On September 30, Matador Records will digitally release “Lou Reed’s Berlin: Original Film Soundtrack” (the physical release will be Oct. 7), set to coincide with the DVD release of Julian Schnabel’s film “Lou Reed’s Berlin.”
Reed’s polarizing 1973 album “Berlin” was met with mixed reviews and considered a commercial failure when it was initially released, but ― like 1975’s “Metal Machine Music” ― the sonically schizophrenic disc has, over the years, become a touchstone for inventive musicians everywhere.
Schnabel’s forthcoming film documents four historic performances at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York. There, Reed amazingly performed “Berlin” live for the first time in December of ’06.
Schnabel — who also directed Basquiat and The Diving Bell And The Butterfly — captured Reed each night on film, and the soundtrack companion is perfect for both longtime fans of the album and those discovering it for the first time.
More information about the film can be found here. ―Jonah Bayer