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Track Listings
Editorial Reviews
Lulu was inspired by German expressionist writer Frank Wedekind's plays Earth Spirit and Pandora's Box, which tell a story of a young abused dancer's life and relationships and are now collectively known as the "Lulu Plays." Since their publication in the early 1900's, the plays have been the inspiration for a silent film (Pandora's Box, 1929), an opera, and countless other creative endeavors.
Originally the lyrics and musical landscape were sketched out by Lou for a theatrical production in Berlin, but after coming together with the 'Tallica boys for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York in 2009 all guilty parties knew they wanted to make more music together. Lou was inspired enough by that performance to recently ask the band to join him in taking his theatrical Lulu piece to the next level and so starting in early May of this year they were all camped out recording at HQ studios in Northern California, bringing us to today and ten complete songs.
Originally the lyrics and musical landscape were sketched out by Lou for a theatrical production in Berlin, but after coming together with the 'Tallica boys for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York in 2009 all guilty parties knew they wanted to make more music together. Lou was inspired enough by that performance to recently ask the band to join him in taking his theatrical Lulu piece to the next level and so starting in early May of this year they were all camped out recording at HQ studios in Northern California, bringing us to today and ten complete songs.
Customer Reviews
“ Though I liked some of the songs, like The View and Iced Hone, this album just don't sound good, no matter how many times you will listen to it. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
206 of 252 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
So Lou Reed has this idea kicking around for a few years that he wants to write music for a German theatre group based on a series of old plays about an abused dancer who crosses paths with Jack the Ripper. He can't get it to sound how he wants, but then he jams with Metallica at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show. Eureka! Lou finds some young, hip rockers (compared to him, anyway) who can give him that dark, dangerous atmosphere he's been looking for. According to both sides, he casually says, "Hey, let's do an album together," after the jam and goes on his way. And now, two years later, we have Lulu. After listening to the album in its entirety, I have to wonder if Lou proposed this mess honestly when he brought it back up. I wonder if he said, "Hey, guys, are you willing to jump the shark and alienate the majority of your fan base (again) to be on an album with me?" And `Tallica, ever the experimenters, say, "Sure, Lou. We cranked out a decent metal album a couple years ago that went #1 around the world and energized millions of our fans, but hey, you're Lou Reed! Count us in!" I'm not complaining because I'm narrow-minded or don't like variety or risk-taking. The problem here is that, musically, vocally, and lyrically, repetition is the general idea behind these songs. Find a basic riff and just repeat it for anywhere from 4 to 20 minutes. Add in some noise and feedback here and there for at least some dynamics, and let Lou talk/"sing"/ramble over it until he's done. I know this is more of a Lou Reed album than a Metallica one, but whoever it belongs to, it's not very interesting or listenable. Considering the negative attention it's drawn, I'm not sure if many people will spring for this, but then again, since it is Metallica, it will probably sell millions of copies anyway. Oh well. This album will almost surely end up being just as much an anomaly as other odd forays into metal by the likes of Pat Boone and William Shatner, remembered more for its novelty than its quality. Now, for anyone still interested, here's a track-by-track breakdown.
Brandenburg Gate--Very, very repetitive music and rambling from Lou; terrible vocals from both Reed and Hetfield, with Reed doing his talking/poetry reading/embarrassing random stabs at singing, and Het yodeling, "Small town guh-r-rrl!" throughout.
The View--Simple, repetitive riff that goes nowhere; harsh, aggressive vocals from Het are somewhat surprising and hopefully hint at where he's going on the next Metallica album. However, this song has the most ridiculed lyric so far; Het hilariously reminds us over and over that he is the table, making many listeners question his sanity (I know, the lyrics are from Lulu's POV, but it still sounds hilarious). Lou's talking doesn't sound interesting, the boring riff doesn't sound interesting; what's to keep a person listening?
Pumping Blood--Reed sounds ridiculous repeating the track's title over the opening riff. The riff sounds like a prelude to some actual rocking...instead it just repeats again and again, then eventually goes into some ambient Metalli-noise over more Reed rambling. Not something that will call out to be heard again. The riff at the end of the song was the first time I found anything remotely interesting. Even still, without Reed's talking, it would sound like Metallica just fooling around with their instruments.
Mistress Dread--Starts with a riff that's faster and better than anything from Death Magnetic, but then it's ruined by Lou's attempts at singing, which are unlistenable, and constant repetition. Seriously, the riff gets very boring after hearing it about two thousand times in a row. No direction to this whatsoever.
Iced Honey--Only track so far that starts out sounding like an actual song. It's pretty bland, though. Very simplistic hard rock track. If they release a single, this will most likely be it; it's only about four-and-a-half minutes long, and has actual structure. Unfortunately, it's forgettable.
Cheat on Me--Ambient guitar sounds, in parts a bit Irish or Celtic-sounding...not bad to have in the background, until Reed comes in. It would be different if he sounded good, but what he does vocally doesn't sound like it requires talent. A track of mostly sounds, with a decent hard rock riff used here and there. Some pretty bad vocals from Het. This is the first track that I might actually like if it was an instrumental. Musically, it builds up nicely to a fairly heavy ending. Vocals from both singers ruin the song.
Frustration--Reed's vocals border on ludicrous on this track; it feels more like a joke than music. Anxiety-filled ambient noise goes into a Sabbath-inspired doomy riff that doesn't sound too bad, but Lou sure does. Again, if this was an instrumental, it would be much more tolerable; not great, but tolerable. It rocks out admirably near the end of the song, but there's almost a straight rip-off of the riff from C.O.C.'s Paranoid Opioid at 7:14 and 7:48.
Little Dog--At this point, after seven songs and about 48 minutes, it's all starting to sound the same. Some low-key acoustic playing, ambient background noise, Lou talking/rambling, sometimes trying to sing a few notes seemingly at random, a somewhat heavy hard rock riff. It gets a bit redundant this far in, and there's still over half an hour left after this song. I'm ready to do something else now, which is not a good sign when I'm listening to a new album.
Dragon--Beginning doesn't sound any different from the last song. Now it's getting extremely redundant...what seemed random during the first half now seems formulaic...some noise, throw in a riff, back to some noise. Lou talks, tries to sing, goes back to talking. Mighty boring. Once the riff kicks in, it sounds like a Load throwaway. There's a heavier riff in the second half of the song, but it sounds tired.
Junior Dad--This one could sum up the whole album; 19˝ long minutes of the same formula; acoustic, noise, riff, repeat. With almost twenty minutes to fill, though, Junior Dad goes long on the noise, with minutes-long sections of droning guitar sounds. It's not that it sounds particularly bad, it just gets boring after so much repetition. Maybe if an instrumental version comes out, I'll give it another chance, but for now I don't expect to be listening to Lulu again anytime soon.
I know these guys are Rock n' Roll Hall of Famers and all, but both artists involved have done far better in their careers. I have no problem with them doing whatever they want to do. It's their right and they've earned it. However, this is a review of the music on the album, not the artists' careers, and the music is not very interesting from a metal/ hard rock fan's perspective. There are rare moments (and I do mean rare) when Lou's vocal style actually complements the music, and for a few seconds it works. But those moments are fleeting, and the rest of the time it just doesn't even sound serious. I don't blame Metallica; I'm sure if Mick Jagger asked them to play music for him on an album, they'd do it in a heartbeat, just to say they played all of the music on an album from a rock legend. Unfortunately, an honest assessment of the overall musical quality of Lulu doesn't yield high marks.
Brandenburg Gate--Very, very repetitive music and rambling from Lou; terrible vocals from both Reed and Hetfield, with Reed doing his talking/poetry reading/embarrassing random stabs at singing, and Het yodeling, "Small town guh-r-rrl!" throughout.
The View--Simple, repetitive riff that goes nowhere; harsh, aggressive vocals from Het are somewhat surprising and hopefully hint at where he's going on the next Metallica album. However, this song has the most ridiculed lyric so far; Het hilariously reminds us over and over that he is the table, making many listeners question his sanity (I know, the lyrics are from Lulu's POV, but it still sounds hilarious). Lou's talking doesn't sound interesting, the boring riff doesn't sound interesting; what's to keep a person listening?
Pumping Blood--Reed sounds ridiculous repeating the track's title over the opening riff. The riff sounds like a prelude to some actual rocking...instead it just repeats again and again, then eventually goes into some ambient Metalli-noise over more Reed rambling. Not something that will call out to be heard again. The riff at the end of the song was the first time I found anything remotely interesting. Even still, without Reed's talking, it would sound like Metallica just fooling around with their instruments.
Mistress Dread--Starts with a riff that's faster and better than anything from Death Magnetic, but then it's ruined by Lou's attempts at singing, which are unlistenable, and constant repetition. Seriously, the riff gets very boring after hearing it about two thousand times in a row. No direction to this whatsoever.
Iced Honey--Only track so far that starts out sounding like an actual song. It's pretty bland, though. Very simplistic hard rock track. If they release a single, this will most likely be it; it's only about four-and-a-half minutes long, and has actual structure. Unfortunately, it's forgettable.
Cheat on Me--Ambient guitar sounds, in parts a bit Irish or Celtic-sounding...not bad to have in the background, until Reed comes in. It would be different if he sounded good, but what he does vocally doesn't sound like it requires talent. A track of mostly sounds, with a decent hard rock riff used here and there. Some pretty bad vocals from Het. This is the first track that I might actually like if it was an instrumental. Musically, it builds up nicely to a fairly heavy ending. Vocals from both singers ruin the song.
Frustration--Reed's vocals border on ludicrous on this track; it feels more like a joke than music. Anxiety-filled ambient noise goes into a Sabbath-inspired doomy riff that doesn't sound too bad, but Lou sure does. Again, if this was an instrumental, it would be much more tolerable; not great, but tolerable. It rocks out admirably near the end of the song, but there's almost a straight rip-off of the riff from C.O.C.'s Paranoid Opioid at 7:14 and 7:48.
Little Dog--At this point, after seven songs and about 48 minutes, it's all starting to sound the same. Some low-key acoustic playing, ambient background noise, Lou talking/rambling, sometimes trying to sing a few notes seemingly at random, a somewhat heavy hard rock riff. It gets a bit redundant this far in, and there's still over half an hour left after this song. I'm ready to do something else now, which is not a good sign when I'm listening to a new album.
Dragon--Beginning doesn't sound any different from the last song. Now it's getting extremely redundant...what seemed random during the first half now seems formulaic...some noise, throw in a riff, back to some noise. Lou talks, tries to sing, goes back to talking. Mighty boring. Once the riff kicks in, it sounds like a Load throwaway. There's a heavier riff in the second half of the song, but it sounds tired.
Junior Dad--This one could sum up the whole album; 19˝ long minutes of the same formula; acoustic, noise, riff, repeat. With almost twenty minutes to fill, though, Junior Dad goes long on the noise, with minutes-long sections of droning guitar sounds. It's not that it sounds particularly bad, it just gets boring after so much repetition. Maybe if an instrumental version comes out, I'll give it another chance, but for now I don't expect to be listening to Lulu again anytime soon.
I know these guys are Rock n' Roll Hall of Famers and all, but both artists involved have done far better in their careers. I have no problem with them doing whatever they want to do. It's their right and they've earned it. However, this is a review of the music on the album, not the artists' careers, and the music is not very interesting from a metal/ hard rock fan's perspective. There are rare moments (and I do mean rare) when Lou's vocal style actually complements the music, and for a few seconds it works. But those moments are fleeting, and the rest of the time it just doesn't even sound serious. I don't blame Metallica; I'm sure if Mick Jagger asked them to play music for him on an album, they'd do it in a heartbeat, just to say they played all of the music on an album from a rock legend. Unfortunately, an honest assessment of the overall musical quality of Lulu doesn't yield high marks.
234 of 296 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have never written a review for anything in my life. This cd is so horrible that I feel that it is my duty as a human being to inform people. This album is like bad angel dust in audio form. The real words to describe this cd are not allowed in these reviews, all profanity and all bad. If you want to waste your money that bad, I could sell you a cd of farts and burps, that would even be better than Lulu.
130 of 168 people found the following review helpful
By J. Loudon
Format:Audio CD
Metallica fans, before you get too excited at the prospect of a follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic," please know that this is in no way a Metallica album. Lou Reed fans, before you begin to think your favorite member of The Velvet Underground has finally gotten off of his concept album kick following his four track ambient meditational album, "Hudson River Wind Meditations," please know that he has not.
When Lou Reed and Metallica first announced they would be collaborating for a full album, imaginations of fans ran wild. Metallica is easily one of the most successful and influential metal acts of all time and Lou Reed's work with The Velvet Underground created his legacy as both a songwriter and musical innovator. Their combined efforts had to result in something extraordinary, right?
Wrong.
Even in his prime, Lou Reed was never much of a vocalist. As a songwriter, he ranks among the best, but his voice is not the reason his albums sell. At 69 years of age, his voice has only gotten worse and it shows on "Lulu." For 87 minutes, what Lou Reed does on "Lulu" could rarely be classified as singing. In fact, most of the time "Lulu" sounds like a cross between a drunken rant and the mumbles of a crazy person talking to himself. To be honest, I'm not convinced it isn't literally a combination of those two things.
The concept of "Lulu" is basically Lou Reed taking on the persona of a young woman who has had terrible experiences with men and decides to give a drawn out monologue. The creepiness of a 69 year old man playing the part of a young woman aside, Metallica's backdrop feels terribly out of place. Their trademark guitars still create a staggering wall of sound, but the energy of each chord quickly dies as they're sustained through Reed's banter.
It's obvious neither Lou Reed nor Metallica truly care what people think of this record. "Lulu" is a musical experiment by a group of artists that can afford to do it, nothing more. The unfortunate side-effect is that it punishes the most loyal of fans who blindly purchase the album expecting greatness.
For those of you who pre-ordered "Lulu" as soon as you heard about it, I'm sorry to say it isn't even worth listening to once. Take the album, stick it in your blender and press the liquefy button; you'll be doing your ears a favor. At least the dreadful noise created by that should only last twenty seconds or so.
When Lou Reed and Metallica first announced they would be collaborating for a full album, imaginations of fans ran wild. Metallica is easily one of the most successful and influential metal acts of all time and Lou Reed's work with The Velvet Underground created his legacy as both a songwriter and musical innovator. Their combined efforts had to result in something extraordinary, right?
Wrong.
Even in his prime, Lou Reed was never much of a vocalist. As a songwriter, he ranks among the best, but his voice is not the reason his albums sell. At 69 years of age, his voice has only gotten worse and it shows on "Lulu." For 87 minutes, what Lou Reed does on "Lulu" could rarely be classified as singing. In fact, most of the time "Lulu" sounds like a cross between a drunken rant and the mumbles of a crazy person talking to himself. To be honest, I'm not convinced it isn't literally a combination of those two things.
The concept of "Lulu" is basically Lou Reed taking on the persona of a young woman who has had terrible experiences with men and decides to give a drawn out monologue. The creepiness of a 69 year old man playing the part of a young woman aside, Metallica's backdrop feels terribly out of place. Their trademark guitars still create a staggering wall of sound, but the energy of each chord quickly dies as they're sustained through Reed's banter.
It's obvious neither Lou Reed nor Metallica truly care what people think of this record. "Lulu" is a musical experiment by a group of artists that can afford to do it, nothing more. The unfortunate side-effect is that it punishes the most loyal of fans who blindly purchase the album expecting greatness.
For those of you who pre-ordered "Lulu" as soon as you heard about it, I'm sorry to say it isn't even worth listening to once. Take the album, stick it in your blender and press the liquefy button; you'll be doing your ears a favor. At least the dreadful noise created by that should only last twenty seconds or so.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just doesn't work
As I said in title this album just doesn't work. It's a brave attempt and we should at least respect musicians in the latter years of their career trying to be innovative, rather... Read more
Published 26 days ago by David S
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dear God, my ears!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This deserves negative stars. About 33 trillion of them IMHO. Seriously. WTF? I admit I have not heard every piece of music ever made throughout history. Read more
Published 1 month ago by jmc305
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lou and Metallica find Iggy and the stooges
First off I am not a huge fan of either artist, Lou solo has done some remarkeable material and Metallica I just have never liked. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dennis R. Goodwin
5.0 out of 5 stars
SORRY, LULU....
After many spins on this LULU album, i gotta say.....i finally understand this strange sick collection of songs of METALLICA and LOU REED.... Read more
Published 1 month ago by FLUMINENSE
1.0 out of 5 stars
This seriously has to be the worst album I've ever heard. no...
You know this album is really about testing the Metallica "brand"- to see who the fans are and willing accept this piece of junk. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Randy Pizarro
4.0 out of 5 stars
1star reviews are misguided
This is a unpredictable rock narrative.
I found it to be provocative and intriguing.
Reeds ranting soliloquy is haunting accompanied by a progressive, mood enhancing... Read more
I found it to be provocative and intriguing.
Reeds ranting soliloquy is haunting accompanied by a progressive, mood enhancing... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Andrew C. Stahlgren
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful noise
This is an incredible abomination. Take the nihilistic ramblings of Lou Reed and back them by a wave of metal madness. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Cigar Jackal
4.0 out of 5 stars
Diffferent
Ok, a lot of people have really cut this cd down. While it is not Lou's best, it certainly isn't Metal Music. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nick Pusloskie
4.0 out of 5 stars
first time review
YEAH...first listen. It SUCKS!!!!!!...I HATED IT!!!!!!....but it does grow on you....I texted my son as i was listing...making jokes...then it took hold..started growing on me... Read more
Published 4 months ago by mike burkenbine
5.0 out of 5 stars
Metallica takes a chance on an art rock album, and ends up with...
On this album, Lou Reed rants like a crazy old man. What he's doing on this album cannot really be called singing. He sounds like he's tripping balls and just ranting. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Adam Briggs
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