More than meets the eye

The best thing about Lou Reed's "Transformer "is the guitar work of Mick Ronson and the vocals of David Bowie. OK, that's two things, but they go together as one, especially during that time period.
Apart from that, you have some good songs despite Reed's overrated, often silly lyrics and, of course, his very unmusical voice. His singing works on a lot of his songs but doesn't work as consistently as other "bad" singers (e.g., dylan, coyne). It's just sort of bland. I didn't notice it as much with the Velvets because that music is sort of bland in an anti-Beatles way. And I love VU. But on "Transformer," you have all of this glam Bowie production and you feel the need for over-the-top vocals to match the music.
But it's still all very Lou Reed and a really good album. The VH-1 Classic Albums episode shines a spotlight on all the hidden gems within each song. So it's got that going for it.