Transformer is the second solo studio album by American artist Lou Reed, released in 1972. David Bowie offered Lou Reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. The sound and style of Transformer would in many ways define Reeds career in the 1970s, and while it led him into a style that proved to be a dead end, you cant deny that Bowie and Ronson gave their hero a new lease on life - and a solid album in the bargain.