Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music

I know, I know, how could anyone truly enjoy this? A lot of people are going to say that without ever listening to it, but most of them are correct anyways. To my friends and family though, I am seen as insane for enjoying this blast of utter chaos, and that's the best way to describe Metal Machine Music. That said, I truly do love this album, and that's a capital LOVE in bold lettering! There is simply nothing like Metal Machine Music, painful yet beautiful, I can use it to force myself awake yet it can also lull me to sleep. There aren't any words or melodies, but there are plenty of sounds and things to grasp throughout. I can't help but imagine this is what contact with an alien race might sound like. Lights and sounds not in our spectrum, terrifying yet, if you move past the horror, fascinating if not beautiful.

Metal Machine Music is understandably viewed by many as a joke. There is art there, but the joke part is understandable. Think about it, Lou Reed records a new album that his label is contractually required to release and it's nothing but noise. No vocals, no songs, nothing resembling form, just waves of feedback caused primarily by Lou placing guitars against extremely loud amplifiers and letting the feedback vibrate the strings, essentially allowing the amps to play the guitars. It almost destroyed Lou's career, and if he hadn't released Coney Island Baby as the follow-up it may have succeeded.

I'm posting this because most people haven't heard it and, if you're interested in it, you really shouldn't have to pay up front to possibly be tortured. That said, if you find yourself in love with the chaos, you should really purchase a copy. I love Lou's bizarre liner notes and packaging, which includes a completely fabricated list of equipment used to create the album. As I understand it, the list was meant to be a parody of "serious-musicians" and their want to share every bit of detail possible about the recording process.

Give this a whirl, but keep in mind it's not for everyone. It's not necessarily meant to be listened to in one full sitting. Hell, few people have even bothered to do that. I can attest that I haven't and probably couldn't, but that's not a bad thing, and it isn't that type of album. Things about it will stick in your mind. I went so far as to write a song around the locked groove at the end of Part IV, which is replicated at the end of the 2000 CD reissue which is the source of this upload. Experiment with this and you'll find yourself, at the least, intrigued. You can play the left or right channels alone, giving you, along with the stereo presentation three different ways of listening. You can also play it backwards. Play it soft, play it loud, just play it and make up your own mind. The majority may be right about Metal Machine Music, for the most part at least, but that doesn't mean it's bad, just that it's different. It really IS different!


Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music
UPDATE: Lou has just reissued Metal Machine Music via his website on vinyl, DVD and Blu-Ray. Because of that, I'm removing the album from download. If you enjoy it, please check out his website and the packages available for purchase. I got the vinyl/DVD combo which features the album's original quad mix on the DVD.