I don’t like to be a negative person, I really do try and find the good in things, but when faced with LULU, the woeful album by Lou Reed and Metallica, I struggle to find a single redeeming element.
The two disc album starts with Brandenburg Gate, standard Metallica riff, nothing surprising, nothing new. Then Reed’s vocals kick in. Its not singing as I know it and I don’t think its supposed to be. I THINK the intent was to layer lyrics new and old, some written back in the 70’s in a poetic form. The result is irritatingly disjointed lyrics sung over repetitive and uninspiring backing tracks.
As a concept I, along with millions of others, was so excited about the prospect of this collaboration. Both Lou Reed and Metallica have produced epic and seminal works, directing and enriching the direction of music. Their fans are plentiful and for good reason. Anyone who knows music knows them and respects their contribution.
LULU is a slap in the face. It is a poorly executed idea. The songs meander without any direction, as a listener you’re never quite sure where you are in a song, or where its going.
Metallica have lost their shine over the last few years. St.Anger was far from their best work, Death Magnetic was better but still failed to ignite the passion of even their die hard fans. They have a bad habit of repeating a riff into oblivion and this is never more apparent than on LULU. The final track on CD2, Junior Dad is 19:29 minutes long, a completely unnecessary waste of time for everyone.
Lou Reed is responsible for timeless tracks like Perfect Day and Walk On The Wild Side. Before LULU, no one would argue his song writing abilities, now it seems he’s lost his edge.
LULU was produced by Metallica, Reed, Hal Willner and Greg Fidelman. In my opinion it sounds like the artists held the reins when it came to production. This album is a self indulgent project by artists who should know better. Had there been a strong personality guiding LULU, there’s every chance this could have turned out to be a classic.The ingredients were there, but in the end both Metallica and Reed failed to deliver. Avoid.
Gillan Williams
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