Design: Masaki Koike.

I don’t usually succumb to the temptation to buy a record designed by someone other than one of the designers I already collect. However, I’m a fan of Lou Reed and when I read that his latest release, designed by the Japanese-American Masaki Koike, based in Los Angeles, had been nominated for a Grammy in the package design category that I thought I would ignore my own collection rule and invest. Sadly, Koike didn’t win the Grammy but his design won my approval.

This album has been proiduced by Reed’s widow Laurie Anderson and associates. Anderson found a reel-to-reel tape of Lou Reed’s early music in a sealed envelope among Reed’s possesions.

I am not alone as a vinyl collector in that I try to buy two copies of each release for my collection — one I keep sealed while the second copy is my display copy. So I had to buy two copies of the Lou Reed album. Of course I wanted the limited edition — a double album with a limited edition seven-inch EP and a CD. Most copies of this version available online or in my local record shops cost $100 or more. I was lucky to find copies for $60..

The outer and inner spreads of the cover. The seven-inch EP is visible on the left and the CD on the right, overlying the booklet with lyrics.

The twoblack vinyl LPs are mastered at 45 rpm and housed in printed inner sleeves.

The outer cover is diecut with a series of 6 mm holes — 110 holes on the front cover. Even the seven-inch and CD covers are diecut with similar holes.

I am really pleased to have added this beautifully designed album to my collection. My congratulations to Masaki Koike for the great design. I noticed that the band round the album calls this album “No. 1”. Hopefully there will be at least one follow-up collection.