The 70s, a fantastic period for music, even for a great like Reed, coming off two big successes (Transformer and Sally Can't Dance), decides to change the rules. He takes his guitar, connects it to his amplifier, and probably half-baked as always, starts experimenting wildly, creating an album that, summarized briefly, is just noise. Nothing more.
Some consider it a gem, some a joke, others play the connoisseur and love it without even listening to it.
I, without ifs and buts, consider it noise. Experimentation? Yes, perhaps. But for me, this album remains unlistenable.
It represents nothing, it gives me no emotions. Just a sense of annoyance in my head, with all that uninterrupted metallic noise for over an hour...
Conclusion: this album is nothingness! Total nothingness. However, I agree with Reed's hatred of his (so to speak, since he too disowned it) "Sally Can't Dance", an album engineered by his record label (RCA Records), perhaps the reason why Lou told everyone to fuck off with this album, a sort of revenge.
But whatever they say, I find it unlistenable, there's nothing to be done.
Just noise.
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Other reviews
By Enkriko
Once the disc was in the player, here comes the apocalypse: a medley of pure and simple noise.
Reed himself once joked saying: 'Anyone who reaches the second track is an idiot,' therefore I am the idiot who forced myself to reach the third.
By Mr.Moustache
"METAL MACHINE MUSIC is a vortex of induced irrationality, not a glam-naive recording."
It is repetition: time, trapped in itself. The serpent will never stop biting its tail.
By Neu!_Cannas
Four sides of pure noise of feedback blown to the max.
The orchestral interpretation makes it all more anguished, perhaps even more human within possible limits.
By sellami
Every time the needle drops, a shiver runs through me and electrifies the room.
For me, this album represents the most extreme, mature, irrational, sick rock'n'roll.
By R13569920
"Metal Machine Music represents the Rorschach test of modern music: everyone sees what they want to see."
I have the musical embarrassment to declare that I adore this album and listen to it with the same attention I reserve for Berg’s Wozzeck.