Give Metallica Some Goddamn Respect!

[ThraxMan]

I am listening to Metallica's Load cd. To be more precise, the song "The House That Jack Built". I don't see why everybody puts this album down so much. Granted it isn't no puppets or justice, but nonetheless, a good overall album.

I have found that people tend to put Metallica down just because of the Napster/Lars issue. A band should be judged on it's music, not by what the particular band memebers do. I support mp3's, but at the same time, I can agree with what Lars was saying. Ya know, why does everybody think he was wrong for sticking up for themselves? Just put yourself in their shoes. Wouldn't you be pissed if people were distributing your work for free? They have families too and have to make a living just like everybody else. Metallica was legendary in their time way back when. For all they have dome in the music community, they don't deserve to be disrespected.

THE VIEWS IN THIS POSTING ARE MINE ALONE. IF YOU AGREE WITH IT, THAT IS FINE, IF YOU DON'T AGREE, THAT IS FINE AS WELL.

 

[jimbobhickville]

No, I wouldn't care if people were downloading my mp3s because I'm not as shortsighted as Lars. I can see that people downloading mp3s will lead to increased CD sales and concert attendance. I put down Metallica because their music does suck. I was really disappointed when the black album came out...I waited 3 damn years for that pile of shit. Then 5 more years of waiting, hoping that it was just a fluke, only to be more disappointed with that Load of shit.

 

[ThraxMan]

CD sales resulting from mp3 distibution wasn't my point. My point was that their music was distibuted in mp3 format without the bands consent. That is the direction I am going with this.

I don't want to get into an mp3 debate here. I was just wanting to point out the misguided reasonings for people dissing Metallica. However, mp3 distribution is part of this situation.

 

[nafnikufesin]

Two different issues, and it's unfortunate if they get linked. I thought Load was certainly a Load of something after I had first bought it (I should have trusted my instincts when I heard the "Until it Sleeps" single on the radio). Granted, there are a couple okay tracks, but the album, and subsequent loads, were major disappointments.

So they already had strikes against them in my book when the whole Napster issue happened. That was the nail in the coffin... I mean, in some respects, artists do have a point, but I found it so hypocritical on Metallica's part; in 1983 they would have died for the exposure that Napster could have given them when radio stations and MTV wouldn't go near them. But after they sold out with complete crap on all the post-Load albums that were so obviously filled with radio-friendly soulless garbage, they have the nerve to take away that exposure from other less successful bands that weren't so fortunate to have an "in" with the industry.

Thanks for letting me get my weekly rant out.

 

[jdelpi]

Was Metallica trying to prevent other bands from promoting themselves through distributing free mp3s or trying to get their own music taken off? There's a big difference between Metallica 1983 trying to get exposed and Metallica 2002. Why can't anyone see that?

 

[TD]

Metallica suck now, that is why I don't like them. Much like Aerosmith, who were good until 1985. Metallice have sucked since load. You could argue that Megadeth sucked after Rust In Peace, because they basically followed Metallicas lead and started writing AOR songs. Hell I'm a KISS fan, but if you wanna say non-make-up KISS sucks, and that KISS 2002 sucks (which it does) that's ok too. AC/DC, well they haven't wrote a good tune lately, but at least they have kept it real. Sabbath (although the quality went way down hill) stayed metal. Anthrax, Testament, Pantera, Slayer, they have kept it real. Metallica, like Aerosmith broke the suck rule. Plus they are greedy bastards! I think I will go download some Metallica songs since I hocked all the cds I once owned.

 

[SlaughterofSoul]

I don't like this band posing as Metallica. Metallica broke up in 1989 after the ...And Justice For All tour.

 

[Amard Butambul]

...i cannot use 'great', because Load is not 'great', it's 'good'. For a guy who enjoyed music, LOAD is good, musically, but as a METALLICA fan, it sucks big time.

After a big let down in BLACK album, they release LOAD which is utter shit & same goes to RELOAD. That is from a guy who enjoyed METALLICA's older works.

I have no issues bout them suing NAPSTER or Lars mouthing, it's their concern, besides, i dont even download stuffs from the internet so often.

 

[ThraxMan]

You are right Justin that Metallica doesn't need exposure anymore. The argument is a weak one when I am told that. At one point they would have died for exposure. That was true for then, but they don't need exposure like that anymore. They already have established themselves in the music world. People don't see this because they are blinded by only what they want to see and what not to see.

Now why in the hell are people trashing the black album?? I have heard many people say it sucks, etc...HELLO? Where have all of you been? Almost every track was released to radio! Not every band can do that anymore. And it was one of Metallica's better selling records. Do you really think that that album would have gotten all that exposure if it was not popular?

I see nobody has responded to my question about putting yourself in Metallica's position about having your work distributed for free without your consent.

Yes, Napster was a great tool for promotion of bands needing exposure. Napster isn't really needed by well established bands.

Originally posted by jdelpi
Was Metallica trying to prevent other bands from promoting themselves through distributing free mp3s or trying to get their own music taken off? There's a big difference between Metallica 1983 trying to get exposed and Metallica 2002. Why can't anyone see that?

 

[sufferer]

Saw a video on the net the other day (too drunk to remember where), but lars was saying jason was doing "his arena rock performance in front of about 200 people". He was talking about the overhead clap thing he did with his new band. Lars was saying it was pathetic. I don't like jason's new music but I respect him a lot, he was the best part of that band, I think he got out because he was ashamed, I don't blame him. I bet he was smart enough to save his money. Lars is such an arrogant dick, eventually they'll have no fans because of him. Dissing your long-time band mate who said publically the reason he left was because he was simply tired and that he has nothing but love and respect for the other guys. Fuck lars and metallica.

 

[KY_Fried442]

Fuck showing Metallica respect. I showed them respect until they released that peice of shit load, I even somehow tolerated the black album when it was new. I got to meet them backstage in 91(execpt Kurt damnit) and it was kinda pathetic. I remember mobs of people gathered around Lars & James and Jason was just kinda sitting by himself. He even asked me if I had anything else he could autograph for me because it was like nobody even recognized him. I personally think his new stuff sucks but at least he's doing what he wants to now. It really makes my ass chew gum to hear Lars diss such a nice guy. If he doesn't like Jasons new stuff he could at least keep it to himself. It's not like he's a threat to them or anything. I hope James & Kurt finally get fed up with Lars and kick him to the curb(I'm sure that'll never happen, shit he probably has a clause in his contract that says he can never be fired no matter how big a dick he is) but in a perfect world....

 

[nafnikufesin]

Certainly there is a difference between Metallica 1983 and Metallica 2002...Metallica was a great band in 1983, and shadows of themselves, with not a decent album released in a decade. It's one thing for Metallica to protect their own music, and Napster did ban users that were trading their songs in response, but that wasn't enough for Metallica...they kept pushing the lawsuit so that the service was shut down, so yes, they effectively did prevent other bands from using this service to promote themselves.

For Thraxman, I have never dissed the black album...I, too, thought it was a great album. Its the Loads of Shit released since that time that has tarnished my impression of Metallica. However, be careful of arguing that an album is good just because all the tracks are released to the radio. By that definition, wouldn't Britney and the boy bands have "good" albums. Radio play is based on promotion, not on if a song is good or not. Metallica had radio play with many crappy songs of Load and Reload, but I would hardly call those good albums. Metallica never got any radio play from Master of Puppets, one of the greatest albums ever released.

As I said before, there are two seperate arguments here for not liking Metallica...the fact that their recent music sucks, and the lawsuit. I disrespect them for both reasons, but the former is more important than the latter, and I stopped like who Metallica had become well before Napster had ever been born.

 

[nafnikufesin]

Originally posted by TD
AC/DC, well they haven't wrote a good tune lately, but at least they have kept it real.

AC/DC is probably my second favorite band after Anthrax. I love these guys for not being swayed by any trend that has passed them by, and just playing high voltage, ass kicking rock'n'roll year after year. I do find it funny that it takes them five years to put out an album of material that sounds just like the last album though.

 

[augdawg2]

ThraxMan you have some very good points about the new era Metallica albums. I myself have also actually enjoyed Load, as well as ReLoad. But without question, they are not of the same breed as Metallicas early material. The straw that broke the camels back for me was the Napster nightmare, I don't believe that Metallica understands how bad that made them look. Is this actually the same band that only 10-11 years ago came out with "Garage days ReRevisited for $5.98", and the sticker said "Don't pay any more for this album than $5.98"? Now they might as well come out with a album called "the $599.98 you have to pay this price in your face EP, or we will sue you to death" album! Sufferer has made perhaps the best point of all, I too saw the downloadable stream video from their website where they diss Jason playing with his new band. Well Lars, I've got a reply for you, Jason is actually playing the music that he wants, I can't say the same for you Mr. Ulrich! A couple of people on this thread have also pointed out the obvious, the fact that Napster could have actually raised Metallica album sales. True story, a friend of mine a couple of years ago,(this happened right before Metallica went public about Napster), I was hanging at his house and I was showing him the Napster program on his computer and we bumped into some Metallica that was available. Well, as it turns out, I showed my friend "Memory Remains" (this friend is in his fourtys so he had never really heard Metallica before), and he loved it. He went out and purchased ReLoad the very next day so Metallica if your reading this and you want to sue me for making a album sale for you, be my guest! I',m not one to swear that much, but for sure, Lars deserves a big FUCK YOU ASSHOLE! I truly hope that Matt Damon finds you in a dark alley and kicks the living shit out of you for taking his women, and I hope Napster finds a way to clone the old you, so it can come and slap the shit right out of your mouth! This is the last Metallica Rant I'll ever be a part of, but it feels good to get it off my chest.

 

[johnnieCzech]

Load is my favorite album... next to Ride The Lightning! How could anyone say it sucks, have you ever listened to it? Oh I forgot, there is no double bass and no thrash riffs... you can rip me a new ass if you want but I´m just trying 2 state my opinion. Peace.

 

[jdelpi]

If Metallica shut down Napster to everyone, then that's pretty fucking lame. I didn't follow the story at all so I don't know what happened. It seems everyone has been saying fuck Metallica because they did not want to be on Napster.

The Black Album had some great songs. Specifically Don't Tread on Me, Of Wolf and Man, The God That Failed, My Friend of Misery and Struggle Within. The singles got old a long time ago.

By the way, I'm sure Metallica and their management thought long and hard about the possibility that people may buy more of their albums if they were on Napster. After all, if they are so "greedy" and "selfish" like everyone claims, they would do whatever it took to maximize profits! Sure, some people will buy the albums because of Napster. But others won't buy because they get it off Napster.

"[Congress shall have the power] To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries" - Article I Section 8 clause 8 of the US Constitution

 

[nafnikufesin]

Good point...it's a matter of opinion, and if you like Load, I respect that. I bought it when it first came out, because I felt I could always trust the music that Metallica put out. I gave it many listens, hoping it would grow on me, but now the only growing it's doing is collecting layers of dust, because I did not think it was a very good album. Again, that is my opinion.

My bigger mistake was not learning from the first one. Hoping that Load was just a missfire, which every band is entitled to now and then, I bought Reload, hoping that Metallica would get themselves back on track with it. Wrong again. Third time being the charm, I bought Garage Inc, which was not a total loss, because Disc Two was a reminder of the great band Metallica once was. Disc one, however, was a reminder of what they are now, and why I won't be buying any of their new stuff, unless someone can convince me that they returned to their roots.

I used Napster to sample music that I wasn't sure about or had not heard. It's true that Metallica would have lost my sale if Napster had been around at that time, because I would have downloaded other songs and confirmed that they were all as bad as "Until it Sleeps", the only one that was being played on the radio at that time. I would not have been downloading it to cheat the system and burn myself a free Metallica CD, it was to sample it. I've bought way too many CD's in my life for one song that I liked on the radio, only to find the rest of the album sucks, or buying based on an artists track record before hearing anything off it, only to find that the artist changed directions. On the other hand, I did make purchases that I otherwise would not have made based on the ability to sample.

 

[jimbobhickville]

I responded to you Thraxman...I said I wouldn't care because I'm not shortsighted.

 

[vomit]

I will give Metallica all the props they deserve.....for there first 3 albums. All were awesome, and unique in their own way. Classics one and all.

The first chink in there armor arrived with the video, for "One". Not that it's a bad song or video. Prior to this they had always said they would never do a video. I realize all bands change and/or grow. This I saw as a change in the wrong direction. The sellout begins.....

Let's not even get started on the "Black" album or the "Load"'s of shit that followed. However, Garage, Inc. was pretty cool. When Hetfield took voice lessons, I knew the writing was on the wall. Radio was calling.....

Truly this is all a matter of opinion. Maybe I am just jealous and wish that Anthrax would have some of this type of success. But, all in all I am glad there music still kicks ass. And has been getting better as the years go by.

Looking forward to the new Album and drinking a whole shitload of Blatz and maybe evenuke: uke: uke: uke: uke:

 

[nafnikufesin]

I actually respected Metallica more after the black album. Sure they tightened the tracks inot 5 minute tunes to ensure radio play, but they got their radio play despite still playing some heavy shit, so I respected them for getting to the top on essentially their own terms. That's why the change in direction on Load boggles my mind. Maybe it did attract a new breed of bandwagon fans, but it alienated the long-time fans that otherwise would have stood behind them for a much longer time.