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Lou Reed — Berlin

What the critics heard when these records were new. Original reviews, release anniversaries and chart histories.

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First release · United States
Album cover: Lou Reed — Berlin (Original 1973 RCA Records release (APL1-0207 US / RS 1002 UK))
Cover source ↗Pacific Eye & Ear / Lou Reed / RCA Records
1973

Lou Reed

Berlin

art rockconcept albumrock operaprogressive rock
Hostile review

The rock opera Rolling Stone called a disaster

Released in October 1973, Berlin became Lou Reed's highest-charting UK album until 1992. A contemporary hostile review, alongside chart results with their dates.

The verdict at the time

Davis branded the album a "disaster"; he disliked the world of "paranoia, schizophrenia, degradation, pill-induced violence and suicide" that the album introduced to the listener, as well as Reed's "spoken and shouted" performance.

Stephen Davis · Rolling Stone ·

Read the contemporary review

Chart peaks

USA#98Billboard 2001973 · Original release periodChart source
UK#7UK Albums Chart1973 · Original release periodChart source
Europe · Netherlands#16Dutch Album Chart1973 · Original release periodChart source

European positions are listed by country. Later chart entries are labelled separately.

Sources & context

One critic's opinion, summarised from Stephen Davis's original Rolling Stone review of December 1973. The album is now recognised as a landmark art-rock concept work and appears on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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