Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse

VINYL FORMAT. Though it was dismissed as morbid and self-indulgent upon its initial 1973 release, critics and audiences alike have come to view Lou Reed's unquestionably grandiose concept album, Berlin, as one of the high points of his solo career. The album's narrative arc traces the trajectory of a doomed, defiantly self-destructive romance in the modern German city, and pits dark, cabaret influenced orchestration against Reed's deadpan vocals to remarkably chilling effect. The album's bleak, incisive lyrics and unapologetically melodramatic atmosphere would prove influential in the years to come. Matador's Berlin: Live at St. Ann's documents an exceptional 2006 performance of Berlin that saw Reed accompanied by a seven-piece orchestra, a sterling rhythm section, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Standouts include a jaw-dropping rendition of "The Kids" and an encore performance of the Velvet Underground standard "Candy Says," which is itself suffused with a subdued, world-weary atmosphere that complements Berlin's dark emotional palette.