Reviewing Lou Reed’s Controversial Album “Metal Machine Music”

Fifty years ago, Lou Reed released an album that nearly ruined his career: Metal Machine Music. In the three weeks after its launch in the summer of 1975, the album sold 100,000 copies before being pulled off the market. Fans who were expecting something similar to Reed’s previous work with the Velvet Underground or his solo album Sally Can’t Dance were in for a shock. Instead of catchy tunes, Metal Machine Music offered “nothing, absolute nothing but screaming feedback noise recorded at various frequencies, played back against various other noise layers, split into two separate channels of inhuman shrieks and hisses.”

This avant-garde approach confused many listeners, but some like acclaimed rock critic Lester Bangs found merit in Reed’s experimental piece. Bangs went as far as to call Metal Machine Music “the greatest record ever made in the history of the human eardrum.” Reed, inspired by composers like Iannis Xenakis and La Monte Young, pushed the boundaries of conventional music with this album. He claimed to have included snippets of classical masters like Mozart and Beethoven within the cacophony, a claim that not everyone believed.

Over time, Metal Machine Music has garnered recognition for its bold experimentation. Reed’s sonic composition, though initially reviled for its abrasive nature, has found appreciation in the context of later experimental music like Brian Eno’s Music for Airports. Despite its initial reception, the album has been performed live by groups like German ensemble Zeitkratzer, solidifying its place in the annals of avant-garde music.

Reflecting on Metal Machine Music years later, Reed acknowledged that the album’s once-shocking sounds had become less jarring in light of evolving music trends. The legacy of this controversial work even extends to its influence on recording contracts, which now often include clauses requiring artists to deliver work consistent with their established style rather than submit something as radical as Metal Machine Music.

Lou Reed’s daring experimentation with Metal Machine Music serves as a testament to his artistic boldness and willingness to challenge traditional musical norms. Despite its divisive reception upon release, the album has secured its place in music history as a groundbreaking and provocative work that continues to provoke discussion and intrigue fifty years later.