Monday, October 12, 2009

Metallica Mixtape


After I sent out a "tweet" that said everyone needs to accept that Load, Reload and the two newer songs on S&M are in fact great, I realized something.

I understand how / why many of my friends would reject those records in their entirety. But even accepting their misgivings about most of it (the image, the "ooh yeahs," songs like "Ain't My Bitch" which opens the band's foray into Alice In Chains / alt-rock / hard rock land), I am convinced there are gems buried in those records that most of my friends would otherwise enjoy when listened to in context.

And therefore, I present to you, a Metallica Mixtape culling together the brightest spots of what many (perhaps rightly) consider to be a dark period in the band's history. I'm talking about post-Black Album (I don't feel like arguing with folks who reject that record or its predecessor) and pre-Death Magnetic. Seek these songs out. But don't seek and destroy, seek and... Enjoy! Trust me. Please leave comments.

These are listed in order of greatness. So even if you make your way down the list and start getting turned off, perhaps the tracks towards the top will still surprise you.

01. "The Outlaw Torn" - 1996
02. "Bleeding Me" - 1996
03. "Fixxxer" - 1997
04. "Thorn Within" - 1996
05. "All Within My Hands" (acoustic!) - 2007
06. "No Leaf Clover" - 1999
07. "Minus Human" - 1999
08. "Only Happy When It Rains" (acoustic cover) - 2007
09. "King Nothing" - 1996
10. "Low Man's Lyric" - 1997

2 comments:

Matt DeBenedictis said...

I'm with you on this. That's a great list.

Personally I feel 'King Nothing' is a little higher as the song is hypnotic in a way that makes most heavier songs stand out, but they captured it without going too loud.

I have a mix on my ipod of the songs from that era that I visit with no shame and care nothing about the looks I get when it plays.

Anonymous said...

"Ain't My Bitch" is one of my faves. Oh, how time changes a man. - Tuna