These days, it's possible to find anniversaries in pretty much anything -- and, to be honest, it gets more and more mind-boggling when certain films reach their 20yr or 30yr mark. The same eye-opening sentiments can be said for records, too, as not a day goes by where I'm not reminding my wife of some musical anniversary. (take a peek at my piece of Metallica's Load on its 20th anniversary last month) Hey, time flies, right? And it's no different for a little record released on July 27, 1984 . . . Metallica's Ride The Lightning.
I can still remember the first time I met Ride The Lightning; it was a hot, summer day in the early 90s ('92 or '93 perhaps) as The Black Album had already blown up and quickly spread like the black plague among my friends. We were over at my buddy John's house and he and his brother Dan were raving about "Fade To Black" -- I clearly remember them showing me the clear cassette for the album. Of course, at this point, I was still pretty hardcore into Guns N' Roses and immediately dismissed it as I went back to pretending I was Arnold Schwarzenegger while listening to "You Could Be Mine".
...and then I bought Live Shit: Binge & Purge that Fall. Upon tearing into that set the moment I got home (my best friend Chris and, of course, John in tow), the first Ride The Lightning track I'd heard was "For Whom The Bell Tolls" via the Seattle '89 home video. Over the next 2+ hours, as we soaked in that legendary performance from the Damaged Justice tour, I was further introduced to "Fade To Black" and, of course, "Creeping Death". I was hooked.
A short time later, for whatever reason, Chris actually gave me his Ride The Lightning cassette -- which I still have to this day. It always stuck out to me since it was an original, white cassette; though, like some idiot, I proceeded to rub off all the info on one side of the cassette! I studied ever aspect of that cassette's foldout liner notes and lyrics, laughing at the nicknames and in-jokes in the Thanks section and learning all the lyrics. Hell, at this point, I'm not really sure which record I learned all the lyrics to first, The Black Album or Lightning! This was a record that I soaked in completely from front to back and listened to on many, many car rides for the next few years.
 |
| Not my exact copy...but this is what the sleeve looks like! |
- Kick-ass opening track (with a cool intro)
- Title Track
- Mid-tempo Stomper Track
- Ballad
- Fast Track To Start Side 2
- etc.
And now, to celebrate Ride The Lightning's birthday today, let's take a look back, track by track shall we?
"Fight Fire With Fire" - In stark contrast to the vows for world domination via breakneck chainsaw-like guitars seen on Kill 'Em All, Ride The Lightning opens with peaceful, acoustic guitar harmonies. Acoustic you say? Those sellout bastards!! How could they!!?!? Of course, this mellow intro is the quintessential "calm before the storm" as its crescendo gives way to a Hetfield riff that personifies the impending doom theme heard throughout the album's next 47minutes and 23seconds. It's a riff that is both heavy as thunder and fast as, well, lightning. From there, the rest of the band comes in just as fast and furious before the lyrics begin and paint a picture of a nuclear Armageddon nightmare. With this one song, everything from Kill 'Em All has been improved upon (no doubt, thanks to Cliff Burton's writing abilities and musical input). The song continues to build through a verse-chorus x2 repeat into a ripping solo from Kirk Hammett, which gives way to a monstrous breakdown section (that double bass from Lars Ulrich though!!) and straight into one final verse-chorus before a literal nuclear bomb is dropped! Talk about intense!
Although this version isn't specific to the era of the album's release, it's my all-time favorite live version and, I'll never forget being there, on the rail for it and seeing Hetfield play that insane riff!
"Ride The Lightning" - As far as title tracks goes, this is obviously the first one that Metallica did, but I also think it's their most underrated. At the time I discovered this record, there weren't too many live versions of this song (along with "Fight Fire With Fire", "Trapped Under Ice," and "The Call of Ktulu" available outside of bootleg tape trading and "import" CDs...neither of which I'd discovered yet). These days, whenever it's played live -- especially if it's a show I'm at, I'm happy! While I'm still not exactly sure what Dave Mustaine's contributions to this song are, here we have the first track from the record with his hand in it. That opening/recurring riff....I'd put it right along side "Enter Sandman" in fact. It's so iconic and, in terms of earlier material, just as defining as "Seek & Destroy". Another strength for this track is, hands down, Hetfield's lyrics...at this point in the band's career, these were some of his strongest efforts yet. Gone are the "leather and metal, crushing the world" type of stereotypical themes found on Kill 'Em All and, here, Hetfield paints the portrait of a man on Death Row as he anxiously awaits his execution via the electric chair. It's incredibly heavy subject matter for a guy who was just singing about banging one's head against the stage until it bleeds just a year prior!
Here is one of the best live versions of this track (both in terms of performance and overall production quality); from the Through The Never movie...
Metallica -Ride the Lightning (Through The Never) by saskeuchihan1
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" - Easily one of the band's all-time best songs ever recorded. This is a quintessential Metallica song before there was even a quintessential Metallica song! From Cliff Burton's opening bassline straight through the fade out at the end, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is a show-stopper on record and in a live setting! Riff-wise, this song is all over the place -- in a good way -- and it's capable of making an entire stadium headbang in unison! Here, Hetfield's lyrics paint the first truly epic Metallica song, borrowing themes from Hemingway's same name novel. And who knew that such a simple chorus could be so damn powerful? These days, it remains a setlist staple and always a crowd favorite!
Here, from the Day On The Green Festival in Oakland, CA 8/31/85, one of Cliff Burton's finest moments...
"Fade To Black" - For many, this is a special song; to paraphrase Lars Ulrich, if you put ten Metallica fans up against a wall and asked them how "Fade To Black" has affected them, nine of them will say how it helped get them through some dark period of their lives. I'm no different, though, these days, I makes me think of my Grandmother who passed away a few years ago. Sometimes, I wish I could have been around to see what this song's initial reaction was...but then I remember the shit-storm that was surrounded the release of Load, which saw Metallica not just simply recording a ballad. The first track to feature writing credits from all then-present band members, "Fade" is a beautiful, emotional song from its somber intro to its seemingly hopeless lyrics straight through its violent, never-ending second half highlighted by Kirk Hammett's frenetic solo. Hands down, this is my favorite track from Ride The Lightning.
Here, I give you the performance from New York, NY 11/15/09 where it was played during a show that I needed to hear it at. Hell, it was played RIGHT in front of me...with Hetfield doing the verses right next to us and Hammett literally walking right over to me for his closing solos. "Incredible" doesn't do it justice....see if you can spot me losing my mind during the beginning of the song!
"Trapped Under Ice" - Side 2 of Ride The Lightning starts with an ominous couple of chords from Hetfield...which is the musical translation of "Oooooh shit!" before Lars Ulrich kicks in with a snare roll and undying double bass! This is one of those songs that, for me at least, sort of became legendary because of its reclusive nature, as it rarely saw the light of a stage. It was one of those songs that I'd only heard very poor audience recordings of from the few times it'd been played between 1984 and 2000 (to this day, it's only been played 21 times!). From top to bottom, this song is just a rager that never quits and makes you want to put your foot through someone's chest! Lyrically, it's metaphorical in the sense that one can be "trapped under ice" by pretty much anything in life...addiction, stress, their job, a looming deadline, etc. It's also hella fun to sing along with and lose your mind over! At the time, I remember thinking it was one of Metallica's fastest songs -- and it certainly is -- but when paired next to something like "Fight Fire With Fire", "Trapped" at least has some breathing room in its bridge. This is definitely an underrated gem off of Ride The Lightning!
Here, I give you a performance from the Orgullo, Pasion, Y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad De Mexico live album/DVD. And, no, I don't care if Lars' double bass may have been "touched up" for this performance...it still sounds badass!
"Escape" - Okay, so Ride The Lightning isn't technically perfect from top to bottom -- hey, it's human, alright? Here's a track that even Cliff Burton hated almost as soon as the LP was released, as it's a blatant attempt at writing "radio" song. For years, James Hetfield refused to acknowledge the song, as the other members would tease him and jam on it during live gigs. It was the one song the band never wanted to play live...until they vowed to perform the entire Ride The Lightning record at the inaugural Orion Music + More Festival in 2012! Personally, I don't think it's a "bad" song in the sense of, ya know, Bon Jovi or hairband stuff from the 80s...it just doesn't quite fit in with the other seven, stellar tracks on the record. Musically, it's not bad, if slightly restrained though, as if the band are consciously trying to not scare potential mainstream radio listeners. Lyrically, while not Hetfield's best effort, it definitely ranks at the bottom of the Ride The Lightning songs -- even "The Call of Ktulu" has better lyrics than "Escape"!
Here, is the sole live performance of "Escape" from Atlantic City, NJ 6/23/12...
"Creeping Death" - Ride The Lightning's second, full-band penned tune is, without a doubt, another standout Metallica song. This will be one of many that the band MUST continue to perform live until the day they call it quits. From beginning to end, "Creeping Death" is an absolute beast that never lets up! Musically, it's based around an old Exodus demo penned by Hammett called "Die By His Hand", featuring a riff that he wrote when he was just 16yrs old (and one that he is still proud of today)! If there was ever a song that was a roller coaster, "Creeping Death" is it...going from insane highs to moody, crowd-singing, fist-pumping lows. You say you want down-picked riffs? There are plenty here that are sure to snap your neck like a pretzel stick! Hetfield and Hammett even trade off dual lead parts near the end! Lyrically, the song is of course based off The Ten Commandments (both the Bible story and the Hollywood classic) and it is chock full of "metal" images such as rivers turning to blood, plagues, FIRE, and even a lamb's blood painted door! Make no mistake, "Creeping Death" was an instant Metalli-classic!
It was also released as a single and featured the original Garage Days Revisited EP (containing the covers of "Am I Evil?" and "Blitzkrieg") . . . which is kinda weird when you think about how "Escape" was the attempt at a single, yet THIS is what got released as such?! It's also a standout moment on the Mexico City 1993 CD in the Live Shit: Binge & Purge boxset -- video of which is presented below...
"The Call of Ktulu" - My first impression of Ride The Lightning's closing instrumental epic? "How the hell do you pronounce the title?!?" It wasn't until I picked up an import CD of an interview with Lars Ulrich from 1986 where the interviewer asks the same question! Man...what a song. Although Metallica would later perfect the art of the instrumental with "Orion" on Master of Puppets, "The Call of Ktulu" is a beast in its own right. The final song co-written by Dave Mustaine, "Ktulu" is like the soundtrack to a Gothic Horror film! It's got a creepy intro, distorted bass lines that literally roar courtesy of Cliff Burton, thundering drums throughout, and even the sort of chaotic, frightening guitar solos that I'm sure Dracula would have as a ringtone! The main guitar riff chugs along to an up and down tempo that suggests the titular tentacle-faced winged beast is closing in on you to seal your doom! In short, "The Call of Ktulu" is a nightmare soundtrack! It's one of those songs that I've only seen performed live once, on 11/23/99 at New York's Madison Square Garden on the final S & M promo show; it was a truly unique opener for a show that just as unique!
Here, without comment is the S & M version of "The Call of Ktulu"...
With the final, crashing moments of "The Call of Ktulu", we come to the end of Ride The Lightning as a whole. It's a such an amazing record from start to finish, though some may not hold it in quite as high regard as it's younger brother Master of Puppets. Earlier this year, Metallica began their Remaster project with deluxe remastered boxsets of both Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning; each sets contains various LPs, CDs, with live shows, alternate mixes, demos, and even a DVD of rare live footage. Also contained in the sets is a handsome book detailing the era pertaining to the release of said album and its subsequent tour. Listen, if you have the means, I highly recommend both boxsets...if you're a Metallica fan, you won't be disappointed!
No comments:
Post a Comment