Daily Music Dose

My first challenge for completing this write up was this:

How do I introduce a band that, quite honestly, needs no introduction?



It's not as if anyone doesn't know Metallica's music. Even people who don't necessarily like Metallica know who they are. Thanks to their first mainstream hit "One," Metallica has been a household name since 1989. In the interest of educating potential listeners and honoring this band properly, I'd like to take you readers back to Metallica's earlier years. In my humble (albeit music snob) opinion, Metallica can't be fully appreciated without having some exposure to their early works and where they came from. So let's take a closer look, shall we?

Metallica first started taking form in Los Angeles in 1981. Drummer Lars Ulrich put an ad in the local paper to find other metal musicians. Guitarist James Hetfield responded to this ad and they started playing together. Later on they added Dave Mustaine, who later became famous for his brainchild "Megadeth". Together, with James playing bass, they recorded their first song "Hit The Lights" for compilation album "Metal Massacre" released by Metal Blade Records. It didn't take long for this band to get the attention of the music scene. They made a pivotal move of hiring bassist Cliff Burton and moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. This is where they picked up Kirk Hammett, firing Mustaine for his erratic drug and alcohol induced behavior.

It's now 1983 and with the line-up complete, they hit the studio and released "Kill 'Em All". Although it was not a commercial success, it was a critical success in the underground music scene. Dark lyrics combined with a flair for balancing the melodic with the frenetic would become the very foundation of their musical style, but each album that followed had it's own unique signature. Ride The Lightning shows a progression from Kill 'Em All's no-frills thrash towards metal epic stylings, where they released their first ballad (Fade To Black) as well as their first all-instrumental composition (The Call Of Ktulu). Their next album, Master Of Puppets, took shots at the military (Disposable Heroes), addressed the insidious nature of drug addiction (Master Of Puppets) and stripped all pretense away from religious ministry (Leper Messiah). The lyrics combined with their darker, slightly-polished compositions resulted in a masterpiece hailed by fans and critics alike. Unfortunately, bass player Cliff Burton was killed in a bus accident just 6 months after Master Of Puppet's release. The rest of the band were devastated, but they soldiered on and hired Jason Newsted of Flotsam And Jetsam as their new bass player. Their first foray into the studio with Jason was to record an EP of cover songs entitled Garage Days Re-Revisited, followed by a video release called "Cliff 'Em All", a video commemorating Cliff Burton's career with Metallica. This video was a treat for fans because Metallica never released videos or singles. The compilation was a mix of bootlegs submitted by fans, tv clips and personal home footage. The band then went back into the studio to record ...And Justice For All. The release of this album brought about many changes. Metallica became a mainstream commodity. They released a single. They released a video. Their music was brought to the masses on a large scale, changing their careers forever.

As any of you reading this knows, change is not always a good thing for fans. I'll admit, I was one of them. I still don't really enjoy listening to ...And Justice For All, but I can see why others do. The songs are more listener friendly while remaining complex and rich. It's a great album, but it lacked the heavy bass lines and straight-forward punch I grew to love. I feel like it's potential was 99% there and fell just short of mastery. But that's just me. Anyhoo...

As you well know, Metallica went on to experience massive commercial success with their self-titled album Metallica (The Black Album). Unfortunately, the grunge wave washed ashore and pretty much decimated the metal scene. Metallica toured heavily for a few years during this time before returning to the studio to record Load. This is the album that would spawn a new era in their career. The music was different. Their style was different. Their hair was different. They gained fans. They lost fans. To this day, they continue to evolve, writing music reflecting their life changes. If there was ever one constant with Metallica, it's that they do exactly what they want. Period. Whether they are changing up their music style, fighting for artists rights or licensing their music for video games, they aren't afraid to disappoint or piss people off, fans and non-fans alike. Ironically, their refusal to conform to the desires and wishes of their fans keeps us coming back for more. Most of us, myself included, are in it for the long haul with Metallica. I hated St. Anger, I loathed Load and wanted to strangle Lars during the whole Napster controversy (didn't they make a shitload of money off the bootlegs of their fans when they released Cliff 'Em All? Nevermind, I digress..) but I still love these guys...and I always will.

I will leave you all with a playlist of what I consider "Metallica essentials", from their earliest recordings up through The Black Album. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

http://www.playlist.com/playlist/16275424011

Afterthought: It would be remiss of me if I failed to mention the incredibly inspired, and aptly named, bass solo piece called "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)". Cliff was known to play his bass like a regular guitar, employing wah-wah pedals and other "lead guitarist" type techniques. He pulled a plethora of tricks out of his hat while recording this, giving us a sonic trip through the creativity of a musician looking to render as many different sounds out of his instrument as humanly possible. I highly recommend that you listen to this track, but watch for your molars if you have it turned up...seriously, you will feel it.