Chris Connelly - Pays tribute to his heroes Lou Reed and John Cale

Cocksure / Ministry / Revolting Cocks / Lou Reed / John Cale / The Velvet Underground and more...

We have always been a fan of the work of Chris Connelly, so we were very excited for this release. Our personal favourite project he has done is Cocksure. If you have not heard this, we strongly advise you to. But let's get back to what we should be talking about, and that is his new album. It's a great day because today is release day for Chicago-based Scottish native Chris Connelly, whose twenty-one-track album 'Doo Wop in the Dark' : A portrait of Lou Reed -  which includes compositions spanning Lou Reed's career, with original songs by Connelly, tracing Reed’s turbulent creative journey from his teenage years to his death in 2013.

Moving between tenderness, menace, alienation and damaged beauty, the record explores Reed’s profound influence on Connelly’s artistic identity, offering more than a tribute: it reflects on how an artist’s work can shape another’s creative voice and become part of their emotional and musical vocabulary.  The album's focus track is 'Bye, Bye Johnny Viola', which reflects on John Cale's departure from The Velvet Underground in 1968. Following 'Nothin' but a Rock Song' and 'House of 70s', this single revisits a pivotal moment in the band’s history, set against the backdrop of Andy Warhol’s shooting and the release of 'White Light/White Heat'.