Put this Sponge on Your Head, Please

Metallica

Ride the Lightning

1984, MegaForce

produced by Flemming Rasmussen and Mark Whitaker

James Hetfield- rhythmn guitar, vocals

Kirk Hammet- lead guitar

Cliff Burton- bass

Lars Ulrich- drums

singles-

• Creeping Death/Am I Evil/Blitzkrieg
• For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Fade to Black

This is my favorite Metallica album. To this day, every time I hear bells on the radio, I wait, hoping. After three bells, I get dissapointed, because that means the song is Hells Bells by ACDC and not For Whom the Bell Tolls, which I'd so much rather hear.  

I listened to this album the other day for the first time in years, and marveled at how much Hetfield doesn't sound like Hetfield. Compared to contemporary Metallica, it sounds like they have a completely different singer.

This album has many of my all time favorite Metallica songs. Ride the Lightning, Fade to Black, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Creeping Death, and Call of the Ktulu (Cthulhu, idiots) are each pretty fantastic, Trapped Under Ice isn't a bad song either. In fact, that only leaves Fight Fire with Fire, and Escape on the list of songs that make me go "meh". If only two out of eight tracks are unremarkable, that's a pretty great album.  

Also, this album was pressed as vinyl records (1984 was still two early for CDs to dominate the business) and created some cool collectors items. 500 pressings were packaged in green sleeves instead of the blue cover shown above. Also, the Fade to Black promo single was pressed in glow in the dark green vinyl. These both go up for auction once in a while and bring in 200 to 400 dollars.  Not as much as the clear pressing of NoFX's The Decline... that's ridiculous.