Published on Dec 6, 2001
It’s ironic, but the bioterrorism attacks on the United States
mail might be the best thing that happened to the heavy metal band
Anthrax. Sure, the group – which has been around since the early
’80s – is taking some flak for their name, but their website has
literally been inundated with hits, possibly opening the group up
for discovery by new listeners, as well as rediscovery by older
fans who may pine for the glory days of the group.
Flash back to 1987. Scott Ian and company were enjoying the
sweet tastes of stardom, thanks to their
Among The Living disc, arguably one of the best metal albums
ever released. Their legend was also secured by a song they threw
on as a b-side to their “I Am The Law” 12-inch single in England –
a little pseudo-rap ditty called “I’m The Man”. Quite possibly, it
would have gone unnoticed had it not been for metal radio stations
like Z-Rock who played a censored version of the track on the air.
I remember spending a frustrating few weeks trying to track down a
copy of that record, which I finally found and paid my blood money
for.
Partially to capitalize on the success the group was having,
I’m The Man, a six-song EP, was released in 1987 to the
rabid fans. Combining different versions of the title track (which
quite possibly is the birth of the rap-metal genre), live tracks
and a Black Sabbath cover pulled from yet another b-side,
I’m The Man served several purposes. At a basic level, it
filled the time until Anthrax was ready to bring out another studio
album – and gave all fans access to what was possibly Anthrax’s
most in-demand song. More importantly, it opened the ears of the
metalheads to a genre they might not have been willing to give the
time of day to – namely, rap music. (Yes, I’m aware that Aerosmith
and Run-DMC had collaborated on a cover of “Walk This Way” before
this – but Aerosmith is hardly a speed-metal band.)
Fourteen years after its release – Jesus Christ, I feel old
saying that – some of the references are a bit dated, but
I’m The Man still remains a fun disc to listen to. Yet this
disc is a bit maudlin for me, because it represented the final
flash of the klieg lights of superstardom for Anthrax. More on that
in a minute.
Let’s be honest here: you have to firmly plant your tongue in
your cheek when you listen to “I’m The Man” – no matter whether
it’s the “Censored Radio Version” that many of us first heard, the
“Def Uncensored Version” that graced the “I Am The Law” single, or
the “Extremely Def Ill Uncensored Version” that is the live track.
This
is, after all, five white guys from New York goofing off in
the studio and rapping. (Something tells me that, for all the
frivolity, this one was hard to put together with all the clips and
overdubs.) Take any of these versions with a grain of salt, and
you’ll actually find that this was a pretty hilarious song. If
anything, it made light of Anthrax the band, not rap music, helping
to bring an unfamiliar genre to the level of the listener. Even
now, with hard rock/metal and rap firmly welded together, “I’m The
Man” works.
If I had to level one criticism, listening to “I’m The Man –
Live” now, it almost sounds like the band was a bit bored with the
song by then. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the chaos thanks to
Anthrax’s now-deleted home video
Oidivnikufesin (N.F.V.), and the sight of the band
performing this song cements the power it had in my mind. This
particular version – sorry, but sometimes it sounds like Charlie
Benante’s heart just isn’t in it. (Can’t say that about bassist
Frank Bello or guitarist Ian, though.)
The cover of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” doesn’t strictly stick to
the original from 1974, but Joey Belladonna does a good job tapping
into the essence of the vocals, while the rhythm section – Ian,
lead guitarist Dan Spitz, Bello and drummer Benante – create a
thrash riff near the end that will have your neck snapping in every
direction. (Nice to see that they left this exactly the way it was
on the b-side of the “Indians” single – including the 10-second
uncredited track “Taint”.)
The remaining two live tracks, taken from a radio broadcast,
capture the band performing two tracks off
Among The Living and nailing down just what made this album
so special for me in high school. The energy and power the studio
versions had are both tapped into for these live tracks, and they
remind me just what a good band Anthrax was – and, in many ways,
still is.
Yet Anthrax proves with
I’m The Man that trying to top the defining album of their
career was going to be damned difficult, if not impossible. With
I’m The Man, Anthrax was given the means to creatively
stretch their legs and not worry about the sword of Damocles
hanging over their head. No one would have expected this EP to be
so cohesive, simply because its stop-gap nature implied that this
release was simply “for the fans”. Sadly, Anthrax would never hit
this creative peak again – but that’s another story for another
review.
I’m The Man showcases two sides of Anthrax – the band who
took rap seriously, and the band who wanted to show their goofy
side. This Hatfield-McCoy marriage never should have worked, some
say… but even today, the two styles as Anthrax presented them are
happily cohabitating together.