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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The impossible achieved, September 14, 2007
I am one of those who thought this would not be possible but was really intrigued by the very idea. I had been googling Zeitkratzer since 2002 when I first heard about this event and have now seen the concert via the DVD with this CD. It is truly astonishing. I was one of the few people that bought, and kept(!) MMM when it came out in 1975. The record shop tried to stop me buying it and very reluctantly sold it to me saying that I could bring it back for a refund any time. But I never did and still think it is a truly amazing 'event' in the world of music. Yes, MUSIC! Zeitkratzer's orchestrated version really does bring out aspects of the 'sonorities' available in the original in unique and focussed ways. Thus, melodies are emphasised in particular places for example which in the original may appear less strident. On the other hand it is less 'edgy' in tonality than the original. We perhaps should remember that in 1975 the electric guitar, as an instrument, was only around 30 years old. Lou Reed has always worked with the novel tonality of the electric guitar and its amplification - in this regard he is its absolute master - what he did in 1975 was produce a tonal 'umwelt' which he felt was the lifeblood of the form of expression he has always been developing. I say umwelt because I understand he wanted to produce the record in quadraphonic sound. MMM was never a surprise to me as so many Lou Reed and Velvets bootlegs have extended explorations of drone, feedback etc. If you get the chance to hear Metal Machine Sound (a bootleg first available in the 1980s) you'll know what I mean.
This is not 'pop' music and should not be compared to it. Nor is it the Duchamp of the music world, though there are points of comparison - maybe it's closer to Pollock in that sense. I see MMM like Jackson Pollock saw paint: what does paint do and how does it express.
So, if you accept that the electric guitar is an instrument whose tonality is worth exploring then Lou Reed is your man and MMM is the sound; and Zeitkratzer is its contemporary revelation and commentary.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Proof positive... Metal Machine Music is serious art, October 14, 2007
Without a doubt, Metal Machine Music is probably the most difficult music to transcribe to conventional instruments. Yet, it has been done. Equally amazing is the fact that someone even thought to do it.
I am assuming that most people reading this are already familiar with the original Metal Machine Music. What is truly profound about this new recording is that once the music commences, it is immediately recognizable... not an interpreted version, but an exact cover. If you are very familiar with the original, you'll be able to "anticipate" what you will hear next as it was that perfectly transcribed. Those familiar with the original LP version will also delight in the fact that the locked loop on Side 4 was also reproduced for this recording.
Overall, I cannot imagine how difficult this must have been, for both the transcription to musical notes, and subsequently, for the musicians to play it.
Certainly, comparisons between this recording and the original come to mind, and quite honestly, it is difficult to pick a "desert island selection" from the two. Familiarity with the original feedback version will always be remembered as a valid work of art. However, the fullness of this new release, with the large number of musicians involved, makes this version indispensable as well.
The cherry on top of this latest version is Lou Reed's solo guitar contribution at the end of Part 3. Obviously, as the original author of MMM, he knew exactly how to play along and enhance this recording even further.
The bonus DVD also adds quite a lot to one's understanding of this masterpiece. Therein lies the same performance as is on the CD, only you can actually see the music being made. This makes the whole affair even more amazing when you witness what strings, horns, percussion and even an accordion can do to reproduce Metal Machine Music in its full glory.
The bonus material also features an extended interview with Mr. Reed recorded just previous to the performance. Therein, he debunks the myth that this album was released as a joke or to get out of a record contract. Indeed, he meant the original to be a serious piece of music (which it is).
I know there are nay-sayers out there who feel the need to bash everything Lou Reed has done and will further claim that the interview portion is a narcissist lie. I doubt it, but whether true or not, the music speaks for itself. While I would not recommend this new release to new-comers to Lou Reed's music, no more than I would recommend the original, for those who are familiar with Metal Machine Music, this is a very important work that belongs on your CD rack.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It'll still make your ears bleed...., February 9, 2008
I bought this recently, having been a Lou devotee since way back. First, you either love him or you hate him. Don't buy this if you are indifferent to his career. Fans have a fun time listing what's vital or not vital in his 40+ year career. Blah blah. I pretty much like them all. You know why? Lou Reed just experiments/performs on his gut and a desired sound. Same modus operandi since the Velvets. The Last Bastion of Integrity, in my book. He changes more than Bowie and Neil Young combined. Sometimes he falls flat on his face and sometimes he remains so far ahead of you it takes two decades to see the rest catch up.
I won't get into the history of Metal Machine Music. Google it and we can save paragraphs. "Accessible" is subjective. If you love feedback and drone, MMM is like Lou's sixth or seventh adventure in it, not his first as everybody claims (and come on, fans, is Hudson River that different from MMM?)...it's just done on a huge, grand, mind-numbing scale.
I take it seriously, but can only dust it off twice a year.
So when this German chamber orchestra, Zeitkratzer, performed it live in 2002, and had the audacity to invite Lou to solo guitar in the last 5 minutes--it couldn't be missed by me. All I can say is with "orchestra" instruments, they did a bang up job duplicating the frenzy of MMM. Of course, it does not have that metal grind of MMM since there are no guitars or actual feedback (til the old man shows up in the end). I am blown away, on the DVD, by the commitment of the musicians. Truly a labor of love and extremely riveting to watch.
For the timid, this can be watched in one sitting. I can rarely do this for Reed's original MMM, listening to it all, because it's dense and powerful. But I love it.
But now the truth: I only bought this to see Lou create guitar noise. Was it worth $23 just to fast forward to the last 5 minutes over and over? YES.
No musician can rehearse what Lou did on a guitar that night. Hell, no musician could duplicate it. An over-the-top "gut" solo apart from the orchestra, then with it. Astounding.
That people will still see this 65-year old strangle a guitar and produce these atonal vicious grinding noises and be REVOLTED will always make me a Lou fan. As I said in the beginning: a matter of musical tastes. Lou was punk long before punk and he is still punk long after it's death...I know he hates that moniker, but how else do you describe someone that always marched to their own crazy star and never backed off one centimeter in an attempt to express it?
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