Berlin by Lou Reed

Berlin, Lou Reed's third solo album, came out on RCA in October 1973, and after the glam sparkle of Transformer it's a plunge into the dark. Bob Ezrin produced, and the record is a full-blown concept album telling the story of a couple sinking under abuse and drug addiction, with lavish, theatrical arrangements wrapped around Reed's flat, unflinching deadpan. It's grim, grand and not remotely interested in giving you a single to hum.

"Caroline Says I" is a rare moment of bounce, which only makes the rest harder to take. The album reached number seven in the UK, but the critics weren't ready: Rolling Stone dismissed it as a disaster in 1973. Time has been kinder, and by 2012 the same magazine was placing it at 344 among the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.