RaR42 – One
DIRECTIONS:
Listen to the recording of the tune by clicking the attached mp3 file. This will open the recording in a new window or tab. Listen and follow along with the listening guide in the book.
Read the liner notes below.
Read the information “What to Listen For”
Respond to the Rate-A-Record/Questions by clicking on the assignment link and then click on on the button “Write Submission” (to the right of Text Submission) to record your response. Do not use the comments field.
One by Metallica
Metallica was one of the most influential metal bands of the 1980s. Their roots in biker culture and British hardcore separated them from 1970s arena rock and the perceived pretensions of metal bands of that decade, and they introduced speed metal—which married the virtuosity of British blues-rock and the propulsive energy of punk—to the American mainstream. However, Metallica added to speed metal a complexity and depth that led them to be viewed as more serious and musically ambitious than their predecessors, and they achieved what no heavy metal band ever had: favorable reviews and critical respect.
Metallica was started by drummer Lars Ulrich, who fell madly in love with the music of Deep Purple at the age of ten; he soon became an avid heavy metal enthusiast. He did some jamming around the Los Angeles music scene after high school, but found his musical calling when he traveled to England in 1981 to hear Diamond Head, an English group he discovered through tape trading with other metal enthusiasts. He ended up living with the band for a time and was exposed to a new generation of British heavy metal bands like Motörhead, which had absorbed the energy of punk and the sophisticated musicianship of progressive rock.
When Ulrich returned to Los Angeles, Brian Slagel of Metal Blade records (with whom he had exchanged tapes) invited him to contribute to an anthology of local metal bands; Ulrich accepted, even though he wasn’t part of a band. He recalled jamming with guitarist and singer James Hetfield, who happened to be between bands when Ulrich called. They complemented each other nicely. Ulrich had an encyclopedic familiarity with heavy metal, and Hetfield had extensive practical experience; he had been playing in bands and writing songs since his pre-teens. They added a guitarist and bass player, but found neither satisfactory; Metallica relocated to San Francisco in 1982 in pursuit of bassist Cliff Burton, who joined the group shortly before Kirk Hammett replaced guitarist, Dave Mustaine. Both had extensive and stylistically diverse knowledge of music and backgrounds in music theory, and both liked jazz, blues, and classical music.
The band’s first album, Kill ‘Em All, landed them deal with Elektra, and Ozzy Osbourne—one of the biggest metal stars of the early 1980s—asked Metallica to open for his Ultimate Sin tour. They built an extensive following, which grew into a legion of devoted fans in 1986, after the release of Master of Puppets, considered by many to be their masterpiece. The album introduced a form of speed metal that placed less emphasis on blitzkrieg tempos and more on the hardcore riffs, intricate song structures, and complex textures that harkened back to bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. The lyrics also eschewed Lovecraftian horrors in favor of inner demons, subjects more relevant and immediate to most listeners. In 1991 Metallica crossed over to a mainstream pop audience with radio hits like “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters,” which were lighter in texture yet in no way compromised the band’s overall aesthetic.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR:
Speed of playing
Aggressive nature of music
Speed of bass drum – double bass drum set-up
Vocal delivery
Lyrics
I can’t remember anything
Can’t tell if this is true or dream
Deep down inside I feel to scream
This terrible silence stops me
Now that the war is through with me
I’m waking up, I cannot see
That there is not much left of me
Nothing is real but pain now
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please, God, wake me
Back to the world that’s much too real
In pumps life that I must feel
But can’t look forward to reveal
Look to the time when I’ll live
Fed through the tube that sticks in me
Just like a wartime novelty
Tied to machines that make me be
Cut this life off from me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please, God, wake me
Now the world is gone, I’m just one
Oh God, help me
Hold my breath as I wish for death
Oh please, God, help me
Darkness imprisoning me
All that I see
Absolute horror
I cannot live
I cannot die
Trapped in myself
Body my holding cell
Landmine has taken my sight
Taken my speech
Taken my hearing
Taken my arms
Taken my legs
Taken my soul
Left me with life in hell
RATE-A-RECORD/QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
To many, this piece is the epitome of what Heavy Metal is all about. How is this so? What are some things that you hear that support this statement?
Give it a rating: 0 = Bad, 100 = Awesome. Defend your number.
Image preview for”to many, this piece is the epitome of what Heavy Metal is all about.”
APA
301 words