“Outside the mainstream”: Why Lars Ulrich considered Lou Reed his musical soulmate
Finding musical chemistry in a band is like a version of love at first sight, in a strange way. While there’s no romantic tension that can be gleaned from being able to play chords that work well with each other, there’s a certain magic that comes when two people can manage to finish each other’s musical sentences before they even pick up their instruments. And while Lars Ulrich found his musical brothers when he put together the basics for Metallica, he knew that the idea of a musical soulmate didn’t have to be someone who necessarily played the same style that he did.
When Metallica first started, though, the biggest chemistry was between what Ulrich was doing with James Hetfield. Despite everyone claiming that Ulrich was far from the greatest drummer in the world, the way that he and Hetfield locked into a groove whenever they started playing in their garages was enough for them to realise the potential that they had when writing songs like ‘Hit the Lights’.
In fact, Hetfield may as well have been the true timekeeper in Metallica more often than not. Since Ulrich’s technique around the time of Master of Puppets focused on him playing the most drum fills that he could in one sitting without stopping, having that airtight rhythm guitar driving away throughout an entire song was more than enough to keep everything going. And given how fast their tempos could be, the strength Hetfield had in his right hand made him seem like a mutant after a while.
But it’s not like the band weren’t beyond taking chances. They had already managed to piss a lot of people off when they dared to shoot for mainstream success on The Black Album, but when that paid off in spades when they went on tour, it wasn’t out of the question for them to keep thinking outside the box. They hit a fair bit of ditches like on St Anger, but after they understood each other better on Death Magnetic, they were confident enough to go in an entirely new direction when working with Lou Reed.
“We don’t play music-business games. Lou has never played any of those games.”
Lars Ulrich
It’s not like the idea didn’t have some merit to it, either. Reed had been instrumental in bringing something feral to rock and roll when The Velvet Underground formed, and it looked like the band were having fun when they performed ‘Sweet Jane’ with him at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so having them back Reed on one of his albums could have at least been an interesting detour.
While the reception was incredibly split, Ulrich never regretted the decision to work with Reed, saying, “We don’t play music-business games. Lou has never played any of those games. And we certainly feel left of centre, outside the mainstream, and Lou has created the blueprint for that type of existence in music for 40 years. So, I think we’re musical soul mates, and for all the people that sit there and scratch their heads at this odd and strange collaboration, I don’t think that they really understand truly who we are as artists.”
In all fairness, there are many pieces of the record that are genuinely interesting, but it’s not that hard to see why the Metallica faithful would not have reacted kindly to this. The metal fanbase is about making sure that a song rocks and asking questions later, so when they heard Reed’s weary vocals on top of Hetfield’s guitar, it probably had the same sensation to them as orange juice and toothpaste.
Lulu still has its fans, and even David Bowie heralded it as one of Reed’s greatest works, but regardless of its success, the band wouldn’t get the opportunity to do it again after Reed’s passing in 2013. While the idea of not getting Lulu 2 may be considered a blessing by many, Ulrich knew there wasn’t a single thing about the experience he would change.
