Lulu
by Lou Reed & Metallica
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Lou Reed & Metallica bestography
(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).
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Lulu track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 65 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
Lulu rankings
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings). Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 2 hours ago)
| Year | Source | Chart | Rank | Rank Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Siromynian | Top 19 Music Albums of 2011 | 19/19 | 0 |
| 2026 | Top 99 Music Albums of 2011 | 97/99 | 0 | |
| 2026 | mrmcrook | Top 20 Music Albums of 2011 | 7/20 | 4 |
| 2026 | Top 90 Music Albums of 2011 | 87/90 | 0 | |
| 2026 | vruslov | Top 91 Music Albums of 2011 | 53/91 | 2 |
| 2026 | mrmcrook | Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | 48/100 | 11 |
| 2026 | Top 100 Music Albums of 2011 | 96/100 | 0 | |
| 2026 | platus | Top 20 Music Albums of 2011 | 3/20 | 5 |
| 2026 | jdizzle123456 | Top 100 Music Albums of 2011 | 54/100 | 2 |
| 2026 | Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | 85/100 | 3 | |
| Total Charts: The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. | 47 | |||
| Total Rank Score: The total rank score. | 183 | |||
Lulu collection
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Lulu ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 3 ratings for this album. | Show all 112 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 07/02/2026 21:06 | Exist-en-ciel | 15,620 | 70/100 |
| ! | 05/10/2026 11:48 | Adhura | 1,727 | 77/100 |
| ! | 01/10/2026 15:33 | 1,101 | 60/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album has a Bayesian average rating of 50.8/100, a mean average of 48.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 48.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 26.1.
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Forum mentions
Lulu comments
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Genial, precisa ser reconhecido devidamente.
I think this gets a slightly bad rap. It sounds like it should. The heavy riffs & rhythms of Metallica over the junkie (ex-junkie) poetry lyrics of Lou Reed. The tracks which go on the avant-garde jazz rock tangent are the ones that let the album down. But overall it's not a bad collaboration. The second CD of it (last 4 tracks) being the better by far. (Edited)
Not my favorite work by either artist, but as time goes on I'm finding I appreciate this album more and more. I often hear this album referred to as "so bad it's good" and sure it's fun to talk about, but if you're looking to enjoy it in an ironic way you're going to find yourself bored really fast.
I think I like what this album represents more than I appreciate the album itself. The combination of thrasher metal and folk really challenges the lister's perspective on music. It's nearly a deconstruction of both genres by Metallica (arguably one of greatest figures in metal) and Lou Reed (who even as far back as the Velvet Underground really set out to push the limits of music and gain a reaction from his audience.
After poking around other albums that are considered so bad they're good, you remember these artists are at least competent and that challenging doesn't necessarily equate to bad... take Captain Beefheart for instance.
Past its initial shock, LuLu is a somewhat boring listen from start to finish. I don't think it's either artists' highest point, but it's a far cry from their lowest. But wow, would I have loved to see footage and outtakes from these recording sessions. I imagine the artists had tons of fun making it.
Also while it doesn't affect my rating at all, it's worth noting that this was Lou Reed's last studio recording before his death. Also, Bowie (an avid Velvet Underground fan even before Bowie's rise to fame) praised this as Lou Reed's greatest achievement. So it's interesting to think of this album as in the context of Lou Reed's final artistic statement. Good or bad, I don't want LuLu to be forgotten. (Edited)
Una interesante combinación de grandes músicos y el resultado es caótico. En mi opinión solo parece que Metallica improvisa mientras que Reed lee las letras de las canciones que para mi punto de vista son malas. Otro punto en contra es la duración de las canciones, son extremadamente largas y sin cambios de ritmo, solos etc. lo que las hace más tediosas de escuchar.
En conclusión es un mal álbum aunque no tan malo como muchos lo hacen ver.
Old Lou Reed + Laughable Lyrics + Bad Metallica Riffs = No Good (Edited)
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