Lars Ulrich reveals the creative decisions made during their 1988 album production process.
Video not playing? View on YouTube
Metallica have posted a video discussing their 1988 album, …And Justice For All.
The band sat down with Rolling Stone's David Fricke backstage in Pittsburgh to discuss the production techniques behind the album's often maligned sound.
"I think it's important to say that it wasn't planned that way," says drummer Lars Ulrich. "We didn't sit there and go, 'A year from now, we're gonna have a record that sounds this particular way.' It's just the result of instinctive choices that were made along the way to make it work, to keep people at bay – all that kind of shit. 'This is our thing. Nobody's gonna fuck with it. Nobody's gonna touch it. Nobody's gonna get involved. We're the gatekeepers. Fuck you!' That was kind of my recollection of that whole year."
Watch the entire interview below.
During the interview, frontman James Hetfield admits that they tried "to beat the fan out of" Jason Newsted as they processed the grief of losing their bassist Cliff Burton.
"I think it had to be extremely bittersweet for him," says James of his former bandmate. "Like a dream come true, but, 'I'm stepping into someone's shoes who can never be filled.' It must have been very difficult – for him and for us, it was difficult; it just truly was.
"Psych 101 will tell you that all our anger, our grief and sadness got directed at him – not all of it, but quite a bit of it," he continues. "He was an easy target. And I think there were a couple of things about Jason, his personality… He was goofy enough to take it, which was a positive for him. I think he was such a fan, and we hated that – we hated that part. We wanted to 'unfan' him and become as hard as we were. So trying to beat the fan out of him.
"But, obviously, live, he fit right in – he was a great force. And you heard the bass live. And he wasn't afraid to step up to the mic and bark whenever he felt like it. And he would sweat – he would really sweat – and he put a lot into the live show. So that gained a lot of respect, at least I think for us, once we started touring with him."
Metallica's reissue of …And Justice For All is out now in a variety of formats, including a deluxe box set featuring vinyl, CD demos, live recordings and a hardback book.
