Berlin

At the time of its 1973 release, Berlin was met with quizzical stares. After the success of Transformer and the hit "Walk on the Wild Side," Lou Reed had positioned himself as a leader of the glam rock movement. However, the former Velvet Underground leader always found greater comfort on society's margins, and his college days studying with Delmore Schwartz had instilled in him a sense of literary purpose. So doing Transformer II was out of the question. Instead, Reed released an album that's as introspective and painful as any album could be. Great beauty rests alongside the ache of "The Kids," inside the Bob Ezrin–produced orchestration of "Sad Song," and in the lyrical directness of "Caroline Says II." Berlin features an all-star cast of musicians, from Jack Bruce to Steve Winwood to Tony Levin. Its reputation has grown to the point of legend; it received a historic live performance at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2006.