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This was on one of the Garage Days, right? Their Diamond Head covers are generally great (Am I Evil etc). Looking it up, it’s also hilarious that finally Diamond Head covered a Metallica song a few years ago.
Garage, Inc, yeah. This and Breadfan were recorded during the preparation for recording AJFA and the original mixing was kind of terrible, you can hear a constant clipping of the cymbals throughout. This convinced LU and JH to fire their producer and go with someone else (Fleming Rasmussen?) for the album.
The AJFA remaster released a few years ago changed that up considerably. My intro to Metallica was AJFA and was astonished to learn this even existed when a friend of mine showed me his Japanese import AJFA in the mid 90s. I’m convinced this was Metallica’s peak performance and solidified then as the 80s best cover band.
Interesting tidbit: they pa(y)id royalties to Diamond Head (and other bands) for the songs they cover. For as much shit as they got for the napster thing, they did those bands a huge solid by getting them paid, finding their lost recordings and pretty much putting them on the map for others to hear and learn about. Those bands inspired thrash metal in general and Metallica were showing their gratitude.
Hmm, kind of confusing. I thought I recall this song and Breadfan from earlier than 1998, and never bought Garage Inc. GI was from 1998 and included ‘The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revisited’ plus some new material. Garage Days Re-Revisited was originally released in 1987 and had another Diamond Head cover, Helpless. I think they kind of wanted a raw (garagey) production.
Ah, from wikipedia…
“Breadfan” and “The Prince” were originally released by Metallica in September 1988 as B-sides to the “Harvester of Sorrow” single. “Breadfan” was also included on the “Eye of the Beholder” single. “The Prince” was also the B-side to the “One” single, as well as the bonus track on the Japanese pressing of …And Justice For All."
Justice For All was great, of course. We’d listened to the preceding albums a ton and I remember when it was released. Then the Black album came and we were OH WOW NEW METALLICA then bought it and were kind of uh, what happened? It was, you know, okay, and I learned it all on guitar too, but not quite the same.
They definitely helped Diamond Head, Killing Joke and Budgie get some recognition! Also Queen, the Misfits and Motorhead (just kidding). And really the Metallica versions are much better imo since the Diamond Head singer was more of a high-pitched hard rock style vocalist.
Hmm, kind of confusing. I thought I recall this song and Breadfan from earlier than 1998, and never bought Garage Inc.
Indeed, they were on AJFA imports and B sides to AJFA singles. They didn’t appear on a US album release until Garage, Inc. The post I responded to suggested that The Prince was on Garage Days, I was just clarifying that.
Edit: randomly, someone owed me some money in the mid 90s and gave me their Metallica “box set” of vinyl because they knew I liked Metallica. I have it downstairs otherwise I’d take a picture. Here it is on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/386519616210
I didn’t have a record player back then but it was great to have the early & Pushead artwork in big vinyl print. It has the Harvester of Sorrow single with The Prince as a B side.
