The guys from Metallica poked fun at their fans a bit today to mark the seventh anniversary of their controversial Lou Reed collaboration album “Lulu.”
[metalwani_content_ad]
The band wrote via social channels:
“Everyone’s favorite album ‘Lulu’ was released #OnThisDay in 2011. Dare we ask what your favorite song on the album is? ;)”
Meanwhile, Metal Hammer published an article titled “In defence of Lulu: why Metallica’s most despised album is misunderstood,” with author Stephen Hill asking the fans: “Are you putting Lulu in the context in which it should be appraised?”.
The piece reads:
“Some of you might want Metallica to sound like [1986’s] ‘Master of Puppets’ again, but, as obvious as it sounds, ‘Master of Puppets’ already exists. You can literally go and put it on right now if you want. If it came out today it would still sound incredible, as those songs are bulletproof in any era.
“Would it shock people in the same way though? Doubtful.
“What should shock people is a double album of avant-garde, part-spoken-word post-metal, conceptually based on the writings of an expressionist German playwright of the early 1900s. For that’s what ‘Lulu’ is.
[metalwani_content_ad]
“The reason so many feel so negatively towards it is because they want it to be something else. Which is ridiculous. It’s like biting into an apple and being angry that it doesn’t taste like a banana.
“You can’t bemoan a band for refusing to leave their comfort zone, and then stamp your feet when they don’t do what you’re used to. Metallica, as per usual, were on a hiding to nothing.
“Of course, with no context, James Hetfield professing to be a table does sound confusing, and yeah, pretty hilarious.
“But just stop, and think for a second: do you understand the album’s narrative? Have you researched Frank Wedekind? Have you read about the themes of his work? Have you actually seen the ‘Lulu’ plays on which this album is based?
“I’m willing to bet that you haven’t. And it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that that information would be incredibly useful when appraising Lulu. It’s a score to a play that you’ve never seen.”