Not on display

Lou Reed in concert

Poster
1973 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a poster advertising a concert by Lou Reed at the Glasgow Apollo, in March 1973. Lou Reed was touring his album Berlin, a rock opera about the relationship between a doomed couple in the city, addressing themes of drug use and depression. At the time it had been given extremely unfavourable reviews by the music press, and had not sold widely, although it has since been hailed as a masterpiece. The concert itself has been remembered as a disaster too, recounted in a BBC Radio Scotland documentary about the Apollo: Reed was carried on to the stage, lay on his back for the whole concert and was then carried off.

The image of Lou Reed on the poster was from a photograph by Mick Rock, photographer of rock stars from the early 1970s onwards. Iconic as an image of Reed, it was originally used for the cover of his most successful album, 1972's Transformer.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleLou Reed in concert (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Offset lithograph
Brief description
Poster advertising Lou Reed in concert at the Apollo Centre, Glasgow, 1973
Physical description
Poster with black background, with red irrgulat band at top edge, featuring a printed image of a photograph of Lou Reed in black and white, with red lips and yellow eyes. Lou Reed's name is printed in white to the left of the image. Information about the show at Glasgow Apollo is given in red and white typography at lower left.
Dimensions
  • Height: 75cm
  • Width: 100cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • JOHN SMITH PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
  • LOU / REED / IN CONCERT
  • + THE PERSUASIONS / Forthcoming album "WE STILL AIN'T GOT NO BAND" on MCA
  • RCA / RECORDS
  • APOLLO CENTRE / GLASGOW / MON. 24th SEPT. at 7.30 pm
  • Tickets: £1.65, £1.35, £1.10, 80p inc VAT. / Advance Box Office Apollo Centre, / Renfrew Street, Glasgow. tel: 031 332 0131
  • Blue Egg Printing & Design Ltd Tel 01 794 8383
  • Arth Guinness (Printed signature, of the founder of the Guinness brewery, sponsors of the gig.)
Gallery label
(16/08/2016)
Lou Reed played this gig in support of his album Berlin, which addressed themes of drug use and depression. Although now considered a masterpiece, initially the album was unfavourably received. The concert is also remembered as a disaster: Reed was carried on to the stage, lay on his back for the whole performance and then had to be carried off.
Subject depicted
Place depicted
Summary
This is a poster advertising a concert by Lou Reed at the Glasgow Apollo, in March 1973. Lou Reed was touring his album Berlin, a rock opera about the relationship between a doomed couple in the city, addressing themes of drug use and depression. At the time it had been given extremely unfavourable reviews by the music press, and had not sold widely, although it has since been hailed as a masterpiece. The concert itself has been remembered as a disaster too, recounted in a BBC Radio Scotland documentary about the Apollo: Reed was carried on to the stage, lay on his back for the whole concert and was then carried off.

The image of Lou Reed on the poster was from a photograph by Mick Rock, photographer of rock stars from the early 1970s onwards. Iconic as an image of Reed, it was originally used for the cover of his most successful album, 1972's Transformer.
Bibliographic references
  • The Temple of Apollo BBC Radio Scotland, Wed 11 March 2009
  • This object features in 'Out on Display: A selection of LGBTQ-related objects on display in the V&A', a booklet created by the V&A's LGBTQ Working Group. First developed and distributed to coincide with the 2014 Pride in London Parade, the guide was then expanded for the Queer and Now Friday Late that took place in February 2015.
Collection
Accession number
S.4338-1995

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Record createdJanuary 19, 2010
Record URL
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