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-.
A 'CONVERSATION' WITH LOU REED ABOUT BERLINSome details you should know:When Berlin first appeared in 1973 it was criticised for its nihilistic subject matter and frequently described as “the most depressing record ever made”. After the glam rock success of 1972’s Transformer and its hit song ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, Reed had hoped to make Berlin his masterpiece. Critical antagonism alon
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Lou Reed live @ St. Anne's 120406 (free mp3s of entire show) http://www.bigozine2.com/archive/ARrarities06/ARlrbrooklyn.html(I find this site a bit tricky and I don't think these files will be up for very long.)Lou Reed - Berlin song-cycleBrooklyn 2006 [no label, 1CD]Live at St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, December 14, 2006 This is what David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "On December ...
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The concert that I will probably tell my children about is seeing Lou Reed at St. Andy's Hall in Detroit in the summer of 2003. When I heard that Lou Reed would be doing a tour of small venues I got tickets as soon as I could. I was also about 7 mos. pregnant with my twin sons. I was as big as a house and St. Andy's is not air-conditioned. I was hardly able to stand in line at a grocery store ...
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Imagine the wiry filament of energy Perry Farrell meeting the one-and-only Lou Reed for the first time. This 'meeting-of-minds' occurred after Lou's Keynote Speech at the SXSW convention center Thursday, March 13th.Perry FarrellLou and Perry right after the interview. Photo by Faith-Ann Young for MOG.Keep in mind- since Lou can be sensitive to media- this is a rare occurrence to capture him tal...
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In the news these last couple of days I read of a little girl who won a contest for choice Hannah Montana tickets. She won with an essay which detailed how her father had been killed in Iraq, among other things, and that life was rough.It turns out the girl of eight(?) conspired with her mom to fabricate the whole thing.The Mom, defiant to the end, said "We did what we had to do to win". (or w...
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Ahhh, as promised, here's a longer clip of the historic first meeting between Lou Reed and Perry Farrell, backstage at SXSW's Convention Center. This longer clip has an intimate backstage, 'Andy Warhol' video interview feel, where you fall into the cadence of the conversation.(IF YOU ARE READING THIS ON THE MOG HOME PAGE , PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW TO GET TO THE FULL POST WHERE YOU CAN VIEW THE...
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MOG raged it up yesterday at the after party for the Julian Schnabel–directed film "Berlin,” which revisits Lou Reed's 1973 concept album of the same name. The flick, a concert film taped in 2006 at Brooklyn’s St. Ann's Warehouse, screened at Austin’s Paramount Theater yesterday. Reed, who pioneered punk with the Velvet Underground and continues to stretch music’s boundaries with a succe
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The keynote speaker for the 2008 SxSW Music Conference and Film Festival has just been announced - it will be LOU REED! The former Velvet Underground frontman and successful solo artist will kick off the music festival on March 13th with a keynote address. A screening of the documentary, "Lou Reed's 'Berlin' " a film by Julian Schnabel, will be held in conjunction with the keynote speech. Th...
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Lou Reed recently suggested there could be even more material from the ??Berlin?? days to come. He says he's listening to tapes and there may be enough non-published material to make a second album, according to NME.??Berlin?? (1973-RCA) was a follow-up to the widely accessible and upbeat glam rock classic ??Transformer??. The album was in stark contrast to its predecessor , it's a very bleak ...
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BORN FOR PORN The tawdry death of Anna Nicole Smith at age 39, from a reputed drug overdose in a South Florida hotel room right above a casino, is perhaps the last word in modern celebrity. To be honest Smith seemed older to me than that, a mutton-dressed-as-lamb, plastic surgery nightmare blaring back at any sign of graceful aging, let alone graceful living. I wish I could fully explain ...
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The concert that I will probably tell my children about is seeing Lou Reed at St. Andy's Hall in Detroit in the summer of 2003. When I heard that Lou Reed would be doing a tour of small venues I got tickets as soon as I could. I was also about 7 mos. pregnant with my twin sons. I was as big as a house and St. Andy's is not air-conditioned. I was hardly able to stand in line at a grocery store ...
More >
A 'CONVERSATION' WITH LOU REED ABOUT BERLINSome details you should know:When Berlin first appeared in 1973 it was criticised for its nihilistic subject matter and frequently described as “the most depressing record ever made”. After the glam rock success of 1972’s Transformer and its hit song ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, Reed had hoped to make Berlin his masterpiece. Critical antagonism alon
More >
Lou Reed live @ St. Anne's 120406 (free mp3s of entire show) http://www.bigozine2.com/archive/ARrarities06/ARlrbrooklyn.html(I find this site a bit tricky and I don't think these files will be up for very long.)Lou Reed - Berlin song-cycleBrooklyn 2006 [no label, 1CD]Live at St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn, December 14, 2006 This is what David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "On December ...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Berlin |
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| 2 Lady Day |
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| 3 Men of Good Fortune |
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| 4 Caroline Says I |
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| 5 How Do You Think It Feels |
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| 6 Oh, Jim |
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| 7 Caroline Says II |
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| 8 The Kids |
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| 9 The Bed |
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| 10 Sad Song |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Berlin")
