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Did You Buy Metal Machine Music when 1st Released?

onetetonetet 1,754 Posts
edited February 2008 in Strut Central
Anyone on the board old enough to remember when Metal Machine Music was first released? A very young friend just discovered it and was asking me what I know about the record and its initial impact/backlash, etc. I referred him to Lester Bangs' writing on that record and Reed in general, but it would be cool to share any 1st-person reflections from back in the day...

  Comments

  • onetetonetet 1,754 Posts
    p.s. feel free to relay the experiences of "friend"s if you do not want to be outted as among the aged.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    This may get more attention at www.weirdrecordsthatsuck.com
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    I remember when it was released. I was a big Lou Reed fan at the time, and there was a Saturday afternoon show on Radio 1 in the UK which reviewed the week's new records. The DJ (I don't remember who) said, "Now I'm going to play something off Lou Reed's controversial new album", and proceeded to needledrop on side 1. Cue about fifteen seconds of white noise and dissonance. "And here's Side 2..." Same again. "Let's see what Side 3's like..." And again. "Well, how about Side 4..." Surprise, surprise. "OK, I think we get the picture - now here's something by Jackson Browne..."

    That was fairly typical of the reception it got in the UK. My boy's dad was into classical music, and used to listen to the likes of Stravinsky, Varese and Penderecki, so he was down with some fairly demanding shit. I think he described it as "bad musique concrete" or something. The sleeve was dope.



    Lester Bangs was kind of obsessed with it, though - I remember a Creem article he wrote on Art Garfunkel, where he kept asking him what he thought of "Metal Machine Music". Artie didn't have a clue what he was on about.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    I know one person who probably bought it when it came out. I'll ask 'em, though I'm pretty sure they will say they thought it was/is un-listenable.

    I've read that RCA wanted to release it as a "red label" (their classical branch) and market it as a proper avant garde album. Lou apparently wasn't having it, hence probably killing any chance it had of being an even marginally successful album.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts

    I've read that RCA wanted to release it as a "red label" (their classical branch) and market it as a proper avant garde album. Lou apparently wasn't having it, hence probably killing any chance it had of being an even marginally successful album.

    According to Lester Bangs, that is the tale Lou was foisting on people at the time, and about how the head of Red Label RCA was convinced that it was a masterpiece and they had to have it but Lou didn't want it to be marketed to effete snobs,etc etc. Against my better judgement, I actually believe Lester on this one, that it was a contract-breaking move.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    Yeah, coming from Lou Reed and Lester Bangs who knows how true it is... both seem pretty prone to just making things up.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    Yeah, coming from Lou Reed and Lester Bangs who knows how true it is...

    vs.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    there is one moment on the album, for about a minute, the "chirpy" stuff starts to modulate and this very beautiful melody accidently appears..its really cool, but I dont think I could sit through it again to try and find that moment...
  • onetetonetet 1,754 Posts
    thanks for the replies! anyone else?
  • selperfugeselperfuge 1,165 Posts
    does it have breaks?
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    does it have breaks?

    yes, it is like a breakbeat bukkake...nothing but electronics and retarded drum breaks...makes that Marc Moulin joint sound like an 80s Bob James LP...its sick
  • onetetonetet 1,754 Posts
    does it have breaks?

    yes, it is like a breakbeat bukkake...nothing but electronics and retarded drum breaks...makes that Marc Moulin joint sound like an 80s Bob James LP...its sick

    just re-listening... bass part to Can I Kick It? finally ID'd!
  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Anyone on the board old enough to remember when Metal Machine Music was first released? A very young friend just discovered it and was asking me what I know about the record and its initial impact/backlash, etc. I referred him to Lester Bangs' writing on that record and Reed in general, but it would be cool to share any 1st-person reflections from back in the day...

    Guilty...played it once and have never listened to it again.
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