Lou Reed, Transformer (side A)

When mixing a rock album, it's common to focus on the lead vocal and the snare as central elements.  For much 1972's Transformer, Lou Reed's vocal and the drum kit are often murky and buried in the mix.  While the radio hit "Walk on the Wild Side" is a notable exception with a more conventional mix, most of the album focuses on guitar, piano, and strings.  It's a pretty daring sonic footprint for an album now perceived as canonical and timeless.  "Vicious' kicks off in a defining fashion — the vocals sound dark and murky, and they're the quietest element in the mix, with the blown-out guitars in front.  The clicky metal percussion in the right speaker is far louder than the drum kit.  The sequence of the album is full of startling juxtapositions.  Louder songs with heavy guitars nearly alternate with soft piano songs, preventing any obvious congruity or flow.  The most obvious example ends the album, with "I'm So Free" between the oddest songs on the album, "New York Telephone Conversation" and "Goodnight Ladies".  The recognizable cover image does emphasize the iconic nature of the album.  Its obvious references to classic album covers help to draw attention to the classic songwriting on the album, which shines through Transformer's many quirks.