Metallica - "Master Of Puppets"
- Released: 1986
- Produced by: Flemming Rasmussen
Album : metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)
Album : metallica - Master Of Puppets (1986)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Studio album by Metallica
Released March 3, 1986
Recorded September - December 1985 at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark
Genre Thrash metal
Length 54:51
Label Elektra
Producer Metallica
Flemming Rasmussen
Master of Puppets is the third album by American thrash metal band Metallica, released by Elektra Records in March 1986 (see 1986 in music) in North America. The album reached number twenty-nine on the U.S. Billboard 200, and has to date sold over six million copies in U.S. alone. It was the last album the band recorded with bass player Cliff Burton and is considered a landmark in the history of heavy metal. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Master of Puppets at number 167 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, while Time named it one of the 100 greatest albums of all time. Another list compiled by Metal-Rules of the top 100 metal albums placed it at number one as did IGN's list of the top 25 metal albums.
Historical significance
When it was released, Master of Puppets provided many metal fans with an alternate image to the commercially visible glam metal sounds of the era (e.g., Poison, Mötley Crüe, and Quiet Riot) - it sold over half a million copies at its time of release without any major video/radio airplay, making it the band's first record to be certified Gold by the RIAA. The album is often credited for innovating thrash metal, while also frequently being tagged by critics as "one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time".
The band's line-up during the album's recording was James Hetfield (vocals, guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums), Kirk Hammett (lead guitar), and the late Cliff Burton (bass). The album is remembered in part due to the death of Burton shortly after the release of the album in a bus accident while supporting the album on tour.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release, Metallica played the album in its entirety on their Escape from the Studio '06 tour and at the Download '06 festival on 10 June. These concerts included the first-ever complete performances of the instrumental "Orion" (though the song's lengthy middle section had been performed at various times as part of instrumental medleys and bass solos since the early 1990s). The title track was ranked Number 51 in the "The Greatest Guitar Solos" from Guitar World. In 2006, the album was voted the fourth "greatest guitar album of all time" in Guitar World. And the April 5 edition of Kerrang! was dedicated to it, providing readers with the cover album Master of Puppets: Remastered.
In March 2007, the guitar magazine Total Guitar ranked the 100 greatest riffs of all time. The main riff in Master of Puppets was ranked as number one of the top 100.
Innovation
With Master of Puppets, Metallica innovated the thrash metal scene by adding a high level of complexity to the songs, melodic sounds (most notably in "Battery", "Master of Puppets" and "Orion") that showed some similarities with power metal and progressive metal, playing an important role for the later post-thrash creation. The lyrics deal with the same type of social commentary common in thrash, but took them to new heights. They dealt with subjects such as war, drug abuse and politics. The melodies and intricate guitar and bass riffs that can be heard often reflect the lyrics, and many of the riffs are heavily influenced by classical music, particularly the tempo and solos.
The album cover, by Don Brautigam, is a reference to the title track and to "Disposable Heroes".
Track listing
1. "Battery" (Hetfield, Ulrich) – 5:12
2. "Master of Puppets" (Burton, Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) – 8:36
3. "The Thing That Should Not Be" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) – 6:36
4. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) – 6:27
5. "Disposable Heroes" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) – 8:17
6. "Leper Messiah" (Hetfield, Ulrich) – 5:39
7. "Orion" (Burton, Hetfield, Ulrich) – 8:27
8. "Damage, Inc." (Burton, Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) – 5:32
Personnel
* James Hetfield – rhythm guitar, lead vocals, arranger
* Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
* Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals, lead bass on "Orion" and "Damage, Inc."
* Lars Ulrich – drums, arranger
* George Marino – mastering (at Sterling Sound)
* Rob Ellis – photography
* Ross Halfin – photography
* Don Brautigam – illustrations
* Metallica – producer, cover art concept
* Flemming Rasmussen – producer, engineer
* Michael Wagener – mixing (at Amigo Studios)
* Mark Wilzcak – assistant mixing engineer
* Peter Mensch – cover concept
