The latest installment in LITA’s critically acclaimed Lou Reed Archive Series is a compilation of pop songs penned by Reed during his mid-60s stint as a staff songwriter for the long-defunct label Pickwick Records. The compilation follows on the heels of Lou Reed’s Hudson River Wind Meditations (2023 reissue) and Words & Music, May 1965 (2022).
Why Don’t You Smile Now… has been restored and remastered by GRAMMY-nominated mastering engineer John Baldwin. Both the 2xLP & CD editions feature in-depth booklets with unseen photos, liner notes by Richie Unterberger (author of such acclaimed titles as White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground day-by-day), and an essay by Lenny Kaye.
Tracklist:
Side A
- The Primitives - “The Ostrich”
- The Beachnuts - “Cycle Annie”
- The Hi-Lifes - “I’m Gonna Fight”
- The Hi-Lifes - “Soul City”
- Ronnie Dickerson - “Oh No Don’t Do It”
- Ronnie Dickerson - “Love Can Make You Cry”
- The Hollywoods - “Teardrop In The Sand”
- The Roughnecks - “You’re Driving Me Insane”
Side B
- The Primitives - “Sneaky Pete”
- Terry Philips - “Wild One”
- Spongy And The Dolls - “Really - Really - Really - Really - Really - Really Love”
- The Foxes - “Soul City”
- The J Brothers - “Ya Running, But I’ll Getcha”
- Beverley Ann - “We Got Trouble”
- The All Night Workers - “Why Don’t You Smile”
- Jeannie Larimore - “Johnny Won’t Surf No More”
Side C
- Robertha Williams - “Tell Mamma Not to Cry”
- Roobertha Williams - “Maybe Tomorrow”
- Terry Philips - “Flowers For The Lady”
- Terry Philips - “This Rose”
Side D
- The Surfsiders - “Surfin’”
- The Surfsiders - “Little Deuce Coupe”
- The Beachnuts - “Sad, Lonely Orphan Boy”
- The Beachnuts - “I’ve Got a Tiger in My Tank”
- Ronnie Dickerson - “What About Me”