Thirty years ago: Metallica Master of Puppets

Blue haze filled Maple Leaf Gardens for Metallica's show on the Master of Puppets Damage Inc. tour. The crowd was a sea of long hair, black leather and denim. It was all a little intimidating and very exhilarating. Metallica was at a huge high in terms of popularity for a thrash band. It was a show that I don't think I'll ever forget. I think I still have the shirt from this gig and maybe a poster. Unless they've mysteriously "disappeared".

This landmark album, that peaked at 29 on the Billboard 200 and was the first thrash metal album to go platinum, was a huge favourite of mine, and many others. Today the album celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of it's release.

In addition to spinning the vinyl relentlessly and attending the concert at Maple Leaf Gardens, I also remember getting the book of all the tab for this album and woodshedding to learn as much of it as I could. I love the power of the production, those riffs, the guitar tones, the crazy wah-wah guitar solos, the dynamic shifts, the disenfranchised youth lyrics, the frantic energy and pace; it was all perfect for a teenage metalhead me.

The full album:

And my absolute favourite tracks:

"Battery"

"Master of Puppets"

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"

"Damage Inc."

Pic from Metallica.

Flashback to the 80s with Metallica's Master of Puppets

I was a teenage metalhead in the 80s. I saw Metallica on the Master of Puppets tour. Metallica have an IMAX 3D concert movie, Metallica Through the Never, coming out September 27. Here's a pretty killer version of "Master of Puppets" from that film.



The trailers for this film are pretty crazy. And, yes, I probably will go see it.

Hank's daughter's band on Californication has great taste

"I got something to say, I raped your mother today".  Classic track.  "Last Caress" by Misfits.  I first heard it via Metallica.  Then it was in season four of Californication when Hank's daughter's band, Queens of Dogtown, played it in Marcy's living room.  Cool!  Then they did an acoustic version of "I Remember You" by Skid Row at a gig.  Skid Row!  Do kids today know who Skid Row is?  They did "Would?" by Alice In Chains, too.

Here's the original Misfits version of "Last Caress"


And the Metallica version


And the Queens of Dogtown version


And Queens of Dogtown doing "I Remember You"


And "Would?"

And if you're interested, the singer character on Californication - Pearl - is Zoë Kravitz.  Yeah, that Kravitz, and she sings for a band called Elevator Fight who sound really good.

While I'm at it, why don't I just put in the original Skid Row version of "I Remember You".  That Canadian boy can scream!


And Alice In Chains' "Would?"


Wow.  Who knew what a wormhole I'd end up going down with this post.