When Metallica released Lulu, their 2011 collaboration with Lou Reed, it sparked a wave of negative reactions from critics. The album, a double album inspired by Reed’s adaptations of Frank Wedekind’s plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box, was widely criticized. The Quietus called it “a candidate for one of the worst albums ever made,” while Kerrang! slammed it as a “catastrophic failure on almost every level.” However, some, like Classic Rock’s Mick Wall, saw it differently, calling it “an absolutely shattering combination” of Metallica’s metal with Reed’s avant-garde style.
Despite the harsh reviews, Metallica members have no regrets. James Hetfield, in a 2015 interview, proudly stated, “Lulu wasn’t accepted as much as we accepted it. I’m really proud that we did it. It was fun, it was an adventure.” Lars Ulrich, in 2023, defended the album, calling it “sounds like a motherfucker” and attributing the negative reactions to “ignorance.”
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, guitarist Kirk Hammett shared his own fond memories of working on the album, saying, “That album means so much to me for a number of reasons.” He praised Reed’s lyrics as “poetry from track to track” and expressed deep admiration for the opportunity to work with the legendary musician.
Hammett recalled some of Reed’s very specific musical preferences during their sessions in 2011. “I remember I started doing some wah-wah stuff and he just went up to the mic and said, ‘No.’” Hammett explained. “He goes, ‘No guitar solos.’ I’m like, OK. And then I remember at one point I went to a Phrygian dominant, you know, it’s kind of Eastern sounding scale. And he went up to the mic and said, ‘No belly dancing music.’”
Hammett also shared an emotional moment from the recording of Junior Dad, a track that left him and Hetfield in tears. “I can’t listen to it, man,” Hammett admitted. “Brings me to tears. I remember when Lou said, ‘I have a song for you and I want this to be on the album.’ And he played it for James and I. And by the end of the song, I looked at James, and James looked at me and we both had tears in our eyes.” When Reed entered and saw them crying, he smiled and said, “I got you, didn’t I?”
Reed, upon the release of Lulu, declared it “the best thing I ever did,” and praised Metallica as “the hardest power rock you could come up with.” He added, “By definition, everybody involved was honest. This has come into the world pure.”
Though Lulu received mixed reactions, it made it to number 36 on both the UK and US album charts. By 2014, it had sold around 33,000 copies in the United States, with worldwide sales now reaching approximately 300,000.
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