Villain or Monster? Lou Reed – Berlin｜Vinyl Monday

1. 

   @abigaildevoe

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   what’s your favorite lou reed song? comment below!

2. 

   @LarsPop-Tartus

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   A lot like a Bergman film wonder how well it was received in Europe.

3. 

   @SydBarrettArchives

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   Lou didn't need collaborators to be amazing, but it did take him some time to do so. Check out New York (my personal favorite), The Blue Mask, and even Set the Twilight Reeling. I do love Berlin, it is my 2nd favorite of his, and as for Lou, have loved him since I was 12 in the 80's. Very hard to get my friends or significant others to like him though. Maybe being from Long Island myself, I just understand him.

4. 

   @johncall7532

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   If you shit on people then you are an a**hole

5. 

   @tmountain1

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   When discussions of separating the artist from their art come up, I always think about Lou. It's almost impossible to separate him from his music, for better and worse. An insecure dickhead who made wonderful music. That's why he's compelling. I don't like him but I don't feel the need to. He was a compelling person, and so is his music.

6. 

   @stevedale616

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   So my dad played me this vinyl one day years ago (probably high school era for me?) as I was getting into Lou at the time, namely the Velvets mostly but solo Lou too but just transformer and New York. It was a unique listen at first and took many subsequent listens to become a favorite Lou album for me, to the point where I listened to that more than transformer sometimes. Now as a songwriter myself, I appreciate albums like this (and I’m a huge fan of Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties which does something similar) that literally bore real life in its darkest moments and such in your face character development, I’m big on “character” albums myself.
   Also I made a (what I think to be) clever correlation while I was watching your video. The arc of Transformer followed up by Berlin is somewhat reminiscent of Weezer’s debut followed by Pinkerton (another rough listen at first but keep at it, it surpasses blue album for me). Here’s this picture perfect poppy rocky debut album (produced by ric ocasek no less) only to be followed up by this raw, raunchy, painfully specific lyrical album that flops initially, causes its lead guy to take it personally to the point that he returns to the cookie cutter sound of the first album, only to have the flip turn into a cult favorite years later. (Would you consider doing a Pinkerton video? It’s current-ish, but at the sane time will be 30 next year).

   Also wow that’s a sneaky thing Bob did with that string part from sad song and putting it in the wall! Cheeky.

   Anyway, great vid, I love me some Lou (and not just cause I’m a fellow long islander like he was) and sorry I went on the weezer tangent, but it just really jumped out at me. Okay now, toodleoo.

7. 

   @MrThomyorkey

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   All you said in this episode made sense until Lulu in 2011

8. 

   @TheBoxMobileStudio

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   Loved this episode. Have always thought the St Anne's recording is the best version, so great to see it getting some props here.

9. 

   @sadcafe7675

   January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

   This is your finest disection yet. A superb piece of writing and analysis. You continualy open my eyes (and ears) to music i thought i already knew. New light through old windows indeed. I always felt the song Street Hassle was cut from the same cloth as this album. Lou, so petulant , i named by cat after him

10. 

    @weis0205

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    As a man. I believe men. They want to be loved. Even though they are grotesque. They want the grotesque parts to be loved. They can not fix the existence of this. They can only attempt to live. Often within complicated rules.

11. 

    @BrotherLove1962

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Lou Reed? I’ll go with monster. Overrated crap who would’ve gotten nowhere if he didn’t have friends in the press. That being said, you look stunning. I have a thing for Auburn hair. I have an unrequited love for Ann-Margret.

12. 

    @pablozapatafilms

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Berlin is Lou Reeds greatest Album. And Live is even better!!!

13. 

    @ConnerFields-p7w

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Why do you always wear so much blush?

14. 

    @NickSantus-l2i

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    An absolute masterpiece

15. 

    @101vagabond

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    excellent review (from 20 mins in- the first 20 were a bit meh but great when you got to your actual thoughts on the record)- my second favourite Lou record after The Bells which I think has a similar novelistic/cinematic structure (but not marketed as such- perhaps after Berlin?)- 3rd fave?- Lulu.

16. 

    @dagtigerstrom7170

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    I don't like Berlin! Boring
    The rest of the Seventies albums are very good. Transformer is a masterpiece

17. 

    @paullynn473

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Great album ❤️ always thought it summed up New York of the 1970's. Lou had his revenge with RCA with MMM😂 Great review as always 🎸🎤

18. 

    @sjbang5764

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Check out "The Stone: Issue Three". It features Lou with Laurie Anderson and John Zorn.
    After the joy of Transformer, the depression of Berlin startled me at first, but as I continued to listen, I realized this was a masterpiece.

19. 

    @selewachm

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Bought this when it came out, Freshman year of college. Loved it. Takes a while to really get into it.

20. 

    @crapmalls

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    What a wonderful guy

21. 

    @uncleorev

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Very good, entertaining and informative video. I'm new to the channel so forgive me for asking – what was with the weird stroke -out face when saying "Eric Clapton" I couldn't figure out how to read that

22. 

    @alexvince461

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Do you know whether it's true that the kids crying were told their mother had died, that's the legend

23. 

    @zkm13661

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    No one mentions What Good. Heard it in a Wim Wenders film. In Our Sleep, with Laurie Anderson. Both songs have hypnotic quality.

24. 

    @naisammon4986

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    A picked up an American edition of this like 25 years ago-that’s great that a fan sent you that original British edition but yeah, the US edition comes to the whole booklet with kind of impressionistic, dark but beautiful photographs expressing the themes in the songs, etc.
    I love this album, but it’s so so depressing, it literally causes my suicidal ideation to leap forward…I avoid this for the most part haha! Yeah, I’d say if you have depression issues it can be very cathartic but if life is really attacking you it plays more like instructions on how to split the planet. It’s a masterpiece haha

25. 

    @patrickwilliams146

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Dark and beautiful album. Actually my favorite Lou Reed album is The Blue Mask.

26. 

    @chrismcgovernthegenxmuse

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Also gotta say it's crazy you got the clip from Cabaret here, I had just watched Matt Baume's Cabaret video earlier in the morning

27. 

    @LBAW

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Listened to this after your review. Oh my god I love it.

28. 

    @sabinoabdala5685

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Great show!!
    
    Berlin is intensely human as a couple destined to fail.

29. 

    @Poseiden2

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    A great record that sums Lou up in many ways – his prog rock concept album. Typical of him, putting this monolithic misery directly after the camp fun of Transformer (or Metal Machine Music after Sally Can't Dance)! But I can never get the Germanic stomp of Lady Day out of my head, and the string/woodwind arrangements really work here.

30. 

    @JSH-z8j

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Jack Bruce is not the only bassist on the record. As we can see on the back cover, Tony Levin also played. It's my favorite Lou album, though I have not heard them all (not really interested in Machine Metal Music, LOL).

31. 

    @alanclayton9277

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    i think b j wilson is a very good, unsung, drummer. as much as procol harum are a favourite sixties/seventies band of mine you have to wonder if the musicians, wilson, trower, got a little sidelined in favour of big song arrangements. the orchestration on Berlin is one of the strengths of the album but not enough to get me through it. when you see a song called sad song waiting in the listing at the end it's like, you're kidding me right?!
    " how do you think it feels" pretty downbeat and wishing i could make my exit lou since you're asking. and a sergeant pepper for the seventies? the seventies couldn't contrive such elaboration.
    as ever you go in and tackle difficult music with insight AD. but you are stronger than me.

32. 

    @StephenMichaelas-s9b

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Nothing off Berlin I’m afraid.
    Adore everything off The Velvets 3rd and Loaded, where I believe his artistic powers, warmth and compassion were at a peak.

33. 

    @lukeheywood7334

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    It was in Berlin by the wall..Reed always wrote like this waves of fear street hassle bells blue mask kill your sons etc great review thanks abbigail

34. 

    @thechronicnoizeco.6675

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Foxy

35. 

    @lionstandingII

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    I certainly appreciate these videos. It's like a refreshing jaunt to another world allowing at least some respite from a nightmare life I'm living.

36. 

    @darrenkwalsh

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    I was always impressed with this album. It was good when the darkness was present in my life. I could wallow. It’s the Deer Hunter of albums….

37. 

    @ballhawk387

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    I read a review of this album that was superficially negative, but everything between the lines indicated brilliance, and compelled me to get it. I was not disappointed. I must be sick, as parts of this album totally crack me up, such as the intentionally saccharine twinkling chimes sounding broken glass effect, and when he says: "… I am much happier… this way". A twisted classic like no other.

38. 

    @michaelevans898

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    60's Art Major — My studio mates and I were really happy about Lou Reed's success in the wake of "Transformer." A couple of old, largely live, Velvet Underground albums miraculously emerged (temporarily) and better things, like "Animal" and "Sally," were on the horizon.
    In the midst of all this, "Berlin" was proof to our studio gang that Art didn't have to be pretty or entertaining, but only one of us really liked it — although the packaging was awe-inspiring.
    Congratulations! I think your review of "Berlin" is thoughtful and deep in feeling — but I still feel sorry for Bob Ezrin's suffering in a too-publicized nervous breakdown during the album's release.

39. 

    @ronhiggins3296

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Thanx for this…too many great Reed songs to pick a favorite…re: rock operas, "The Wall" may be the most popular, but "SF Sorrow" is the best, not even close

40. 

    @SwissBadass68

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Your insights are so interesting; very cool. In addition, u have books on Bob Dylan, Wayne Kramer and Patti Smith.

41. 

    @ladytron4220

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    What an absolutely brilliant review of a superb album!!! Listen to the Kids in a darkened room at full volume……skin creeping!!

42. 

    @Gobhicks2

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed… and Nick Cave. Anyone since Nick Cave? The music industry has killed music as a challenging art form… discuss.

43. 

    @Gobhicks2

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    You're awesome, let's meet up and play Twister!

44. 

    @Gobhicks2

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Favourite is tough. VU… Sister Ray, I Heard Her Call My Name, Venus in Furs. Solo… Street Hassle, The Bells

45. 

    @Stygosi

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Hello Abigail! Great video. Right… knuckle cracks. I find Berlin a better album than The Wall. It has a beginning, middle and gruesome ending. The Wall's "…we came in","Isn’t this where…" beginning and ending doesn't really work. So every day Pink wakes up, gets high, fights his Babe, thinks about the past, overdoses and then becomes fascist before getting judged? Every single day? Berlin is more grounded than The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (although that has better musicianship) It's more grounded than Gong's Flying Teapot trilogy. Which is fun to listen to. But not as intense as Berlin. Which was released around 1973. Berlin has a voyeuristic angle that sucks you in. Completely understand why it's not an easy listen. I feel I've outgrown The Wall (And Pink Floyd in general these days to be fair) but Berlin has an unpleasant truth that Jim and Caroline are still happening everyday. Although not in Berlin. It's happening in the next street or even a few doors down your street. The Wall just doesn't have that relatability. I come away from Berlin thinking "Ok, DON'T be like Jim!". The Wall I come away from thinking "Yeah, we've all got problems, son. Who cares about Vera Lynn anyway?". Berlin as a double album? Hmm, that might be a deal breaker. (What does The Wall do on Side 3 and 4 that couldn’t be condensed onto an EP?).
    I still like your videos. Especially the ones I've actually heard of! Keep them coming. And before everyone comes at me for blaspheming Floyd. Don't be a Jim.

46. 

    @GlennFordism

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    I saw Lou perform the album live, in London. It was so awesome I stole his set list after he left the stage

47. 

    @owlerrrrrr

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Just stumbled upon your channel. This is a wonderful review of my favourite album. I first heard Berlin when I was 13 or 14 in the late 80s and it's entranced me ever since. I was lucky enough to see him perform it live a couple of times. RIP Lou, he was the real deal.

48. 

    @RockNRod.

    January 4, 2026 at 12:34 am

    Berlins a great album. And it never hurts to have Bob Ezrin as your producer.

Comments are closed.