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This is more Lou Reed-related, but nevermind:
"Reed and Ezrin had planned Berlin as a double album with
gatefold sleeve and a booklet inside consisting of "film stills" of
the story and lyrics. One week before Ezrin was due to deliver the
final mix to RCA, he was informed that the RCA executives would not
accept a double album because the didn't think the product merited
that kind of outlay. RCA's turnaround left Bob Ezrin with the
excruciating job of snipping fourteen (sic!) minutes of the opus. He
douldn't help but feel that the beautifully constructed work had been
butchered" (Bockris, Lou Reed, 1994)
>
> Only the extended "Berlin" piano roll sequence is known from
this "urfassung". I remember when Berlin came out in 1973 that there
were many rumors that both the album layout and the mix was made
against Lou's intentions and that he should have left the project
before it was finished...but what they will do is uncertain. They can
release all the recorded materiel (possible mostly instrumental film
music), or: they can finally release the double album as it was
intended to be...they can't do both.
More Berlin
> Legendary Velvet Underground front man Lou Reed, who is in the
middle of touring he's classic album Berlin, has revealed that a lot
more material was recorded but never released after listening to a
box of tapes at the record company. Reed plays London's Hammersmith
Apollo on June 30 and July 1.
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