Reed's facility for a catchy melody, honed during a youthful stint writing cheesy novelty songs like "The Ostrich," does him well on Berlin. Songs rightfully regarded now as Lou classics such as "Caroline Says" and "How Do You Think It Feels" may be grim, but the tunes are beautifully written. Reed's lyrics have rarely been more cutting — such as "You can hit me all you want to / But I don't love you anymore" in "Caroline Says II." Although we've had Eminem, death metal, and Madonna in years since the album's original release, it still pushes the edge – the section with the screaming children yelling for their mother in the sprawling "Kids" remains hard to listen to today.
The drugs, sex, and loneliness of Berlin tested the limits of Lou's newfound fame in 1973 from those expecting "Walk On The Wild Side, Part II," but it was a valuable pointer toward the rest of his career. Later albums like 1989's New York and 1992's Magic and Loss would also create concept albums out of gritty reality, and also lead to some of Reed's strongest work. Berlin remains easily in the top echelon of Reed's statements, and the crisp remastering of this new edition makes a painfully real album easier than ever to listen to.
If you've got a chance to see Lou Reed and friends put on Berlin, don't miss it. It may not be a "feel-good" experience, but it's still some of the most haunting and human music of Reed's legendary career.
A new round of European Berlin shows is about to start, kicking off with a June 18 show in Brussels and continuing through France, Holland, Italy and Germany during the rest of the summer. There are shows in England at the Manchester International Festival June 29 and the London Hammersmith Apollo June 30 and July 1. For a full list of shows and ticket information, visit the Noble PR web site or loureed.com.
Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
Berlin was a terribly depressing album, but perhaps it will sound better in this updated version - the vinyl I have is real muddy.
And just wait til Lou adds the strings and horn section to Metal Machine Music!