Lou Reed and Metallica: LULU Album Review
Lou Reed and Metallica: LULU Album Review
Written by Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra Saturday, 22 October 2011 08:24
Former Velvet Underground rocker Lou Reed unites with Metallica
to make an album. When these two forces unite, the result is something that no
one can quite expect.
The album is LULU. The writing credit (lyrics and music) belongs to Reed, not Metallica. The composition is not complex. It's what I'd call boring. And it's all over the place. Acoustic gulfs running into hard grinding valleys. The resulting sound is haphazard. There's no reason why Metallica needed to be the backup band here. It could've been anyone. Metallica's strength lies in Hetfield's song writing skills, which were not employed at all. Every good thing that Metallica could've brought to the table, of which there is plenty of, was either left at home or forgotten.
The album seriously lacking on solos. As in there aren't really any at all. Kirk Hammet must be as bored as he was on the unmitigated disaster that is St. Anger. All that talent and no chance to use it. Quite the waste, really.
The best parts are where James Hetfield does lead vocals. And those moments are too few and far in between. Usually when his powerfull voice is heard, it's only in the background, seriously over powering Reed's wisps.
From a lyrical standpoint, what we have here is a story about women that's sometimes told from the perspective of a woman. It's about relationships and how the fairer sex are basically man eaters. You know, everyone's favorite type of girl. But it's told with male vocals, which is as strange as it sounds, and through unintelligent lyrics masquerading as "dark." Think "Why do I cheat on me?" repeated five times. Or my favorite, "to be dry and sperm-less, like a girl."
Reed is desperately trying to be as powerful as Trent Reznor proved himself to be on his debut Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine, where bleeds out from a vulnerable place in is soul that the devil tries to fuck him in the back of his car. Reed doesn't come close. His unsung, spoken-word lyrics in his aging voice simultaneously fails at capturing any emotion and also blending with Metallica in the background. Square pegs do not fit into round holes. Lou Reed's sound mixes with Metallica like a healthy penis mixes with a herpes infested vagina. You pick which one is which.
For Metallica fans, it might be best to forget this ever happened and just wait for a follow up to 2008's Death Magnetic, which redeemed the band after years of mediocrity.
For Reed fans, I can only ask, what do you like about this guy?
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