With which rock musician did Metallica record the 2011 album Lulu? Lou Reed. Lulu is a collaborative studio album credited to Lou Reed and Metallica, released in 2011.
The project grew from a meeting between Reed and Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary Concert in 2009. Reed had written material inspired by Frank Wedekind’s Lulu plays, and Metallica developed new instrumental arrangements around it. The result was a double album built largely around Reed’s spoken-word vocals and lyrics, with Metallica supplying the heavy, expansive backing.
Recorded in San Rafael, California, from April to June 2011, Lulu was released on October 31 that year. Its unusual blend of art rock, spoken word, and metal divided listeners sharply. The album is sometimes mistaken for a conventional Metallica release, but its official identity is a joint project, and Reed remained its central vocal and lyrical presence.