Fifty years ago this month, Lou Reed almost destroyed his own career with a double album. Metal Machine Music Sold for 100,000 copies in the three weeks of summer 1975 between its release and its suppression of the market. More than some of the many buyers who quickly returned it would have waited for something like Sally cannot danceReed's solo album from the previous year, whose smooth songs were easier than anything he had recorded with the velvet basement. What they heard when they put the new album on their turntables (or inserted the quadrophonic band at 8 tracks in their bridges) was “nothing, absolutely nothing other than a feedback noise that screams recorded at different frequencies, played against various other layers of noise, divided into the middle of two channels totally separated from crises and completely inhuman whistles.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Powbadcf3U
This description comes from voluble Creem Rock critic and admitted the enthusiast of decadence Lester Bangs, who was also one of the Metal Machine Musicare the most fervent defenders. At one point, he declared it “the biggest record ever made in the history of the human tympanum”. (“Number two: Kiss! »)
A large part of what we know about the intentions behind this confusing album comes from the writings of Bangs, including those who claim to transcribe conversations with Reed himself, who had been one of the most practical verbal combat partners of the criticism. Inspiration, as Reed explained, came from listening to composers Iannis Xenakis and Monte Young, which dared to go beyond the limits of what most listeners would consider music. Reed also insisted that he had deliberately inserted pieces of Mozart, Beethoven and other classic masters in his sound maelstrom, although Bangs clearly did not buy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdulcjwpqly
“”Metal Machine Music It doesn't seem so bizarre now, right? request an interviewer on Night flight About a decade after the album released. “No, that's not, isn't it?” Said Reed. “In the light of Eno and everything that has come out now, it's not as crazy and crazy as he said.” Indeed, it almost seems of a piece with an influential work of ambient music like Brian Eno's Music for airportsAlthough this album had to calm its listeners rather than drive them from the play. During the half-century since his release, Metal Machine Music has accumulated enough appreciation to be paid tribute as the Live performances of the German group Zeitkratzer It continued long after Reed's death. The inheritance of its “electronic instrumental composition”, as He said after one of these concerts in 2007Also includes a homonymous clause in recording contracts stipulating that “the artist must transform a disc that sounds like the artist that the record company has signed – not coming with Metal Machine Music. “”
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Based in Seoul, Colin MArshall Written and broadcastTS on cities, language and culture. His projects include the substack newsletter Books on cities And the book The stateless city: a walk through Los Angeles from the 21st century. Follow it on the social network formerly known as Twitter in @ColinmArshall.
At Learnopoly, Finn has championed a mission to deliver unbiased, in-depth reviews of online courses that empower learners to make well-informed decisions. With over a decade of experience in financial services, he has honed his expertise in strategic partnerships and business development, cultivating both a sharp analytical perspective and a collaborative spirit. A lifelong learner, Finn’s commitment to creating a trusted guide for online education was ignited by a frustrating encounter with biased course reviews.