Fans of The Velvet Underground have suggested Lou Reed‘s “divisive” final album is a fitting end to his career.
Reed, who died 2013 at the age of 71, had featured on a Metallica album which is still deemed one of the group’s worst efforts. Lulu, which marks the final album release in Reed’s discography, has been discussed by fans and detractors alike as they wonder if it marks a perfect end to a legendary career. A post to the r/VelvetUnderground subreddit saw one user ask: “Why is Lulu so hated? I’ve not always been a very big fan of Metallica, but I love the VU and Lou Reed.
“Because of this, and its bad reputation, I’ve never got around to listening to Lulu. But, I finally listened to it the other day, and I thought it was pretty good. Sure, the lyrics were kind of clunky at times, and it didn’t necessarily blow my mind in the same way as some of Lou’s other works, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience. So what makes Lulu so hated by so many?
READ OUR REVIEW OF METALLICA AND LOU REED’S LULU HERE
Fans are still split on the album, though one user believed the divisive nature of the last album was a “fitting” end to Reed’s career. They wrote: “I always find it fitting that his last album was so divisive.”
Another added: “Imagine you make an arthouse movie, a real fucked up one, say Saló. Now imagine you put it on Disney Channel. What do you think the reaction is gonna be like?” A third wrote: “I love the album. It’s a Lou Reed album. That’s what makes Metalica fans angry. For me, it’s one of the best Lou Reed albums.”
Others found the split between Metallica and Reed fans hilarious, with one writing: “I love the album too, it’s very popular in certain circles, Wire Magazine rated it highly at the time and I always thought it was far more fun than an album by either had been in ages and I enjoyed them both since childhood. Ripe for reappraisal!”
Another added: “Lou’s records take years to reach larger audiences, years or decades. I still think that someday, Lulu will be better appreciated. In a few more decades. Maybe.” A third wrote: “I think you possibly need a sense of the absurd in music to get it too. I remember memes of ‘I Am The Table!’ going around at the time.
“It’s popular with some Fall fans, it’s got a similar feel to later Fall albums in some ways, piledriving rock riffs with a sprechsangy vocal…”
Not everyone was a fan of Lulu, though. One user wrote: “I’m someone who generally enjoys both Lou Reed and Metallica, but I just don’t think they meshed together very well, and I find the album to be flat out unlistenable.”
Another added: “Same here. Now, to be fair, I have only given it one or two listens, so I’m not really qualified to judge it. Give me another decade, and I’ll see if I can’t listen to it a couple times more, maybe I’ll have more to say about it then.”
A third has suggested it is not Reed that is the problem for Lulu, but members of Metallica. One user pointed to Lars Ulrich’s drumming as a letdown for the album. They wrote: “I’m not a huge fan of his style on the album, but that snare sound drives me insane. I recall the drums were mixed as though they were the lead instrument, maybe intentionally.
“I haven’t listened since the day after it came out. I was on tour and had just played an in-store. We noticed it on display and, knowing of its contents, couldn’t resist. The clerk got a good laugh out of us buying it.”
Another suggested that Metallica proved to be more a backing band for Reed than anything else. They wrote: “Lou Reed fans got a Lou Reed album, but Metallica fans didn’t really get a Metallica album. And there are way more Metallica fans than there are Velvet Underground/Lou Reed fans.
“I don’t say this to insult fans of Metallica, because in their position, it’s understandable why they would be frustrated. Lulu is a weird, artsy, experimental noise album, not arena rock you can bang your head to.”
