lol
sleeve unsubtly stealing NV's thunder.
― pomenitul, Thursday, 10 December 2020 03:23 (three years ago) link
Lou Reed "Metal Machine Music", the most important music poll ever on ILM
― visiting, Thursday, 10 December 2020 03:25 (three years ago) link
bahahaha I had no idea, I swear
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Thursday, 10 December 2020 03:49 (three years ago) link
I probably even posted on one or both of those threads
btw the answer is 4/D
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Thursday, 10 December 2020 03:51 (three years ago) link
There's quite a bit more of it on the vinyl isn't there. Everything else is 16 minutes and a bit long and that's infinite.like.
― Stevolende, Thursday, 10 December 2020 07:49 (three years ago) link
I had a 80s repress on rca, side 4 did not have the catchgroove
― Mark G, Friday, 11 December 2020 00:09 (three years ago) link
One time I put it on but it sounded wrong. Then I found I had put side three on by mistake. So I put side one on, and that was much better.
― Mark G, Friday, 11 December 2020 00:11 (three years ago) link
And now I see I told the same story on that other thread, 13 years ago. Must be true then...
― Mark G, Friday, 11 December 2020 00:12 (three years ago) link
I once nearly sat through the whole thing in succession but got called for dinner before I could finish . Ho hum.Somehow never got through it again. Not on vinyl anyway.& not sure teh cd was quite the same experience
― Stevolende, Friday, 11 December 2020 00:44 (three years ago) link
I’ve never heard this album. Is it really all just constant static noise, or are there subtle differences between the four songs?
― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 11 December 2020 00:51 (three years ago) link
Is it really all just constant static noise
Yes.
or are there subtle differences between the four songs?
― pomenitul, Friday, 11 December 2020 00:55 (three years ago) link
I’ve listened to it straight and I’ve listened to it high as a kite, and it made no difference to me, and I’m certainly not going to relisten to discern the differences between the sides. Bring on the noise doodz to argue with me.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Friday, 11 December 2020 01:00 (three years ago) link
first time listeningsounds kinda...good?
― it bangs for thee (Simon H.), Friday, 11 December 2020 01:05 (three years ago) link
this album's very good
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 11 December 2020 01:06 (three years ago) link
this record is certainly more melodic than later period Merzbow, IMO, take that as you will
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Friday, 11 December 2020 01:14 (three years ago) link
Maybe you could describe it as "static" in the sense that there isn't much in the way of linear formal development but it is definitely not "static" in the sense of white noise/static interference. He described his process:
Metal Machine Music thus has a claim to be the purest ‘guitar album’ ever made, since no other sound sources were involved at all. “What I did is I had a bunch of 4x12 amplifiers, and I would set them up with various repeat and tremolo units, and then I would tune all the strings to a certain note, and then I would figure out a good distance to have the guitar in proximity to the cabinet, and then it would start feeding back naturally. And then I would have another guitar doing the same thing from another 4x12. And then these harmonics would hit one another, causing a third one. And I would be playing another guitar over those, while I was recording it.“I had a three–speed reel–to–reel. Sometimes while I was recording it I would overload the reverb, or sometimes I would change the speed of the tape.
“I had a three–speed reel–to–reel. Sometimes while I was recording it I would overload the reverb, or sometimes I would change the speed of the tape.
(from https://www.soundonsound.com/people/lou-reed-zeitkratzer)
Because of the tuning, there's a pretty audible tonal centre or drone throughout, for the most part, and the ringing harmonics mean that you get a lot of consonant harmonic intervals.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 02:29 (three years ago) link
Yeah, just listened and the strings must have been tuned to B, I think? A lot of Bs and F#s. I'm listening to the Zeitkrazer version now, which I hadn't heard before, and this sounds amazing!
I actually always found the record pretty-sounding from the first time I ever put it on 20-odd years ago.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 02:40 (three years ago) link
it hits very pleasing tones! i like to fall asleep to it. my cats seem to love this record too lol
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 11 December 2020 02:54 (three years ago) link
it's a good record, i used to doze off to it in college. orchestral version is great too.
― tylerw, Friday, 11 December 2020 02:56 (three years ago) link
Yeah, I mean, a lot of Merzbow is layers of roaring static and digital crunching sounds and the occasional piercing sine wave tone, or something. MMM is layers upon layers of feedback, but it's constantly changing. It shimmers. It's intended to be beautiful, and it is.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, 11 December 2020 02:57 (three years ago) link
I just sang the B and F# to point them out to my wife and now I want to hear a vocal version. If I get drunk enough one day, I may attempt it.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 03:20 (three years ago) link
I'll hold you to it.
― pomenitul, Friday, 11 December 2020 03:26 (three years ago) link
!
― budo jeru, Friday, 11 December 2020 03:37 (three years ago) link
DJP's Metal Machine Music Chorale
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Friday, 11 December 2020 03:39 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjHeXnDiFWw
― pomenitul, Friday, 11 December 2020 03:41 (three years ago) link
There's a 1 minute, 32 seconds long chunk on the anthology/box set Between Thought And Expression but god knows which side it's from. Be interesting to know which one minute and a half from the whole hour-or-so Lou felt best summed it all up!
― piscesx, Friday, 11 December 2020 04:00 (three years ago) link
this record is so beautiful
― budo jeru, Friday, 11 December 2020 04:09 (three years ago) link
Wonder if anybody could just listen to the chunk and pinpoint it exactly on first listen. Or do you need the edges filled in first.
― Stevolende, Friday, 11 December 2020 08:26 (three years ago) link
MMM is layers upon layers of feedback
Is it though? A lot of it sounds like sped up guitar parts, not necessarily feedbacking.
― Tizer Beyoncé (Tom D.), Friday, 11 December 2020 08:38 (three years ago) link
He did say "I would be playing a third guitar over [the two that were feeding back]" so he might have meant that he was actually playing it in the regular way. It doesn't sound like he was doing a lot in terms of harmonies or melodic lines but there are sometimes some little motifs that could have very well been his playing and even sound a bit like his style.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 19:27 (three years ago) link
Be interesting to know which one minute and a half from the whole hour-or-so Lou felt best summed it all up!I always assumed that someone from RCA just picked that snippet, but maybe Lou was involved?
― good karma, my aesthetic (morrisp), Friday, 11 December 2020 19:34 (three years ago) link
e.g. some of what's going on in the left channel between 0:15 and 0:50 does seem like it's unlikely to just be feedback (a lot more distinct pitch content and movement between distinct pitches than would be likely, esp if you compare to e.g. Sonic Youth's Silver Session). It could have been done with tape speed manipulation or possibly just from the pedals he was using on the feedback on the drone-tuned guitars but also quite possibly material that was actually played.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 19:41 (three years ago) link
although in that case, idk why this would have been the "purest guitar record" vs any other solo instrumental guitar record.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 19:42 (three years ago) link
I saw a Youtube comment where someone compared it to bagpipes - I always heard that too.
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 19:45 (three years ago) link
Yeah that's an apt comparison.
― pomenitul, Friday, 11 December 2020 19:46 (three years ago) link
this album is ok and probably his best work
is it actually being reevaluted as a classic anywhere but here?
― Left, Friday, 11 December 2020 20:02 (three years ago) link
the webzine I wrote for had a dude who was fawning over it. i think it has a solid base
― Lover of Nixon (or LON for short) (Neanderthal), Friday, 11 December 2020 20:03 (three years ago) link
Despite its unfortunate billing as a rock album, Metal Machine Music would go on to win many admirers in avant–garde classical circles, particularly among fans of the so–called New Music pioneered by Pierre Boulez, John Cage and other post–war composers. “The same thing that interests me in rock, industrial music, No Wave and noise music, is what interests me in New Music: sound, soundscapes and structure, which are the large–scale format of rhythm,” explains Zeitkratzer’s Ulrich Krieger. “For me, these are the essentials of music — not harmony, not melody. So music is coming full circle today. Archaic ritual music consists mostly of these two parameters, sound and rhythm — and long durations — and so does a lot of contemporary music of any style, even dance music like techno.“And I found all of this in Metal Machine Music: intricate, beautiful, complex and daring sound–colours like in New Music, the rough, sheer force of real rock music, and ritual, archaic, long–duration intensity. So Lou brought this together from the rock guitar side of things, and I wanted to emphasise the orchestral side of it and the human touch and group experience by having it performed live.”
“And I found all of this in Metal Machine Music: intricate, beautiful, complex and daring sound–colours like in New Music, the rough, sheer force of real rock music, and ritual, archaic, long–duration intensity. So Lou brought this together from the rock guitar side of things, and I wanted to emphasise the orchestral side of it and the human touch and group experience by having it performed live.”
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Friday, 11 December 2020 20:09 (three years ago) link
8.7 in Pitchfork: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/lou-reed-metal-machine-music/
Isn't that how Sterling Morrison first became aware of Lou Reed's presence on campus at Syracuse University - "ear splitting bagpipe music" coming from a window?
― Tizer Beyoncé (Tom D.), Friday, 11 December 2020 20:12 (three years ago) link
Yeah the reason i think maybe he was involved is that his authorised, annotated lyric book has the same title as the anthology. Dunno though!
― piscesx, Friday, 11 December 2020 20:12 (three years ago) link
Side Three
― chr1sb3singer, Friday, 11 December 2020 20:12 (three years ago) link
I'm much less convinced by it, as a piece of music, than I used to be. As a thing it's great though.
― Tizer Beyoncé (Tom D.), Friday, 11 December 2020 20:13 (three years ago) link
otm
tbh I've always wondered how much thought or intentionality Reed put into the recording/composing and never really settled on a satisfying answer. He always went back and forth between representing it as a carefully considered piece of New Music vs saying it was a joke or kissoff to RCA that he didnt give a shit about. I guess both could be true. Sometimes the fact that he never really explored this kind of thing again (on record anyway) has made me suspicious, but on the other hand, once youve done MMM, how much farther can you go?
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Friday, 11 December 2020 21:07 (three years ago) link
Lulu, obv ;)
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Friday, 11 December 2020 21:09 (three years ago) link
Didn’t Lee Ranaldo identify quickly some random portion of this record in an Invisible Jukebox?
― Yelploaf, Friday, 11 December 2020 21:19 (three years ago) link
to be fair, that's pretty easy to do! the overall palette is fairly consistent
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Friday, 11 December 2020 21:22 (three years ago) link
Pretty cool that these fundamental questions about the album still persist after this many years.
― good karma, my aesthetic (morrisp), Friday, 11 December 2020 21:23 (three years ago) link
well its more can you go oh yeah that's about 1/3 through side 2 not oh yeah that's from MMM innit
― Stevolende, Friday, 11 December 2020 21:28 (three years ago) link
Trolling Is Art
― pomenitul, Friday, 11 December 2020 21:29 (three years ago) link
I think Lou had a genuine appreciation for the sounds he heard coming out of his amplifiers, and also an appreciation for the absurdity of putting a double album of it out on RCA records in 1975. He was also having management difficulties with Dennis Katz, and probably enjoyed the taste of career suicide that the record release brought.
Hudson River Meditations, although I haven't heard the whole thing, is kind of a sequel to this record.
I'll decide which side is the best after listening to one per night, in a state of relaxed concentration, the same way it was created.
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 11 December 2020 21:33 (three years ago) link
Reed v. Bangs was the Fischer v. Spassky of the rock press’ golden era, two masters in their respective fields matching each other move-for-move.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 11 December 2020 21:39 (three years ago) link
― Stevolende
if that's what Ranaldo did, then \m/ respect
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Friday, 11 December 2020 21:53 (three years ago) link
He did!
― Tizer Beyoncé (Tom D.), Friday, 11 December 2020 22:01 (three years ago) link
we should get him to tell us what part was used for the anthology!
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Friday, 11 December 2020 22:04 (three years ago) link
Fuck Lester Bangs.
― Mr. Snrub, Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:02 (three years ago) link
Why? I think those Lou pieces are great.
― good karma, my aesthetic (morrisp), Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:09 (three years ago) link
When Lou died I played MMM straight through about 3 times, it was a beautiful transcendence.
― assert (MatthewK), Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:23 (three years ago) link
Lester was Lou's Loyal Opposition.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:23 (three years ago) link
Lester was vile about Rachel and Lou never forgave him for it.
― Tizer Beyoncé (Tom D.), Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:24 (three years ago) link
Oh, forgot about that.
― Robert Gotopieces (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:26 (three years ago) link
Or as Lou put it, "He's fat, he has a moustache and I wouldn't shit in his nose".
― Tizer Beyoncé (Tom D.), Saturday, 12 December 2020 00:27 (three years ago) link
I don’t recall what he wrote about Rachel, either; but I can imagine it being uncool.
― good karma, my aesthetic (morrisp), Saturday, 12 December 2020 01:45 (three years ago) link
it was
― howls of non-specificity (sleeve), Saturday, 12 December 2020 02:06 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Tuesday, 15 December 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
Side C, for the bit where it sounds like a piano, over Side D's bit where it sounds like trumpets.
The extreme stereo separation made me think of Warhol's Chelsea Girls, where you have two different screens at either end of the room, showing different scenes. The total psychological effect also reminded me of Burroughs' cut-up books, where pushing though the experience changes the way your brain is working.
― Halfway there but for you, Tuesday, 15 December 2020 23:40 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 16 December 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
THREE FOUR ONE TWO!
― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 December 2020 09:19 (three years ago) link
Thank god, I always skip side 2
― assert (MatthewK), Wednesday, 16 December 2020 09:27 (three years ago) link
It's the "incidental detail" of the set.
It leaves you with the "rule of three" anyway.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 16 December 2020 14:46 (three years ago) link
One time I listened to this at half speed and reversed, which seemed to reveal that at least some of the material recorded had been sped up and reversed for the album. And also it sounded like an Eno ambient album. Recommended.
― You will notice a small sink where your sofa once was. (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 16 December 2020 14:51 (three years ago) link
Oh dude, of course someone has posted a video of exactly this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5at9lvXQ8jI
Doesn't sound quite as much like an Eno ambient album as I remembered, lol.
― You will notice a small sink where your sofa once was. (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 16 December 2020 14:54 (three years ago) link