Published on Dec 16, 1998
(NOTE: This review originally ran on Consumable Online
12/7/98. Reprinted with the author’s kind permission.)
The diehard Metallica fan already has disc two of this ‘new’
two-CD release. If you know what “Metal Up Your Ass” is all about,
disc two will be familiar territory. It compiles the B sides to
singles,
Garage Days Revisited, and
The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited. The only songs I had
not heard before were three of the four Motorhead covers.
Disc one, then becomes the major thrust of this collection. It’s
good to hear Metallica bashing and thrashing again like a fish out
of water. Like the bands covered on the earlier
Garage recordings, most of the covers are by obscure (well,
obscure to the mainstream, but maybe not you) artists like Mercyful
Fate, Discharge and Diamond Head. It also, though, tosses in some
more common bands like Black Sabbath, Bob Seger, Blue Oyster Cult,
and Thin Lizzy.
The logical question, then, becomes, “How do the new covers
compare to the old?” Well, “Die, Die, My Darling” was in my mind
from day one of receiving this disc and opener “Free Speech For The
Dumb” is growing on me. Nick Cave’s “Loverman” and Diamond Head’s
“It’s Electric” bring out the
Load era. Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page” explores the same
theme as their own song “Wherever I May Roam.” The video, however,
for “Turn The Page,” is a breakthrough video. Yes, I actually saw a
video on MTV.
I enjoyed this disc immensely. Some of the highlights for me
include finally having the obscenity laced “So What” on the same CD
as “Green Hell.” The star-studded “Tuesday’s Gone” with a John
Popper’s harmonica is amazing. Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains,
Les Claypool from Primus and Pepper Keenan from Corrosion of
Conformity all join in. Black Sabbath’s “Sabbra Cadabra” is cool
too. The Motorhead covers on disc 2 are raw-energy. I like it when
Metallica doesn’t “produce” their music. “Breadfan” is probably my
favorite “old” cover, followed closely by “The Wait.”
I would recommend this disc to those of you that want to expand
your horizon. The cover songs that Metallica selected for this
recording are all cool. Metallica says in their press kit that they
wanted to get the “garage band” feel back for this recording. They
have done so successfully!