Growing Up in Public (Lou Reed album)

Growing Up in Public
Studio album by Lou Reed
Released	April 1980
Recorded	January 1980 Air Studios, Montserrat
Genre	Rock
Length	36:39
Label	Arista
Producer	Michael Fonfara, Lou Reed
Lou Reed chronology
The Bells (1979) Growing Up in Public (1980) Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980 (1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Robert Christgau	(B)[3]
Rolling Stone	(positive)[4]

Growing Up in Public is the tenth studio album by American rock and roll artist Lou Reed, released in 1980. It was written and recorded over six weeks at George Martin's Air Studios in Montserrat.

During Reed's 1979 tour to promote The Bells, Reed asked David Bowie to produce his next album. After Reed's concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London in October 1979, Reed with his band had dinner with Bowie in a restaurant in Knightsbridge. Bowie allegedly told Reed to "clean up his act". Reed was outraged and hit Bowie. Bowie didn't produce Reed.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written by Lou Reed & Michael Fonfara

1. "How Do You Speak to an Angel?" – 4:08
2. "My Old Man" – 3:15
3. "Keep Away" – 3:31
4. "Growing Up in Public" – 3:00
5. "Standing on Ceremony" – 3:32
6. "So Alone" – 4:05
7. "Love Is Here to Stay" – 3:10
8. "The Power of Positive Drinking" – 2:13
9. "Smiles" – 2:44
10. "Think It Over" – 3:25
11. "Teach the Gifted Children" – 3:20

Personnel

• Lou Reed - guitar, vocals
• Michael Fonfara - keyboards, guitar
• Chuck Hammer - guitar, guitar synthesizer
• Michael Suchorsky - drums
• Ellard "Moose" Boles - bass, background vocals
• Stuart Heinrich - guitar, background vocals

Engineered by Corky Stasiak

Photography by Mick Rock

References