Some people call this album "the noble failure" and some consider it an artistic masterpiece but it is without a doubt the most infamous album in the rock world, "Lulu" is the collaboration between "Metallica" and Lou Reed that was released on October 31, 2011.
1. This is the last studio album in which Lou Reed was involved before his death in October 2013.
2. The spark for the collaboration between Reed and "Metallica" ignited during a performance at the 25th-anniversary ceremony of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
3. After two years of playing with the idea of collaboration, "Metallica's" members and Lou Reed entered the studio.
4. The initial idea for the album was to re-record with "Metallica" songs by Lou Reed that did not see the light of day, but while working on the songs he got the idea of "Lulu". After working on a number of songs, the members decided to record the entire album around the idea of Lulu.
(Photo: Metallica)
5. This is a concept album based on a play called "Lulu Plays" by German playwright Frank Wedekind.
6. The play tells the story of a stripper who tries to climb up the social ladder but eventually finds herself a prostitute.
7. The lyrics are mostly very graphic and occasionally provide harsh images of violence, racism, and sex from the woman's point of view.
8. Most of the album revolves around the musical idea of Spoken Words, Reed performs the recitations while "Metallica" performs the instrumental part with James Hetfield occasionally participating in the singing.
9. Most of the instrumental parts were written by "Metallica" and the lyrics were written by Reed.
10. Fans of the two artists were confused by the collaboration, although in our vision we do see, for example, Jonathan Geffen collaborating with the "Hayehudim" band (and we are not afraid of the comparison), many were very afraid of the collaboration and were very pessimistic. When the first single "The View" came out, everyone's fears came true !!
11. In interviews for the album, both sides were moved to tears by the work and the result of the album. "Metallica" said they were excited to work with Lou Reed in the studio every day, and Lou Reed said "Metallica" got the best out of him. In this context, we must say that musically it feels as if the two parties have not even met, let alone recorded in the same studio.
12. Even an objective ear would have a hard time finding interest in the ten tracks on the album that sound quite similar to each other and are drawn or rather "stretched" to an average of 8 minutes per song. Let’s put it this way, there is no flashback, climax, innovation, or anything here that can captivate, surprise, or mesmerize.
13. Both sides acknowledged the harsh reviews from fans, Reed realized that he had forever lost the lone fans of the metal world, and "Metallica" realized that there are fans who find it hard to listen to something different that does not sit so well with the metal world (maybe forgot St. Anger?).
Listen to the album, at your own responsibility !! Spotify