Lou Reed, Metal Machine Music
 

On the forum at Music Banter, I was requested to write a review of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. Was this review request a joke? Quite possibly- I understand why few people are able to make it through one listen of this album without losing their sanity. Perhaps a better question is whether Lou Reed viewed this album as a joke. Is this a product of frustration similar to Dylan's Self-Portrait or did he view it as a potential masterpiece? Based on what I've heard of his earlier works, I believe that Reed did not view this album as an intentional insult to his fans and record label, but rather an unbridled experiment in organized chaos.

The music on Metal Machine Music is extremely harsh and polarizing- if you are willing to even call it "music." Perhaps influenced by the incessant screeching of George Crumb's "Black Angels", Reed seems to be exercising his abilities as an avant-garde artist through his meticulous organization of these hair-raising sounds. However, not every part of the music in this album is unlistenable- underlying the constant screeches and hisses of electronically generated patterns is a faint melody that is ever changing throughout the album- a hint of something pleasant masked by howling of excruciating noise. For instance, during the first track electronic bagpipes, or something similar to this, blast alongside hisses and blips. One could possibly view this higher ratio of unpleasant to pleasant sounds as a commentary on society or other things- maybe even the music industry. Perhaps Reed himself is the hint of inspiration clouded by a swarm of uninspired musicians.

Whether or not you decide to breath that much meaning into this album, it is undeniable that Reed was purposeful and true to his artistic desires through his work on his experimental Metal Machine Music. I did not particularly enjoy listening to it and I certainly won't be listening to it again any time soon. However, I can't discount this garbled noise as pure trash. Experiments like this have value. I'm certain Lou Reed wouldn't be as highly esteemed as he is had he not taken a "walk on the wild side" every once in a while...sorry, I couldn't resist.

5/10

OMFG. Thread of the year and I salute you!

Excellent review. :thumb:

hahaha and now he's banned

I always like it when reviewers don't criticize an album for the simple fact they didn't like it. Just because an album does not fit your particular tastes doesn't mean its bad, and I'm glad to see that you seem to share a similar view in your review. I briefly listened to Metal Machine Music, just a few tracks and although I didn't like it, I'm not going to say its crap with no value whatsoever.

EDIT: Anybody know why this guy was banned? I've seen a few of his other posts and I don't see any reason to ban him. I mean, he only has 8 posts, and I've already seen about 5 of those, none of which are what I would constitute as something that one should get banned for, and I doubt he could get himself banned in just a few posts, unless they were really bad...

Maybe he was advertising? Doesn't matter, this is a good review for what was a joke to many people.

He's gone for advertising his blog in every other post.

In fact I wouldn't be surprised if this was copy & pasted from it

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I'm back- Didn't realize how strict the mods were about saying positive things about MMM

lol niiiice.

I listened to Metal Machine Music (the first track, anyway) the other day, it wasn't that bad, except that it gave me a stomach ache.

i never liked Lou Reed voice.

Great review. I completely agree. It has its moments, and I totally respect the experiment. But I have no intention of ever listening to it again. And I agree with Kamikazi Kat. It's always nice when reviewers put their personal opinions aside.
ha I just realized I'm two months too late...but whatever I still enjoyed the review.

Lou Reed himself when asked about it jokingly said in an interview that noone's musical career should be able to survive after an album like MMM.

It's ****e and treating it like art makes it pretentious ****e which is even worse. 5/10 is way more than I'd give it.

Anyways .. that's my opinion.

edit :

Albumdude, yes - you were asked to review this album as a joke. Good on you for having stepped up to the plate though!

^^ doesn't get it

To "get it" would be like praising Marcel Duchamp's Fountain (toilet). The real point of that exhibition was that a famous artist can sell or make art of anything, even a toilet (or in Reed's case, just noise) and get away with it - or even get praised for it.

If you think you "understand" MMM, then you should be aware there's a joke floating around somewhere - and it's on you.

I went through a really stressful period in my life about a year ago, and I listened to MMM on almost a daily basis. It was cathartic, and I later found out that was the same reason Lou Reed made the album. However, strangely, I never found it to be all that of an abrasive album.

no, that's not the point. sorry.

I hugely enjoy Metal Machine Music. Also very cool is the recent-ish live performance of MMM, and also Lou's current Metal Machine Trio improv group.

I wasn't trying to explain the "point" of MMM. All I'm saying is that if I were to poop on a platter and hand it to you, you would say "this is crap". If Lou Reed does it, some people no longer recognise the crap because it's got his name all over it. However, his crap is still just as crappy as everyone else's.

If I ever do make a double album with just noise, I'll send it your way .. maybe you'll dig it.

I guess there might be some underlying point to MMM, after all he's said he was serious about the record, although quite drugged up. It's just that in a world where there's so much music with so many good ideas that are executed in a way that makes them so much more pleasing to listen to, I'm not gonna spend time listening to a double album which frankly gets irritating within the first minute. There's enough good "points" in music that I don't have to go digging for the one burried in the biggest pile of **** I can find.

geh, i was just being a pretentious douche for the sake of being a pretentious douche. in a bad mood i guess. but i take the 'point' (if not for mmm, at least for duchamp) to be the destruction of value as such. not 'this is crap but i'm presenting it as art' but 'everything is crap, so it doesn't matter what i present.' it's very transcendental in the sense of ecclesiastes... everything below is futile, so look up.

Actually, I may have been a bit rash when posting. I can appreciate MMM. It's a mysterious album and certainly a curiosity. I could appreciate the point if it has one. If the whole album was just a big FUCK YOU (just an example, it supposedly isn't), it would've been a spectacular one and I could appreciate it as such.

What I don't appreciate is actually listening to it. For everything else, it's at least an interesting conversation piece.

What's so not to like about this record? Anybody listen to Boredoms? Acid Mothers Temple? Sunn 0)))? Boris? Bits of Akron / Family records, bits of Six Organs records, even bits of Jimi Hendrix records ("... And The Gods Made Love") ... I find it to be great insulation from the hum of air conditioners, traffic noise, etc ... lots of detail to get nullified in

^Basically, if I wanna listen to noise, I can find a quiet room and listen to my tinnitus. It saves me money.

:laughing: yes, and it's even better if you listen to it with earplugs in. If it's an especially bad spell you get all kinds of crazy tones weaving in and out.

owned

^huh?

Sorry it's the first time I've read this review. I was remarking how much Lou Reed gets owned.

Tinnitus only does it for me sometimes ... it gets to be like listening to the same record over and over ... and sometimes I want different frequency spectrums than what's implicit in my ear drums ... but yeah, the mix of sounds can be amazing, makes me wonder what's going on in there ... also if I listen to my tinnitus too closely I become convinced there are spiders living in my ears