Metal Music Machine

LOU REED – 50th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Of Controversial Double LP ‘METAL MUSIC MACHINE’ Out Tomorrow On Record Store Day

Posted on by JL

11 April 2025

Next July, 50 years ago, late musical genius LOU REED (1942-2013) released his 5th LP,
named METAL MACHINE MUSIC. One of the most controversial albums ever, a double one, because of its 64 minutes of almost unlistenable, distorted noise. A torture for you ears (tried again just now, but gave up after 7 minutes).


Original cover

It was clear that Reed was tired of his own commercial work and image at the time
and wanted to shock the record label with an unsaleable longplayer. Why RCA
released it anyway, was never clear.

It was recorded on a three-speed Uher machine and featured no songs or recognizably structured compositions, eschewing melody and rhythm for modulated feedback and noise music guitar effects, mixed at varying speeds by Reed.

It ruined Reed‘s reputation (temporary) and the record was panned by critics.
Yet, in 2008, Reed went on a tour playing a free improvisation of MMM and in
2011, a remastered version came out. That’s what sometimes happens with
heavily critiqued albums hated on release, but appreciated as a bold
accomplishment many years later.

A special remastered vinyl edition is being launched
tomorrow, as part of Record Store Day, edition 2025. More
info on RSD‘s website right here.

Original album
Listen at your own risk.


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ROLLING STONE MAG Names Horrible Albums By 50 Great Artists (Turn Up The Volume Names 5)

Posted on by JL

America’s legendary music magazine ROLLING STONE revealed their list of
50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Brilliant Artists featuring artists/bands
such as The Clash, Kiss, Kanye West, R.E.M., Metallica and Neil Young.

FULL LIST HERE.

It inspired Turn Up the Volume to come up,
just from the top of the head with 5 awful ones.

Here we go.

1. ‘Human After All’ by DAFT PUNK (2005)

I never was a DP fan. Their cheap 80s disco retro resonance, their
stupidly distorted voices, no thank you. And this one was their worst.

Stream/don’t stream

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2. The Great Rock And Roll Swindle by SEX PISTOLS

The Sex Pistols only made one album ‘Never Mind the Bollocks‘. Still the best punk rock LP
in my book. But this money-grabbing collection presented as the soundtrack to an awful (never-finished) movie was the late manager Malcolm Mclaren‘s pure cash-in act. Of course, anybody knew it, he in the first place (thumbs up for the title), but talking about flogging a dead horse.

Stream/don’t stream

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3. ‘Metal Music Machine’ by LOU REED (1975)

No surprise but I like the idea: a big-fuck-you music industry record. I like the artwork.
I like Lou Reed a lot (actually one of my all-time fav artists) and I actually like the guts
of the person who gave his fiat to release this horrible noise LP.

Stream/don’t stream

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4. The Car by ARCTIC MONKEYS (2022)

AM (read Alex Turner) evolved from inventive indie pop-punk revelation
to a lousy version of crooner bands like The National and the Bad Seeds.
A reeaallyy boring album.

5. The Weirdness by THE STOOGES (2007)

Why bad? It was such a disappointment (after having high expectations) when
I first heard it. It was a quick and cheap way to promote the reunion of one of the best
proto-punk bands ever. Take the money and run. As much as I love Iggy Pop, this was a (rare) low (mind you, still better than everything Blink-1982 and similar fake punk bands ever produced).

Stream/don’t stream

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