From: jks2x@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Jason)
Subject: Re: Want Metallica info
Summary: Band history
Keywords: info
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1992 18:48:30 GMT


	Here's a couple answers to your questions.  This may get kinda 
long, but here goes:
	The band was originally formed on the West coast by Lars Ulrich
(the current drummer) James Hetfield (the current lead vocalist), Ron
McGovney as bassist and Dave Mustaine (who now heads up Megadeth) on
guitar.  Lars' father wanted him to be a tennis pro (like he was) but
Lars was more into music so he put an add in an LA newspaper, which
James answered.  This was around 1982 or so.  After less than a year they
got rid of McGovney and picked up Cliff Burton (he was with Trauma).
Soon they kicked out Mustaine because he was into drugs and alcohol 
too much, and he wanted to sing (which James wanted to do too).  So they
got Kirk Hammet (their current lead guitarist) from Exodus.  BTW:
anyone know what happend to McGovney?
	  Their first album 'Kill 'em All' was released by Megaforce
records.  Then MetallicA was picked up by Electra who put out
their next album 'Ride the Lightning'.  This album did quite well so
Elektra rereleased KEA with two more songs on it: 'Am I Evil?' and 
'Blitzkreig'(both cover songs).  The Megaforce version is relatively
rare (I'm not sure if it's worth anything though).  Then they released 
(IMHO their best album) 'Master of Puppets'.  
	September 27, 1986: Metallica is sleeping on a tour bus in
Sweden when the bus hits a patch of ice and skids accross the road 
throwing Cliff from the bus, killing him instantly.  In his honor the
band put out a video called 'Cliff 'em All' (get it if you can find it).
Despite the tragedy Metallica was determined to keep going.
	They held auditions for a bassist and settled on Jason Newstead
who was playing with a band named Flotsam and Jetsam.  This is their 
current lineup.
	Most of their music is written by James, Lars, and sometimes 
Jason.  Cliff did a lot of co-writting on the earlier albums, and
even the album after his death (And Justice for All) has a song on
it that he cowrote.  Kirk does a little bit of the writting.  If
you look at some of the songs from KEA, Mustaine helped with several
of those.  In fact, Megadeth has a song called 'Mechanix' that is the 
EXACT same music as 'The Four Horsemen', but it about 3 times faster.  
It's on their (Megadeth's) album 'Killing is my Business, and Business 
is Good.'  It's actually quite funny.
	You ask which albums are as good as the new one.  I'm affraid 
you have it backwards.  The correct question is: which albums aren't 
as mediocre as the new one.  Keep reading this newsgroup and you'll
see what long-time fans think of the new album.  Or watch them in
concert when the band plays the new stuff.  A lot of the older fans
will be scowling and sleeping when the new stuff is played.  I know 
that's what I was doing.  When the mosh pit disolves something is wrong.
	Here are their albums again, in order of release: Kill 'em All,
Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, And Justice for All, and the
black album.  Before AJFA they put out an EP of cover songs called
Garage Days revisited.  They called it Garage days because it was 
a)reminicent of when they played in Lars' garage, and b) recorded in
Lars' garage, which they had just made into a studio.
	As for what the band is like:  Their basic attitude (at least
before the new album) is 'fuck the business'.  They did everything
in their power to resist attempts by the record biz to control them.
One of their biggest things was not making any videos.  They shattered
that by making the video for 'One'.  Now they don't seem to have a 
problem with them (though a lot of _US_ do).  They also write lyrics
that actually make you think.  You really don't get as much of this
on the new album as with the middle three (KEA wasn't as lyrically
deep as RTL, MOP, and AJFA).  Their music (at least the old stuff) 
isn't written for the eMpTyV crowd.  
	Jason and Lars (Lars especially) are total nuts.  There's
simply no other way to describe them.  See them in concert if you
want to see what I mean.  James is more serrious than the others,
but loves to screw with the audience.  Kirk is really quiet (I think he
said 6 words when I saw them in Roanoke.  I'll tell you if he says more
in Hampton next friday) and really doesn't take part in Jason and Lars'
antics.  However, he James and Lars love playing practical jokes on 
Jason, like spraying him and his room with shaving cream one night 
right after they chose him to join the band.
	I could go on and on, but I think this is enough for 
starters.  If you want more info ask, or go read some of their
interviews in various music magazines.
	I hope you took notes because there's going to be a short
quiz after class.
	Trivia question for all you Metallifans out there:  What
was their ORIGINAL name?  I'll tell you in my next post.

-Jason
--
"One day I'll get what's mine through the persistence of time"
						    -Anthrax 'Time'


--
"One day I'll get what's mine through the persistence of time"
						    -Anthrax 'Time'