http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/classic-tracks-0511.htm

How it went down back in the day. Different than the rumours we've been led to believe. (Though not too horridly far off.) Innerrestin'.

If they did this it would probably be the last metallica record i would actually pay for. As it stands, it is one of the shittiest sounding records i can think of, even though, it does, IMO, contain some of their best songs.

Also interesting about Lars actually playing the doublekick part. I don't know that this isn't just Fleming trying to stay on the band's good side(as various sections of the article seem to be) so that he might at some point be allowed to remix the piece of shit, but interesting anyhow.

It is also funny that the only reason that it seems plausible in the first place, that Lars wouldn't have played the part himself(which is neither terribly quick or terribly difficult) is just how lousy and lazy a drummer he actually is. You listen to the rest of his playing and think "oh yeah, i could see this fucking guy sandbagging on the fast part and having his parts tracked by a roadie." He brought that perception on himself.

He is indeed a terribly simple and boring drummer. But maybe he has like, inhuman metronome powers? I don't know, it makes him seem like he is indeed a pretty timekeeper when you think about how many tempos changes there are and how everything sounds so.. almost robot-like. Though that may be studio trickery, fuckloads of compression on that snare and a MASSIVE amounts of editing/takes of overdubs.

I really wish you could hear the bass considering he talks up how great of a bassist Newsted is. It's kinda hard to tell, isn't it?

Stems for AJFA from Rock Band are out there. The actual bass tone is pretty bitchin', too= bright and grinding. It's a shame you can't hear it. (I used to know where on the record you can actually hear the bass guitar briefly. The One intro is the most obvious.

I am not surprised at all that by Load Jason's tone was just massive sub-lows.

Re: the drums- a lotta punches, a lotta edits, a lotta takes, AFAIK? He does hit stupid hard, by all accounts though.

Yarr, the rockband-enabled remixes that wound up on the youtubes were definitely better. I would love to hear it with all of the other terrible sounds fixed also, like a proper Rasmussen mix. That would be swell.

I really feel that as released, there isn't a single part of the album's sound that isn't awful. Worst 14-year-old-on-a-shecter-in-guitar-center guitar sounds ever. In fact, the very 14-year-old-on-a-shecter-in-guitar-center guitar sounds that sent those millions of fourteen-year-olds out to the guitar centers in the first place.

It has a lot to answer for.

I've grown to appreciate the cold ugliness of it for the once a year I'll bust it out; the atmosphere suits the songs. (The tones are still ungood.) But it does have a lot to answer for, yes, with generations of 14-year-olds with a Schecter at Guitar Center thinking those sounds are actually cool. In context as a harsh ugliness it works- I don't want to hear those songs pretty, though a nicer shade of ugly would be fine- but it may be singularly responsible for degrading the overall standard of guitar tone.

Though I suppose if they didn't do it, someone else would have.

Nice, I mustn't have bought this one. For almost a year now I am off and on buying issues of SOS. It is a pretty legit mag. Much better than 'Recording'. Maybe Tape Op is better but those are the options out here. I should have subscribed already.

TapeOp and Sound On Sound are the two best ones, IMO. If you have a few bucks kicking about and you can track down someone selling old issues they're worth it. Hell, I can mail you some random ones and see what you think of the format. It's all content and the reviews aren't product placement.

Their take on reviews is interesting and honest. They straight-up say they'll put the ad for something near-ish the review (the reviews have no pictures and are just massive pages of 8 pt type) and only review gear they like- they get tons of submissions and don't bother reviewing something if it sucks, but they'll also tell you the downsides, disadvantages and any problems they had. Like the guy who reviewed the Toft ATB 32, a $7k+ mixing console and talked about the problems it had and how he didn't like the control layout.

What the hell, I'll pick a couple random issues and mail 'em to you. I should have your address on the KMFDM poastcard, assuming yer still living in the same place and I didn't miss that you moved in a haze of misery and alcohol?

That would be amaaazing. Would you want them back eventually? The address is the same.