Lou Reed was certainly full of surprises for just about every step of his career until now, and “Berlin” was an extraordinary surprise.

It was essentially a rock opera, with a story of a thoroughly doomed couple, and Reed being Reed, he does not shy away from the squeamish moments that can make average listeners uncomfortable. To top it off, it was held together by one of the most elaborate productions that could be imagined, thanks to whizz kid Bob Ezrin. Despite the ambition and attention to detail, most fans looked the other way, presumably wishing to hear “Transformer, Part 2”. “Berlin” was deemed a commercial failure, but its relevance only seems to grow over time.

We feature most of the album here, including:

Lady Day

Men of Good Fortune

Caroline Says I

How Do You Think It Feels

Oh Jim

Caroline Says

The Kids

The Bed