present
Label	Matador, MGM, RCA, Sire, Reprise, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	The Velvet Underground, John Cale, Nico, David Bowie, The Killers, Mick Ronson, Gorillaz, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Metallica.
Website	www.loureed.com }}

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (born on March 2, 1942) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which spans several decades and crosses multiple genres. The Velvet Underground gained little mainstream attention during their career, but became one of the most influential bands of their era. As the Velvet Underground's main songwriter, Reed wrote about subjects of personal experience that rarely had been examined so openly in rock and roll, including sexuality and drug culture.

After his departure from the group, Reed began a solo career in 1971. He had a hit the following year with "Walk on the Wild Side", although he subsequently lacked the mainstream commercial success its chart status seemed to indicate. Reed's work as a solo artist frustrated critics wishing for a return of the Velvet Underground. In 1975 Reed released a double album of feedback loops, ''Metal Machine Music'', upon which Reed later commented: "No one is supposed to be able to do a thing like that and survive." He is also responsible for the name and popularization of ostrich tuning.

In 2008, Reed married singer/songwriter Laurie Anderson.

Early life

Reed was born into a Jewish family at Beth El Hospital in Brooklyn and grew up in Freeport, Long Island. Contrary to some sources, his birth name was Lewis Allan Reed, not Louis Firbanks; a name that was coined as a joke by Lester Bangs in ''Creem'' magazine. Having learned to play the guitar from the radio, he developed an early interest in rock and roll and rhythm and blues, and during high school played in a number of bands. His first recording was as a member of a doo wop-style group called The Jades.

In 1956 Reed received electroconvulsive therapy as a teenager to "cure" his homosexuality; he wrote about the experience in his 1974 song, "Kill Your Sons". In an interview, Reed said of the experience:

Reed began attending Syracuse University in the fall of 1960, studying journalism, film directing, and creative writing. In 1961 he began hosting a late-night radio program on WAER called "Excursions On A Wobbly Rail". Named after a song by pianist Cecil Taylor, the program typically featured doo wop, rhythm and blues and jazz, particularly the free jazz developed in the mid-1950s. Many of Reed's guitar techniques, such as the guitar-drum roll, were inspired by jazz saxophonists, notably Ornette Coleman. Reed graduated from Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences with a B.A. in June 1964.

Poet Delmore Schwartz taught at Syracuse University and befriended Reed, who in 1966 dedicated the song "European Son", from the Velvet Underground's debut album ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'', to Schwartz. In 1982, Reed recorded "My House" as a tribute to his late mentor. He later said that his goals as a writer were "to bring the sensitivities of the novel to rock music" or to write the Great American Novel in a record album.

Career

Staff songwriter at Pickwick Records

In 1964 Reed moved to New York City and began working as an in-house songwriter for Pickwick Records. In 1964 he scored a minor hit with the single "The Ostrich", a parody of popular dance songs of the time, which included lines such as "put your head on the floor and have somebody step on it." His employers felt that the song had hit potential, and arranged for a band to be assembled around Reed to promote the recording. The ad hoc group, called The Primitives, included Welsh musician John Cale, who had recently moved to New York to study music and was playing viola in composer La Monte Young's Theater of Eternal Music, along with Tony Conrad. Cale and Conrad were both surprised to find that for "The Ostrich" Reed tuned each string of his guitar to the same note. This technique created a drone effect similar to their experimentation in Young's avant garde ensemble. Disappointed with Reed's performance, Cale was nevertheless impressed by Reed's early repertoire (including "Heroin"), and a partnership began to evolve.

The Velvet Underground

Reed and Cale lived together on the Lower East Side, and after inviting Reed's college acquaintances, guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, to join the group, they formed The Velvet Underground. Though internally unstable (Cale left in 1968; Reed in 1970) and without commercial success, the band has a long-standing reputation as one of the most influential bands in rock history.

The group soon caught the attention of artist Andy Warhol. One of Warhol's first contributions was to integrate them into the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. Warhol's associates inspired many of Reed's songs as he fell into a thriving, multifaceted artistic scene. Reed rarely gives an interview without paying homage to Warhol as a mentor. Conflict emerged when Warhol had the idea for the group to take on a chanteuse, the European former model and singer Nico. Reed and the others registered their objection by titling their debut album ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' to imply that Nico was not accepted as a member of the group. Despite his initial resistance, Reed wrote several songs for Nico to sing, and the two were briefly lovers (as were Nico and Cale later). ''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' reached #171 on the charts.

Today, however, it is considered one of the most influential rock albums ever recorded. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine has it listed as the 13th most influential album of all time. Brian Eno once famously stated that although few people bought the album, most of those who did were inspired to form their own band.

By the time the band recorded ''White Light/White Heat'', Nico had quit and Warhol was fired, both against Cale's wishes. Warhol's replacement as manager, Steve Sesnick, convinced Reed to drive Cale out of the band. Morrison and Tucker were discomfited by Reed's tactics but continued with the group. Cale's replacement was Doug Yule, whom Reed would often facetiously introduce as his younger brother. The group now took on a more pop-oriented sound and acted more as a vehicle for Reed to develop his songwriting craft. The group released two albums with this line up: 1969's ''The Velvet Underground'' and 1970's ''Loaded''. The latter included two of the group's most commercially successful songs, "Rock and Roll" and "Sweet Jane". Reed left the Velvet Underground in August 1970; the band disintegrated as core members Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker departed in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Yule continued until early 1973, and the band released one more studio album, ''Squeeze'', under the Velvet Underground name.

After the band's move to Atlantic Records' Cotillion label, their new manager pushed Reed to change the subject matter of his songs to lighter topics in hopes commercial success. The band's album ''Loaded'' had taken more time to record than the previous three albums together, but had not broken the band through to a wider audience. Reed briefly retired to his parents' home on Long Island.

Solo career

1970s

After quitting the Velvet Underground in August 1970, Reed took a job at his father's tax accounting firm as a typist, by his own account earning $40 a week. A year later, however, he signed a recording contract with RCA and recorded his first solo album in London with top session musicians including Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman, members of the progressive rock group Yes. The album, simply titled ''Lou Reed'', contained smoothly produced, re-recorded versions of unreleased Velvet Underground songs, some of which were originally recorded by the Velvets for ''Loaded'' but shelved (see the ''Peel Slowly and See'' box set). This first solo album was overlooked by most pop music critics (although Stephen Holden in ''Rolling Stone'' called it "almost perfect") and it did not sell in significant numbers.

In December 1972, Reed released ''Transformer''. David Bowie and Mick Ronson co-produced the album and introduced Reed to a wider popular audience (specifically in the UK). The hit single "Walk on the Wild Side" was both a salute and swipe at the misfits, hustlers, and transvestites in Andy Warhol's Factory. The song's cleverly transgressive lyrics evaded radio censorship. Though musically somewhat atypical for Reed, it eventually became his signature song. The song came about as a result of his commission to compose a soundtrack to a theatrical adaptation of Nelson Algren's novel of the same name, though the play failed to materialize. Ronson's arrangements brought out new aspects of Reed's songs; "Perfect Day", for example, features delicate strings and soaring dynamics. It was rediscovered in the 1990s and allowed Reed to drop "Walk on the Wild Side" from his concerts.

Though ''Transformer'' would prove to be Reed's commercial and critical pinnacle, there was no small amount of resentment in Reed devoted to the shadow the record cast over the rest of his career. A public argument between Bowie and Reed ended their working relationship for several years, though the subject of the argument is not known. The two reconciled some years later, and Reed performed with Bowie at the latter's 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997. The two would not formally collaborate again until 2003's ''The Raven''. Reed followed ''Transformer'' with the darker ''Berlin'', which tells the story of two junkies in love in the titular city. The songs variously concern domestic abuse ("Caroline Says I", "Caroline Says II"), drug addiction ("How Do You Think It Feels"), adultery and prostitution ("The Kids"), and suicide ("The Bed"). Reed's late-1973 European tour, featuring dual lead guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, mixed his ''Berlin'' material with older rockers.

After ''Berlin'' came two albums in 1974, ''Sally Can't Dance'' and a live record ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'', which contained performances of the Velvet Underground songs "Sweet Jane" and "Heroin". ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'' became his biggest selling album, and its follow-up ''Lou Reed Live,'' recorded on the same occasions in December 1973, kept Reed in the public eye with strong sales after its release in early 1975.

As he had done with ''Berlin'' after ''Transformer'', in 1975 Reed responded to commercial success with a commercial failure, a double album of electronically generated audio feedback, ''Metal Machine Music''. Critics interpreted it as a gesture of contempt, an attempt to break his contract with RCA or to alienate his less sophisticated fans. But Reed claimed that the album was a genuine artistic effort, even suggesting that quotations of classical music could be found buried in the feedback. Lester Bangs declared it "genius", though also as psychologically disturbing. The album was reportedly returned to stores by the thousands after a few weeks. Though later admitting that the liner notes' list of instruments is fictitious and intended as parody, Reed maintains that ''MMM'' was and is a serious album. He has since stated though that at the time he had taken it seriously, he was also "very stoned". In the 2000s it was adapted for orchestral performance by the German ensemble Zeitkratzer.

By contrast, 1975's ''Coney Island Baby'' was mainly a warm and mellow album, though for its characters Reed still drew on the underbelly of city life. At this time his lover was a transgender woman, Rachel, mentioned in the dedication of "Coney Island Baby" and appearing in the photos on the cover of Reed's 1977 "best of" album, ''Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed''. While ''Rock and Roll Heart'', his 1976 debut for his new record label Arista, fell short of expectations, ''Street Hassle'' (1978) was a return to form in the midst of the punk scene he had helped to inspire. But ironically Reed was dismissive of punk and rejected any affiliation with it. "I'm too literate to be into punk rock... The whole CBGB's, new Max's thing that everyone's into and what's going on in London — you don't seriously think I'm responsible for what's mostly rubbish?" ''The Bells'' (1979) featured jazz musician Don Cherry, and was followed the next year by ''Growing Up in Public'' with guitarist Chuck Hammer. Around this period he also appeared as a sleazy record producer in Paul Simon's film ''One Trick Pony''. Reed also played several unannounced one-off concerts in tiny downtown Manhattan clubs with the likes of Cale, Patti Smith, and David Byrne during this period.

1980s

In 1980, Reed married British designer Sylvia Morales. They were divorced more than a decade later. While together, Morales inspired Reed to write several songs, particularly "Think It Over" from 1980's ''Growing Up in Public'' and "Heavenly Arms" from 1982's ''The Blue Mask''. After ''Legendary Hearts'' (1983) and ''New Sensations'' (1984) fared adequately on the charts, Reed was sufficiently reestablished as a public figure to become spokesman for Honda motorcycles.

In the early 1980s, Reed asked guitarist Robert Quine to join his group. Quine appeared on Reed's The Blue Mask (1982), acclaimed as one of Reed's best albums, and Legendary Hearts (1983). The two guitarists’ played both rhythm and lead guitar. Robert Quine eventually quit the group due to tensions with Reed. However, Reed persuaded Quine to rejoin for a world tour, with which he agreed to despite his aversion to touring, for financial reasons. Quine ended his musical relationship with Reed in 1985.

On September 22, 1985, Reed performed at the first Farm Aid concert in Champaign, Illinois. He performed "Doin' The Things That We Want To", "I Love You, Suzanne", and ''New Sensations'', and "Walk on The Wild Side".

In 1986, he joined Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope Tour and was outspoken about New York's political issues and personalities on the 1989 album ''New York'', commenting on crime, AIDS, Jesse Jackson, Kurt Waldheim, and Pope John Paul II.

Following Warhol's death after routine surgery in 1987, Reed again collaborated with John Cale on the biographical ''Songs for Drella'', Warhol's nickname. The album marked an end to a 22-year estrangement from Cale. On the album, Reed sings of his love for his late friend, but also criticizes both the doctors who were unable to save Warhol's life and Warhol's would-be assassin, Valerie Solanas.

1990s

In 1990, following a 20-year hiatus, the Velvet Underground reformed for a Fondation Cartier benefit in France. Reed released his sixteenth solo record, ''Magic and Loss'' in 1992, an album about mortality, inspired by the death of two close friends from cancer. In 1993, the Velvet Underground again reunited and toured throughout Europe, although plans for a North American tour were cancelled following another falling out between Reed and Cale. In 1994, Reed appeared in ''A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who'', also known as ''Daltrey Sings Townshend''. This was a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall produced by Roger Daltrey in celebration of his fiftieth birthday. In 1994, a CD and a VHS video were issued, and in 1998 a DVD was released. Reed performed a radically rearranged version of "Now And Then" from ''Psychoderelict''.

In 1996, the Velvet Underground were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the induction ceremony, Reed performed a song entitled "Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend" alongside former bandmates John Cale and Maureen Tucker, in dedication to Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison, who had died the previous August. Reed has since been nominated for the Rock Hall as a solo artist twice, in 2000 and 2001, but has not been inducted.

His 1996 album, ''Set the Twilight Reeling'', met with a lukewarm reception, but 2000's ''Ecstasy'' drew praise from most critics, including Robert Christgau. In 1996, Reed contributed songs and music to ''Time Rocker'', an avant-garde theatrical interpretation of H.G. Wells' ''The Time Machine'' staged by theater director Robert Wilson. The piece premiered in the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany, and was later also shown at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

In 1998, the PBS TV show, ''American Masters'' aired Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' feature documentary ''Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart''. This film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. and at the Berlin Film Festival in Germany went on to screen at over 50 festivals worldwide. In 1999, the film and Reed as its subject received a Grammy Award for best long form music video.

Since the late 1990s, Reed has been romantically linked to the musician, multi-media and performance artist Laurie Anderson, and the two have collaborated on a number of recordings together. Anderson contributed to "Call On Me" from Reed's project ''The Raven'', to the tracks "Baton Rouge" and "Rock Minuet" from Reed's ''Ecstasy'', and to "Hang On To Your Emotions" from Reed's ''Set the Twilight Reeling''. Reed contributed to "In Our Sleep" from Anderson's ''Bright Red'' and to "One Beautiful Evening" from her ''Life on a String''. They were married on April 12, 2008.

2000s

In May 2000, Reed performed before Pope John Paul II at the Great Jubilee Concert in Rome. In 2000, a new collaboration with Robert Wilson called ''Poe-Try'' was staged at the Thalia Theater in Germany. As with the previous collaboration ''Time Rocker,'' ''Poe-Try'' was also inspired by the works of a 19th-century writer: Edgar Allan Poe. Reed became interested in Poe after producer and long-time friend Hal Willner had suggested him to read some of Poe's text at a Halloween benefit he was curating at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Brooklyn. For this new collaboration, Reed reworked and even rewrote some of Poe's text as well as included some new songs based on the theme explored in the texts. In 2001, Reed made a cameo appearance in the movie adaptation of ''Prozac Nation''. On October 6, 2001 the ''New York Times'' published a Reed poem called ''Laurie Sadly Listening'' in which he reflects upon the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Incorrect reports of Reed's death were broadcast by numerous US radio stations in 2001, caused by a hoax email (purporting to be from Reuters) which said he had died of a drug overdose. In 2003, he released a 2-CD set, ''The Raven'', based on "Poe-Try". Besides Reed and his band, the album featured a wide range of actors and musicians including singers David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Antony Hegarty, saxophonist and long-time idol Ornette Coleman, and actors Elizabeth Ashley, Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Amanda Plummer, Fisher Stevens and Kate Valk. The album consisted of songs written by Reed and spoken-word performances of reworked and rewritten texts of Edgar Allan Poe by the actors, set to electronic music composed by Reed. At the same time a single disc CD version of the albums, focusing on the music, was also released.

A few months after the release of ''The Raven'', a new 2-CD Best Of-set was released, entitled ''NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967-2003)'', which featured an unreleased version of the song "Who am I" and a selection of career spanning tracks that had been selected, remastered and sequenced under Reed's supervision. In April 2003, Reed embarked on a new world tour supporting both new and released material, with a band including cellist Jane Scarpantoni and singer Antony Hegarty. During some of the concerts for this tour, the band was joined by Master Ren Guangyi, Reed's personal Tai Chi instructor, performing Tai Chi movements to the music on stage. This tour was documented in the 2004 double disc live album ''Animal Serenade'', recorded live at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

In 2003, Reed released his first book of photographs, ''Emotions in Action''. This work actually was made up out of two books, a larger A4-paper sized called ''Emotions'' and a smaller one called ''Actions'' which was laid into the hard cover of the former.

''After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed'' was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2003. In 2004, a Groovefinder remix of his song, "Satellite of Love" (called "Satellite of Love '04") was released. It reached #10 in the UK singles chart. Also in 2004, Reed contributed vocals and guitar to the track "Fistful of love" on ''I Am a Bird Now'' by Antony and the Johnsons. In 2005, Reed did a spoken word text on Danish rock band Kashmir's album ''No Balance Palace''.

In 2003, Reed was also a judge for the third annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

In January 2006, a second book of photographs, ''Lou Reed's New York'', was released. At the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, Reed performed "White Light/White Heat" with The Raconteurs. Later in the night, while co-presenting the award for Best Rock Video with Pink, he exclaimed, apparently unscripted, that "MTV should be playing more rock n' roll."

In October 2006, Reed appeared at Hal Willner's Leonard Cohen tribute show "Came So Far For Beauty" in Dublin, beside the cast of Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave, Antony, Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton, and others. According to the reports, he played a heavy metal version of Cohen's "The Stranger Song". He also performed "One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong" and two duets — "Joan of Arc", with Cohen's former back-up singer Julie Christensen, and "Memories" — in a duet with Anjani Thomas.

In December 2006, Reed played a first series of show at St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, based on his 1973 ''Berlin'' song cycle. Reed was reunited on stage with guitarist Steve Hunter, who played on the original album as well as on ''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'', as well as joined by singers Antony Hegarty and Sharon Jones, pianist Rupert Christie, a horn and string section and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The show was being produced by Bob Ezrin, who also produced the original album, and Hal Willner. The stage was designed by painter Julian Schnabel and a film about protagonist "Caroline" directed by his daughter, Lola Schnabel, was being projected to the stage. A live recording of these concerts was also published as a film (directed by Schnabel) which was released spring 2008. The show was also played at the Sydney Festival in January 2007 and throughout Europe during June and July 2007. The album version of the concert, entitled ''Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse'', was released in 2008.

In April 2007, he released ''Hudson River Wind Meditations'', his first record of ambient meditation music. The record was released on the Sounds True record label and contains four tracks that were said to have been composed just for himself as a guidance for Tai Chi exercise and meditation. In May 2007 Reed performed the narration for a screening of Guy Maddin's silent film ''The Brand Upon the Brain''. In June 2007, he performed live at the Traffic Festival 2007 in Turin, Italy, a five-day free event organized by the town.

In August 2007, Reed went into the studio with The Killers in New York City to record "Tranquilize", a duet with Brandon Flowers for The Killers' b-side/rarities album, called ''Sawdust''. During that month, he also recorded guitar for the Lucibel Crater song "Threadbare Funeral", which appears on their full-length CD ''The Family Album''. In October 2007, Reed gave a special performance in the ''Recitement'' song "Passengers". The album combines music with spoken word. The album was composed by Stephen Emmer and produced by Tony Visconti. Hollandcentraal was inspired by this piece of music and literature, which spawned a concept for a music video. On October 1, 2008, Reed joined Richard Barone via projected video on a spoken/sung duet of Reed's "I'll Be Your Mirror", with cellist Jane Scarpantoni, in Barone's ''FRONTMAN: A Musical Reading'' at Carnegie Hall.

On April 12, 2008, Reed married his longtime companion, performance artist Laurie Anderson, in a private ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.

On October 2 and 3, 2008 he premiered his new group, which later was named Metal Machine Trio, at REDCAT (Walt Disney Concert Hall Complex, Los Angeles). The live recordings of the concerts were released under the title ''The Creation of the Universe''. The Trio features Ulrich Krieger (saxophone) and Sarth Calhoun (electronics), and plays free improvised instrumental music inspired by Reed's 1975 album ''Metal Machine Music''. The music ranges from ambient soundscapes to free rock to contemporary noise. The trio played further shows at New York's Gramercy Theater in April 2009 and appeared as part of Reed's band at the 2009 Lollapalooza, including a 10 minute free trio improvisation. At Lollapalooza, held in Chicago's Grant Park, Reed played "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat" with Metallica at Madison Square Garden as part of the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on October 30, 2009. Reed's recent activity in films include providing the voice of Maltazard, the villain in the forthcoming Luc Besson animated film, ''Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard'' playing the role of himself in Wim Wenders' movie Palermo Shooting (2008)

In 2009, Reed became an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA). Reed was a featured performer at the JFA's annual benefit "A Great Night in Harlem" in May 2009.

2010s

Reed has remained active doing benefits and composing music. He has contributed vocals on the third Gorillaz album, ''Plastic Beach'', on the song "Some Kind Of Nature". and co-wrote and performed backup music for a Chen Style Tai Chi instructional DVD. He has a co-production credit on Laurie Anderson's ''Homeland''.

Lou Reed performed a cover of the Buddy Holly song "Peggy Sue" which is featured on the tribute album "Rave On Buddy Holly".

Reed also began touring with the Metal Machine Trio, which was widely viewed as a return to his exploration of noise and sound. On June 15, 2011, heavy metal band Metallica announced that they have recorded a full length collaboration with Lou Reed to be released November 1 in North America and October 31 everywhere else.

Discography

With the Velvet Underground

''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' (1967)

''White Light/White Heat'' (1968)

''The Velvet Underground'' (1969)

''Loaded'' (1970)

''1969: The Velvet Underground Live'' (1974)

''VU'' (1985)

''Another View'' (1986)

''Live MCMXCIII'' (1993)

''Peel Slowly and See'' (1995)

''Fully Loaded'' (1997)

''Bootleg Series Volume 1: The Quine Tapes'' (2001)

As a solo artist

''Lou Reed'' (1972)

''Transformer'' (1972)

''Berlin'' (1973)

''Rock 'n' Roll Animal'' (1974)

''Sally Can't Dance'' (1974)

''Metal Machine Music'' (1975)

''Coney Island Baby'' (1975)

''Rock and Roll Heart'' (1976)

''Street Hassle'' (1978)

''The Bells'' (1979)

''Growing Up in Public'' (1980)

''The Blue Mask'' (1982)

''Legendary Hearts'' (1983)

''New Sensations'' (1984)

''Mistrial'' (1986)

''New York'' (1989)

''Songs for Drella'' (with John Cale) (1990)

''Magic and Loss'' (1992)

''Set the Twilight Reeling'' (1996)

''Ecstasy'' (2000)

''The Raven'' (2003)

''Hudson River Wind Meditations'' (2007)

''Metal Machine Music Presented By Zeitkratzer Live'' (with Zeitkratzer) (2007)

''The Stone: Issue Three'' (with John Zorn and Laurie Anderson) (2008)

''The Creation of the Universe'' (2008)

Appearances in film

''One Trick Pony'' (1980) as Steve Kunelian

''Get Crazy'' (1983) as Auden

''Permanent Record'' (1988) as himself

''Faraway, So Close!'' (1993) as himself

''Blue in the Face'' (1995) as "Man with Strange Glasses"

''Closure'' (1997) as himself

''Prozac Nation'' (2001) as himself

''Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse'' (2008)

''Palermo Shooting'' (2008) as himself

Personal life

On April 12, 2008, Reed married longtime companion Laurie Anderson in a private ceremony in Boulder, Colorado.

References

External links

Official Lou Reed website

Category:Living people Category:1942 births Category:American baritones Category:American buskers Category:American Jews Category:American male singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Jewish American composers and songwriters Category:Jewish American musicians Category:Jewish singers Category:Musicians from New York Category:Noise musicians Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from Freeport, New York Category:Protopunk musicians Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Syracuse University alumni Category:The Velvet Underground members Category:Sire Records artists Category:Reprise Records artists Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

an:Lou Reed ast:Lou Reed bg:Лу Рийд ca:Lou Reed cs:Lou Reed da:Lou Reed de:Lou Reed el:Λου Ριντ es:Lou Reed fa:لو رید fr:Lou Reed ga:Lou Reed gl:Lou Reed ko:루 리드 it:Lou Reed he:לו ריד lv:Lū Rīds hu:Lou Reed nl:Lou Reed ja:ルー・リード no:Lou Reed pl:Lou Reed pt:Lou Reed ro:Lou Reed ru:Рид, Лу simple:Lou Reed sk:Lou Reed sl:Lou Reed fi:Lou Reed sv:Lou Reed tr:Lou Reed uk:Лу Рід zh:卢·里德