Lou Reed - Berlin
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Lou Reed [click here to see more products featuring Lou Reed]
Choir – Bob Ezrin, Dennis Ferrante, Dick Wagner, Elizabeth March, Lou Reed, Steve Hyden
Bass Trombone – Jon Pierson
Electric Guitar – Dick Wagner, Steve Hunter
Organ, Harmonium – Steve Winwood
Piano, Mellotron – Bob Ezrin
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker
Trumpet – Randy Brecker
Bass – Jack Bruce (A1, A3 to B1, B3-4), Gene Martynec (A2), Tony Levin (B2)
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar (A1, A3 to B1, B3-4), B.J. Wilson (A2, B2)
Piano – Allan Macmillan (A1), Blue Weaver (A3)
Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer – Gene Martynec (B3)
Arranged by Allan Macmillan, Bob Ezrin
Vocal Arrangements by Gene Martynec (B3)
Written by Lou Reed
1 LP, gatefold jacket printed by Stoughton Printing
Limited numbered edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Fidelity Record Pressing
Label : Mofi
Original Label : RCA Victor
Recorded at Morgan Studio, London and Record Plant, New York City
Recorded by Peter Flanagan, Robin Black
Engineered by Richard Lewzey at CTS Studios and Danny Turbeville, Dennis Ferrante, Ed Sprigg, Greg Calby, Jay Messina, Jim Frank, Jim Reeves, Joe Lopes, Pat Martin, Shelley Yakus at Record Plant
Produced by Bob Ezrin
Design by Pacific Eye & Ear
Photography by La Legion, Saint-Jivago Desanges
Originally released in October 1973
Reissued in 2024
Tracks:
Side A:
- Berlin
- Lady Day
- Men of Good Fortune
- Caroline Says I
- How Do You Think It Feels
- Oh, Jim
Side B:
- Caroline Says II
- The Kids
- The Bed
- Sad Song
Awards:
Rolling Stone 500 greatest albums of all time - Ranked No. 344
Included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Reviews :
“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-.” AllMusic Review by Mark Deming
Ratings :
AllMusic : 3.5 / 5 , Discogs : 4.35 / 5