The Metallica Thread

[EricRG]

Tycho-
Live After Death (a double CD) is about all you need from Maiden (at first). It's got EVERYTHING. Otherwise, anything earlier than Fear of the Dark (when they started losing band members) is great.

For myself, I'm afraid I lost interest in Metallica after Enter Sandman. But MOP sure kicks butts.

Also, did you know that metallica is the species name for certain Austrailian ants? I wonder if it's because they are shiny? Or if it's because they run around banging their heads against the stage like they never did before, making it ring, making it bleed, making it really sore?

[Tycho]

I thought the ants served the Queen of the Ryche because their Lady Wore Black? ahah-hah-hah

[James Boba Fettfield]

I refuse to let this one die on me! To get this baby rolling again, let's share our feelings on the matter of Jason Newsted.

I loved him with Metallica, hated him for leaving, hated him even more for that crap Echobrain, and love him again for realizing why he left. I remember first seeing the announcement on the Metallica official site, and I felt like this was the end of my favorite band. How would they ever replace him? So later on that night I was looking through my Metallica albums and I noticed how Jason contributed to 3 songs in his entire span with Metallica (Blackened, Where The Wild Things Are, and My Friend of Misery.) I remember telling my brother about it and not being so worried about Metallica since Jason never did much on studio work. Then I got to thinking about them live, and I thought who is going to back up Hetfield on Creeping Death? Who will James switch vocals with on Seek & Destroy and Whiplash?

Well, I went through the next few months and finally some light was shined on the inside story. An interview with Metallica a few months prior to Newsted's departure had shined this light for me. In the article the four members of Metallica said a lot of things about each other. Jason revealed all of the hazing he had gone through, and noted that the turning of his bass down on the Justice album had been done intentionally as part of this hazing. He also spoke about other early on incidents about the other guys spreading rumors about his sexuality, trashing his stuff, etc. I was starting to see what a great guy this was to play with them and put on the incredible shows he did. To think, Jason filled in for Hetfield on some Summer Sanitarium shows showed that Jason believed in the music no matter what the others had done to him.

After more reading of the Playboy article they discuss Jason wanting to record stuff outside of Metallica in his Chophouse studio. Well, it seems this was looked at as betrayal by Hetfield, who just told Jason flat out no, there was no way he was going to do that. Jason responded saying that James was singing in the South Park movie, James appears on COC albums, Lars can play drums on a Mercyful Fate track, and Kirk can play with Orbital, but when it comes to him wanting to do some solo stuff its forbidden. Hetfield claimed it was fine to do what he had done in the past because he never put his name on the stuff. I could understand both of their points, but in the end the music had been Jason's ultimate choice which led to his departure.

Like I said before, I hated him for doing it. Leaving Metallica when 2001 was supposed to be the year they headed back to the studio. But after reflecting on how good of a man Newsted was and to endure all of that crap for so long, I was happy for him. He's got to be a lot happier, being free to do what he wants without fear of someone else trying to stop him. I hope he has a successful career with Voivod (Echobrain is still crap). But anyway, if anyone hasn't read that Playboy article and wants to read it, I can send you to a link with the text. I'd post the link here, but it's a more mature article with a lot of adult themes. Anyway, I hope this provides for some discussion.

[Rogue II]

I read that article too. After reading that and then watching the VH-1 Behind the Music, it seems like Newsted took a lot of abuse.

We'll have to hear the next album before we can really decide how much his departure will effect the band for sure. I don't think it will make too much of a difference.

[Tycho]

I didn't read the article, and am not yet ready to, but maybe someone could just answer me why they would haze him? Because he was the newest member? Youngest?

A band like Metallica has a cover image, quite well earned, of being professional musicians.

James had a point about solo projects, and the integrity of their image as those that ONLY play as Metallica, so to speak, but this is ruining my image of James (my hero in the band) even more, after his recent problems. I really like James and want to continue to.

I'm not sure this is only Jason's crying to the press side of things, unless other members are going to confirm this, and say, "yeah, we were wrong..." etc.

But I don't notice the bass being turned down on "Justice." Maybe you weren't talking about the album, but in live performances.

Meanwhile, Justic does suffer from a problem: there are not enough high note lead guitars in most of their music. It seemed like Kirk was held back on Justice, musically, and songs wait for him to break into something that cuts through almost murky grunge sounds - but that was before there was even a grunge movement - and Metallica really didn't sell out to going with 'music movements' ever, even if some would say that Black and after were more commercial records.

[James Boba Fettfield]

Here's something from that Playboy article about why they did it:

PLAYBOY: Tell me about the first year with them.
NEWSTED: Hazing. And a lot of emotional tests.
HETFIELD: We were mourning through anger. "You're here instead of Cliff, so here's what you get." It was therapy for us.

It wasn't Jason's crying over anything. Everything that happened to Jason actually happened. Here's a bit more Newsted says why he thinks they did stuff to him:

PLAYBOY: Why did they do that and why did you put up with it?
NEWSTED: Because it was Metallica, it was my dream come true, man. I was defintely frustrated, fed up and kind of feeling unliked. They did it so see if I could handle it. If you're going to fill the shoes of Cliff Burton, you have to be resilient.

I'll leave you with this last quote from the article about the whole issue....

PLAYBOY: Jason, as time went on, did the band stop hazing you?
NEWSTED: They actually got tougher as time went on. The second and third years were the most brutal. I nstead of fraternity pranks, there were things that cut deep and were based on disrespect.
PLAYBOY: What did they do that was disrespectful?
NEWSTED: Turning the bass down on And Justice For All. Not listening to my ideas, musically.
PLAYBOY: Is Jason even on And Justice For All?
HETFIELD: His picture is on it [big laugh]. Someone sent me a joke CD, with a sticker on the outside that says, "And Justice For All - now with bass!"

What I meant about the bass being turned down, Tycho, is on the album itself. They literally made his bass sound on that album nonexistant. Honestly, Jason never did cry foul when he was with the band. He never mentioned this stuff until he was ready to head out and Metallica knew it was happening. Jason was a good man, and James should have respected Jason's rights to do solo stuff.....because last time I checked James is releasing a solo track he did alone on the upcoming Waylon Jenning's Tribute.....just something to chew on.

[Rogue II]

That was mostly discussed on the Behind the Music. Newsted was hazed for a couple reasons.

1) the band had already achieved success without him and they didn't want him to think he was getting a free ride.

2) They were still angry and morning the loss of their friend, who he was replacing.

The band was also known as "Alcholica" because they drank so much, and it only picked up after the accident.

[2-1B]

Jason Newsted is my fave member of 'Tallica, so I was sad to see him leave.
Well, maybe not since he had to deal with crap like that. Maybe they would have handled it better if Jaymz would have laid off the booze and Lars the nose candy.

I still like the band, but have to agree that they've gone soft over the years. I'm not saying that's a bad direction, just that they did.
Hehehe, I remember Megadeth's set at Ozzfest ('98 maybe?) when Musty Dave made fun of a band who went weak and disappointed a bunch of fans. He said, "well it ain't us and this ain't them" as they tore into The Four Horsemen.

Teehee, I get a kick out of the name James Boba Fettfield.
I came up with my own Metalli-Wars name, are you ready . . . ?

Owen Lars Ulrich McCallum ! ! ! !

[James Boba Fettfield]

Dave and Metallica....that's one of my favorite things to talk about. We could throw in Kerry King for fun, too. Man, there's a lot of discussion there. Maybe after Newsted's discussion has passed. I'm not saying the guys were evil and should fail because of what they did to Jason, I just get tired of former fans of his turning their backs on him when he departs for understandable reasons and saying he did nothing for the great band. Jason's a good man, and let's hope Voivod gets better, like what happened with Dave after he was kicked out.

Thanks for getting my name, Caesar. It took the guys at another messageboard awhile to understand how it was derived.

[Exhaust Port]

Originally posted by Tycho
Meanwhile, Justic does suffer from a problem: there are not enough high note lead guitars in most of their music.

I pray for the day that AJFA is remixed. I love that album but some of the songs entirely or partially suffer from awfully mixing. Drums in particular are often too dominant and drown out other key elements.