Lulu is a collaborative album between rock singer-songwriter Lou Reed and thrash metal band Metallica. It was released on 31 October 2011 by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and Vertigo elsewhere. The album is the final full-length studio recording project that Reed was involved in before his death in 2013. It was recorded in San Rafael, California, during April through June 2011, after Reed had played with Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert which led to them wanting to collaborate. The lead single, titled "The View", was released on 27 September 2011. Conceptually, the Read more on Last.fm.
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Everything about ‘Lulu’ is a shadow of its true potential. Here, Lou Reed is is a poet without any actual poems—he’s only being poetic. Metallica stoops to the lowest common denominator of their own musical abilities and end up with hollow riffs. The length of some of these songs is painful. The lyrics are like horrendous commentaries on absolutely nothing and embarrassing to listen to. It’s as if this idea has validity, but needed at least one factor to be completely different to have a ghost of a chance of being good art. It’s not like spoken word can’t be put over music—it’s being done better all the time. It’s not that Lou Reed couldn’t write good poetry, or Metallica couldn’t write a good instrumental album. They just didn’t.
Nothing about ‘Lulu’ is enjoyable, but it’s difficult to stop watching someone destroy themselves, isn’t it?
This artistic massacre of common sense is so unbelievably bad, so completely devoid of any redeeming quality, that it rates as one star. That single solitary star is for the handful of moments when Lou Reed shuts up and Metallica manages something resembling a decent riff. This is embarrassing, embarrassing that a major label would agree to release it, embarrassing that Metallica would vouch for it and embarrassing that no one called bullshit early on.
This record is the sound of millionaires wasting time and money to stroke artistic ego. This is the sound of Metallica fucking up after the the winning moment that was Death Magnetic. This is what happens when people have too much money. This is so far from acceptable that its not even a sell out. Something can’t suck this bad and be a sell out.
The Lou Reed art house kids who will inevitably say that Metallica fans are too dense to understand Lou’s art need to re-evaluate what they consider artful. Lou Reed is, was and always will be Lou Reed’s biggest fan. He made some good records with VU and some great solo material in the 70’s, but these days he just talks over riffs.
That’s what this is….Lou Reed verbally masturbating over riffs that sound like ass, riffs that go on for bouts of 7, 11 and 20 minutes at a time. You could spend this time choking a small child and feel that the time was better served. Don’t buy this. Don’t let anyone convince you this is a good idea. It’s not.