Super Fantastiche!
34 years after its release, the news that Lou Reed was going to tour his classic album 'Berlin' was met with excitement, a stark contrast to the reception the album gained on its original release. Lou Reed, for those who don't know, was and remains a maverick. A centre point of The Velvet Underground, before 'Berlin', Reed had released two solo albums and in 'Transformer' laid many of the rules that Glam-rock was to follow.
Hopes were high for the follow-up but given that The Velvets never came back with a facsimile album, the widespread condemnation for 'Berlin' is strange, if not hypocritical. On the surface it remains a bleak album, even nearly 35 years have not changed the look of the album cover, one of confusion, of broken glass and of graffiti. Again in contrast to the cover of 'Transformer', one of rocks classic album covers, it's a definite about face in attitude and emotion and perhaps that let a lot of people down. They can't say they never saw it coming though.
Musically, it's a huge album, Reed indulging in orchestral arrangements and at times lightning guitar licks and horn additions. To say it's a depressing record is to completely ignore the stomp of 'How Do You Think It Feels', the tribal swamp-style intro of 'Oh Jim' or even the Bavarian carnival tinged drive of 'Caroline Says I.' Perhaps the mere mention of the word 'Berlin' bled into reviewers minds, a city split in two because of the wall, one of the cultural heartlands of a country coming to terms with the aftermath of The Second World War, to outsiders, it probably seemed a bleak place.
The benefit of hindsight tells of a creative boon that struck the generation of German people growing up after the war, with bands such as Kraftwerk, Can and Neu! amongst many others being the sound of a generation needing to rebel and find their own voice. Its said that Reed hadn't visited Berlin before recording the album but was drawn to the imagery and the feel of being an outsider that was seemingly growing within the city. Later in the decade David Bowie and Iggy Pop would decamp to the city and make some era-defining music that would forever encapsulate the city as a rock n roll town but Reed played as equal a part.
It's a concept album in that it evokes a constant feeling and emotion, it doesn't try and script an overly specific story, more capture a moment in time or place two characters in a bleak setting and try and tell their tale.
It does take from the city it's named after in a musical sense, 'Lady Day' having the cabaret feel of a Marlene Dietrich song, its oompa backing fighting for space with Reed's typically sardonic delivery and again perhaps this blatant influence was too soon for some after the war? Who knows?
And with any classic rock album, there needs to be a classic rock story. Be it John Lennon peddling a tale about his kids school painting being a song-writing influence or Mike Love's complete objection to anything connected to 'Pet Sounds', there needs to be an urban myth and 'Berlin' delivers a brilliant one.
'The Kids' is a track of rock n roll mythology, allegedly the crying sobs of the children were created when the producer told the young singers their mothers had all died and the tears captured were the result of this. That's been discredited and discouraged but then again, its hardly something that the people involved would be proud of nowadays. Either way, it's a great story and a great song.
The strumming acoustic intro gives no indication of the brutality of the songs topic of a mother being separated from her children due to her lifestyle choices. On one level its hard going if you contemplate it too much but if you listen out for that bass-line then its an absolute joy. That joy is definitely tempered with the screams and pleads of the kids though, legend or not, it's a classic moment in rock that any true disciple of music should check out.
Fans of The Velvet Underground who have avoided Reeds solo output may find 'Caroline Says II' of interest. The track is a remake of 'Stephanie Says' which appeared on the 'VU' album, a collection of unreleased songs from the band. The Velvets demo version is poppier and has more of a spark, particularly in the way the backing vocals coo behind Reed. The 'Berlin' album version is bigger, contains more orchestra and frankly, its a lot more heart-breaking. The different delivery completely changes the "Its so cold in Alaska" line from one of hope to one of abject despair.
And that's 'Berlin.' Its a record of conflicting emotions, where the music may be swooping and dragging the listener to a high at the same time as the lyrics are plumbing them to a new depth. The album is perfectly captured in the coda of 'Sad Song' with the plaintive and heart-tugging repetition of the closing tracks title is played over a bombastic musical accompaniment, the equivalent of a thousand fireworks being set off in the night sky at the end of a popular event.
'Berlin' is a massively touching album and it fully deserves its place in any list of the greatest albums of all time.