Garage Inc.

When Metallica decided to reissue their semi-legendary Garage Days Re-Revisited EP, they devised a way to get fans to shell out for something that had been available as a bootleg for many years since going out of print. Cue the double-disc blowout that is Garage Inc. We're given a whole new disc of recordings here, plus a collection of all the covers the band had recorded through the years, including a previously unreleased slew of Motorhead covers the band recorded during the Load sessions. Of course, both double albums and cover albums are known for being a mixed bag, and so a double disc of covers is... well, an extremely mixed bag to say the least. There's some of the best tracks Metallica never wrote, and some stuff that well, should have stayed on the cutting room floor. One of the aspects of the new recordings that made purists cry foul was the inclusion of the likes of Bob Seger and Nick Cave being covered among more usual suspects such as Metallica faves The Misfits and Diamond Head. Personally, I think this works greatly in the album's favour. Diversity is very much a good thing in an album of this type, and it's great to see the artists that influenced the Load twins. The band have matured a bit, and quite frankly, an album comprised entirely of NWOBHM covers would be utterly grueling. Fear not though, there's still the likes of Mercyful Fate and Black Sabbath for those of you demanding some “proper metal”. I suppose it's worth mentioning how the band handle the covers as musicians. The stringed instuments are faultless as always, with note perfect performances from Kirk, James and Jason (making one of his last studio performances with the band, it must be said). So of course, I must talk about the aspects of Metallica that aren't always so hot, that being Lars' drumming and Hetfield's vocals. The band seem to have been careful not to give Lars much he can't handle, but on the rare moments they picked a more demanding song, he falters. His playing on Sabbra Cadabra is absolutely shocking, being played at a slower tempo, and with none of the jazzy flourishes that make Bill Ward such a talented (and underrated) drummer. As for Hetfield... well, he's having the time of his life at least. While his admirably meaty vocals serve him well on the likes of Tuesday's Gone and Turn The Page, his constant vocal grimace sounds utterly out of place on some songs, rendering some moments laugh-out-loud funny (The “here I am in PRISONNNNN!” line on Whiskey In The Jar should raise some guffaws). And how could I not mention the dismal spoken word sections on Loverman? Hetfield is not Nick Cave to say the least, and shouldn't try emulating him. Still, the first disc of Garage Inc. still manages to be entertaining. Some of the tracks here hold up as well as any of the band's own compositions. Whiskey In The Jar is a cracking slice of party metal that should put a smile on anyone's face. Blue Oyster Cult's Astronomy is an interesting listen, and those odd distorted vocals never really make an appearance anywhere else in the Metallica canon, sadly. It's not perfect, and the tracks from rawer, infinitely nastier artists such as Mercyful Fate and Discharge have the bite taken out of them due to Bob Rock's polished production. Though hopefully, everyone here should find a new take on an old favorite, and perhaps some stuff that may encourage you to hunt down the originals (I'll definitely be investigating Nick Cave's body of work further). So onto the second disc we go, and it feels less cohesive than the first, something to dip into rather than listen all the way through. The selections on offer here are far more traditionally “metal” than the first disc, with less of those odd excursions which made it interesting despite it's flaws. It's definitely much harder to sit through, and I'd recommend that most people experience it a section at a time. In total, we get “main event” Garage Days Re-Revisited, 1984's Garage Days Revisited B-side to the Creeping Death EP, a few B-sides and rarities, plus an unreleased (and hideously raw) “Motorheadache” section from the Load sessions. Garage Days Re-Revisited is pretty much what you'd expect from old-school Metallica doing a cover EP. Killing Joke's The Wait is the only thing here that really strikes me as a curveball, the rest seemingly having been cribbed straight from Hetfield and Lars' “favorite artists” list, taking in Holocaust, my fellow countrymen Budgie, and (yes, again) The Misfits and Diamond Head. Not being nearly as knowledgable about semi-underground early 80s metal as I'd like, I must admit that I'm not at all familiar with the originals of most of the tracks here, so I'm assuming a slight thrashing up has taken place. It's nice to hear a younger, hungrier Metallica again, although I can't deny this along wouldn't be worth the price of admission to fans who aren't well versed in the originals. Last Caress/Green Hell remains a common live pick to this day, however, though Hetfield's thrash metal barks feel at odds with Glenn Danzig's crooning. Garage Days Revisited opens up with Am I Evil? the version here being probably more famous than Diamond Head's (though I'm sure it didn't exactly hurt Diamond Head's record sales, either). Most of you know it already, but for those who don't it's a nice little mid-tempo track with complex riffing and delightfully ghoulish lyrics. Blitzkrieg might be their most underrated cover ever, being a melodic thrasher that could throw elbows with anything on Kill 'Em All.The production here is a little more warm sounding than Re-Revisited, that release suffering from the same dry sound that in my opinion detracted from the attack of Master Of Puppets. It's also notable for the only appearance of the late Cliff Burton on the compilation (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong), with his bass twanging far higher in the mix than Jason ever gets, naturally. Onto the B-sides and rarities, and to start us off we get Budgie's proto-thrasher Breadfan. Being Welsh myself, I personally view Budgie as one of my nation's finest musical exports, and Metallica do a suitably sterling job with it, getting across the frenzied agression of the original which I'm sure must have been quite startingly when it was released in the 70s. I must admit I prefer the Geddy Lee -esque shrieking of the original to James' barks, though. It does have the best knob-job of anything we've seen so far, though, sounding clear as a bell without softening the edges of their aural assault. The Prince follows it up, a track the band have played since the Mustaine era. Although it's certainly well executed, yet another Diamond Head song might be pushing it a bit. Stone Cold Crazy was a tribute to Freddie Mercury, and despite a) being recorded during the Black Album sessions and b) coming from a band not generally recognized as metal, it's perhaps the most aggressive thing they'd release until, well, the first disc of Garage Inc. Metallica's signature cover, So What? Is the highlight here, the gleefully offensive and juvenile lyrics coupled with the primitive riffs making a nice break from the generally more refined fare on display. Motorheadache is basically the band cocking about in the studio, and perhaps shouldn't have seen the light of day. The production is startingly raw, Hetfield's vocals being buried in the mix and the guitars smothering everything else. It's a polite fist of things, I guess, but it really does feel tacked on and rather inessential. Kudos for not attempting Ace Of Spades, mind. The second disc of Garage Inc. may be a little long winded, and I guarantee you'll be reaching for the skip button in places, but there are still some essential tracks here. It's a bit of a fans-only proposition, to be honest, but I have much respect for the band for doing something so utterly exhuastive.