Stereogum » Lou Reed

Entertainment Weekly‘s 5 Worst Albums Of 2011

tom — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:03:33 +0000

Plenty of magazines are willing to let you know their picks for the year’s best albums. But as far as we know, only one rag regularly runs its list of the worst. Entertainment Weekly‘s year-end issue includes its list of barrel-fish music targets, and we’ve got them all listed out below. You’ll never guess their pick for worst album. (Actually, yes you will, because it’s everyone else’s pick and because you presumably have eyes and have already noticed the graphic above.) We’ve also got their deeply weird list of the 10 best albums.

Lou Reed & Metallica – “The View” Video (Dir. Darren Aronofsky)

Scott — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:10:03 +0000

When Loutallica met with director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Wrestler) in the Bay Area last month, they were supposed to shoot a video for “Iced Honey.” Instead they made a video for single “The View.” Not that it matters if you watch it on mute.

Unboxing The $120 Lulu

tom — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:56:23 +0000

It’s become clear that basically the entire world actively despises the Lou Reed/Metallica clusterfuck Lulu. So obviously we’re all going to want to own a box-set edition of this thing, right? Imagine all the contrarian points we’ll score! As the video below makes clear, this deluxe version of Lulu also includes a lovely poster of that nightmare cover-art mannequin, some photo prints, and a slipcase cover for that piece-of-shit album. A steal at $119.99!

Lou Reed Gets His Own Headphones

tom — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:33:55 +0000

Fine, sure, everybody hated Lulu. But maybe we were just listening to it wrong! As Exclaim! points out, Lou Reed has just released his own line of signature Klipsch earbuds — a steal at $399.99 — and maybe those headphones’ increased fidelity will make the Loutallica album sound like fuckin’ Beethoven. (It would be pretty cool if they were called Beats By Lou, but no, they’re not.)

On the Klipsch website, Reed proclaims himself a devotee of the brand: “I have been a fan of Klipsch for eons. I enjoy the beauty of the unhyped bass — the clarity and depth of detail and extraordinary comfort of the headphones. These are my Klipsch. Serious headphones for the serious listener.” Every pair comes with an actual autograph from Reed himself, and the first 50 copies also come with signed CDs, so that’s something. They’re up for sale here.

Loutallica Play Jools Holland

tom — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:44:16 +0000

On the latest episode of Jools Holland, the legendary bad-idea tandem of Lou Reed and Metallica came through, and the styles clash at the heart of their ill-advised collaboration only deepens when you actually see all these guys onstage together. For one thing, Reeds motionless-mummy performance style couldn’t be a weirder match for Metallica’s stadium-rocking gargoyle faces. For another, Reed seems to be standing as far away from the Metallica dudes as possible onstage. It’s all pretty weird. Together, they played the Lulu single “Iced Honey” — the one that’s going to have the Darren Aronofsky video — and a ridiculous muddy-thunder rendition of the Velvet Underground classic “White Light/White Heat.” It’s not pretty, but you can watch it below.

Darren Aronofsky Directing Lulu Video

tom — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:13:53 +0000

Darren Arnofsky made The Wrestler, so he knows something about old, broken-down pieces of meat. He made Black Swan, so he knows about confusing horrorshows. He made The Fountain, so he knows about ambitious experiments that don’t quite work out. And he made Requiem For A Dream, so he knows about the sorts of bad decisions that come out of excessive drug use. And even with all that in mind, it’s still a bit of a surprise to learn that he’s directing a video for the Lou Reed/Metallica travesty Lulu.

Lou, Lars Survey Lulu Fallout

tom — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:55:08 +0000

The week’s most talked-about album is the one that almost nobody likes: Lulu, the batshit new collaborative album from Lou Reed and Metallica. Of course, both Lou and Metallica are old hands at pissing off their fanbases, so god knows we’ll never get any explicit acknowledgement from these guys that they made a total turd of an LP, let alone an apology. But in a new interview, both Reed and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich at least offer some acknowledgement that a whole lot of people will hate the sludge/spoken word pile-up they’ve just tossed out into the world.

Lou Reed & Metallica Lulu Comment Party

corban — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:18:26 +0000

You’ve heard “The View,” which most of you guys weren’t psyched about, as well as previews of every track. Now Lou Reed & Metallica’s collaborative effort, Lulu, has hit the web. We’re in this together, now.

Preview Lou Reed & Metallica Lulu

Scott — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:39:30 +0000

You guys were not impressed by “The View” when we posted it last month, but now you have more of Lou Reed & Metallica’s collaboration to test drive. Stream thirty seconds from each track on their LP Lulu below.

Win A $600 Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless Speaker Dock

corban — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:31:18 +0000

In celebration of the Lou Reed/Metallica Sounds Session in NYC on 10/24 — which you can win a trip to, by the way — Stereogum is giving away a set of Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air Wireless Speakers. To enter, you need be a fan of Stereogum on Facebook and comment with your favorite Lou Reed or favorite Metallica album using Facebook Connect (do not use your ‘Gum user account on this post — we’ll have to be able to check if you are a fan of Stereogum on FB when the sweepstakes ends). The Sounds Session happens a week before Reed/Metallica collaboration album Lulu, which you’ve heard some of, drops worldwide via Warner Brothers.

The trailer for Lulu: