What's up headbangers, themetalhead here is FINALLY back with something new! I do apologize to those who have been waiting up awhile for this myTake, life's kept me a bit busy from working with this. BUT now since life's given me a little mercy, let's get on with the take of Metallica's Garage Inc. record.
Released November 23rd, 1998 (through Elektra Records), this is a compilation album full of covers. The album name comes from the combination of another album name, Garage Days, and the song "Damage, Inc" from Master of Puppets.
This album tends to give a nod toward Metallica's own musical heroes who influenced them. A lot of the songs are from hardcore punk, New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM for short), and more. A lot of the songs are covers on past albums, such as Garage Days Revisited, The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited, as well as some B-sides and other things. Also has some extra stuff they decided to create for Garage Inc. right before releasing. This album was released during Metallica's very experimental time in the 90s, in between 1997's Reload, and 1999's live album S&M. This is the track listing...
Disc 1:
1. Free Speech For The Dumb
2. Its Electric
3. Sabbra Cadabra
4. Turn The Page
5. Die, Die My Darling
6. Loverman
7. Merciful Fate
8. Astronomy
9. Whiskey In The Jar
10. Tuesday's gone
11. The More I See
Disc 2:
1. Helpless
2. The Small Hours
3. The Wait
4. Crash Course In Brain Surgery
5. Last Caress/Green Hell
6. Am I Evil?
7. Blitzkrieg
8. Breadfan
9. The Prince
10. Stone Cold Crazy
11. So (fucking) What?
12. Killing Time
13. Overkill
14. Damage Case
15. Stone Dead Forever
16. Too Late Too Late
Yup, that album is long as hell. XD Disc 1 has all the extra stuff from 1998, everything on disc 2 is the stuff taken from EPs and B-sides, bonus tracks, all that stuff.
Cliff Burton's bass playing is included in 2 songs, "Am I Evil?" and "Blitzkrieg" since those songs were recorded before his death. They were B-sides for the Creeping Death single and bonus tracks on the first reissue of Kill 'em All (in 1988), but they have been removed.
A few songs are medleys and partial covers as well. Such as "Sabbra Cadabra", where a partial cover of Black Sabbath's "A National Acrobat" is added. "Merciful Fate" is a medley type, with the songs "Satan's Fall", "Curse of The Pharaohs", "Evil", "Into The Coven", and "Corpse Without A Soul" is all put together in one.
Last Caress/Green Hell is a combination too, and at the end has a quick parody of Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills". a song they were never afraid to butcher in concert. Iron Maiden's response to this was a cover of the Montrose song, "Space Station No. 5" put on a B-side.
"So What?" is a bonus track on the Japanese pressings of the Black album, along with being on singles for "The Unforgiven" and "Sad But True".
"Breadfan" is originally from the "Harvester of Sorrow" single, along with "The Prince" being a B-side for the single "One" and included in Japanese pressings for "...And Justice For All"
"Tuesday's Gone" includes a lot of guest musicians, such as Les Claypool, Jerry Cantrell, Jim Martin, Sean Kinney, and more.
Garage Inc. is an album that took the liking of a good many critics, such as Rolling Stone, rating it 4/5 stars.
This album I bought a year ago. I originally found it in a record store a year before that but never got it, and kept kicking myself in the ass for that. But later on, found in a little thrift shop near me, I got both that and a copy of Load. I ended up finding out later on that both copies are originals as well, and both CDs were in great condition.
At first I only listened to disc 1 of Garage Inc., due to being busy. At first I thought "eh, its alright." The songs I did (and still do) like that are from it is "Its Electric", and "The More I See". "Sabbra Cadabra" and "Free Speech For The Dumb" and others are pretty good too but I have to be in a mood for listening to those, especially since track 1 is soooo repetitive.
Later on I got to listening to disc 2. Now THAT is the good shit right there. I mean I never got to loving the Motorhead covers very much, as it is hard for me to do that with any band, because of the uniqueness of Lemmy Kilmister's voice. Probably the only one I did get into is "Stone Dead Forever".
"The Small Hours" is a track that sounds just absolutely evil, like the track was brought up from the pits of hell. That intro gave me goosebumps when I heard it the first time.
"The Wait" I remember hearing partially in the movie "The School of Rock". Mainly the intro of the song. I still remember it was a part where Jack Black was running to his van, along with his students. But the song is truly killer too, it screams old school.
The night I listened to disc 2, I never heard "So What?" before till then. And yeah, trust me its pretty awkward when you blare that song through your parents' house. That song I honestly can't stand though anyway. Its a silly one in a vulgar way for sure.
One last thing that I can't help but point out though... that picture at the back of the booklet. *holds back laugh*
All in all, this album is pretty awesome (at least I believe, I know among headbangers its a mix of belief). It shows a lot of what other bands influenced them as well. I'd say that probably the best disc out of both on the album is the second one, with the older stuff to it.
Thanks 4 reading! There will soon be more takes coming, so keep an eye out.
Stay Heavy. \m/
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