The stories you've probably already heard about this album are true: it is indeed an hour's worth of pure feedback. Which is not to say it's monotonous - there are plenty of twists and turns in the noise, however accidental they may be - but it's not for everybody. I, for one, don't buy into the idea that it's any kind of grand artistic statement; and no, there aren't really any classical-style trills amidst the noise. I believe Lou Reed himself has admitted at some point that there aren't.

What, then, does this innovative and bizarre recording have to recommend it? Believe it or not, it does hold one's attention surprisingly well as the sound effects from Reed's two guitars bounce off one another, rise and fall, and produce the occasional and accidental rhythm. The sheer grating quality of the "music" is also surprisingly cleansing, and even useful as background noise for concentrating on reading in a distracting situation. (This was pointed out to me by my girlfriend, who likes studying along to the disc.) The finale also is unexpectedly climactic, building up an hour's worth of tension in a rhythmic series of pops until as suddenly as it started, it's over. (This is accidental, as Reed's original idea for the end of the vinyl LP was quite different, as is explained in the CD's fascinating liner notes. But it's a worthy part of the recording all the same)

Undeniably, there is an emperor's-new-clothes aspect to this album, and I admit to being as mystified as anyone as to why Reed risked his career for it. But if you have any interest in the avant-garde of rock and roll or you just like topsy-turvy noise, this is the right album.

I've listened to parts of this record a number of times and have always felt something different each time. However I believe like most "art", it was meant to affect different people in different ways. And it might never affect you the same way twice. Think Nine Inch Nails meets John Cage meets MC5 meets LaMont Young. And I don't mean just bits of those artists separately and the influences thereof, but rather all of them playing simultaneously at extreme ear shattering volume. The affect of listening to this on headphones is enough to inflict psychotic reaction. It is NOT music to do housework to. Unless that housework involves demolition.

Having said that, I also believe that MMM was recorded for 1 specific reason. Lou was trying to "clear the air" of all the quote, unquote "sally can't dance, your rock 'n'roll animal". Which I think means all the fans of those records and others like them. He was casting those fans aside much the same way that Little Richard threw his jewels in the river or Brian Wilson stopped recording and writing music at the height of his popularity. All probably felt a certain amount of pressure, both from record companies as well as the fans to keep churning out the same product over and over with new and different wrapping.
Many times that gets to be the disillusionment of rock stars. The need to sell "product" as opposed to creating music that means something and has relevance to themselves and their fans. The rock music world rises, falls and changes much too quickly for most stars to retain their shine and fans become impatient for their favorite star to produce the next music masterpiece that resembles and continues the original greatness that they achieved early in their career.

Most groups or even solo artists don't make it past 2 or 3 records because the fanbase moves on to newer, shinier versions. So what Lou did was to circumvent the eventual fanbase collapse and took an axe to his own career by releasing quite possibly the most unlistenable record ever produced. And just to make sure the destruction was complete he recorded 4 sides of it and put a cover on that made it seem like this might be a live recording to entice those leftover Rock'n'roll Animal fans. Lou knew that the shine on his star was quickly becoming faded and felt he still had much more creativity to sell, so he destroyed himself publicly, and then quickly re-invented himself with a new record label and new, self-controlled image. At the same time he was recording and releasing MMM he was planning a major career move to take control of the production and release of his music, instead of leaving it to the whims of the record company and the producers that were assigned to him, as happened early in his career.
I, for one, preferred Lou Reed music with a capable producer such as Bob Ezrin or David Bowie that knew what Lou Reed music should sound like, better than Lou knew himself. But alas, Lou thought he knew better so we have a dozen or so records of Lou's music post-MMM that sounds and feels like someone that can write great songs but doesn't necessarily comprehend how they should sound.

Be that as it may, I would recommend this record only to those brave souls who enjoy the sound of the death and subsequent re-birth of a rock star. It is most assuredly not a pretty sound, and more than likely harkens to Lou Reed's personal recollections of horrors of eletro-shock thereapy which he, himself endured as a young man at the insistence of his parents, mixed in with drug abuse, alcoholism and all the "friends" and nightmares he formed throughout his life at that time.

Clearing the air sometimes requires total annihilation and Lou Reed certainly achieved that with this record. You have now been forewarned. Proceed at your own risk, because there's a wasteland here with no happy ending.

(Music: 1 star. Historical Value: 5 stars)

Imagine a rock star/group issuing a totaly unlistenable album at the height of his/her/its commercial peak. It's unthinkable and has never been done EVER, except by Lou Reed. After scoring big with the "Transformer" (1972), "Berlin" (1973) and "Sally Can't Dance" (1974) albums, Reed came back with the (then double-vinyl) album "Metal Machine Music (An Electronic Instrumental Composition)", a 64 min. oddisey of guitar-whaling, feedback cacophony. It dropped jaws in the music biz then,,, and now. Reed himself said that "Anyone getting to Side 4 is dumber than me".

No, I don't play this album often. And when I do, it's for a 5 min. or so, just making me shake my head... what was Lou Reed thinking? Reed has been very silent over the years about the reasons for doing it. What we are left with is this reissue, which comes with nice liner notes. Not a must in anyone's CD collection, except to own a little piece of rock's history.

"Metal Machine Music" is probably Lou Reed's most talked-about and legendary album. It's legendary because of the story behind it. This is Lou Reed giving his musical middle finger to his record label, his management and the entire music business in general. It's absolutely hilarious, annoying and entertaining all at the same time.
The album consists of nothing but endless drones and shreiks of guitar feedback piled on top of each other. AND it goes on for 64-minutes straight. The music doesn't get any quieter or louder as it goes on. It slams you in the face right at the beginning and stays there for its entire duration. Believe it or not, this album can serve as some excellent background music when played at a lower volume. When played at a higher volume, it's an excellent tool for getting that certain person you can't stand to leave the room instantly. It also serves as THE perfect substitute for alcohol and drugs when you're depressed. I know this from experience. I played my original LP of "Metal Machine Music" daily in the months that followed my Mom's passing. Trust me, it works!!
The newly remastered version of this album includes the original artwork and liner notes plus an excellent historical essay which gives the full details on how this album came to be. Even if you don't like the music, it's worth buying for the essay.
"Metal Machine Music" has also gained noteriety for being possibly the first 'industrial music' album. Many artists in the industrial and harder-techno field have cited this album as an influence. Like it or not, "Metal Machine Music" was ahead of its time and despite the effort behind it, has turned into a major work-of-art.

The story I know behind this album was that Lou Reed had to put out an album for contractual reasons, but he didn't want to, so he recorded about an hour of guitar feedback, packaged it, and sold it to the masses. In doing this, he created one of the greatest debates in modern "experimental" music history. Is this music? art? great? awful? and is it supposed to be taken seriously??
There is never going to be a final answer to these questions. It is truly left to the eye of the beholder. There is nothing melodic about MMM, it is simply guitar feedback going between speakers, in, out and around the preamps and speakers. So those who maintain it is not music, and thereby, crap, are perfectly correct. Conversely, those who see it for its artistic attitude will delight in it's blatant "F&%k You" to the music industry and its fans. Additionally, those looking for some good noise to ingest chemicals with or just to hang out and have some sound in the background, this will be perfect for some, and painfully inadequate for others.
The fact is, this is about as controversial as music gets. There are no right or wrong answers, and both sides have their equal merits - which is why this album is important. Buy it if you're curious, or if you have heard a 30 second sample and think that an hour of it can be useful. Most importantly, be open-minded, and debate MMM with your music-snob friends. That is why this album was made, and that is why it is still around.