Frogtoon Music

Berlin (Album) by Lou Reed

Artist Biography For Lou Reed

Lewis Allan Reed March 2 1942 – October 27 2013 Was An American Musician Songwriter And Poet. He Was The Guitarist Singer And Principal Songwriter For The Rock Band The Velvet Underground And Had A Solo Career That Spanned Five Decades. Although Not Commercially Successful During Its Existence The Velvet Underground Became Regarded As One Of The Most Influential Bands In The History Of Underground And Alternative Rock Music. Reed's Distinctive Deadpan Voice Poetic And Transgressive Lyrics And Experimental Guitar Playing Were Trademarks Throughout His Long Career. Having Played Guitar And Sung In Doo-Wop Groups In High School Reed Studied Poetry At Syracuse University Under Delmore Schwartz And Had Served As A Radio DJ Hosting A Late-Night Avant Garde Music Program While At College. After Graduating From Syracuse He Went To Work For Pickwick Records In New York City A Low-Budget Record Company That Specialized In Sound-Alike Recordings As A Songwriter And Session Musician. A Fellow Session Player At Pickwick Was John Cale Together With Sterling Morrison And Angus MacLise They Would Form The Velvet Underground In 1965. After Building A Reputation On The Avant Garde Music Scene They Gained The Attention Of Andy Warhol Who Became The Band's Manager They In Turn Became Something Of A Fixture At The Factory Warhol's Art Studio And Served As His "house Band" For Various Projects. The Band Released Their First Album Now With Drummer Moe Tucker And Featuring German Singer Nico In 1967 And Parted Ways With Warhol Shortly Thereafter. Following Several Lineup Changes And Three More Little-Heard Albums Reed Quit The Band In 1970. After Leaving The Band Reed Would Go On To A Much More Commercially Successful Solo Career Releasing Twenty Solo Studio Albums. His Second Transformer 1972 Was Produced By David Bowie And Arranged By Mick Ronson And Brought Him Mainstream Recognition. The Album Is Considered An Influential Landmark Of The Glam Rock Genre Anchored By Reed's Most Successful Single "Walk On The Wild Side". After Transformer The Less Commercial But Critically Acclaimed Berlin Peaked At No. 7 On The UK Albums Chart. Rock 'n' Roll Animal A Live Album Released In 1974 Sold Strongly And Sally Can't Dance 1974 Peaked At No. 10 On The Billboard 200 But For A Long Period After Reed's Work Did Not Translate Into Sales Leading Him Deeper Into Drug Addiction And Alcoholism. Reed Cleaned Up In The Early 1980s And Gradually Returned To Prominence With The Blue Mask 1982 And New Sensations 1984 Reaching A Critical And Commercial Career Peak With His 1989 Album New York. Reed Participated In The Re-Formation Of The Velvet Underground In The 1990s And Made Several More Albums Including A Collaboration Album With John Cale Titled Songs For Drella Which Was A Tribute To Their Former Mentor Andy Warhol. Magic And Loss 1992 Would Become Reed's Highest-Charting Album On The UK Albums Chart Peaking At No. 6. He Contributed Music To Two Theatrical Interpretations Of 19th Century Writers One Of Which He Developed Into An Album Titled The Raven. He Married His Third Wife Laurie Anderson In 2008 And Recorded The Collaboration Album Lulu With Metallica. He Died In 2013 Of Liver Disease. Reed Has Been Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Twice As A Member Of The Velvet Underground In 1996 And As A Solo Act In 2015. Full Wikipedia Article Https //en.Wikipedia.Org/wiki/Lou_Reed Studio Albums
Lou Reed 1972 Transformer 1972 Berlin 1973 Rock 'n' Roll Animal 1974 Sally Can't Dance 1974 Metal Machine Music 1975 Coney Island Baby 1975 Rock And Roll Heart 1976 Street Hassle 1978 The Bells 1979 Growing Up In Public 1980 The Blue Mask 1982 Legendary Hearts 1983 New Sensations 1984 Mistrial 1986 New York 1989 Magic And Loss 1992 Set The Twilight Reeling 1996 Ecstasy 2000 The Raven 2003 Hudson River Wind Meditations 2007

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Berlin

The Album Is A Tragic Rock Opera About A Doomed Couple And Addresses Themes Of Drug Use And Depression. Upon Its Release The Response Of Fans And Critics Was Not Positive As Many Were Expecting Another Upbeat Glam Outing. Despite Lukewarm Reviews The Album Reached #7 In The UK Album Chart Reed's Best Achievement There . Poor Sales In The US #98 And Harsh Criticism Made Reed Feel Disillusioned About The Album And In Subsequent Years He Rarely Played Any Berlin Material In His Live Shows. Over Time Many Have Come To Consider Berlin To Be Among Lou Reed's Best Studio Albums As A Solo Artist.
Musically Berlin Differs Greatly From The Bulk Of Reed's Work Due To The Use Of Heavy Orchestral Arrangements Horns And Top Session Musicians. Instrumentally Reed Himself Only Contributes Acoustic Guitar.
"The Kids" Tells Of Caroline Having Her Children Taken From Her By The Authorities And Features The Sounds Of Children Shouting For Their Mother. The Waterboys Take Their Name From A Line In This Song.
As With Reed's Previous Two Studio Albums Berlin Re-Drafts Several Songs That Had Been Written And Recorded Previously. The Title Track First Appeared On Reed's Solo Debut Album Only Here It Is Lyrically Simplified The Key Changed And Re-Arranged For Piano. "Oh Jim" Makes Use Of The Velvet Underground Outtake "Oh Gin". "Caroline Says II " Is A Rewrite Of "Stephanie Says" From VU. The Velvets Had Also Recorded A Rather Sedate Demo Of "Sad Song" Which Had Much Milder Lyrics In Its Original Form. "Men Of Good Fortune" Had Also Been Played By The Velvets As Early As 1966 An Archival CD Featuring Live Performances Of The Band Playing At Andy Warhol's Factory Provides The Evidence Of The Song's Age. The CD Featuring The Early Performance Of "Men Of Good Fortune" Is Not For Sale And Can Only Be Heard At The Andy Warhol Museum In Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.