Berlin (studio album) by Lou Reed

Berlin by Lou Reed
Year: 1973
Overall rank: 553rd   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 608 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1973 (16th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (127th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (553rd)
Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
LOU REED: Berlin US RCA APL1-0207 Rock Orig LP w/ Insert
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
LOU REED BERLIN record with insert 1973
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
Berlin by Lou Reed (CD, Mar-1998, BMG (distributor)) DISC ONLY
Condition: Very Good


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Lou Reed bestography

Berlin is ranked 2nd best out of 37 albums by Lou Reed on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Lou Reed is Transformer which is ranked number 136 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 11,281.

Lou Reed album bestography « Higher ranked (136th) This album (553rd) Lower ranked (721st) »
TransformerBerlinNew York

Upcoming concerts

Apr
06
Sat
19:30
Akropolis Reed Quintet
Woodstock Arts Theatre, Woodstock, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Apr
07
Sun
19:30
THE SAMMY DELEON AND JACKIE WARREN QUARTET, WITH KIP REED & CHRIS BURGE
B Side Lounge, Cleveland Heights, United States. United States
Tickets from $12.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
Apr
09
Tue
20:00
Monk's Mood: Eric Reed & Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, United States. United States
Tickets from $44.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

Listen to Berlin on YouTube

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Berlin track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Rating: 83 (123 votes)Comments: 2
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2.
Rating: 84 (117 votes)Comments: 1
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6.
Rating: 80 (98 votes)Comments: 0
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8.
Rating: 82 (110 votes)Comments: 0
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9.
Rating: 84 (117 votes)Comments: 1
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10.
Track pick
Rating: 86 (132 votes)Comments: 0
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Berlin rankings

Berlin collection

Berlin ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 608 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 608 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
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03/08/2024 10:47 Norshammar  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 14887/100
 
80/100
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02/02/2024 12:51 Fevernova  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,98282/100
 
70/100
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01/26/2024 23:09 thepardunk  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,09673/100
 
50/100
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01/12/2024 11:02 doombringer  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,68178/100
 
80/100
 Report rating
01/12/2024 01:50 idiotican  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,37871/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 79.8/100, a mean average of 78.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.1.

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Berlin comments

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Rating:  
75/100
From 01/28/2023 17:30
"Berlin", which was Reed's follow-up to his highly succesful ( both musically and commercially ) 1972 album "Transformer", showcases a radical change in Reed's direction. Whereas "Transformer" was a mostty light and musically catchy album, "Berlin" is a more complex and darker album; both musically and lyrically.
No tracks have the commercial appeal which characterized many tracks on "Transformer", and the album contains no new hit-singles. The album works much better to be listened to as a whole, and only few tracks are suited for "Best of" compilations. Songs like "Caroline Says" and "How Do Think it Feels" would be the most obvious selections to put out. This doesn't mean that this is not good album; on the contrary; it may be his artistically most successful. Musically it's very varied in style and instrumentation.

The "Berlin" theme seems to have influenced the arrangements of the two opening tracks; especially "Lady Day" ( Kurt Weil ).

The songs are generally longer than on Reed's two previous albums, but you are never bored when listening to the album; and once you have gotten to know the songs, you'll notice that it is really a very melodic album, with no unimportant tracks. This is Reed's Dark Masterpiece!

https://www.angelfire.com/nv/Badfinger/BANDloureed.html
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Rating:  
80/100
From 01/22/2023 01:05
An extremely well written album but in terms of musical quality this one is a little bit below some of his other releases. I think the main issue is that he gets to bogged down with the story of the album and it leads to a few songs which do struggle in comparison with the better tracks. Despite this, there are some absolutely phenomenal tracks on here. The peak of this being Sad Song with its grand feeling that makes it feel like an important and climactic conclusion. It wraps up the concept of the album nicely and finishes it on a flourish. The song writing is fantastic as well and I really enjoy the concept of the record as it makes for a unique listen that stands out from other artists around this time. Overall, there is a lot to love about this record and I really enjoy listening to it but Lou Reed has made superior albums in terms of musical quality.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 09/06/2022 17:14
Not my favorite from Lou Reed but still worth a listen
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Rating:  
70/100
From 03/02/2022 17:06
Not half as good as Transformer, but has some really good tracks like both parts of Caroline Says.
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Rating:  
20/100
From 07/11/2021 15:38
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From 04/18/2021 18:57
The story Caroline and Jim is as enchanting as it is harrowing , the frustration in Reeds voice at the end of the ‘ The kids ‘ makes it feel really vivid , love this album .
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Rating:  
85/100
From 04/13/2020 17:44
Lou Reed comes through with another classic. Berlin sounds like Lou's response to Ziggy Stardust. The songwriting is of course near perfect because it's Lou Reed, the performances are great, and the lyrics are on point. I think this might be tied with Transformer in his solo discography.
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From 12/30/2019 15:49
Extreme sorrow and distrust. Great.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 03/15/2019 10:05
Lou Reeds 3rd solo album 'Berlin' is essentially a rock opera that tells the sad tale of Jim and Caroline. The albums themes of drug use, prostitution, depression, domestic violence and suicide make for a harrowing listen but one that is weirdly intoxicating

Centre piece track "The Kids" is one the 70's great tracks , the children crying and "Mummy Mummy " screams that close the track still gives me chills even after all these years

My only nit picking would be track 9 "The Bed" and I'll often skip past it , still , this is my favourite LR album
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From 01/15/2019 00:22
Artistically speaking, one of the greatest albums ever conceived, written, and played. Aynsley Dunbar's drumming on Side A is some of the greatest ever put on record, and the songs on Side B are so beautifully, disturbingly depressing that you can't help but be in awe. That said, I couldn't listen to this too frequently or I'd probably lose my mind.
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Best Albums of 1973
1. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
2. Houses Of The Holy by Led Zeppelin
3. Innervisions by Stevie Wonder
4. Selling England By The Pound by Genesis
5. Quadrophenia by The Who
6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John
7. Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings
8. Raw Power by Iggy And The Stooges
9. Aladdin Sane by David Bowie
10. Future Days by Can
11. (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) by Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. For Your Pleasure by Roxy Music
13. Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock
14. Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
15. Closing Time by Tom Waits
16. Berlin by Lou Reed
17. The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle by Bruce Springsteen
18. Artaud by Pescado Rabioso
19. Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye
20. Catch A Fire by The Wailers
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