Album Details

• Artist: Lou Reed/metallica
• Album: Lulu
• Label: Warner Brothers
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2011-11-14

Had Lou been told in the 70s by Lester Bangs that forty years from now he'd be recording with a heavy metal band that has a penchant for group therapy, he might have killed Lester before he had a chance to become a legend in his own right. But here we are: not only is Lou Reed working with Metallica, but their collaboration was inspired by one of the first transgressive playwrights of the modern era. "Lulu" is based on the late 19^th century work of Frank Wedekind. This odd but strangely powerful set not only rehabilitates Wedekind, but hopefully it will also remind folks that it was Reed's daring, free-jazz influenced guitar work that paved the way not only for metal, but for almost every rock genre since he first plugged in.

Not that Lou kicks out the jams here. Mostly he serves the role of narrator/poet, delivering words written for the stage production of "Lulu," which was based on two Wedekind plays about a prostitute with more than enough strength to endure the horror she experiences and witnesses. That of course is disappointing, and is the cause of the outrage of most reviewers, many of whom have given this worse reviews than his "Metal Machine Music." But, that record is now seen as a classic of Noise and Drone, so who knows what history will say of this. Now? Well...

"Brandenberg Gate" kicks things off outrageously, with Reed's brash acoustic guitar fitting in perfectly with Metallica's restrained but majestic riffs; the lyrics, as obscene and hilarious at once as anything Reed has done in years, sets a defiant and surreal tone.

The story as such holds its own, though it seems more like an abstract recitation of a seedy search for salvation than a coherent narrative, but that gives it its power. This is less a story than a world that repels and moves at the same time. Reed's spoken word stuff of recent years ought to have prepared listeners who panned this; it is not for everyone but it is for me. Likewise Metallica's surprises in ways that deserve props. When they do let loose, as on the stunning  "Mistress Dread" or "Little Dog," they are as powerful and tight as they have been in years.  The harrowing "Little Dog" and the epic closer, "Junior Dad," benefit equally from Reed and Metallica's sense of emotional tension and release. Those two songs are as close to fearless art as you'll hear the rest of the year.

Forget the bad reviews and pissed metalheads. "Lulu" is brilliant and fearless,  and the odd combination-- on paper-- of Lou Reed and Metallica has resulted in a masterpiece.

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2012-02-26 CharlesMartel Said:

What possessed these two artists to enter into this collaboration is utterly beyond me. What did they hope to gain? What did they hope to achieve? Was it the money? Metallica are probably the epitome of metal, the band to which all fans of the genre will ultimately turn as being one of, if not THE great. Lou Reed is the doyen of indie rockers, a man whose career has spanned everything from garage rock, glam and psychedelia. Apart from the quantities of drugs they have taken, I cannot identify any other link between the two. As a concept, the pairing is faintly ridiculous.

The outcome was, inevitably, going to be one of two possibilities - magnificent and unique or unbelievably shit. And "Lulu" is, without doubt, unbelievably shit! In truth, neither artist is relevant in contemporary terms, their best work being far behind them. The difference between them is that Lou Reed probably recognizes this, whereas Metallica do not. After "St Anger" it was hard to take Metallica seriously any more. Lars Ulrich became increasingly delusional and, frankly, selfish, while James Hetfield has turned into a parody of what he started out as. The Metallica of the early eighties may have been inconoclastic and anti-establishment: the Metallica of today is protective of the wealth and rights that the wealth has brought them - middle aged men in comfortable chairs, pushing retirement, and bemoaning how things have changed.

The result of this collaboration was, therefore, doomed from the start. In all honesty I doubt anybody but Metallica could have been so delusionally idiotic to think that this album should have been released. Which brings me back to Reed  why? He may have cleaned up his act, but really his contribution to this is lamentable. Never a great singer, he speaks, or rather mumbles his way through most of it, rambling on about things as diverse as cutting off his manboobs to the circulatory system. Occasionally he sings, but most of the time he just mumbles.

Then there is the music. The drumming is frankly awful. The riffs are stereotypical and rarely give any grounds for optimism. And when you combine all of this in some songs such as "Cheat on Me" at eleven minutes and "Junior Dad" at an unbearable nineteen and a half minutes, listening to the album all the way through drains you of the will to live.

This may not be the worst album ever made, but it is not far off. This is an album which should never have seen the light of day and does nothing except confirm that Lou Reed and Metallica are both well past their sell-by date.
Rating: 1/10

Review:

on 2011-12-05 tosnob Said:

There have been odd musical collaborations over the decades, but few may be as bizarre as Lulu, the new album from Lou Reed & Metallica. It's easy to understand why people may be skeptical about the project from two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts, and after listening to it, there is good reason to be guarded.

Things begin on a promising note with the blues-metal "Brandenburg Gates". That sets the tone for an album that includes some of Metallica's strongest arrangements in years. Often intense and methodical, the music rarely loses the plot.

"Iced Honey" opens with an incredibly compelling heavy groove that Reed capitalizes on with the closest thing resembling a hook on the record during the chorus.

The record's low point is "Little Dog". While some of the other tracks may not click with their experiments, this song is just a drawn out snoozer, dull with zero payoff. The ensuing track, the plodding "Dragon" fairs little better. However, with only three of the album's ten tracks clocking in under 6:30 and three over 11:00, it's a wonder that the album doesn't drag more often.

Vocally, the album tends to be a mess. In the instances where Reed and James Hetfield both contribute vocals, they clash harshly. The collision of Reed's near spoken word with Hetfield's powerful growl are enough to make the listener physically ill at times.

There's a lack of focus at times as well. "Frustration" is disorganized, feeling like an improvisation that no one was really in control of.

One notable exception is "Cheat On Me". The song is a slow burn, with Reed setting the scene in the verses before Hetfield delivers a wrenching lament in the choruses.

Lulu can definitely be filed under 'intriguing' and it does have it's moments, but as a whole it probably would've been better for Metallica to save this material for their own next album.
Rating: 4/10

on 2011-11-15 CharlesMartel Said:

I was invited to listen to this by a friend who had a smirk on his face at the time. Now I know why. This is awful. Reed's voice is at its worst and Metallica, well, they just take a bland and passionless style of metal and then try to merge it with Reed's voice. I suppose it will make them some money but it has little other merit.
Rating: 1/10

on 2011-11-15 hstisgod Said:

Wow, five? Brilliant?
Not Rated

on 2011-11-15 SolitaryMan Said:

Hahaha. All I can say is, you're lucky you got to this first. I just don't see it, not at all, not in any way, shape or form. If you're judging this based on it's thematic and historic merits, then that's fine, but the music itself is horrid. Bland, uninspired metal with Lou Reed's monotonous, out-of-sync "poetry" laced over top like a hobo singing along outside of a club band's gig. To each their own, for sure, but there's far more than just "pissed metalheads" giving this thing bad reviews.
Rating: 1/10