Master of Puppets

      Not to be confused with Puppet Master or Puppeteer.
      This article is about the Metallica album. For the title track of the album, see Master of Puppets (song).
      Master of Puppets
      Studio album by Metallica
      Released February 24, 1986 (1986-02-24)[1]
      Recorded September 1 (1-09)–December 27, 1985 (1985-12-27) at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark
      Genre Thrash metal
      Length 54:46
      Label Asylum
      Producer Metallica, Flemming Rasmussen
      Metallica chronology
      Ride the Lightning
      (1984)      		 Master of Puppets
      (1986)      		 ...And Justice for All
      (1988)
      Singles from Master of Puppets
      1. "Master of Puppets"
        Released: July 2, 1986 (1986-07-02)[2]

      Master of Puppets is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on February 24, 1986, by Asylum Records[1] and was the band's last album to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus crash in Sweden while touring to promote the album. The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart.[3] It was the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum,[4] and on June 9, 2003, it was certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped six million copies in the United States.[1]

      Master of Puppets was released to rave reviews from music critics.[5] Its driving, virtuosic music and angry political lyrics drew praise from critics outside of the metal community.[6] The album is widely accepted as the band's strongest effort at the time,[7] and serves as one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.[8] Many bands from all genres of heavy metal have covered the album's songs throughout the years, including tribute albums as well.[9] Since the beginning of the SoundScan era in 1991, Master of Puppets has sold 4,578,000 copies.[10]

      The cover painting was done by Don Brautigam, who had worked with bands such as AC/DC, ZZ Top and The Rolling Stones.[11] The original artwork was later auctioned at Rockefeller Plaza, New York City for the price between $20,000 and $30,000.[12]

      Legacy

      Professional ratings
      Review scores
      Source Rating
      Allmusic 5/5 stars[13]
      BBC Music very favourable[14]
      Robert Christgau B–[15]
      Kerrang! 5/5 stars[16]
      Rolling Stone favorable[17]
      The Rolling Stone Album Guide 5/5 stars[18]
      Popmatters favorable[19]
      Piero Scaruffi 8/10[20]
      Sputnikmusic 4.5/5[21]

      Metallica's Master of Puppets became thrash metal's first platinum album and by the early 1990s it helped thrash metal to successfully challenge the mainstream of metal and redefine it. Metallica and a few other bands were able to headline arena concerts and appear regularly on MTV, although radio play remained incommensurate with their popularity.[4]

      Allmusic's Steve Huey commented that Master of Puppets was "the band's greatest achievement." "Some critics have called Master of Puppets the best metal album ever recorded," Huey noted.[13]Joel McIver in the book Justice For All - The Truth About Metallica cites this album as the main reason why Metallica had been guaranteed inclusion in the Big Four of Thrash.[22]

      Master of Puppets has been featured on several "best albums of all time" lists. The album is present in the list "The All-TIME 100 Albums", published by TIME magazine in November 2006.[23] In TIME critic Josh Tyrangiel's opinion, "Metallica didn't bother with hooks or pop discipline" in writing Master of Puppets.[23]IGN ranked it number 1 in a list of the "Top 25 Metal Albums" issued in January 2007.[24] The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,[25] and Q magazine counted it among the 50 heaviest albums of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 167 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Music critic Piero Scaruffi ranks Master of Puppets as the second best metal album of all time.[26] In 2012, Slant Magazine listed the album at number 90 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".[27] Many have regarded Master of Puppets as the most influential and important metal album ever made, surpassing Black Sabbath's popular album Paranoid. The album has frequently been tagged by critics as "one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time."[13]

      As an early parody of the PMRC's "explicit lyrics" warning labels, many prints of Metallica's 1986 release of Master of Puppets featured an octagonal sticker on the front stating:

      "The only track you probably won't want to play is 'Damage, Inc.' due to the multiple use of the infamous 'F' word. Otherwise, there aren't any 'Shits,' 'Fucks,' 'Pisses,' 'Cunts,' 'Motherfuckers,' or 'Cocksuckers' anywhere on this record" (six of George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words).[28]

      The title track was ranked number 51 on The Greatest Guitar Solos from Guitar World. In 2006, the album was voted the fourth "greatest guitar album of all time" in Guitar World.[29] The April 5th edition of Kerrang! was dedicated to it, providing readers with the cover album Master of Puppets: Remastered.[9] In March 2007, the guitar magazine Total Guitar ranked it in the 100 greatest riffs of all time and the main riff of the album's title track was ranked number one.

      All of the songs from the album, with the exceptions of "Leper Messiah" and "Damage, Inc." are playable on the music video game Guitar Hero: Metallica.[30] The song "Battery" is also featured as a playable track on Rock Band 2.[31]

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      Live performances

      The title track has become an almost permanent staple of the band's live set-list and is currently the most played Metallica song. Singer James Hetfield invites the crowd to roar along and guitarist Kirk Hammett burns through the track's signature solo, electrifying the arena with blistering fretwork. The song's live performance is qualified by Rolling Stone as "a classic in all its eight-minute glory".[32]

      "Battery" and "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" are also regularly played live.[33] "Battery" is usually played at the end of the set-list or during the encore, accompanied by lasers and plumes of flame.[34] "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is frequently performed in front of an audience, being the second most played live song from the album with 870 gigs as of June 2013.[35]

      "Disposable Heroes" was recently performed live at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards on May 16, 2013.[36] It also appears on the live video album Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México (2009) shoted in Mexico City, in which this song was played three nights in a row in front of 150 000 fans.[37] Its last performance was at the Orion Music + More festival held on June 9, 2013.[38]Rolling Stone observed Hetfield's rhythm guitar playing as "impeccable on the lengthy and infrequently-performed Master of Puppets cut "Disposable Heroes."[34]

      "Orion" is the least played song from the album, having been played only 43 times.[33] The first live performance was made during the Escape from the Studio '06 tour, when the band performed the album in its entirety, honoring the 20th anniversary of its original release.[39]

      The album was played in its entirety in 2006 at Rock Am Ring.[40] They played it again the following day at the Rock Im Park festival in Nürnberg. The band performed the album's eight tracks in the middle of each night's set.[41]

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      Track listing

      All lyrics written by James Hetfield. 

      No. Title Music Length
      1. "Battery"   James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich 5:12
      2. "Master of Puppets"   Hetfield, Ulrich, Cliff Burton, Kirk Hammett 8:36
      3. "The Thing That Should Not Be"   Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett 6:37
      4. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"   Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett 6:27
      5. "Disposable Heroes"   Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett 8:17
      6. "Leper Messiah"   Hetfield, Ulrich 5:40
      7. "Orion" (instrumental) Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton 8:28
      8. "Damage, Inc."   Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton, Hammett 5:29
      Total length:
      		 54:46
      Digital reissue bonus tracks[42]
      No. Title Length
      9. "Battery" (Live in Seattle 1989) 4:53
      10. "The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live in Seattle 1989) 7:02
      Total length:
      		 66:35
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      Personnel

      Metallica
      Technical personnel
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      Chart positions

      Year Chart Position
      1986 Billboard 200 29
      1986 UK Albums Chart[44] 41
      2004 Finnish Album Chart[45] 7
      2008 Australian ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart 33
      2009 Mexico Album Chart 66
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      Certifications

      Country Certification
      United States (RIAA) 6x Platinum
      Canada (MC) 6x Platinum[46]
      Australia (ARIA) Platinum
      Finland (IFPI) Platinum[47]
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      References

      1. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Master of Puppets". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. Retrieved December 27, 2012. 
      2. ^ "Master of Puppets". Release date. Metallica.com. Retrieved June 17, 2013. 
      3. ^ Pareles, Jon (10 July 1988). "HEAVY METAL, WEIGHTY WORDS". The New York Times (USA: The New York Times Company). p. 8. Retrieved 14 November 2010. 
      4. ^ a b Walser, Robert et al. (November 19, 1998). Nicholls, David, ed. The Cambridge History of American Music. Cambridge University Press. p. 378. ISBN 0521454298. 
      5. ^ Macdonald, Les (2010). The Day the Music Died. Xlibris Corporation. p. 236. ISBN 1469113562. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      6. ^ Knowles, Christopher (2010). The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll. Cleis Press. p. 163. ISBN 1573445649. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      7. ^ "Readers' Poll: The Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 11, 2013. 
      8. ^ Ed T., Spence D. (January 19, 2007). "Top 25 Metal Albums". IGN Music. Retrieved June 11, 2013. 
      9. ^ a b "Kerrang to release Metallica tribute on April 5th". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013. 
      10. ^ "METALLICA's 'Black' LP Is Top-Selling Album Of SOUNDSCAN Era". BlabberMouth. 
      11. ^ "DON Brautigam INTERVIEW". Encycmet. Retrieved June 11, 2013. 
      12. ^ Christie. "METALLICA: Original 'Master Of Puppets' Artwork To Be Auctioned - Nov. 2, 2008". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 11, 2013. 
      13. ^ a b c Huey, Steve. "Master of Puppets". Allmusic. Retrieved January 30, 2008. 
      14. ^ Stack, Eamonn (April 23, 2007). "Master of Puppets Review - Metallica". BBC Music. Retrieved February 28, 2012. 
      15. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 1986). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (New York). Retrieved January 28, 2012. 
      16. ^ Wall, Mick (6 Mar 1986). "Master Blaster". Kerrang! 115. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. p. 23. 
      17. ^ Holmes, Tim (June 5, 1986). "Master of Puppets". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
      18. ^ "Metallica: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 3, 2012. 
      19. ^ Begrand, Adrien (September 12, 2002). "Metallica: Master of Puppets". Popmatters. Retrieved June 11, 2013. 
      20. ^ Scaruffi, Piero (1999). "Metallica". pieroscaruffi.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013. 
      21. ^ Butler, Nick (June 26, 2006). "Metallica - Master of Puppets". Sputnikmusic. Scroll down to Nick Butler (staff). Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013. 
      22. ^ McIver, Joel (2004). Justice For All - The Truth About Metallica. London: Omnibus Press. pp. Chapter 15 1986–1988. ISBN 0711996008. 
      23. ^ a b Josh Tyrangiel (October 13, 2006). "The All-TIME 100 Albums: Master of Puppets". TIME. 
      24. ^ Spence D.; Ed. T (January 19, 2007). "Top 25 Metal Albums". IGN. 
      25. ^ McIver, Joel (2005). Dimery, Robert, ed. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (1st ed.). Universe Publishing. p. 548. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3. 
      26. ^ Scaruffi, Piero. "Best heavy-metal albums of all time". Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
      27. ^ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_2
      28. ^ "7 words". Cba.uni.edu. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
      29. ^ Guitar World, Staff (February 19, 2009). "50 Greatest Guitar Albums". Guitar World. Retrieved June 9, 2013. 
      30. ^ Greenhough, Chris (January 26, 2009). "Full Guitar Hero: Metallica track list revealed, Wii version arriving late". Joystiq. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 
      31. ^ Yoon, Andrew (July 14, 2007). "Rock Band 2 on-disc track list revealed, features over 80 songs". Joystiq. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 
      32. ^ "Metallica Tear Through 'Master of Puppets' in Quebec". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      33. ^ a b "Songs". Metallica.com. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 
      34. ^ a b Steffen, Chris (June 10, 2013). "Metallica Dig Deep for Orion Fest Setlist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      35. ^ "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". Metallica.com. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      36. ^ Fanelli, Damian. "2013 Golden Gods Video: Metallica — "Disposable Heroes"". Revolver. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      37. ^ Hart, Josh. "Metallica Post "Disposable Heroes" Video from 'Three Nights in Mexico City' DVD". Guitar World. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      38. ^ Graham, Adam. "Metallica closes out first Orion festival on Belle Isle, plans for more From The Detroit News". Detroit News. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      39. ^ "Metallica treat Kiwi fans to 'Orion'". 3 News. Retrieved Jue 12, 2013. 
      40. ^ "METALLICA Perform 'Master Of Puppets' In Its Entirety At Germany's ROCK AM RING - June 3, 2006". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 9, 2013. 
      41. ^ MTV News staff report (June 5, 2006). "Metallica perform Master of Puppets in its entirety". MTV. Retrieved June 12, 2013. 
      42. ^ Kaufman, Gil (June 26, 2006). "Metallica Put Catalog On iTunes — Quietly". MTV. Retrieved April 11, 2012. 
      43. ^ Saulnier, Jason (13 January 2013). "Flemming Rasmussen Interview, Producer talks Master of Puppets". Music Legends. Retrieved 2 May 2013. 
      44. ^ "Metallica UK Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 7, 2013. 
      45. ^ Finnish Album Chart - Search. Retrieved on July 8, 2009.
      46. ^ "Music Canada – Gold & Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved September 28, 2012. 
      47. ^ IFPI Finland Searchable database - Gold and Platinum. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
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      Further reading

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      External links

      Metallica
      Studio albums
      Live albums
      Cover albums
      Collaboration projects
      Extended plays
      Box sets
      Singles
      Promotional singles
      Other songs
      Video albums
      Tours
      Related articles
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      Last modified on 17 June 2013, at 20:42