Sitting at home, I turned on MTV2 and watched a half hour of Metallica’s Greatest Hits.
From what I saw, most of it was from Load, Reload, S&M (with the San Francisco Orchestra) and from St. Anger, their newest album.
It wasn’t bad. It has been a while since I’ve put a Metallica CD in my player, but I also felt funny. Is it me or has Metallica (to borrow a Seinfeld term) jumped the shark?
When I was in middle school and in the beginning of high school in the mid-1980s, Metallica was the consummate metal band — the ones whose videos you won’t see on MTV and songs you won't hear on the radio.
I was introduced to Metallica from my uncle, who was just a few years older than me. Ride The Lightening, Master of Puppets, Kill ’em all, the Garage EP — I learned of Metallica.
When I heard of Cliff Burton’s death, I was saddened. When Jason Newstead joined, first with Garage Days Re-revisited, then ... And Justice For All, I was stoked.
Their posters joined my Iron Maiden, AC/DC and Run-DMC-ladened walls in my bedroom. (Yeah, strange grouping, but that was me...)
I saw Metallica play in Petaluma just before the Black Album came out, hearing about the impromptu practice show on the radio that morning and driving quickly to Petaluma from my junior college with friends in tow. That was cool.
I picked up Cliff ’em all, the video tape that chronicled Cliff Burton’s time in Metallica, for my younger brother for Christmas. He loved it. In fact, he told me later (and thanked me) that that video convinced him to be in a band and to get into music. He’s now a music teacher in Stockton, Calif. and he played bass for Kalifornia Redemption for a while and other bands before then.
Like those bands above, less so Iron Maiden now, they’re good friends that you listen to when life is good, bad, horrible, great, indifferent. I remember where I was at certain times in my life when a particular song is on. It’s cool.
I have every Metallica CD now, including Reload, which I like, but not as much as Load or S&M. But for a long while, I haven’t listened to them. I hear their songs on the radio now (99.9 Rock in Seattle) and occasionally I see a video or two.
Hell, I remember what a big deal it was when Metallica’s “One” debuted. The song was based on the movie, “Johnny Got Your Gun,” and scenes from the movie are in the video. Excellent. The movie itself, with Jason Robarts, isn’t bad. I believe it is an anti-Vietnam piece.
Now, a Metallica video isn’t a big deal anymore, although they are well-done.
Like I said, it has been a while since I’ve listened to them. I saw them on television railing downloaders about bootleg versions of their songs and albums off the Internet and suing anyone who comes close to playing one of their songs without them knowing it.
But now, they kicked Jason out of the band because he wanted to do his own side projects, which Lars and James wouldn’t let him do. They have a new bassist, but who knows what his name is. They’re also going to be playing Las Vegas on New Years Eve. (You know, that just sounds weird. Metallica... Las Vegas... New Years Eve...)
I’ve heard the singles to St. Anger now and... well, I just might not be buying this album. It sounds like they’re trying to be modern speed metal, which is just a bad copy of their first three albums. But that’s just my opinion...
But then again, I may just be one of those fans who remembers what it was like to hear Metallica for the first time and to think that it was the best thing you’ve ever heard.
Ah man, at 31, I’m becoming a fuddy-duddy... “I remember when Metallica wasn’t played on the radio and you’d never see their videos on MTV...”
Damn, I better shut up now or I’ll really start to sound old...