I WAS BORN FOR POLLIIIING... Metallica's "Master of Puppets"

http://thingsthatlooklikehitler.com/?8d57e820

This is such a difficult choice, particularly since Metallica were so picky about their material in those days - a trend which seemed to go completely out of the window in the mid '90s!

The only one I wouldn't consider voting for is 'Leper Messiah', which is still amazing.

This should really be a poll of every song on the album that is not Orion.

Smashing through the boundaries
Lunacy has found me
Voting for the battery

For some reason 'Disposable Heroes' is the one that feels like it still has some surprises left, it's the least overplayed personally.

I actually had that one stuck in my head yesterday for some reason.

The only one I wouldn't consider voting for is 'Leper Messiah', which is still amazing.

― Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican)

I might vote for it, precisely for being the most overlooked song on the album. It is incredible. The part where it shifts in to double time is as exhilarating as anything they ever did.

Also, really surprised this hasn't been done.

I fucking love the part in 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)' near the end where they just keep piling on lead guitar overdub after lead guitar overdub. In fact, I love the way the used to be excellent at guitar orchestration in general (I wonder if it was a Queen influence?) and it's a shame they stopped doing this so much afterwards.

this album is so perfect, unbelievable

between battery and welcome home for me but opted for the latter.

Ulrich was in talks with Rush's bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee to produce the album, but the collaboration never materialized because of uncoordinated schedules.[10]

I...did not know that

Maybe they should have got him in to mix ...And Justice For All

Ulrich was in talks with Rush's bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee to produce the album, but the collaboration never materialized because of uncoordinated schedules.[10]
I...did not know that

― chr1sb3singer, Thursday, November 3, 2016 2:28 PM (eleven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that seems really odd

i wonder if q prime's cliff bernstein was behind that connection

For some reason 'Disposable Heroes' is the one that feels like it still has some surprises left, it's the least overplayed personally.

that seems really odd

― blonde redheads have more fun (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, November 3, 2016 2:41 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm trying (and failing) to picture Geddy Lee circa Power Windows in the same room with mid-80s Metallica much less producing their record

The Poll That Should Not Be
Welcome POLLm (Sanitarium)
DisPOLLsable Heroes (but of course pplains improved on this one already)
LePOLL Messiah
POLLrion (instrumental)
Damage, IncorPOLLrated

tempted to vote for Orion... but went with the title track which is memorable, surprising, and perfectly constructed and played.

I still love the middle section of the title track with the arpeggios, such a wonderful section.

These tunes are really dense, there are so many parts to all of the songs. To me, you can tell they just played them over and over and over until they had them right. There are more ideas in one of these songs than a side on the black album. It was the one I heard first and was not out new when I first heard it.

perhaps it's the boring choice, but I chose "Damage, Inc". it might sound like the 'meathead' pick, but I love the bass swells in the beginning into the percussive E5 chords. and the melody is so damn catchy.

I will say, though, the song that has improved in my estimation the most over the years is "Disposable Heroes", which I used to feel was an overrated tune that got by too much on speed. The chorus is great, the "back to the front" part is heavy as fuck, and I still get chills when he yells "I was born for DYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!".

the song that has fallen the furthest in my eyes? "The Thing That Should Not Be". yeah, it's heavy, and I used to love the riffs and the atmosphere, but the more I hear it, the more I tire of it and its plodding pace. (I still *like* it, mind you - there are no bad songs on this album)

"Battery" still makes me want to hit people.

I bought this album when I was 15, around 1995. I had to do it through trickery. I'd already owned the s/t album and RTL, which I bought with my own money, but they were sick of me listening to this shit cos I had previously been a cherubic little (literal) choirboy who didn't swear, obeyed, didn't get into trouble, got good grades, etc, but around the time I got into Metallica is when I became more of a foul-mouthed slacker, which I guess for some reason they thought Metallica was to blame for (and not the typical teen high school angst).

I was actually out of town for All-State Choral Festival (lols) and this time didn't have my own money on me, but my mother told me I could buy an album, but she saw the Master of Puppets cover and was like "FUCK NO" (in more Christian words), so I said ok fine, can I get the Mad Season album, and she was like "ok fine" and gave me the money. and I went in, picked up the Mad Season tape, then put it back down and picked up MOP and bought it, and listened to my mom scream at me for a full half-hour when she realized what I did.

I still love the middle section of the title track with the arpeggios, such a wonderful section.

― Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Thursday, November 3, 2016 7:30 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah, and that's why I fucking HATED during the black album tour when they were halfing teh damn song live, cutting off right before that part.

Voted Welcome Home (Sanitarium) cause it was the most insistent in my head upon reading the tracklist. Probably not the best jam and most indicative of the shitty tendencies to come.

Voted master because

MASTER

MASTER

WHERE'S THE DREAMS THAT I'VE BEEN AFTER

MASTER

MASTER

YOU PROMISED ONLY LIES

whole song takes me on an awesome journey every time, never get tired of hearing it, never feels overplayed or tired or old

one of those albums that if put on in the background will activate your muscle memory and make your limbs perform air drum fills and guitar chugs without your brain's awareness

voted title track: it and "Creeping Death" were two of the songs that helped guide me from KISS and other unyielding AOR into a realm where music could be evocative enough to fulfill the promise of a garish and outlandish album cover (the "Creeping Death" cassette was the first Metallica object I ever saw, an import in my local music shop, and the artwork was like something a Yes LP would have, except this was ANGRY MONSTER MUSIC)

Decided to vote title track, but will be regretful if Leper Messiah doesn't get any votes.

I went with 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)', but fucking hell, that was difficult!

Title track.

BACK TO THE FRONT!

YOU PROMISED POLLNLY LIES

There!

This was one of the first (and only) albums whose impending release I'd anticipated for some months beforehand - I'd seen its title announced in "Hit Parader" or somewhere in late '85, around the time I'd picked up copies of "Kill 'em All" and "Ride The Lightning" - so when it finally showed up in my local shop, I delayed my reaction by only listening to one new track a day, taking an entire week to play the whole thing.

"Disposable Heroes" is still my favourite.

Hey if you ever wanted to know what "Master of Puppets" sounded like if it were on St. Anger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=takB0YTRTMo

I delayed my reaction by only listening to one new track a day, taking an entire week to play the whole thing.

Christ, that's an admirable sense of restraint!

Title track for the vocal melody, the way the "just call my name cuz..." part in the chorus comes in right before you expect it, etc.

Sanitarium (and the kinda hollow, prescient-of-whiffle-thrash production) always kept me from rating this one near the first two albums though. Metal's not about a guy crooning "leave me alone," dammit. It's about opening an album with the lyrics "NO LIFE TIL LEATHER / GONNA KICK SOME ASS TONIGHT!!!"

"Disposable Heroes" is still my favourite.

That's how I went in the end. No contest, really.

I'm grateful to this thread for getting me to pull this album out again btw.

i spun it again last night. I regret a bit the size of my music collection in the 90s because it led to such ridiculous overplay of all Metallica albums that it almost rendered them useless to me for years, and live recordings were all I could listen to.

it was fun though, revisiting last night.

one thing I was wondering - is "Damage, Inc" the first time James sang 'fuck' on a Metallica original? I seem to recall maybe there being one or two on KEA, but I couldn't remember offhand.

I'm listening to one of the free 1986 bootlegs from Metallicalive.com and it's weird, but I can hear a precursor to the yodeling he did later in some of his affectations on "Master of Puppets".

only faint, but it's sorta like he always had these stupid vocal tics beneath the surface before Bob Rock told him to let his freak flag fly.

I sometimes feel like Bob Rock gets a lot of shit for decisions the band themselves made.

Not sure how much of a "classicist" Cliff was, but the modulation in the bridge of Orion is just really beautiful, and when the Thin Lizzy leads come in...swoon

he studied classical music in college iirc

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

O_O

For reference: Deez POLLABLE Heroes - THE ILM //METALLICA\ POLL RESULTS

\m/

finally something that isn't garbage wins

I've been on a mini Cliff kick lately, and I was wondering about his classical influences. If I love his melodic solos in "Orion" and "Master", what composers should I check out?

Decided to vote title track, but will be regretful if Leper Messiah doesn't get any votes.

― chap, Friday, November 4, 2016 7:23 AM (three weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:(

am I the only one hearing a Rush-like influence on "The Thing That Should Not Be" (title included)?

Fearless wretch
Insanity
He watches
Lurking beneath the sea

He gets by on you
And the space he invades

Disposable Heroes 6

otm

Leper Messiah 0

Not otm

Leper Messiah is so fucking good.

i just happen to be listening to Ride the Lightning now, and it may be my new favorite. jeezus fucking christ. but i will go straight onto master of puppets at the end.

yes, leper messiah is so good! i can see how it gets lost in the shuffle if you have to pick your #1, but when listening to the album it is an undeniable highlight

Love that little thing when they break it down and the geetars go kerchunk kerchunk and then it's just the bass line in response before the vocals come in on Leper Messiah.

Those tunes had so many little details in the arrangements.

i love battery and it's a classic of theirs, but when the drums come in at the beginning of the title track it's like "it's fukken on" in an undeniable way

This album basically made me reject God

*hugs*

that is so awesome

SLAMMING THROUGH DON'T FUCK WITH RAZORBACK

This album basically made me reject God

Hey, Lars isn't that bad a drummer!

i love battery and it's a classic of theirs, but when the drums come in at the beginning of the title track it's like "it's fukken on" in an undeniable way

― John Stockton buying a used car from (Karl Malone), Thursday, October 21, 2021 1:30 AM (six hours ago)

I saw them live a couple of years ago and Master... kicking in was a highlight of a set packed full of highlights, including a version of I Wanna Be Adored that shaded into Orion (the gig was in Manchester)

saw them in 2017 and 2019, and in 2017 I got so into Master live, an altercation almost happened cos I was dancing in the aisle next to my seat, not blocking anybody's view or bothering anybody, just enjoying the fuuuuuck out of "Master" live, and this elder dude reaches over the bar next to his seat and into the aisle and shoved me and told me to go back to my seat.

was like dude, I'm nowhere near u, wtf. you had to almost dislocate your shoulder to shove me