Lou Reed

Considered a bomb in 1973, Berlin is now hailed as a twisted masterpiece. A concept album about pathetic drug addicts in love and hate, with arrangements that are as beautifully baroque as Lou's voice is deadpan and his tales gritty. Includes the great songs "Caroline Says II," "How Do You Think It Feels" and the ultra grandiose "Sad Song."

Lou Reed's Berlin is a disaster, taking the listener into a distorted and degenerate
demimonde of paranoia, schizophrenia, degradation, pill-induced violence and suicide.
There are certain records that are so patently offensive that one wishes to take some kind
of physical vengeance on the artists that perpetrate them. Reed's only excuse for this kind
of performance (which isn't really performed as much as spoken and shouted ov... More >

I read where this song cycle about two drug addicts who fall into sadie-mazie in thrillingly decadent Berlin is a . . . what was that? artistic accomplishment, even if you don't like it much. Well, the category is real enough--it describes a lot of Ornette Coleman and even some Randy Newman, not to mention a whole lot of books--but in this case it happens to be horsesh*t. The story is lousy--if something similar was coughed up by some avant-garde *ssh*l* like, oh, Alfred Chester (arcane reference for all you rock folk who think you're cool cos you read half of Nova Express) everyone would be too bored to puke at it. The music is only competent--even Bob Ezrin can't manufacture a distance between the washed-up characters and their washed-out creator when the creator is actually singing. Also, what is this water-boy business? Is that a Buddhist cop? Gunga Din? Will Lou lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it? (Grade - C)