I've been on a Metallica binge lately. As I've said before back in high school I didn't care for speed metal, or any metal, but by my mid-20's I started to have an appreciation for it.
Saturday I made a great Metalli-snag. I got the old Live Shit: Binge & Purge DVD and CD set. Brand-new this goes for $50 and even on Amazon a used copy is $35. My price at the local used CD shop? $19.99! WOO-HOO! I am the champion bargain hunter!
Prior to this I bagged another Metallica DVD. My lengthy review follows.
Metallica: A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica
Last week I scored Metallica's A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica DVD off of E-Bay ($11). This is a documentary about the recording of and tour for the Black Album that originally came out in 1991 as two VHS tapes, a precursor to the recent Some Kind of Monster. Many of you have probably seen this before but I was thrilled to snag it.
These are the first long-form interviews I've ever seen with Metallica. Lars Ulrich comes across as the cocky, assured son of a wealthy tennis star, and that's what he is. At the same time he's obviously the engine of the whole enterprise and takes it very seriously; not even the smallest change in staging or production happens without Lars signing off on it. "Burn all the guitar tracks you've recorded! I'm here now! The real work can begin!," he says. I respect that attitude.
James Hetfield is, surprisingly, really softspoken and withdrawn. I suspect he attached himself to Lars because Ulrich's outgoing, self-assured style compensated for his own wallflower ways. It's James' sensitivity, however, that makes songs like "Nothing Else Matters" happen.
James looks like a kid having fun on the old Cliff `em All video but here he seems more detached, almost like he's just clocking in, comparatively. We see him jamming with a blues band and noodling on a Telecaster a lot; I suspect by this time he had matured, probably had fallen out of love with metal and was more into blues and country, but Metallica was his "job." Former bassist Cliff Burton's death may have changed his perspective on life, also.
I think Lars and James like guitarist Kirk Hammett because after having a guy like Dave Mustaine, who not only exceeded Lars for cockiness but had the black belts to enforce it, they were thrilled to get someone with a soft, squeaky voice like Kirk who fills in the guitar solo holes, cashes his fat paychecks and doesn't give them a hard time.
Funnily enough Metallica makes fun of heavy metal as much as anyone. Coming off the stage from a show in Cincinnati James Hetfield says, in a mocking surfer voice, "That was so metal, dude!" Kirk Hamett shows the camera a bruise on his palm and explains it's from smacking his guitar. With a stare and comedic gravity he says, "That's metal."
Jason Newsted...I really dug this guy. He tells us Lars and James are peckers but, "I put up with them. I have to." Kirk makes fun of him for putting the leftover meat and cheese from the caterer's table in a Ziploc bag rather than ordering room service when they're due to gross
millions. "Yeah, and I've got plans for those millions and they ain't for sandwiches!," Jason says. He says his dream is to buy a few hundred acres in Iowa, fence them and tell the world to fuck off. "They're laughing now (Metallica) but we'll see who's laughing in the long run," he winks. Go, Jason! (He quit several years later, presumably to enjoy those sandwich savings.)
Producer Bob Rock...everybody involved in your project, right down to the front lobby receptionist, is going to have an impact on how your artwork turns out. Therefore making a swishy, all but openly gay, prancing puss like Bob Rock an integral part insures you're about to lose credibility with your Slayer-loving fans. I actually like Bob Rock's production but knowing he was going to have a big fingerprint on my record would make me uneasy.
One other great scene: Bob Rock is telling James what guitars he thinks they should use for a track. James appears to listen very intently, nodding and going, "Mmm-hmm...mmm-hmm..." Then, when Rock finishes, James cuts a fart! And he's standing while Rock is sitting so the fart is right at Rock's face level! Classic!
Overall I thought Aerosmith's The Making of Pump was more revealing about the recording process, and most of the live footage here is "Enter Sandman" being played in different venues. At the same time, though, you get loads of footage (maybe over 3 hours?) of Metallica at their peak, covering some key moments in their history like James' arm igniting and the Guns n' Roses tour.
If you're a Metallica fan grab it!
