If you didn't already know, Metallica is making an album with Lou Reed, former frontman for the legendary Velvet Underground. While not much was previously known about the album, updates are trickling in.There is a release date: November 1, 2011 in North America and October 31 for the rest of the world. There is also a concept, as explained on the album's official site:
The musical collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica, "Lulu," is coming your way this Fall and this space will be your spot for all things Loutallica(!). We want to start sharing with you just how the "Lulu" project, recorded at HQ just a few short months ago, is coming together. As you can see this site is a work in progress and the plan is to build it before your very eyes. Please bear with us while we piece it all together!
"Lulu" was inspired by German expressionist writer Frank Wededkind's plays "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's Box," which tell a story of a young abused dancer's life and relationships and are now collectively known as the "Lulu Plays." Since their publication in the early 1900's, the plays have been the inspiration for a silent film ("Pandora's Box," 1929), an opera, and countless other creative endeavors. Originally the lyrics and musical landscape were sketched out by Lou for a theatrical production in Berlin, but after coming together with the 'Tallica boys for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York in 2009 all guilty parties knew they wanted to make more music together. Lou was inspired enough by that performance to recently ask the band to join him in taking his theatrical "Lulu" piece to the next level and so starting in early May of this year we were all camped out recording at HQ studios in Northern California, bringing us to today and ten complete songs.
We can't wait to share this music and the whole experience with you. Please visit us often… we'll be posting updates on a frequent basis.
Taken from the Metallica website in June:
Some of you astute Bay Area residents may have picked up news of recent Lou Reed sightings in the greater San Francisco area and we have indeed been working at our home studio at HQ on and off over the last few months. In what would be lightning speed for a Metallica related project, we recorded ten songs during this time and while at this moment we're not exactly sure when you'll hear it, we're beyond excited to share with you that the recording sessions wrapped up last week.
We plan on giving you more information as it comes, stay tuned. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the project.
