REVIEW: Metallica, Garage Inc. (Elektra)
- Paul Hanson
The diehard Metallica fan already has the second disc of this 'new' two-disc CD release. If you know what "Metal Up Your Ass" is all about, then disc 2 will be familiar territory. It compiles the B-sides to singles, Garage Days Revisited, and -Garage Days Re-Revisited. The only songs I had not heard before were three of the four Motorhead covers.
Disc 1, 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 tosses in some more common bands such as 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 the first day 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, while 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.
Some of the highlights from this immensely-enjoyable disc include finally having the obscenity laced "So What" on the same disc as "Green Hell." The star-studded "Tuesday's Gone" (with John Popper's harmonica) is amazing. Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, Les Claypool from Primus and Pepper Kenan from Corrosion of Conformity all join in. Black Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra" is also strong, while the Motorhead covers on disc 2 are raw-energy. I like it when Metallica doesn't 'produce' their music. "Breadfan" is probably the best 'old' cover, followed closely by "The Wait."
I would recommend this disc to anyone looking to expand their musical horizon. Metallica says in their press kit that they wanted to get the 'garage band' feel back for this recording. They have done so successfully!
