Lou Reed / The Sire Years: Complete Albums box / 10CD set

Rhino are to release a new Lou Reed CD box set that collects the eight albums released on the Sire label during a period that spanning almost a quarter of a century.

The Sire Years: Complete Albums box kicks off with 1989’s spectacular New York album, and the rather underrated follow-up Magic and Loss. Sandwiched in between is Songs For Drella, Reed’s collaboration with Velvet Underground mucker John Cale.

That trio is the rock solid foundation for a set which also includes the last two ‘proper’ studio outings (Set the Twilight Reeling and Ecstasy) but also takes in Perfect Night in London – Reed’s acoustic live album recorded during the Meltdown ’97 festival – and the two-disc version of The Raven. Another live album, Animal Serenade (also double disc) completes the box set.

The Sire Years: Complete Albums is packaged in a clamshell box and is good value at under £3 per disc. No remastering for this set – it uses the most recent masterings available and no bonus tracks.

If you are looking to explore Reed’s solo work of this era, but aren’t interested in live material (and can live without The Raven) then the five-CD Original Album Series set highlighted here might be a better option. And it’s about 50 percent cheaper in terms of per-disc price. The packaging will be inferior though.

The Sire Years: Complete Albums is released on 30 October 2015.

• • UK Pre-order: Sire Years: Complete Albums box
• • USA Pre-order: Sire Years: Complete Albums box
• • CANADA Pre-order: Sire Years: Complete Albums box
• • GERMANY Pre-order: Sire Years: Complete Albums box
• • FRANCE Pre-order: Sire Years: Complete Albums box
• • ITALY Pre-order: Sire Years: Complete Albums box

Albums in the box:

1. New York
2. Songs For Drella
3. Magic and Loss
4. Set The Twilight Reeling
5. Perfect Night In London
6. Ecstasy
7. The Raven (2CD)
8. Animal Serenade (2CD)