Lou Reed – I'm So Free: The 1971 RCA Demos

Just got a mint copy, contrary to other comments here, it sounds fantastic. No surface noise, disk is flawless. Took extra care in removing disk from inner, as it was full of static electricity.

I lucked out - my copy sounds great. No pops, no clicks, no static. Great presentation of these tapes… Essential material for any LR fan and even recommend for casual fans. If you’re buying used in person at a shop and can test spin, that’s probably a good idea given the inconsistent pressing quality that this release seems to suffer from.

"I'm So Free: The 1971 RCA Demos" is a cache of unrefined gems that would become some of the most iconic songs made in early 1970s New York. It provides a rare opportunity to hear these famous tracks in their purest form before the artist or his songs became recognizable to almost anyone. The demos are a window into Reed's artistic process, capturing his early career's raw energy and emotion. A must-listen for Reed fans and those interested in the 1970s New York. music and art scenes.

Lou Reed essential. Worth the price of ission to listen to these songs in such a raw and intimate state, like stepping back in history to hear them for the first time. My pressing sounds clear and clean.

The crackliest record I’ve ever bought but after a clean with some record cleaning spray followed by a water wash then run through at 45RPM, it’s practically noise free! Delighted as it’s such a terrific record.

Mediocre pressing, but decent source for studio outtakes and demos. cool bunch of material to have for Lou Reed fans.

Unfortunately, my copy has some trademark GZ Vinyl static noise which ruins the first track on the A side, but once it dies down this pressing sounds pretty good for the most part.
As others have mentioned removing the vinyl from the inner sleeve requires quite some effort and near surgical precision to avoid damaging the inner. Swap it for an anti-static inner sleeve asap.
As for the music - this is a stellar set - each song as fantastic as the last. It's just wonderful from start to finish. Pity the quality of the pressing cannot match the quality of music.

Record plays fine but the worst inner sleeve for static in my entire collection - vinyl needs coaxing out slowly and close to tearing the inner sleeve every time. Resorted to buying a spare static-free inner - poor show from RCA.

Very bad pressing, full of clicks. A shame. You can barely listen to it.

I had 2 copies of this US version. The first had insane scratches that ticked. I returned it and got a replacement. It looks a lot better but still has lots of surface noise after cleaning. I don't think I'd recommend this one over the European version if you live in Europe. It's a pretty budget pressing.
However, this is like a glimpse into a private living room performance of early versions of these classic songs and I'd still suggest you seek it out if you are a fan. I just would expect some surface noise and be pleasantly surprised if you don't have any. Recommended, surface noise or not.