Lulu-- Masterpiece By Lou Reed And Metallica

I was a teenager when I practically took up residence on St Mark's Place in the East Village so I would never miss one of Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable Velvet Underground performances. Those shows had a huge impact on my life. It was beyond a thrill when Seymour Stein signed him to Sire many years later when I was G.M. of the label.

In between I had lived for a decade or so in San Francisco where I met Metallica. They didn't have a record deal yet but I used to go over to their studio in Oakland and they would give me tapes to play on my radio show. I used to be awestruck by their rehearsals that mixed raw metal with classical music.

The new album is really incredible-- a masterwork. Many of the reviews I've seen are by people incapable of understanding the music and you can only blame the editors who assign some slug to try to grapple with something like this. Take my word for it ... this is an amazing album. Lou with one of the best bands in the universe. Or don't take my word-- take Hitler's word that it sucks.