RAW - #164, December 7-18, 1994

METALLI-ZIG!

You might not know it, but the
mighty Metallica have laid down
two songs originally recorded by
Glenn Danzig! Here's how...

WHEN METALLICA decided to record a series
of cover versions for an EP in 1987, Lars and
the boys thumbed through their collection of
ludicrous Heavy Metal records and came up
with a selection of theirfavourite obscure
Metal tracks from days gone by. In amongst
the Budgies, the Diamond Heads, the
Holocausts and many other long-forgotten
acts, they also came across a band by the
name of The Misfits. Formed in 1978 and led
by Glenn Danzig himself, the American act
had assumed legendary status not only
through songs such as "Last Caress" and the
intriguingly title "Mommy Can I Go Out And
Kill Tonight?", but also because it was
incredibly rare for the band to perform live.
  All the Metallica boys realised that they
had a liking for this quasi-Punk outfit's
brooding intensity and "F**k you" attitude
and felt there were plenty of tunes they
could do justice to.
  Alongside "Helpless" by Diamond Head,
"The Small Hours" by Blitzkrieg, Killing Joke's
"The Wait" and Budgie's "Crash Course In
Brain Surgery", the band decided on a medley
arragement of two Misfits numbers: the
aforementioned "Last Caress" and "Green Hell".
  The Ep was recorded in LA's Conway
Studios and was bashed out in six days when
guitar madman Ted Nugent, who had block-
booked the studio, was out of town on one of
his notorious hunting trips!
  The EP was released in the US and Britain
to great acclain. However, the UK pressing
didn't feature "the Wait", as its running time
would have been too long to have been
considered a 12"EP. Instead, it would have
been recognised as an album, with regular
album pricing!