All One Song :: Matt Valentine on "Berlin"

All One Song :: Matt Valentine on "Berlin"

From Transmissions by Aquarium Drunkard

June 10, 2026 · 1h 15m

About this episode

Matt Valentine joins to discuss Neil Young's deep cut 'Berlin' and its context within the 1982 Trans tour.

We’re coming dangerously close to the end of the road for this latest season of Neil Young deep dives. And the end of the road is the topic at hand when it comes to today’s song — “Berlin.” Now, we’ve covered some deep cuts over the course of the past two seasons. But “Berlin” has to be one of the deepest. It was passed over on the recent Archives Vol. III box and you can’t even stream it via Neil’s site; the only official way to experience this moody tune is to watch In Berlin, the concert film that captures the last performance of the semi-chaotic Trans tour of Europe in 1982. With its doomy synths, piercing guitar, tortured vocals and synthetic handclaps, “Berlin” provides a fascinating glimpse of this short-lived band, which featured a grab-bag, rag-tag bunch of players from Neil’s past, all grappling with a new decade and new sounds. In Berlin itself is an amazing document, highlighted by Neil and Nils Lofgren performing bizarro dances and duets on such Vocoder-laced tracks as “Transformer Man” and “Sample and Hold.” You gotta see it to believe it. Here to talk about “Berlin” with us today is someone we've been fans of for a long time now—the mighty Matt Valentine. MV has…

People in this episode

Guest: Matt Valentine

Topics covered

  • Neil Young
  • music analysis
  • Berlin song
  • Matt Valentine
  • concert film
  • 1982 Trans tour
  • deep cuts

Keywords

  • Neil Young
  • Berlin
  • Matt Valentine
  • Trans tour
  • concert film
  • Wet Tuna
  • music analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tower Recordings, MV & EE, Wet Tuna

Books & works: Berlin, In Berlin, Vast

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