Added: 5 years ago
From: maybetonight
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  • hihi komme aus deutschland

  • Whoa, actual singing at 3:30! Lou was getting into this song by that point.

  • Lou Reed can be quite introspective when he wants to be.

  • soso geil hab voll schotter jetzt ist auch super einfach

  • fantastic.

  • hmz ich bin nackt

  • this is my favorite Lou Reed performance video ever. so perfect.

  • piano + guitar + Lou = heaven

  • also übrigens hab was geiles gefunden habs bei mir stehn

  • Une chanson sublime, une version magique, une salle et une ville de rêve pour un artiste de génie !! Mr. Reed

  • tanks nigga lou reed he be kickin old skool ya feel meh

  • 0:48-0:52

    What is he? A lizard?

  • that classic television channel JIMMY :)

  • Ich bin ein Berliner.

  • Met John Cale one stormy spring in IL. Been a fan of Cale, Reed and Nico for years. I just listened to Nico's "These Days" brings back lots of memories. But, Lou, was always my fav.

  • Nico watching in the background makes this video.

  • @avalonsays I agree. I have the album of this concert and listen to it often but I keep coming back to the video because of that element. She is just sitting there listening to a song that Lou wrote for her as a goodbye. Very moving. I wonder if she had even heard it before because Berlin the album hadn't been released before this concert. This version is in my opinion even more powerful than the one on Berlin the album.

  • @cactaceous Berlin was not written for Nico, Lou is better than that.

  • Anyone have this complete?

  • i bet Cale was hurt to see that solo release.....tough's the heart though..good call lou

  • WHY DON'T SOMEONE MAKE A MOVIE FOR HIM

  • Excellent.

  • Every time I listen to Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Iggy Pop... I am astounded by the effect their music has on me. Berlin is sentimental, but at the same time hopeful, powerful and full of deep, hidden meaning.

    Truly a broken and distorted masterpiece.

  • candy for the ears;)

  • So sweet...

  • Probably the most beautiful Lou's song after "Sad Song" and "Ennui".

    Listen to his voice and the piano...

    After hearing this you can rest in peace...

    Thank you so much Lou...

  • lol @ literal tongue in cheek style singing

  • Nico in the background is a quite a vision

  • @Jaccqs it all makes sense, it's like the last piece of the jigsaw. it's why this sounds so definitive.

  • Bataclan 72 wasn't a VU perfermance. They're "just" Lou, Cale & Nico.

  • @RagnaTheErrant0

    Yeah, they could not bill themselves the Velvet Underground in 1972 if they wanted to as Doug Yule was still touring with Walter Powers, Willie Alexander and Maureen Tucker as VU at this time. I am thinking their manager, Steve Sesnick owned the rights to the name at this time who had plans to rebuild VU around Yule when Lou left during the final mixing of Loaded. That is why on the back cover of Loaded, only Doug Yule is pictured at the piano.

  • What a gem! Thanks for sharing..

  • This is just dreamy and out of this world! How can you ever forget a song like this! This will probably be here in 1000 years. if there are people here in 1000 years.

  • So beautiful!

  • beautiful,man!

  • I am trying to convince people music can make a difference and change the world. I have one or two off hand, (appert from inspiring people to form bands as a difference in peoples minds) I know Morrissey's music has converted manny to vegetarianism and stopped others comitting suicide... Most of the people who don't believe musiccan change anything ae those who only listen to music that's not suposed to. Like Jonas Brothers.

  • hidden message.

  • I was there. Definitely in 72 at the Bataclan. Very small intimate concert of Velvet Undergournd (true it IS Nico, and Maureen Tucker at the rear). Filmed by french TV for "Pop2" (see how the camera is on the stage, pros only).The Bataclan, and the TV film producers also offered us Roxy Music show (1st album) and Genesis, and Kraftwerk, same period, durint Id say a year or two. Il lived next door Ive seen them all, i was a teen, it was just magical.

  • i envy you!

  • @sdr375 -how amazing!but how come the velvets were together in 72? I thought lou had gone & some other chap took over vocals? wasn't he way into his solo career by then? what was Roxy like? kraftwerk? so lucky!

  • @sdr375 Quelle chance. Mieux que le r and roll circus animal qui a suivi. Seconde Chambre, un groupe d'Angers disparu depuis longtemps me semble avoir capté l'insoiratin du Velvet. Vois leur Myspace. Et procure toi Résidence le roman (Calmann Levy) de leur chanteur. C'est tout.

  • why does he sing "by berlin"? or is it "bye berlin"? hidden message?

  • Comment removed

  • john cale after all the shit he received from lou was still there and what a performance. glorious.

  • Berlin was such a good album. My favorit by reed.

  • I have a bootleg from 1972 and Lou Reed played Berlin in a pretty much similar way as it's played right here and Lou appears with the same hair in the album cover. It's very nice to find a similar version as the one I have, you know, Lou never sings like the album, but this version in particular it's very curious, it's previous to the album version (1973) and it's radically different, even the lyrics, maybe he wanted to record it this way but then he changed his mind...

  • Have you ever listened to Lou Reed's self-titled first solo LP? Released in early 1972, it contains the original version of this song called Berlin with these very lyrics. On this video Lou Reed is actually promoting that LP, which did pretty well in France.

  • J'aime Lou reed!

    Love Lou reed

  • Also, if a band that in its prime (1967-69) couldn't get a show outside of the U.S how would Cale, Reed and Nico have been able to perform in France previous to that?

    The Velvet Underground were popular in France pretty soon after they spilt so that is why they had an audience there.

  • Yes, There is no discussion, really. Lou looks quite 'young' because of his long hair and the weight that he has put on. After he left the Velvet Underground he (believe it or not) moved home with his parents and worked for his father as a secretary (or something similar). The home cookin' gave him that healthy glow!

  • not bored but in nods like always and still in the land..

  • This IS Nico in the background... and it IS in 1972... No discussion

  • This is NOT Nico in the background. I used to know her around that era (and later), she looked different.

  • sraordinaria e corale reunion !Great!!

  • When the walls get knocked down a lot of positive changes can take place.

  • 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall today, and I just thought of this great song!

    Great live performance too!

  • Nico looks bored.

    Great footage. Great song.

  • i think lou reed once said nico was always bored

  • @pmfont that's why she died so young

  • Nico was dead in 1972.... she died in 1988, this can't be from 1972, besides Lou Reed looks way too young for 1972....

  • sorry she wasn't dead but still Lou Reed looks way too young....

  • Oh baby it was paradise

  • sei un grande lou!!!

  • ASTOUNDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • i finally got the whole thing.

    Great chord progressions

  • I never cared much for Lou's live performances, I always liked the singing on his studio work better than the live versions, usually a LOT better.

    But this is really great.

  • This is just sublime! piano so wonderful!

  • so far i have

    Cm ,Cm/B ,Cm/Bflat , F ,G, D (basically the verse.)

    I can't figure out the "your right, im wrong part"

    I know it starts with F......any help?

  • does anyone know the chords for this?

  • The piano solo on this is heaven-like.

  • I love lou's voice. Very unique. Whenever I hear his voice he just makes me think of New York.

  • @davidbyrne77 you know people tell me i sound like him when i sing ;)

  • @davidbyrne77 I feel the same way when I hear Lou's voice ;)

  • he wrote a lot of songs for nico who he had once or twice but couldn't keep.

    his ironical comment about her can be hear in the max's live album, before  playing "femme fatal".

    add, he never was so heavy junkie like nico.

  • 3:24 and on is my favorite

  • Comment removed

  • LOUDER!!!!!

    -b.kane

  • his singing sounds so much better here than a few years later!!! And I like that extra "you are right.." section--wonder why he cut it out?

  • This version is from his first solo album ('Lou Reed'). There are also some other songs from the bataclan show on there and alternate version from velvet underground and Berlin songs.

  • in the first solo, he sings "guitar's play".

  • does anybody know what kind of guitar lou is playing here?

  • six string

  • the capital of my country. but munich (münchen) is more beautiful. i was born in munich. but berlin is interesting because of the wall. ein großer bedeutender teil in der geschichte meines landes

  • Are you serious!! You cannot compare Munich to Berlin.. Berlin has Unter Den Linden, the Museum Island (a UN World Heritage site, the Reichstag and I could go on forever.

    Munich has Maxamillianstr. and some warehouse. That's a ridiculous comment you made

  • ooo berlin a masterpiece album.. understanding album.. i really like soo much this version a the original ..

    eyy and sterling and moe?? jeje

  • psy婆。

  • If he didnt do Metal Machine Music,he could of had a Number 1 with coney island baby.

  • @jasonjarvis1988 Coney island baby is to my mind one of Reed's dullest albums. The title track and Kicks aside, everything else sounds the bloody same. Although Reed himself claims to hate it, I think CIB's predecessor, - if we forget about MMM, and let's be honest, there's nothing memorable about it - Sally can't dance is probably his most consistent album. Reed claims that he wasn't even really "there" during the making of Sally. Perhaps he ought to have gone "absent" a bit more often!

  • Actually we just filmed some real berlin boys playing their guitar.login ' 4 berlin boys'.Tschuss.

  • I like very much!

  • Nico hasn't even started singing yet! God, god but that I were THERE!

  • I'm waiting for the album Metal machine music Part II. Reed was a infuritaing sob wasn't he?

  • The 70's were it.

  • i LOVE this song. =)

  • it sounds like it is written for someone else...

  • All day long. Lou,Bob,Nick,Echo, and Mick. All day long.

  • Sublime! thanks for posting

  • Way to go simple minded fool.

    Copy and pasting your other post from the acoustic video Lou video.

  • Musta been weird for Reed to be staring at the girl, Nico, he wrote this sad song for!!

  • he never wrote the song for nico.

    it was "all tomorrow's parties" he wrote for her.

  • I prefer this one over the studio version

  • although..... he writes about drugs more than aaaany other.. so potato potato

  • "the story" (lyrics) along with tone, and whatever else would undoubtedly be Lou's answer if you asked him what was more important. Plus, pills (mainly speed) was used by most musicians at the time in order to keep up with the grind that is touring, albeit recreational.

    Drugs amuse me. I find it interesting and amazing that he can even remember lyrics. ButI'm sick of the obtuse individuals as yourself who let such discrepencies cloud the music, something most musicians would frown upon.

  • Excellent piano-playing by John Cale. Lou Reed in great dramatic form for his "Barbra Streisand" song. Beautiful video. thanks for posting it!

  • @TopiaryGirl2

    Yeah, I have to agree. I like it much better than Rick Wakeman's piano playing on the album version. Believe it or not, Lou's first album had both Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe from Yes on it. Talk about two very separate worlds, Lou from the gritty avant-garde proto punk aesthetic and Wakeman and Howe from a fairly slick and mystical art-rock band. To me it would be like having Mike Pinder and John Lodge from the Moody Blues on a Roky Erickson album

  • This is simply sublime ! Almost better than the album version.

  • Yes Lou Reed was on heorin for a long time.

    David Bowie tried to get him out of this, even buying for him equipment so that Lou Reed could keep on singing.

    Berlin is the TOP of Lou Reed, with Rock and roll animals of course.

    After that, he had to make a break for several years and tried to come back.

    I don't think he suceeded...

    But I still love his heroin's musics, such as perfect day from Berlin.

  • He didn't successfully come back? How about "New York", which some (including me) consider to be a seminal rock 'n roll album and incredible art?

  • fucking love New York, fantastic album!

    I will back you up there

  • @GenkiSugiru While New York was undoubtedly a commercial success, I don't think it was really anything special & personally preferred its successor, Magic & loss. I believe it only received such critical acclaim because it was a big improvement on most of his late 70's, & early to mid 80's albums which were generally poor. Street hassle & The Blue mask were also hyped as major returns to form but I personally prefer Rock and roll heart, complete with its dumbed down lyrics!

  • he licks his lips. DRUGS!!! so quick to accusations

  • husseochdoggen: The Bataclan is a "salle de spectacle" in the XIe arrondissement of Paris. It was built in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval. Its name refers to Ba-Ta-Clan, an operetta by Offenbach. That's from Wikipedia. There's a photo---pretty cool looking.

  • GREAT

  • Anyone who knows the Place "Batclan". The history and place and so on?

  • ok. is your mouth full of wang?

  • wow that's nico? scared the crap out of me there

  • Imagine,1973, Berlim, and so many dreams I had...

    Love, peace and flowers...

    My god, the world change...

    Although not for being better...

    Anjos Mendes

  • amo questa canzone... =)

  • this voice is fucking best in the universe

  • great version.

  • Fantastic........

  • amazing song, amazing musician, amazing video

  • Simply amazing.

  • this version is Heaven.

  • melody....GO AWAY MELODY SEEKER........leave him to us. And for our Darling NICO we have never seen the likes of you since.......... AHHHhhhhhhhhstupid melody seeeeker go awayyyyyyyy frommm here NOW

  • is this from the new movie or just a old clip .

  • i give this album and film two thumbs up, and if i had more thumbs i would count them all in:-)

  • Nico was good locking,anyway

  • A great what could have been...John Cale working on Berlin instead of the guitar player from Alice Cooper.

  • It is indeed Nico sitting waiting for the man (to finish!) This is fantastic quality, awesome! Nico, Lou and John have produced some of the most breathtaking music ever. Thanks for posting this.

  • no, thats not nico.

  • is that Nico sitting in the backround?

  • what's with the tongue at 00:50?

  • the best video on youtube

  • Its hard to argue with that

  • apart from the femme fatale from this concert. dunno if its still on here, nico is amazing on it

  • You should not miss Berlin, the movie of the concert at St. Ann's Warehouse back in December 2006. It is playing in NYC till Aug 5, 08. I hope it comes out on DVD.

  • he never seemed to realise that he's the best with just guitar and piano. his voice is amazing ilove it. he seems to write songs with no melody, but that are soo so good

  • No melody? If there wasn't any melody in his songs why does it sound like music? what do you mean? that he sings with no melody?

  • no. just his songs sound more like the chords just fell into place. in fact its probably the melody in his voice that give his songs their structure

  • What's funny is that the original charts only use musical notation for the vocal melody... no lie- they're in the Warhol Museum haha.

  • I'm impressed by the quality of this video. Amazing!!!

  • This song brings tears to my eyes.

  • i love, me too

  • I love Lou Reed.

  • I do to.Lou,s honesty and straight forward ,no bullshit "This is how it is in my world"attitude ,has always impressed me.P.S. Check out the c.d.,NEW YORK. Another Reed classic!!

  • i'm going to see him tonight in Paris, on the Berlin tour !! :))

  • im going to see lou reed at nottingham on thursday on the Berlin tour..wow,so looking forward to it,,this is great

  • i saw him playing in cork in ireland on monday and it was the greatest gig i have ever seen he really was just on top of his game. the whole experience was beautiful. good luck.

  • i will,sounds really good.i know its great..the mans a pro.

  • i am too :D

  • lol..hope you didnt that back in your month,,yuk..

    think we are in for a great gig..

  • explain nothing. only listen and enjoy. all the works of lou reed try to said something new, nostalgic and drepress inovation.

  • funny how this song is about nico and she's sitting in the background

  • Berlin is an awesome album. Love you Lou.

  • what are the chords he's playing on the guitar, what key is this in, anyone know?

  • Berlin is a superb album but has to be in my top 3 wrist slashers along with Unknown Pleasures-Joy Division & Disintegration -The Cure

  • check out dagmar kraus and henry cow. best music to commit suicide to.  bar none.

  • The original version appears on his self-titled solo debut. It's just like this one except a bit more uppity in tempo.

  • Is it just me, or this version about 954094309439043094904309340943­09430934 times better than the one on Reed's album Berlin?

  • I agree... I love the added chorus, it holds the song together and gives it a new emotional dimension that the album version only hints at.

  • Plus... Nico is seated in the background... she claimed in the interviews for the book "Edie" that Lou told her in letters that the entire "Berlin" album was about her. I can see it (but... then again, I have a blindingly intense love for Nico).

  • I don't agree, you all should listen to the one on the first Lou solo album, its even better than this one, though this one is cool too.

  • Yeah. It's all about John Cale.

  • he's high on the smack

  • really, really sad song

  • lou is still as relevant now as he is then

  • Awesome I have always loved this song it very somber and mysterious.

  • I've always loved Lou and ever will: As a child, his romanticized dope songs had a profound effect upon my lonely, hungry, eager, star struck, unsophisticated, small town young adolescent mind; they seduced me into trying heroin. How about putting your three cord has been wizardry together and writing something about those of us who picked up on it back then, but couldn't put it down: "Lou's songs had great influence on the future direction R&R", but that's not the whole of you legacy, Lou!

  • couldnt agree more

  • know exactly what you're saying

  • A masterpiece both in writing and performance. Three persons ability to be present in common expression and silence can outweigh a full orchestras attempts to create a meaningful void. Put short; even odd lifestyles can not ruin sheer brilliance as genius strikes through in teamwork as here.

  • even lou reed isnt as pretentious as you. i dont understand why people say lou cant sing, he is clearly the best singer of all time

  • The "silence and presence" part refers to Nico being quiet on stage but still very much present. Her blond German appearance create a strong counterpoint to the background of the Jewish Rabinowitz (later Reed) family in a Berlin setting. Cale adds the strong touch of Welsh classical strictness needed. One of the better videos on this Tube. Thanks for posting.