Customer Reviews

Metal Machine Music

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(46)

 

 

The stories you've probably already heard about this album are true: it is indeed an hour's worth of pure feedback. Which is not to say it's monotonous - there are plenty of twists and turns in the noise, however accidental they may be - but it's not for everybody. I, for one, don't buy into the idea that it's any kind of grand artistic statement; and no, there aren't really any classical-style trills amidst the noise. I believe Lou Reed himself has admitted at some point that there aren't.

What, then, does this innovative and bizarre recording have to recommend it? Believe it or not, it does hold one's attention surprisingly well as the sound effects from Reed's two guitars bounce off one another, rise and fall, and produce the occasional and accidental rhythm. The sheer grating quality of the "music" is also surprisingly cleansing, and even useful as background noise for concentrating on reading in a distracting situation. (This was pointed out to me by my girlfriend, who likes studying along to the disc.) The finale also is unexpectedly climactic, building up an hour's worth of tension in a rhythmic series of pops until as suddenly as it started, it's over. (This is accidental, as Reed's original idea for the end of the vinyl LP was quite different, as is explained in the CD's fascinating liner notes. But it's a worthy part of the recording all the same)

Undeniably, there is an emperor's-new-clothes aspect to this album, and I admit to being as mystified as anyone as to why Reed risked his career for it. But if you have any interest in the avant-garde of rock and roll or you just like topsy-turvy noise, this is the right album.

I've listened to parts of this record a number of times and have always felt something different each time. However I believe like most "art", it was meant to affect different people in different ways. And it might never affect you the same way twice. Think Nine Inch Nails meets John Cage meets MC5 meets LaMont Young. And I don't mean just bits of those artists separately and the influences thereof, but rather all of them playing simultaneously at extreme ear shattering volume. The affect of listening to this on headphones is enough to inflict psychotic reaction. It is NOT music to do housework to. Unless that housework involves demolition.

Having said that, I also believe that MMM was recorded for 1 specific reason. Lou was trying to "clear the air" of all the quote, unquote "sally can't dance, your rock 'n'roll animal". Which I think means all the fans of those records and others like them. He was casting those fans aside much the same way that Little Richard threw his jewels in the river or Brian Wilson stopped recording and writing music at the height of his popularity. All probably felt a certain amount of pressure, both from record companies as well as the fans to keep churning out the same product over and over with new and different wrapping.
Many times that gets to be the disillusionment of rock stars. The need to sell "product" as opposed to creating music that means something and has relevance to themselves and their fans. The rock music world rises, falls and changes much too quickly for most stars to retain their shine and fans become impatient for their favorite star to produce the next music masterpiece that resembles and continues the original greatness that they achieved early in their career.

Most groups or even solo artists don't make it past 2 or 3 records because the fanbase moves on to newer, shinier versions. So what Lou did was to circumvent the eventual fanbase collapse and took an axe to his own career by releasing quite possibly the most unlistenable record ever produced. And just to make sure the destruction was complete he recorded 4 sides of it and put a cover on that made it seem like this might be a live recording to entice those leftover Rock'n'roll Animal fans. Lou knew that the shine on his star was quickly becoming faded and felt he still had much more creativity to sell, so he destroyed himself publicly, and then quickly re-invented himself with a new record label and new, self-controlled image. At the same time he was recording and releasing MMM he was planning a major career move to take control of the production and release of his music, instead of leaving it to the whims of the record company and the producers that were assigned to him, as happened early in his career.
I, for one, preferred Lou Reed music with a capable producer such as Bob Ezrin or David Bowie that knew what Lou Reed music should sound like, better than Lou knew himself. But alas, Lou thought he knew better so we have a dozen or so records of Lou's music post-MMM that sounds and feels like someone that can write great songs but doesn't necessarily comprehend how they should sound.

Be that as it may, I would recommend this record only to those brave souls who enjoy the sound of the death and subsequent re-birth of a rock star. It is most assuredly not a pretty sound, and more than likely harkens to Lou Reed's personal recollections of horrors of eletro-shock thereapy which he, himself endured as a young man at the insistence of his parents, mixed in with drug abuse, alcoholism and all the "friends" and nightmares he formed throughout his life at that time.

Clearing the air sometimes requires total annihilation and Lou Reed certainly achieved that with this record. You have now been forewarned. Proceed at your own risk, because there's a wasteland here with no happy ending.

"Metal Machine Music" is probably Lou Reed's most talked-about and legendary album. It's legendary because of the story behind it. This is Lou Reed giving his musical middle finger to his record label, his management and the entire music business in general. It's absolutely hilarious, annoying and entertaining all at the same time.
The album consists of nothing but endless drones and shreiks of guitar feedback piled on top of each other. AND it goes on for 64-minutes straight. The music doesn't get any quieter or louder as it goes on. It slams you in the face right at the beginning and stays there for its entire duration. Believe it or not, this album can serve as some excellent background music when played at a lower volume. When played at a higher volume, it's an excellent tool for getting that certain person you can't stand to leave the room instantly. It also serves as THE perfect substitute for alcohol and drugs when you're depressed. I know this from experience. I played my original LP of "Metal Machine Music" daily in the months that followed my Mom's passing. Trust me, it works!!
The newly remastered version of this album includes the original artwork and liner notes plus an excellent historical essay which gives the full details on how this album came to be. Even if you don't like the music, it's worth buying for the essay.
"Metal Machine Music" has also gained noteriety for being possibly the first 'industrial music' album. Many artists in the industrial and harder-techno field have cited this album as an influence. Like it or not, "Metal Machine Music" was ahead of its time and despite the effort behind it, has turned into a major work-of-art.

Is this some kind of acid test for sanity? If so, maybe I'm losing it because I like it. I like it like I like the dull ache of my menstrual cramps, the beginning stages of caffeine withdrawal pangs, and the desperate feeling I get when three people are talking to me all at once, one of whom has a high-pitched child's voice. Maybe I am not really going insane, as I have not dared to listen to it any louder than low volume on my computer, out of fear of what the neighbors will think. But even at low levels, I have had the feeling at times that the neighbors are banging on the wall, only to turn it down even more and discover that I have imagined it, that even THAT sensation is derived from the music. And music it is, despite what somebody who bought it from the cut-out bin at Grand Auto might say, feeling duped by the riveted title. Perfect fourths are music's equivalent of a four-squared canvas for modern art, and they abound in this composition (the layman might hear it as "Parisian Ambulance Noises".) Never mind that the subject matter often seems to sound like wilted Dali-esque modems or small animals making Mandelbrot Set-like noises. No wonder the cat likes it!! It sounds like not-so-fit-for-survival dinner! Plus, it makes me laugh when it abruptly cuts off after each "track", kind of like when a cat decides he must quit the room. It's the ultimate mood music for Hello Kitty and Felix the Cat.

(Music: 1 star. Historical Value: 5 stars)

Imagine a rock star/group issuing a totaly unlistenable album at the height of his/her/its commercial peak. It's unthinkable and has never been done EVER, except by Lou Reed. After scoring big with the "Transformer" (1972), "Berlin" (1973) and "Sally Can't Dance" (1974) albums, Reed came back with the (then double-vinyl) album "Metal Machine Music (An Electronic Instrumental Composition)", a 64 min. oddisey of guitar-whaling, feedback cacophony. It dropped jaws in the music biz then,,, and now. Reed himself said that "Anyone getting to Side 4 is dumber than me".

No, I don't play this album often. And when I do, it's for a 5 min. or so, just making me shake my head... what was Lou Reed thinking? Reed has been very silent over the years about the reasons for doing it. What we are left with is this reissue, which comes with nice liner notes. Not a must in anyone's CD collection, except to own a little piece of rock's history.

The story I know behind this album was that Lou Reed had to put out an album for contractual reasons, but he didn't want to, so he recorded about an hour of guitar feedback, packaged it, and sold it to the masses. In doing this, he created one of the greatest debates in modern "experimental" music history. Is this music? art? great? awful? and is it supposed to be taken seriously??
There is never going to be a final answer to these questions. It is truly left to the eye of the beholder. There is nothing melodic about MMM, it is simply guitar feedback going between speakers, in, out and around the preamps and speakers. So those who maintain it is not music, and thereby, crap, are perfectly correct. Conversely, those who see it for its artistic attitude will delight in it's blatant "F&%k You" to the music industry and its fans. Additionally, those looking for some good noise to ingest chemicals with or just to hang out and have some sound in the background, this will be perfect for some, and painfully inadequate for others.
The fact is, this is about as controversial as music gets. There are no right or wrong answers, and both sides have their equal merits - which is why this album is important. Buy it if you're curious, or if you have heard a 30 second sample and think that an hour of it can be useful. Most importantly, be open-minded, and debate MMM with your music-snob friends. That is why this album was made, and that is why it is still around.

I thought I would put up my thoughts on this mid-70's experimental recording. This is Metal Machine Music- the noisy feedback album of the Velvet Underground's famous front man Lou Reed. This album has become so notorious through word of mouth now that people tend to seek it out out of curiosity. Everybody wants to hear it at least once. And everybody should. Do we really know why it was released? Well, no, not really. Lou's not the first artist to release a noise album and he certainly won't be the last. My only gripe about this recording is that he should have pushed it a little further. I realize he probably had some sort of objective with this album and that it wasn't ever meant to be good. But had he taken it a step or two further, such as recording some spoken word over it, or a strange vocal line or two, it would have sparkled with in a brighter dimension. Nobody that I know has actually played this thing from start to finish, and the reason for that is it doesn't change. It's just pure loud jarring feedback and nothing more. Those who do listen to it and analyze it say that there is stuff going on deep inside the wall of feedback. I agree, this isn't a 68 minute tape loop repeating infinitely. The sound shifts, noises and oddities can be heard thick inside the barrier of tones. However, there is not enough going on to really justify pulling this album out once a month and playing it from start to finish. I wish it had something more going on so that I COULD pull it out once a month. But it's not for me to say how Lou SHOULD have recorded this album. He did it the way he wanted to and it's available quite easily for all the world to hear. Will you enjoy this album? Well, as many have said before, it's not music. It's not songs. It has no lyrics. No chord changes. No tempos. No various instruments. It's a full-on wall of noise. Two albums worth. It's a curio. It's spit in the face. It's a statement. Would you be better off going out and spending your hard earned money on two Clash CD's instead? Yes. But if you're a fan of avant garde, and you admit to owning (and maybe even spending big bucks on) strange little odd LP's like John and Yoko's Life With The Lions, then this is the album for you. If you're a fan of avant garde that actually tries to make some kind of sense, you might want to skip this one and seek out an odd Thurston Moore release. In the old days of records there used to be something called the cut-out bin where you could find albums like this lurking for around the price of a pack of bubble gum. Nowadays you have to do a little research on an album to find out if it truly is "the one for me." The reviews posted here so far are great for helping out the cautious buyer. He or she is provided with enough information and reviews to make the decision whether or not to slap down the cash for this baby. I'm glad I bought it. I've enjoyed it, though I've probably never played more than five minutes of it at a time. But I've had fun playing around with it, comparing the four "songs," looking for little clues that may one day be used in some good coctail party conversation. This is the type of album that generates talk at a coctail party. Nobody's going to sit around for an hour discussing a 1976 Boston album, but start talking about Metal Machine Music and there's no telling where the conversation will lead. Everybody has a different point of view, a different angle to this monster. Just don't end up being the one that says "never heard of that one." You wouldn't want to be left out, now would you?!?

In a way, Lou Reed is the only type of person that could've made an album like Metal Machine Music: He's got a sick sense of humor, a strong masochistic streak (not to mention a strong sadistic streak), and a back catalogue beguiling and eclectic enough to make people think he might actually approach a project like this seriously. The project: it's an album (in the old days, a double LP) of nothing but guitar feedback. That's it- no lyrics, no melodies, no instrumentation, no funky old skool beats, nothing. Which begs the question, is this serious artistic statement, or the ultimate practical joke? Different theories have popped up about the meaning behind MMM, as I'm sure they will until time ends (or everybody forgets that this album exists). I, for one, think it's a joke, intended to be a gigantic "f*** you" by Lou to his label, his audience, his critics, and his imitators. And it's a hilarious one at that, made even funnier by Reed's poker faced delivery. It takes a lot of guts (and a well-developed sense of misanthropy) to pull off something like this, and Reed does it admirably.

Okay, so that's all fine and good, but does that mean you should actually pay money for the damn thing? Well, here's the deal: MMM can actually be a surprisingly good listen at times. There's a certain appeal to hearing those guitars' stratospheric howl. At times, it can make for a cathartic listen, and even when it overstays its welcome, it's good background music. No, this isn't a work of genius, but we should al be thankful that it exists.

This album is Lou's answer to La Monte Young's brilliant 1960 work, "Poem for Tables, Chairs and Benches, etc.". The irony of "Metal Machine Music" is that any four minutes of the album is (enjoyably) more listenable than 90% of current Top 40 radio dreck. It is truly a rare occurrence when modern mainstream music possesses an element that is both affecting and artistic.

Industrial cacophony and unrelenting, yet impossibly beautiful, feedback is not everyone's cup of tea; therefore, it's understandable that "Metal Machine Music" is one of the most misunderstood records of the past 30 years.

Without "Metal Machine Music", there would be no Sonic Youth, no Nirvana. Sonic Youth's "Sister" LP is clearly influenced by "Metal Machine Music".

If you find "Metal Machine Music" pleasurable and wish to pursue similar avenues of profoundly attractive white noise, most releases by Skullflower and Total (especially their albums on the Seattle-based label Majora) are uniquely gorgeous.

Take an electric guitar or two, plug them into amps, turn it all on, and leave the room for an hour...with the tape rolling and recording the feedback. Apparently, Lou even left the building for some coffee during this time! This, according to Diana Clapton, is how MMM was 'created' (her book is Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground). In other words, Lou doesn't even play on it. So, for those raving about this album, you may want to ask yourselves how much you're reading into it (comparisons to Tangerine Dream -- gimme a break!). Lou was hardly trying to be avant garde or experimental...trying to get out of a contract is more like it.

MMM may be an album, but there ain't any music on it. There ain't no Lou on it. And there sure ain't no grand design behind it. It's a slab of white noise conceived to antagonize, alienate, and snub the record company, who pulled hundreds of copies off the shelves as soon as it was released. And it's not as if the vinyl was defective -- that's how embarrassing it was/is.

On THAT level, great album, brilliant move, one-of-a-kind act of bravery and commitment to principles (or a 'particular' state of mind). Think about it: a DOUBLE album (pricey), undiluted feedback, no songs, no playing, no band, no artist, no rehearsal, no nuffin. Lou is giving them 100% trash to sell and they fell for it. The affrontery of it. It's a wonder he's is still around to tell the tale (one of his many versions, anyway).

But while MMM gives the record company the finger, the sounds on it cannot, should not be mistaken for anything closely resembling an artistic project...when it was designed by Lou to be the exact opposite: A stink bomb.

(And the Stockhousen, etc. comparisons from some other reviewers are not lost on me.)

So, the question is, what do you give it? One star or five?

I'll give it one, since there's no reason for a re-release (remastered too, are they crazy?), when the story behind it is far, FAR more entertaining.

(By the way, I'm one of the suckers who was quick enough to buy a vinyl copy before they disappeared. Wish I had waited!)