COMPACT DISCS

“Berlin.” Lou Reed. RCA. CDs give a second chance to noteworthy albums that didn’t catch on commercially the first time. With relatively few titles available in CD, a buyer has far fewer CD titles to choose among than a traditional album buyer. So, every “new” CD in the store is something of an occasion. In this imported CD package, Reed’s eerie, unsettling tale of addiction--to drugs and more--remains his most gripping and uncompromising album. Rather than the tease of his most famous single, “Walk on the Wild Side,” this is a somber walk on the dark side.