Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Goes Live

Here’s one for the hardcore fans.

In 1975 Lou Reed released an album called Metal Machine Music – it was a double album that consisted for four LP length sides of “noise”. It’s considered one of the most unusual releases in music history and has been the subject of much debate about his motivations and its legitimacy.

Well now in 2010 Lou Reed is presenting Metal Machine Music in concert.

‘A Night of Deep Noise’ is said to feature Lou Reed on processed and unprocessed guitars, Ulrich Krieger on tenor sax and live-electronics, and Sarth Calhoun on continuum and live processing – a collaborative affair that will see all three musicians improvise music and make soundscapes.

Each concert will feature no songs and no vocals. The trio will utilise guitars, saxophones, continuum, plus an array of electronic treatments that will venture into deep acoustic space. The collaboration will draw on new music, free jazz, avant-rock, noise and ambient in a set of intense conceptual pieces and intuitive improvisations.

The Metal Machine Trio concerts will be influenced and inspired by Lou Reed’s the Metal Machine Music album. “Influenced” and “inspired by” are the key words. The concerts won’t ‘play’ the original album – which would probably be impossible – but create free form sounds derived from the same ideas that lead to MMM.