Metallitoph

Maybe you also saw it, but Sarah recently posted her 100 favorite albums of all times, which includes some great stuff. Unlike when magazines or other 'professionals' do this, her list has albums that she actually likes, not stuff that can now be considered groundbreaking and influential, but no one really likes. Pitchfork is a funny place anyway. Generally I think it's worth checking out, if only to learn which bands to consider on your next visit to the music store. Just don't believe their reviews. Case in point: Their review of Tool's latest album, which only earned a 5.9, and in which the author recommends getting 'Lateralus' instead, which directly preceded '10,000 Days'. Now you have to actually click on these links to believe it, but 'Lateralus', the album recommended over '10,000 Days' scored lower than '10,000 Days'. Not just a little bit, which would justify calling me nitpicky, but significantly lower. That's right, the better of the two albums only earned 1.9 points. Of course these are two different authors, but I still think it's quite funny and demonstrates just how credible those reviews are.

Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about is the development of my love for Metallica (because Sarah included them in her list). As everyone knows, Metallica is not as good as they used to be. I started listening to them when the black album came out, and quickly completed my collection of their works. I loved it all, but as a voice-driven listener, something which changed over time and is reflected in my periods of liking and disliking of the band, I thought that the earliest stuff wasn't as great as the later stuff. By the time 'Load' came out, I only listened to Metallica very seldom, if ever at all, and was into hip-hop after listening to a lot of punk rock. I even sold the black album.

We had this exchange student from England staying with us, who was into metal and that kind of music, and he saw my collection and assumed we had similar tastes. Which was not completely wrong, but I just was heavily into hip-hop at that point in time. Anyway, we stayed in touch and he sent me a tape with songs he wrote and from his band, and with a whole bunch of other stuff on it as well, including Monster Magnet (but that's a different story). Now I don't know the exact chronology of all this, but at some point I realized that listening to only one kind of music was not very satisfying for me. I needed dope rhymes and phat beats as much as I needed distorted guitars and whatever other combinbation of two words helps to describe the aspects of rock music that I like. Basically, I started listening to my punk rock CDs again at some point. This realization was aided by the exchange student playing 'Apocalyptica plays Metallica by Four Cellos' to me when I visited him. I asked for that for Christmas and realized just how awesome the instrumental parts were and started listening to 'Ride the Lightning' and 'Master of Puppets' again. Then came Metallica's 'S&M', and my love for them was as strong as ever. I even got 'Load' and 'Reload', thinking that 'yes, they aren't as good anymore, but some of it is still worthwhile'. I also reacquired the black album and got 'Garage Days' to complete the collection. After listening to the versions of some songs on S&M, I wanted to compare to the originals, and I realized that it's true, Master of Puppets is one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Yet some of my favorite songs are on Ride the Lightning. What I'm really trying to say though is, that I could ramble about Metallica all day, discuss their songs and point out that I did not buy St. Anger, partly because of the way that one drum sounds, it might be a snare and sounds like it belongs in a garage hardcore band or something, very tinny, but what this is really about, is how I started listening to Metallica, then stopped, then started again with a new set of aesthetics, and how that impacted my appreciation for their music and heavy rock music in general. Metallica has not only influenced how I listen to music, but at the same time has become an indicator of my changing and broadening tastes.

Making a Top 100 list would be near impossible for me to do, and I don't think I'd ever try, but in a somewhat ironic twist of fate, I now have to pick 12 CDs to take with me to New Zealand. I could take 12 from Bob Dylan without much trouble, and it will not be an easy task, to be completed someday tomorrow, but one of the biggest problems I have right now is which Metallica album to take: Ride the Lightning or Master of Puppets? Christina says the black album but that is not only ridiculous, but also makes me a little sad inside. Anyway, this post is boring to read and painful to write. So I'll just leave it as it is for now. What's your Metallica history?