Mick Ronson and Lou Reed on Transformer

[lens2optic]

mick ronson took bowies demos and turned them into what they are....his arrangements and playing were inspirational.

[GriefTourist]

twats like bush and blair and gene simmons live forever , ppl like ronno die.....isnt that great

[arthurpussy]

@GriefTourist mick will live on as long as we play his stuff fine musician 

[OrochiAngel666]

Ronno was god

[userjoe1020]

The guy was a monster. Different than slick or Fripp, just a whole nother thing going on.

[bozocyclops]

An egotistical dick high on his own anal vapors like Lou Reed isn't fit to shine Mick Ronson's shoes. It's not enough to write great tunes, you have to be a great human being as well.

[kobraxskarlata]

essential

[sjdss]

the loser at the beginning is a dork!

[brookdalebill]

Lou Reed...microtalent!

[Jeffro321]

That guy is Mr. Clean!

[lazyriver2]

My twelve-yr-old son tells me that Bowie's Berlin Trilogy is superior to the string of genius from Hunky to Aladin. The kid is just a kid. Ronson shows up and electrifies Bowie's sound, the perfect combo of writer and musician. After Ronson goes, Bowie becomes a dancing queen, still potent, but a shadow of his golden era, '72-'75. Trying to be black never really works, even for some black guys, but especially for pale Englishmen. It would have been nice to see Bowie, Ronson, and Reed do abumm 2.

[arthurpussy]

@lazyriver2 agree 72 till 75 were bowies best years and who was with him heros was good single but the ziggy album was his best and remember all the best of and compilation albums he put out and we faithful purchased with our hard earned cas back then ?

[Spirou12345678]

ronson's solo work sucks compared to what he did with bowie

bowie's solo work sucks compared to what he did with bowie

get what I'm getting at?

yeah,

never release a cover album!

Pinups, Spagetti Incident (GNR) etc. It's always the beginning of the end

[Spirou12345678]

@Spirou12345678

second line: what he did with Ronson obviously

I cant type.. drunk

[salvadormarley]

Never thought i'd hear Lou Reed talking about a Hull Accent. :)

[willypdyer]

good god above: please can we have more of this kind of stuff today..??

[toemasie]

Ronson gave Lou and Bowie such a good sound.

[drumsterZ]

moondough I totally agree here..Ronson was Bowie's glam sound creator..He was fantastic! Unique!

[GoinDownToJunkieTown]

@1.11 mick ronson obviously has a hard time spotting a heroin addict, lol

[Sandragoldenlee]

I met and spent time with him in my bad girl groupie days. He was indeed a sweetheart. I was devastated when I heard of his demise years later. I think he was thirty when I met him. At least that's what he told me.

[Sandragoldenlee]

I met and spent time with him in my bad girl groupie days. He was a sweetheart. i was devastated to hear of his demise years later.

[Reint25]

He reminds me a lot of how Paul Weller looks nowadays. He's incredibly handsome as well...

I heard his version of Bowie's Soul Love. The guitar-playing was mesmerising.

[rocktenniscat]

Is there a musician in the world who worked with Ronson who did not find him to be an absolutely GREAT guy? Consummate musician and all-around nice guy. There aren't a lot of them in the music business. RIP Mick Ronson!

[rocktenniscat]

Remembering Mick Ronson today: 26 May 1946 29 April 1993. Play Don't Worry! We'll never forget you, Michael Picasso

[uItravioIet]

LOL I love Ronno's characterization of Lou Reed.

[voozoo62]

Sounds like you've got good taste!

[rocktenniscat]

Love this clip. Makes me laugh and cry. Mick Ronson, you are sorely missed. What a bright light you would be if you were around today to show all those shallow, "latest thing" bands what it's ALL ABOUT!

[swampgravy]

Ronno then, now, always.

[JLC48]

I'm sitting here right now listening to Lou and MIck's 'Perfect Day' on an AT&T commercial while watching the Olympics. Mick's piano and vocals choke me up...such talent and such a lovely man. Peaceful rest Mick...we miss you.

[moondough]

R.I.P. Mick Ronson, one of the best rock guitarists ever, and sooooo underrated. But Bowie knows, and Lou knows, and Dylan knows. And based on these comments here, a whole helluva lot of other folks know too!

[HWynn87]

@moondough

Not to mention Roger McGuinn, Slaughter and the Dogs and John Mellencamp.

[spanky46758]

@moondough anyone whos listened to any of the ziggy albums knows

[casimono68]

@moondough ,AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!GUITARIST­, R.I.P

[arthurpussy]

@moondough yes we realise now he was damn good a fine musician

[heatdeb]

You see lou amazed by micks arrangement.

[brayrrero]

Mick Ronson one of the best guitarist ever

[desasterz]

Lol at the bit were Mick is discribing Lou coming in the studio... It's just so funny

[Moparmal]

Ronson did a great version of Reeds Velvet's classic as well - White light White Heat - a really funky "glam" style riff - and a murderously economical solo at the end.

His economy of notes, and his use of sustain makes him one fothe best 10 Rock Guitarists ever in my book. - (I can't stand these techno 10000mph hour guys..really boring.

And that's not forgetting he was a white hot arranger as well !

[voozoo62]

Seems all the best Guitarists have either gone or are on the way out. Now we're inundated with technique heads. Groan!!!!

[rocktenniscat]

We still have Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson, Randy Bachman, Jeff Beck....there's a few out there.

[mjk450]

i know dylan was wrapped to have mick as his guitarist for the rolling thunder review

[MsBabster]

yorkshire...yorkshie...

[13crapa]

1 of the best rock documentary I've ever seen; try to find & see the part about Satellite of Love, listen to the vocals David Bowie did for that song: just amazing !

[toronto55]

Ronson was fundamental to arguably the most musically-important era of Bowie's career.Another great guitarist gone too soon.Saw him in Toronto with Ian Hunter; excellent! Hats off to you,Mick.

[daisystrangelove]

They are talking about themselves like their some god dam divine f*cking revelation, don't prop them up any further, they don't deserve it. Everyone's a star, everyones gonna be a f*cking god and goddess, fuck these jerks, there animals.

[TheGreatBritishAlex]

hey your right in ways.

[daisystrangelove]

what aload of egotistic bullshit, who f*cking cares about your stupid egos, f*ck off and get a life Lou.

[daisystrangelove]

get a life and distance yourself from these jerks

[ManilaSyndicate]

Interesting vid. Always worth viewing the greats talking about their best works.

[AnthonyDelRay]

No Bowie as we know him without Ronson. Nobody could of played like that for Bowie it accelerated his career bigtime.

Lou playing out of tune? ...never ;)

[atombee]

i completely agree ... Ronson was an amazing talent and helped to create most of bowie's early seventies sound. fantastic arranger as well as guitarist.

[JLC48]

Love his Hull accent too Paul1...love the man!! One of a kind and sorely missed!!

[frankcino]

i LOVE all of mick's albums. they have gentle, sincere feel.

[salemrush]

What do you mean?! Hull accent?!

Get the shit out of your ears and listen you freakin' mook!

[bowiemott]

Ronson clearly assisted Bowie in ways that accelerated the latter's career. Bowie did write the songs but were this relationship to exist now, then current musical publishing/arrangement practices would be more favorable to Ronson (as well as Tony Visconti who also did great work for Bowie. And let's not forget Carlos Alomar who helped Bowie learn the R&B ropes (at least he did get credit on Fame). Bowie always knew how to pick talented people that is for sure. Still he was always the front man

[salemrush]

Mick wrote the songs.

Does it matter? We love the musick. Who cares?!

[HenryFussy]

am I the only one who thinks that Mick Ronson and Iggy Pop look like twins?

[SEYMORDICK]

yes

[6118californiast]

Seymorcunt

[mashamorgan]

Pete McDonald who was lead vocals for the Spiders in 76 told me the same, Mick was a whizzkid at arrangements, he also loved the sound he got from that Les Paul in the studio, Trident if i remember right.

[paulh3]

Mick Ronson makes me proud to be from Hull and have the accent!

[snuffelsuf]

does anyone know who that FIRST guy is :as SOON as This video STARTS?

[KCJeffro]

David Fricke, from Rolling Stone

[wockka]

i think he died just after his second album was released from cancer while working on heaven and hull, a genious

[HenryFussy]

Heaven and Hull is not Ronson's second album...at least 2 others ("Slaughter on 10th Avenue" and "Play Don't Worry") preceeded it.

[Andrewwarrior]

On the Transformer DVD just after this section - Reed plays the multi track in the studio and listens to the string arrangement - and you can see him totally absorbed and stunned by the beauty of Ronsons arrangement and he just said something like 'Wow Mick Ronson" with a ghenuine look of adnmiration in his eyes... Rock on Mick

[RandallJonesey]

Yes, Ronson arranged about everything on Bowie's and Reed's albums (of the time). He could do written music, for the sake of hired strings - listen to Starman or Life on Mars e.g.

He has rightfully had recognition for this, but it is saddening that he hasn't been recognised as the co-writer of the Bowie songs, which he, I'm pretty sure of, was. Bowie was a spunge, absorbing any bit of talent from his fellow man that he could, then he went on to the next talented co-worker. No loyalty there...

[ivankaramasov]

He was not a co-writer, whereever did you get that from? In fact, Rick Wakeman told a story about Bowie playing him the whole Hunky Dory album before it was recorded. Also if you listen to demos for songs for Ziggy Stardust (with only Bowie playing) you will hear that the songs are very similar to the finished ones, except for the arrangements which obviously became more elaborated.

[ivankaramasov]

And I am not in any way denying that Ronson was important as a guitarist, band leader, and arranger, but it is just ridiculous to try to imply that he was more important than Bowie. Bowie would also go on to demonstrate that he was perfectly capable to make great music (even greater in my opinion) without the help of Ronson.

[brownoiz72]

..ronson was working with bowie as musical adviser in 1969.after having completed the fully qualified survivor album for roger chapman.the ziggy album was by then the third album he worked with david on..the first album was hunky dory the second was the man who sold the world and then ziggy stardust. ronson at the height of bowies fame was being paid about forty dollars a week!! by the way there were two more albums after ziggy..they were alladin sane and pin-ups.mick played on those also .

[ivankaramasov]

Hunky Dory came after The Man Who Sold the World. I don't know what Ronson got paid. Forty dollars a week seem like a very low sum, though taking inflation into account it would be about 10-15 times as much today, which is still a very modest amount. However, all Bowie's business in the beginning of the 70s were taken care of by his manager Tone DeFries who got away with almost all Bowie's earnings. The fact is that before Let's Dance Bowie was not a very wealthy man.

[8eatm0nster]

Mick - he was just so nice, never lost his down-to-earth accent or outlook. Play on, Angel No. 9...

[MunkinaBunker]

You might be thinking of Marc Bolan of T. Rex

[8eatm0nster]

you lost me...

[Hyrslap]

Why did he have to die?

[johnnygodisco]

umm...he's not dead.

[Hyrslap]

Meaning Mick...and if He's not dead, please tell me where he is:)

[johnnygodisco]

oh okay. i thought you guys were talking about lou reed, my mistake.

[Hyrslap]

Crap. For a moment I thought you were going to tell me that Mick is really alive!

Crap...

[Madijaxley]

I wish.

[ronnola]

Ronno looks like an angel. Tired beautiful angel...

By the way - a lot of people who died of liver cancer didn't drink at all.

[WhiteBoy41]

He swayed when he played.

He was a rock icon and one of the best guitar players. What a rip off he was taken so soon.

[DangerousBastard]

Its tragic when anybody gets cancer and dies at such a young age, for whatever reason. When the person was a well known/liked musician, it just adds another ripple to the tragedy.

R.I.P. Mick Ronson

[Hyrslap]

I agree. and alcohol is a drug, yes...

I miss Mick:(

[DeeDeeTwo]

My point is that Ronno did not do himself in. It was just bad luck that he got cancer at such a young age. That's why it's tragic.

[Hyrslap]

Yeah, I agree - Ronno didn't seem to be a junkie or drinker or anything...just bad luck

[Hyrslap]

So did Ronno take drugs or was it just alcohol that did it to him?

[DangerousBastard]

Alcohol is a drug. Its healthy to remember that ;-)

[MottOne]

The Ronno clip must be from the last year of his life. He has terminal liver cancer and has lost weight. I doubt that Ronson was a drug abuser. This is the only thing I've ever seen where he doesn't look great... and his social circle was not druggies, but guys like Ian Hunter who were moderate drinkers.

[goldenearringsgeorge]

he is ill; to mutch drugs + alkohol + strapazen - he died with 46.....best guitarrplayer

[Hyrslap]

Ronno looks so...tired...and sick...R.I.P

[skizzo909]

Transformer is THE ALBUM!

[bobgure]

Ahh yes. The best part of the "Classic Albums - Transformer" doc. is when Reed is listening back to the master of "Satelitte.." and it's beautiful, transcendant orchestration and sighs,"Woooofh...Ronson...".

This record was the supreme collaboration and as close to pop perfection as you can ask for. Rono!!!!

[selby06]

Bowie was everywhere - even more than Martin or Eno or Spector.

[uitham]

find lou reed transformer lp on e-bay rocks off

[6QUCA]

I love Lou reed

[bobgure]

I miss you Mick. You made the guitar snarl, scream and vomit like no one else. My hero.

[feodphor]

lou reed is messiah singin sattelite of love

[bluebeanbaby]

Transformer is on my top ten list...always

[ronsonfan]

Love the interview clips with Mick.

No one will ever be able to fill the void he left in the music world.

RIP Mick

[HannahLouiseJordan]

Thanks for posting this....I know its about Lou reed and the Transformer album- but the highlight for me is Ronno....Miss him...xx

[WhiteBoy41]

Rono was the Man !!!! Under rated..

A Rock God as far as I am concerned.

Kicked Ass !!!

[354sd]

well said hannah