
SUNDAY DROP - SPIN # 145 FROM THE R'NR WITH RYLO RECORD COLLECTION
Finally got the kids down to sleep. Night Kat Kiz and I have been struggling lately with the task of getting the kids to bed. They seem to work together, alternating who calls out for 'Mum' or 'Dad' after 20 minutes of assumed sleep. Our eldest walks out of his room to tell us he loves us (which is lovely, but also a ploy to stay awake longer). He also says, "I need to tell you guys something". This whole routine seems to happen every month when one of them is going through a growth spurt. It's made harder when Night Kat Kiz and I aren't firing at 100% health, but its all a part of the parent show I guess.
I tried spinning this one a couple of times and got interrupted. I knew that I was going to have limited time on Sunday to spin this one completely, so I was showing the kids a few songs at a time. They seem to love all music (like their Dad) and especially loved the heavy tuned guitars on Metallica's fifth studio album, 'Self-titled' or affectionately known as the Black Album. It's given that name because the front cover is black and seems blank at first glance. If you look closely the bands name is written across the upper left corner, while there is a coiled snake at the bottom right corner. On early pressings of the album, these were both harder to see. Over time and re-presses, the record labels have made both easier to see. The snake is in reference to 'the most popular symbol of the American Revolution' and is in reference to the track, 'Don't Tread On Me'. (pictured below - known as the Gadsden Flag).

It's a pretty effective flag and message to live by. Don't let people walk all over you. Everyone has a place in this world and working together can be great, but there will always be people out there who take advantage of your kindness. Be wary and know who can and can't be trusted quickly. If you held up this album next to the artwork of Ye West - 'Donda' album, then you'd realise the differences even more. 'Donda' is 4 LP in a quad-fold jacket and everything is completely black. No track listing, not printing anywhere.
So this album came out in 1991, a year that saw 'Nevermind' by Nirvana, 'Dangerous' by Michael Jackson, 'No More Tears' by Ozzy Osbourne and 'Use Your Illusion I and II' by Guns N' Roses to name a few. It was funny last week writing about Guns N' Roses, knowing that this week I would be spinning this one. They toured together, had some beef between Hetfield and Rose and both Sunday Drops were chosen at random....how funny. Jason Newsted's bass is so clear on this album compared to their previous studio release, '...And Justice For All'. I appreciate all of their albums on their own merit but there are a lot of Metallica fans that say the bands first three albums are the only good ones. Play songs like 'SAD BUT TRUE' or 'HOLIER THAN THOU' loud through decent speakers or headphones and give those people the metal salute! Be careful if you listen to this album while driving. Metallica (or any heavy metal music for that matter) do tend to add a few km's to the speedo. If you want to hear a good album with Newsted involved, check out 1986 album 'Doomsday for the Deceiver' by Flotsam and Jetsam.

Everyone in the world knows the lead off track, 'ENTER SANDMAN' and if you don't.......how don't you? There is a lot to love on this album and being lucky enough to hear them play some of these tracks live in Sydney was an absolute pleasure. I was reading that the band and their producer, Bob Rock were at each other for which song would be the best single. It was going to originally be, 'HOLIER THAN THOU' but the band decided that it would be 'ENTER SANDMAN'. This album produced four other singles and really is a classic release, having spent over 550 weeks on Billboard 200's album charts. The only album that beat it in terms of length on the charts was Pink Floyd's - 'Dark Side of the Moon'.
I would often play music through my clickwheel ipod in the car on my long drives to work. This was before streaming and bluetooth allowed for easier connections. Back then I would get a headphone cable that had two connections and put one in the ipod and the other into the headset of the car. I'd have songs like, 'OF WOLF AND MAN', 'DON'T TREAD ON ME', 'NOTHING ELSE MATTERS' and 'THROUGH THE NEVER' playing as loud as my ears could handle. The Hyundai Excel and Getz I was driving over those years would be buzzing and the first hour of work was all the more bearable for the experience. 'WHEREVER I MAY ROAM' is such a different track on LP1 compared to the songs around it. Every musician knows what is expected of them here and they all shine, intertwining with each other until the pace picks up and you will find yourself head banging along to the distortion and reverb.

Metallica have balanced the heaviness required to make a true heavy metal record with some songs that show an introspective look such as 'NOTHING ELSE MATTERS'. This track sounds so good in a large stadium, listening to everyone sing along. I was able to purchase the live recording of the Sydney show I went to as an mp3. This was on their 'Death Magnetic' world tour and at the beginning of this personal song, I swear there is a woman who screams so loud like she is getting crushed.
This weekend we managed to watch all of the Paddington films together as a family and feel 'ok' enough to see the newest one at the Gala cinema near us. I remember seeing 'The Lion King' and 'Bruce Almighty' at that cinema and now our daughter can say in the future that her first movie was, 'Paddington in Peru'. We got home and crashed out a bit - too much of an overload for everyone. The kids had a great time and it was our sons third movie on the big screen - 'Paw Patrol: The Movie' and 'Moana 2'. It was a nice movie and if you haven't seen any of them, then you have truly missed out. They all have a nice message wrapped in a comical storyline. The voice of Paddington is the same actor who does the ABC cartoon that we sometimes watch on TV with the kids. Our kids are growing up so fast and I really want to be able to get them into a better house in the near future. The storms this week gave us some more 'house fix' headaches and I can't wait until we are in a position to do so. To think that I was two years old when this album was released.....wow. Time has flown.

I will need to find a few newer presses of this album and their third album, 'Master of Puppets' as our copies have a few issues with the pressing sadly. I noticed it again on Side three and it's documented on this pressing on turntables that don't have an adjustable tonearm weight. Always sad to have a dud pressing. The band has managed to put out newer presses of all of their albums, so it's a matter of adding it to the collection in the future. I don't think an album of this stature will ever go out of print. I think I'll have to read up on the 2021 Rhino pressing in black wax.
"Never cared for what they say, Never cared for games they play, Never cared for what they do.....Never cared for what they know.....and I know"
~ 'Nothing Else Matters'
I think Side 4 is completely underrated and should be required listening if you are listening to heavy, doom, sludge kind of sound in track, 'THE GOD THAT FAILED'. Listen to the bassline on this one, as Hammett compliments on the lead guitar and Hetfield on Rhythm. Lars Ulrich does his hard hitting best on his Tama branded drum kit too. Not many people talk about 'MY FRIEND OF MISERY' or album closer, 'THE STRUGGLE WITHIN'. I'd be interested to see how many times any of the songs on Side 4 have been performed live by the band. The stylus finds that it needs a rest after all of that head banging and finds the sound of dead wax, before returning to its cradle.
"You just stood there screaming........Fearing no one was listening to you.
They say the empty can rattles the most, the sound of your own voice must soother you. Hearing only what you want to hear and knowing only what you've heard. You, You're smothered in tragedy and you're out to save the world" ~ 'My Friend of Misery'
Thanks for listening along to the 5th studio album - 'Metallica' and I hope that you uncovered a few more classic songs from the album. The weather today seems to be holding off rain and we might spend a bit of time outside while the wind isn't around. Hug your loved ones and make sure to give some Metallica a spin today or put on one of the Paddington movies.
R'nR is important to include in our busy lives, make sure to put yourself first and everything will work out from there. Catch you all for our next Sunday drop.
Until our next Spin.....
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