Recently in an interview, Lars Ulrich of Metallica was pressed about the poor production of the bands fourth album ‘…And Justice For All’. And whether or not the band was considering remastering the album to bring out Jason Newsted’s bass work. And Lars’ paper thin drums. The answer was a clear no.
And all I can ask is, ‘have you heard ‘…And Justice For Jason’?! The youtube remaster of ‘…And Justice For All’. It is simply amazing. For those of you who don’t know. Someone somewhere took the album and remastered it in their home studio. Could be a professional studio, who knows. Either way it’s a remaster of Metallica’s ‘…And Justice For All’ but with what many would consider proper production. Jason Newsted’s bass is full and thick. Which is fantastic. And it’s a perfect marriage with James Hetfield’s guitar riffs. Lars’ drums are still original in sound, but that’s okay. I’m not a fan of the thin snare drum sound but having the bass in there is enough. I can’t think of many youtube vids where I play the whole hour plus video.
Everyone universally agrees, ‘…And Justice For All’ is a masterpiece of heavy metal writing. Through and through. From ‘Blackened’ to ‘Dyers Eve’. There isn’t one weak moment. But the production is so horrible. And many know the story. Cliff Burton passed away on the ‘Master of Puppets’ tour. Jason Newsted comes in and the band essentially ‘frat boy’ hazed him for three years. That time frame includes the recording and release of ‘…And Justice For All’. And part of that hazing was essentially drowning out all of Newsted’s bass lines with layers upon layers of James Hetfield guitar textures. And the album quality suffers because of it. Not to mention Lars’ drum sound. Those paper thin bass drums and snare. It’s almost unbearable to listen to, especially as a drummer. And it’s what keeps me and many other from listening to the album constantly. Certainly the bass much more so.
And clearly there are many others because ‘…And Justice For Jason’ exists. There’s clearly a market and an audience who are demanding a re release of the album complete with full bass. It’d be nice if the drums were added to that as well. But not imperative. So just do it guys. Just remaster the album. Do a 30th anniversary package with the album remastered with full bass. And then add the Seattle concert on audio as a bonus. So a 3 CD package for the average fan. Not to put high school style peer pressure on you guys but, everyone’s doing it!! And then some sort of crazy deluxe package that costs $150 or something, for the crazy fans out there. You’ve got nothing to lose for it. How much money does Metallica have as a unit? I don’t think it would put much of a financial dent in the bands revenue. If they lost anything that is. But I don’t they would. I can’t even fathom how many copies would sell. Even in the age of downloading and sharing.
Anyways, guys, remaster the album alright? It really needs some treatment. And a little love. Like the recording below.
AND REDO THE DRUMS!
What do you guys think? Should Metallica re-master ‘…And Justice For All’?
