Metal, Art or the Ulimate Marriage of Pretension? Lou Reed and Metallica Together

As much as I liked the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed's later solo recordings, especially since New York, have just sounded tired and his talk-singing even more affected.  Past posts have also betrayed my disinclination toward Metallica. Now the two have formed an unholy alliance to put out Lulu, a two-CD ten song collaboration. You read that right--ten songs, one clocking in at almost twenty minutes long and three others close to ten. I'll not make a snap judgment that this shows overindulgence, but it sounds pretty far away from "Sweet Jane" to me (even the glam version on Rock and Roll Animal). 

You can stream Lulu and decide for yourself. I plan to as well as soon as I can stop laughing over the opening lines of the album's first song, "Brandenburg Gate," in which Reed deadpans:

I would cut my legs and tits off
When I think of Boris Karloff and Kinsky
In the dark of the moon
It made me dream of Nosfuratu
Trapped on the isle of Dr. Moreau

Time will tell whether fans of either artist will find Lulu to their liking.  It will be released on October 31 (a reissue of Metal Machine Music the same day would be too much to ask).