Master of Puppets
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| Master of Puppets | |||||
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| Studio album by Metallica | |||||
| Released | March 26, 1986[1] | ||||
| Recorded | September 1985–December 1985 at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark | ||||
| Genre | Thrash metal | ||||
| Length | 54:46 | ||||
| Label | Elektra | ||||
| Producer | Metallica and Flemming Rasmussen | ||||
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| Metallica chronology | |||||
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Master of Puppets is the third studio album by American thrash metal band Metallica. The album was recorded in 1985[2] and released by Elektra Records on March 26, 1986[1] in North America.
The album proved to be a modest commercial success upon its release, reaching number twenty-nine on the U.S. Billboard 200. However, with the band's increasing popularity from the release of ...And Justice for All, awareness of the album has increased, and according to the RIAA, it has sold over six million copies in the U.S. alone. It was the last album the band recorded with bass player Cliff Burton, who was killed in a tour bus crash six months after it was released.
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[edit] Historical significance
When it was released, Master of Puppets provided many metal fans with an alternate image to the commercially popular glam metal bands, such as Poison and Quiet Riot. The album has frequently been tagged by critics as "one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time."[3]
The band's line-up during the album's recording was James Hetfield (vocals, guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums), Kirk Hammett (lead guitar), and 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, for the first time ever at the Rock am Ring festival on June 3, 2006. These concerts included the first-ever complete performances of the instrumental "Orion" (though portions of 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.
[edit] Reception
Upon its release, Master of Puppets was immediately commercially successful, selling 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.
According to Allmusic's Steve Huey, Master of Puppets "was the band's greatest achievement." "Some critics have called Master of Puppets the best heavy metal album ever recorded", Huey noted.[4] Master of Puppets has featured on several "greatest albums of all time" lists. The album is present in a list dubbed "The All-TIME 100 Albums" and published by TIME magazine in November 2006.[5] In TIME critic Josh Tyrangiel's opinion, "Metallica didn't bother with hooks or pop discipline" in writing Master of Puppets.[5] Metal Rules rated the album as being number one in a list of the "The Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums" published in September 2003,[6] whereas IGN also rated the album as being at first position in a list of the "Top 25 Metal Albums" issued in January 2007.[7] It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and Q magazine counted it among the 50 heaviest albums of all time.
When discussing Metallica in an October 2007 interview, Evile frontman Matt Drake stated that he first became interested in the group via Master of Puppets.[8] "The first time I heard 'Battery', mentioned Drake, I thought 'That's it. I want metal to be my love. All I want to hear is just metal.'"[8]
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Battery" | James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich | 5:13 |
| 2. | "Master of Puppets" | Hetfield, Ulrich, Cliff Burton, Kirk Hammett | 8:36 |
| 3. | "The Thing That Should Not Be" | Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Hammett | 6:37 |
| 4. | "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" | Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett | 6:28 |
| 5. | "Disposable Heroes" | Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett | 8:17 |
| 6. | "Leper Messiah" | Hetfield, Ulrich, Mustaine | 5:41 |
| 7. | "Orion" | Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich | 8:28 |
| 8. | "Damage, Inc." | Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Hammett | 5:30 |
[edit] Line Up
- James Hetfield – rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Kirk Hammett – lead guitar
- Cliff Burton – bass, backing vocals
- Lars Ulrich – drums
[edit] Charts
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Billboard | #29 |
| 1986 | UK Albums Chart | #41 |
[edit] Covers
A number of bands have covered songs from the album. These include:
- Trivium who has covered the title track both live and in studio. It is appeared on both their Ascendancy Special Edition album and the tribute album for the 20th Anniversary of the albums release.
- Bullet For My Valentine has covered the song Welcome Home (Sanitarium) which is also featured on the tribute album Metallica Remastered.
- Machine Head released Battery as a bonus track on its special edition version of The Blackening album
- Dream Theater has covered the entire album in a live concert, something they have also done for other historically significant progressive or metal albums, including Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, Deep Purple's Made in Japan, and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Dream Theater also covered Damage Inc. live al the uncovered show, with Napalm Death singer Barney Greenway on vocals.
- Several bands, including Mastodon, Machine Head and Bullet For My Valentine, recorded a tribute album for the twentieth anniversary of the album's release; the project was sponsored by Kerrang! and copies were distributed with the magazine.
- Cello metal band Apocalyptica also recorded a cover of many Metallica songs including "Master of Puppets" in their album Plays Metallica by Four Cellos.
- Shai Hulud has covered the song "Damage Inc." for the series of 7 inches LPs as a tribute to Metallica called "Crush 'em All". The 7"
- Funk metal trio Primus has covered the title track live and "The Thing That Should Not Be" on their EP Rhinoplasty
- Scott D. Davis recorded a tribute album Pianotarium which includes "Master of Puppets", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", and songs from other albums composed in solo grand piano.
- The Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela recorded a cover of the song Orion on their self-titled 2006 album using two acoustic guitars.
- Fightstar covered Leper Messiah for a free CD that came with Kerrang Magazine
- Welsh rock band Funeral For A Friend covered the track 'Damage Inc.' for the Kerrang; Remastered C.D.
- The Scorched Earth Orchestra recorded a symphonic version of the entire album in 2007.
- Chimaira covered the track "Disposable Heroes" for the tribute album Metallica Remastered.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Metallica: 'Master Of Puppets' Sculpture Due In August. Roadrunner records (2006-03-30).
- ^ Metallica's history. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
- ^ Steve Huey. Master of Puppets at allmusic. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
- ^ Huey, Steve. Master of Puppets at allmusic. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
- ^ a b Josh Tyrangiel (2006-10-13). The All-TIME 100 Albums: Master of Puppets. TIME.
- ^ The Top 100 heavy metal albums.
- ^ Spence D. (2007-01-19). Top 25 Metal Albums. IGN.
- ^ a b Morgan, Anthony (2007-10). “Armoured Assault” - Evile frontman Matt Drake hails gargantuan Thrash masterpiece Enter the Grave. Lucem Fero. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
