Tracks

1. Berlin

2. Lady Day

3. Men Of Good Fortune

4. Caroline Saysi

5. How Do You Think It Feels

6. Oh, Jim

7. Caroline Says 11

8. The Kids

9. The Bed

10. Sad Song

Performer Notes

Personnel: Lou Reed (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards); Lou Reed; Steve Hyden, Dennis Ferrante, Elizabeth Marsh (vocals); Jon Peirson (trombone); Tony Levin , Jack Bruce (bass instrument); Gene Martynec (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, synthesizer); Dick Wagner (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Steve Hunter (guitar, electric guitar); Michael Brecker (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet); Jon Pierson (trombone, bass trombone); Bob Ezrin (piano, Mellotron, drums); Allan MacMillan, Blue Weaver (piano, keyboards); Steve Winwood (harmonium, organ, keyboards); Aynsley Dunbar, B.J. Wilson (drums).
Liner Note Author: Michael Hill.
Recording information: Morgan Studios, London, England.
Photographer: St.Jivago de Sanges.
Arrangers: Bob Ezrin; Allan MacMillan.
After the success of his glam-rockish TRANSFORMER, the expectation was that Lou Reed would plow deeper into commercial territory. As usual, Reed delighted in confounding expectations. BERLIN is a song cycle that uses the decadence of its namesake and some Brecht/Weill-esque orchestrations to tell a story of two psychically damaged people and their doomed relationship. (Aided by Berlin producer Bob Ezrin, Pink Floyd would attempt a similar feat several years later on THE WALL).
Far from the rock-star poses of TRANSFORMER, BERLIN is lyrically and musically frank and blunt. The arrangements move from sophisticated, arch orchestration to naked-sounding acoustic sparseness, but the words are uniformly unflinching in their depiction of violence, addiction, and desperation. Not for the faint of heart, BERLIN is a harrowing journey through the aforementioned tribulations, and one of Reed's most unusual, demanding, but ultimately rewarding albums.

Professional Reviews

Q (5/92, p.103) - 5 Stars - Indispensable - "...a melancholy masterpiece...places Reed's dry narrative in sophisticated settings..."

The Wire (6/00, p.37) - "...Fascinating....Detailing a couple's breakup, a woman's breakdown and her eventual suicide.....succeeding despite itself..."

NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #33 among The Greatest Albums Of The '70s.

NME (Magazine) (8/12/00, p.29) - Ranked #28 in The NME "Top 30 Heartbreak Albums" - "...Heartbreak. Heroin. Dubonnet on ice. Reed poured all this badness into this bitter and twisted masterpiece..."

Album: Berlin-Remastered Version
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Berlin	More Info...	0:03
2)	Lady Day	More Info...	0:03
3)	Men of Good Fortune	More Info...	0:04
4)	Caroline Says I	More Info...	0:04
5)	How Do You Think It Feels	More Info...	0:03
6)	Oh, Jim	More Info...	0:05
7)	Caroline Says II	More Info...	0:04
8)	The Kids	More Info...	0:08
9)	The Bed	More Info...	0:06
10)	Sad Song	More Info...	0:07

Album: Berlin-Remastered Version
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Berlin	More Info...	0:03
2)	Lady Day	More Info...	0:03
3)	Men of Good Fortune	More Info...	0:04
4)	Caroline Says I	More Info...	0:04
5)	How Do You Think It Feels	More Info...	0:03
6)	Oh, Jim	More Info...	0:05
7)	Caroline Says II	More Info...	0:04
8)	The Kids	More Info...	0:08
9)	The Bed	More Info...	0:06
10)	Sad Song	More Info...	0:07