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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $18.99
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Manufacturer: Miriam Collection
Starring: Lou Reed
Directed By: Julian Schnabel
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0796019815253
Format: Color
Label: Miriam Collection
Manufacturer: Miriam Collection
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Miriam Collection
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-09-30
Running Time: 81
Studio: Miriam Collection
Theatrical Release Date: 2008-09-16
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Editorial Reviews:
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Lou Reed co-founder of The Velvet Underground and the man behind such iconic rock songs as Sweet Jane and Walk on the Wild Side stars in one of the most satisfying concert films (Lee Marshall, Screen International) in decades. Oscar-nominated director Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) captures this historic moment in time, as Reed performed his legendary 1973 album, Berlin, live for the first time. Rocking horns, soulful guitar and the angelic voices of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus bring Reed s devastatingly honest lyrics to full life in this exceptionally strong performance (John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter).
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good music, but...
Comment: I hate to disagree with all the 5 star reviews. Berlin is probably Lou Reed's last great album. These musicians are top-notch and the music they create at this performance is extremely impressive. However, Lou's vocals are not up to the music. It seems absurd to say Lou Reed has lost his voice. He lost any vocal range after VU's Loaded album, but remained through the '70's, like Dylan, as one of the greatest rock "attitude" singers.
On this performance, he speaks many of the singing phrases and his vocal rhythm is so off that he barks out lyrics late or too early. I realize the guy is in his mid-sixties and in Keith Richard's years, is closer to 100, but still... The other problem is Julian Schnabel or his daughter's pretentious films, apparently illustrating the story. The woman in the film looks like some drugged-out contemporary model in SoHo, not a 1970's woman in Berlin. I prefer the '93 VU reunion or the Lou 1982 New York show DVD's, but musically and guitar-wise this is strong and will definitely make you want to get the Berlin CD out.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Incredible Performance by Reed and His Band
Comment: I've always had a sort of take it or leve it attitude towards Lou Reed's music. I could appreciate it but would not go out of my way to listen or find it. Much of that attitude has changed since I've seen Julian Schnabel's Berlin. I have now joined the initiated and feel that the music when properly presented is terrific.
Filmed over five nights at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York, Reed performs in its entirety his failed 1973 concept album Berlin. Berlin presents a 10 song cycle that attempts to tell the story of a couple living in 1970's Berlin before the wall came down. Caroline is a speed freak party girl who spirals out of control and eventually loses her children and commits suicide by slashing her wrists. Jim is left to pick up the pieces and try to figure out her motivation if any.
When released in 1973 the album came across as a gloomy concept work that did not have the commercial success that Reed felt it should. He shunned the material and did not perform it live for 33 years. The december 2006 concers which mke up the film presents the music as it should be heard. Reed's delivery is raw and emotional. The band led by guitarist Steve Hunter is spot on and there has been added the Brooklyn Youth Choir and a horn section to the mix.
The concert plays against a backdrop of films of Caroline's life shot by Schnabel's daughter Lola that add to the mood in a fuzzy out of focus sort of way. This is not happy material and it is not presented as such. It is emotional and raw.
The concert ends with a three song encore featuring Candy Says, Rock Minuet and Sweet Jane.
This is one of the best concert films that I have seen in years and easily ranks with such films as Scorsese's Last Waltz. Do yourself a favor and see this one and experience the music as it should be seen and heard.
Customer Rating:
Summary: How To Improve A Masterpiece
Comment: Saw the DVD last night. Very short review: 5 stars out of 5. I can't think of ANY other rocker in their mid 60's interpreting their early material from 1973 with this sort of INTEGRITY, power, musicianship, musicality & emotion.
This is MILES beyond anything the Stones, Who, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, etc have done in the last 20 years.
The only artists I know who come CLOSE to making their early 70's material relevant like this in new performance are Bruce Cockburn & Bowie's 90's work with Reeves Gabrels, neither of whom pulled it off like Reed does here.
Doesn't hurt to have a CRACK band anchored by Steve Hunter & Rob Wasserman (the entire band is tremendous).
What both makes it so special & oddly also at the same time might be my only criticism is this is NOT a greatest hits show. The only song on Berlin that qualifies for ME as a "greatest hit" is Lady Day (though the feel of the song has nothing in common with Billie Holiday stylistically, this song catches her essence better then any book I've ever read!). Berlin has several other strong songs (Sad Songs, Caroline Says, Men Of Good Fortune; there are NO bad songs on it), but again; it's not a hits show. We do get Sweet Jane as an Encore.
There's just something about seeing Reed feel these songs about being a 31 year old love lorn junkie as much at 64 as he did at 31 that melts me.
Highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pure Poetry.
Comment: This is one of the top 3 best Music films I've ever seen. The performance is so masterfully shot and performed (I like it more than the original album). Anyone who is a true fan of music will be blown away.
Customer Rating:
Summary: WARHOLS DREAM HAS COME TRUE....BERLIN LIVE!!!
Comment: After Lou's career was saved by Bowie IN 1972 with Lou's LP "Transformer", Lou went against expectation, creating his version of conceptual ARTROCK. BERLIN discribes the lives of two lovers, Jim and Caroline, her a singer, speed addict and mother, he a "waterboy". Berlin's reception in 1973 was cool, tho since that time, it has been critically reevaluated, and is now seen as his best, or second best solo LP. I love the heavy orchestration that has seldom been used before or since with Lou's work, and love the intensity of the relationship's tragedy at Berlin's core. Andy Warhol also loved the LP, and when it came out, he tried to get ahold of Lou, in order to mount a "cabaret" version of the LP. Sadly, Andy never connected with Lou, until Lou had morphed into his "ROCK AND ROLL ANIMAL" phase, shooting heroin, bleaching hair, etc. It took Lou only 35 years, to mount his cabaret version of BERLIN, but it was worth the wait. Lou's recent work has been sort of hit and miss, and I didnt expect this DVD to sound like the original album. Nevertheless, ALL the orchestration is intact from the album, and played note for note. Not only that, BERLIN adapts perfectly to the visual medium. Behind Lou, is a projection machine shows us, like the photographs in the BERLIN LP, a cinematic view of the lyrical storyline. Everything combines to bring forth an amazing show, that had me singing along for most of the album. Highlights, like "Caroline Says I", "Men of Good Fortune" and "Oh Jim" brought me goosebumps. When Jim beats Caroline up for shooting speed, and cheating on him, the guitar solo perfectly reflects the fight that destroyed the lover's relationship for the whole album. Its the dramatic summit of the piece. Backed up with the entire "rock orchestra" building on a riff, Lou attempts his Cecil Taylor-influenced guitar soloing, and pulls it off. BERLIN was amazing when it came out, its amazing now. All i can say to recommend this is, "IF" you are a fan of this album, then you wont be disappointed by the DVD, I can guarentee it. The only problem I had at all, was that Lou tried to speak/sing the parts, instead of singing the actual melodic vocal lines, as written in 1973. Since the production is very dense on the original BERLIN album, the vocal lines were often doubled by violin parts, or by the backing singers' harmonies. So, it's sort of sad not having Lou willing (or able?) to sing the original vocal parts. After the BERLIN album is performed, Lou and his basic rock band break into SWEET JANE. Then, CANDY SAYS begins, with ANTONY from ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS singing the song to heartbreaking perfection. The album BERLIN is so visual, so cinematic, that to watch it performed like this, reinforces and elucidates the literary concept so well. For Lou/VU fans that never saw Lou play live, or never got a chance to see BERLIN live when Lou toured it, this DVD is a great consilation prise. I only wish that, like the "A NIGHT WITH LOU REED" video from 1983, the camera could have turned to the audience, to show Andy Warhol enjoying the realization of his dream for the BERLIN concept album, all these years later. Bravo, Lou.
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