Tears were shed today because of the beauty brought to light by Lou Reed's Berlin album from 1973.
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My fav Lou album so far. I like New York as well, but mostly for what it meant to me in the eighties.
The finale, especially the violins (or flutes?), of Sad Song, which is also the last song, was the drop that made the barrel spill over.
Rhythmically and instrumentally this album is much more varied than "Street Hassle", which makes it also more interesting. Sometimes the orchestral accompaniment is a bit too emphasized for my taste, for example when it sounds like a dance band of the 20s and 30s.
What I have here, is a 1976 repress on the orange RCA Victor label, which seems to be pretty rare. I got it for 6 euros, mostly because of the fat scratch on "Caroline Says pt. II", I think, which took me awhile to smooth out, but it continues to pop and crackle throughout side B.
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It's neither a good pressing nor a good copy, but for 6 euros I won't complain. Anyways, the album is growing fast on you because there is something inviting to the songs, or maybe it's Lou Reed's persona, I can relate to very easily. I felt like I had a neighbor around for tea.
This album is a rare accidental find waiting to be picked up from the futuristic skip the 21st century has already turned into. It addresses the listener on a human level and not as part of a target group that has been computed and defined by google analytics based on amazon or e-bay sales, which is the main problem with all modern music.
The string arrangements I believe were done by producer Bob Ezrin he also produced The Wall, if you would like more darkness then look no further.
Lou Reeds Berlin and his record from79 called
The Bells are my favorite of his.
Followed by Street Hassle, Take No Prisoners, New York, Magic and Loss, and Transformer.
But this, one of his later songs, he never lost his touch ....
Paralyzed by hatred and a piss ugly soul
If he murdered his father, he thought he'd become whole
While listening at night to an old radio
Where they danced to the rock minuet
In the gay bars in the back of the bar
He consummated hatred on a cold sawdust floor
While the jukebox played backbeats, he sniffed coke off a jar
While they danced to a rock minuet
School was a waste, he was meant for the street
But school was the only way, the army could be beat
The two whores sucked his nipples 'til he came on their feet
As they danced to the rock minuet
He dreamt that his father was sunk to his knees
His leather belt tied so tight that it was hard to breathe
And the studs from his jacket were as cold as a breeze
As he danced to a rock minuet
He pictured the bedroom where he heard the first cry
His mother on all fours, ah, with his father behind
And her yell hurt so much, he had wished he'd gone blind
And rocked to a rock minuet
In the back of the warehouse were a couple of guys
They had tied someone up and sewn up their eyes
And he got so excited he came on his thighs
When they danced to the rock minuet
On avenue be, someone cruised him one night
He took him in an alley and then pulled a knife
And thought of his father, as he cut his windpipe
And finally danced to the rock minuet
In the curse of the alley, the thrill of the street
On the bitter cold docks where the outlaws all meet
In euphoria drug in euphoria heat
You could dance to the rock minuet
In the thrill of the needle and anonymous sex
You could dance to the rock minuet
So when you dance hard, slow dancing
When you dance hard, slow dancing
When you dance hard, slow dancing
When you dance to the rock minuet