Lars Ulrichs Top Tracks

“Let There Be Rock” AC/DC, 1977
Where AC/DC let loose the most. It has a Detroit, Stooges-MC5-style type of total energy.

“So What?” Anti-Nowhere League, 1981
This record took punk lyrics and attitude to a place no one else would go. When Animal, the singer, says he “sucked an old man’s cock,” that’s the bonus.

“Don’t Get Yourself in Trouble” Bachman-Turner Overdrive, 1973
My father went to America a lot, and he would bring home 45s. That’s how I got into BTO. This is their heaviest track, with a great groove and a simple riff.

“Tattoo Vampire” ” Blue Öyster Cult, 1976
Listen to this back-to-back with BTO and AC/DC — it has that repetitive feel in the riff. And the drummer does a banging half-time on the cymbal, beating the shit out of it to get that sizzling effect.

“Silver Lightning” Bow Wow, 1977
Being from Japan gave these guys a chance to come up with their own sound: English blues rock with American flash and punky uppityness.

“Child in Time” Deep Purple, 1970
I was nine years old when my father took me to see Deep Purple. It put me on a different path. This is their “Stairway to Heaven.”

“Helpless” Diamond Head, 1980
The cornerstone of our sound: riff and energy, but also a high regard for arrangement.

“Free Speech for the Dumb” Discharge, 1982
I’ve never been able to figure out this guitar solo. It shows up with no rhyme or reason.

“Prowler” Iron Maiden, 1980
It’s got it all — energy, rawness, song structure.

“Evil” Mercyful Fate, 1983
They were ridiculed for the makeup and theatricality. But the singer was very serious — and the sweetest guy.

“Overkill” Motörhead, 1979
When I heard those double-bass drums pumping away, it blew my head off. And underneath is this giant middle finger trying to get out.

“Commando” The Ramones, 1977
It was a tossup between this and “Cretin Hop.” I always thought they were closer to hard rock than to the Sex Pistols.

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” The Rolling Stones, 1968
My assignment was the Seventies and Eighties hard rock and metal, but “Jumping Jack Flash” fits on this list. After the . . . And Justice for All tour, when we wanted to pull back from the progressive side to something simpler, we talked about this song. It’s the blueprint for what is possible in a hard rock song in two minutes.

“Forty-Five Hundred Times” Status Quo, 1973
This is an epic — their “Free Bird.” The guitar solos are less about ability and showing-off, more about fitting into the track. And John Coghlan, the drummer, flips the rhythm two or three times ? effortlessly so.

“The Rocker” Thin Lizzy, 1973
This track links their early progressive and Irish-folk side with their later stuff. This was my introduction to Thin Lizzy, and I ended up seeing them a hundred times. They would play Denmark every six months.

“Killers” Tygers of Pan Tang, 1980
This was about the guitars. Robb Weir should do ads for the wah pedal. He bent the strings while stepping on the wah to get the solos to cry out. This sounds as good in 2010 as it did in 1980. And spelling Tygers with a ‘y’ — that was cool in itself.

Well thats one show for 2011, i think there will be about 20 more, lets keep our ears to the ground!

Here is a vid of Metallica playing Disposable Heroes from Rock In Rio Madrid 2010

Tickets go on sale on November 19th, 2010 only at the Rock in Rio official website, RockInRio.com.br. Other points of sale will be available only after July, 1, 2011.

….Any way here is the piece

…so this is the end my friends…
I mean, not of Metallica or anything like that, uh-uh… as James Hetfield himself said at the conclusion of tonight’s World Magnetic tour at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, ‘we’ll be coming back quite a few more times’ …no, the end my friends of a tour which has taken in 215 shows over 992 days in 45 different countries.
The end of an end of a tour which saw Metallica go to Australia thrice times such was the demand (I mean, what was it? 16 shows that those lovely, mad antipodean bastards drank up like the finest champagne in comfy beer bottles?) .
The end of a tour which (for me) saw this band rediscover it’s true heart and soul.
The end of a tour which saw these four men grow up a whole lot more than ever before.

It’s the first time I’ve seen a tour end where everyone in the band hadn’t grown tired of each other.
No fights.
No major grumbles.
No passive-aggressive games.
Just four men who were genuinely enjoying every night they brought this music to you, and furthermore, genuinely enjoying their own beautiful, harmonious chemistry.

There is obviously a physical relief that their bodies will get some rest, some recuperation beyond two weeks.
But equally, there is the gnawing sense that this…this…well, ‘this was fun and shit, we’re gonna miss it quicker than we know.’
Because to me, Lars, James, Kirk and Rob plugged into performances that were often transcendent in terms of realizing another level to which this band can go as artists and performers. And as such, there has grown an enormous comfort in the knowledge that their re-birth at the start of ‘Death Magnetic’ has flourished into a whole new life.

These shows (this tour) has seen Metallica play unencumbered by the sorts of performance worries and stresses that multi-platinum bands often get back-ache from. They’ve played with the spirit of kids again, and because they’ve been having fun and not sweating the details, the details have been virtually spotless. Funny how that works…

But make no mistake, this ain’t been no sloppy-Joe garage band trogging it around the place. This has been a mighty operation reliant on what must be the best crew anyone could ask for. I’m not usually one for just throwing out statistics uninvited, but I’m going to because, well, they’re pretty mind-blowing.

143 arena shows, 34 festivals, 29 stadium shows, 4 club/theater shows, 3 TV/radio shows, 2 Rock And Roll Hall of Fame shows…two natural disasters with the Icelandic volcano and the Christchurch, NZ earthquake but no shows lost (unless you count a certain oyster incident!)…approximately 56,000 beach balls have been dropped (and word is that the carpenters and illustrious stage manager might well have consumed an equal amount of beers)…seven new babies were born to Metallica crew members, there was an engagement (Tori to Trivett) and a marriage (Dewey)…there have been approximately 180 crew members for whom this has been a life taking up varying degrees of 24-7 time; 14 have made it from the first show to the last. There are more stats but, ah, another day. Needless to say, since the tour that became World Magnetic kicked off on May 14, 2008 to this, it’s final day, November 21, 2010, a lot has happened to a lot of people…

…and so it is that for tours to survive, let alone flourish, the family spirit must be here, there, everywhere. Think for a second about that; it doesn’t always mean 24/7 happy-shiney-people, but it does mean love and respect from EVERYWHERE at a show, from the band to the crew to YOU…

Lars had been talking to a few of the fantastic fans that travel thousands of miles to dozens of Metallica shows, the next-level dedicated if you will, and he told them that he was also them, that he had done similar for Richie Blackmore. He said he’d join them at the rail and get in there. And tonight, after the final note of the tour had been heard, after the ‘final whistle’ had been blown if you will, there was Lars, jumping down from the stage and getting right into that crowd (Kirk being quick to join him) diving into the melee and coming up for air with that famous dirty, filthy grimace of Ulrichian joy. It was great, a simple but immensely powerful (as well as pure) gesture. And you simply cannot fake that shit. You really can’t. And I say that not just because Lars said he’d get on the rail with the fans and did, I say it because deep down, there is a real kinetic charge that they all get from the fans. It’s undeniable. You most likely know what I mean, and if you don’t, go to a show one day and learn!

So really, let me be clear once more. Yes, it’s the end of the World Magnetic tour, but it’s been a celebration of the new worlds, new places, new journeys and destinations I feel Metallica will now embark upon with greater happiness, enjoyment and fortitude than for many a year. And as hard as I try to round this off by saying goodbye, well, it isn’t is it? Metallica is 30 starting in January 2011…and given the appetite I’ve witnessed even during these last three Melbourne shows, we’ll be hearing from them sooner than later (they already announced Rock In Rio next September before officially ending World Magnetic, that tells you something). I have no inside knowledge and no details of anything whatsoever, but I’m telling you goddamit that I’m right!

Steffan Chirazi

Here is a clip of the mighty Metallica playing in Australia for you…..

This is from Metallica.com

In the wacky world of rock’n'roll, sometimes stuff happens which looks even weirder than it really is! And with context being vital in these situations, we just wanted to address something which happened on the tour the other night regarding a large beachball, a band member’s foot and a little girl. Some of you will have seen on YouTube (or read in some reports) that Kirk knocked a small child offstage by kicking a beachball at her. That little lady is the daughter of the stage manager and dressing coordinator, who are fortunate to travel as a family on this tour. She was thoroughly enjoying watching the beachballs drop from the rafters, Kirk was thoroughly enjoying kicking the beachballs off the stage and back into the crowd as has been done every night on the tour, and neither of them saw the other. The poor wee one happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wasn’t hurt. She didn’t go “flying several feet into the audience.” And Kirk and she remain good buddies. It’s very cool that everyone showed concern and support though, so we just wanted to say “it’s all good” and thanks for asking.

Metallica world has been unloved of late and is in need of a fresh look and new material. i do intend to get this process started and am excited about the potential of the site again. Sometimes things run away with themselves and you dont end up spending time on some of the things you love. This is true of late with this site. If anyone has any contributions that they would like to see on the site then feel free to email them to me steve@metallicaworld.co.uk.

The news is very out of date i know and i will change that but some of the info contained within the site is the best on the net and i do want to capitolise on that.

Keep checking back as i am sure you will like the changes we will be making in the near future.

Steve

I hear that Rage are doing a free gig next year as well which will be awesome if I can get tickets!! Fingers crossed X!

Well done Rage and all the people that purchased the song, you know who you are. Another success story for our music!

All of these bands together on one stage!

With the Sonisphere announcement in Poland that the big four will play we are now even closer to World Tour that so many Metal/Rock fans have waited a lifetime for. I am sure ticket sales would be crazy for an event like this.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=217735407776&ref=nf

Join if you would like to see the big four playing on one stage!

What does everyone else think? Do you want to see these bands on one stage?