BERLIN By LOU

Original released on LP RCA APL 1-0207

(UK, October 1973)

"Transformer" and "Walk on the Wild Side" were both major hits in 1972, to the surprise of both Lou Reed and the music industry, and with Reed suddenly a hot commodity, he used his newly won clout to make the most ambitious album of his career, "Berlin". "Berlin" was the musical equivalent of a drug-addled kid set loose in a candy store; the album's songs, which form a loose story line about a doomed romance between two chemically fueled bohemians, were fleshed out with a huge, boomy production (Bob Ezrin at his most grandiose) and arrangements overloaded with guitars, keyboards, horns, strings, and any other kitchen sink that was handy (the session band included Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Aynsley Dunbar, and Tony Levin). And while Reed had often been accused of focusing on the dark side of life, he and Ezrin approached "Berlin" as their opportunity to make The Most Depressing Album of All Time, and they hardly missed a trick. This all seemed a bit much for an artist who made such superb use of the two-guitars/bass/drums lineup with the Velvet Underground, especially since Reed doesn't even play electric guitar on the album; the sheer size of "Berlin" ultimately overpowers both Reed and his material. But if "Berlin" is largely a failure of ambition, that sets it apart from the vast majority of Reed's lesser works; Lou's vocals are both precise and impassioned, and though a few of the songs are little more than sketches, the best - "How Do You Think It Feels," "Oh, Jim," "The Kids," and "Sad Song" - are powerful, bitter stuff. It's hard not to be impressed by "Berlin", given the sheer scope of the project, but while it earns an A for effort, the actual execution merits more of a B-. (Mark Deming in AllMusic)

"Berlin" is an underrated album, perhaps because many people jumped under the covers when they heard how perfectly depressing it is. But the tone of the music touches you because it is downright lovely much of the time. And I don't mean the whole album is depressing. Reed had to build up the characters on side one in order to set up the big fall, so things start out rather upbeat (but that's not to say Dubonnet on ice is that elegant). There are more guest musicians and instruments on this album than just about any Reed album I know of - but the musical abundance is never overbearing. Instead, what bores into your soul is the use of repetitive sound affects, like babies crying. The concept is a sort of song cycle about the lowest of human experiences, including suicide. Enter if you dare (and aren't currently under a "watch" of some sort). Other than that, jump right in and just accept what the record wants you to feel. You'll survive. After all, Lou did. (in RateYourMusic)