METALLICA – NOTHING
ELSE MATTERS (VERTIGO)
I was so excited when
I bought this CD single. CD singles of
Metallica were pretty rare in Clacton back in the day. And I would imagine they’re pretty hard to
find there now. Still I should not
discard or cheapen the energetic excitement it gave me in my youth. These were important objects, important
pieces that held great value for a person feeling isolated and alone in a small
town in Essex near the coast.
That said Metallica
never really quite did it for me.
Obviously they have great songs but their legacy and reputation just
does not coincide with their output.
They were supposed to be the heaviest, most dangerous rock act on earth
but there was just too much denim attached to their being (if you know what I
mean).
Today I find myself
actually wiping dust off this CD. I
have no idea when was the last time I played this disc. I might even be as long as fifteen years ago
and a time when I was a much different person, probably nicer but very mixed up
with it.
“Nothing Else Matters”
was a special song for Metallica. It
was them displaying a tender side, their ability to mix things up and provide
an emotion flavour and depth. If nothing
else this was bound to get them airplay and airtime without necessarily losing
face.
Lyrically the song is
whimsical to a fault. This was the era
of Wayne’s World so metal was accepted by the mainstream but equally sneered at
too. Do you remember how “Dream Weaver”
by Gary Wright offered respite in that movie and its soundtrack? This song/single served similar
function. Equally it is a song you
could envisage Spinal Tap doing, not least in the Tolkien-esqe line “trust I
seek and I find in you.”
Inevitably a guitar
solo eventually turns up by which point it has been intended that the listener
is looking towards the stars and this is a final throw to send the spectacular
hurtling further into space. However it
is tough to imagine a casual observer being so wrapped up to this degree. Could a normal person really be so sold?
The photo of the band
that accompanies this release is one of pure metal excess. It was already aged as the band were still
to sort themselves out visually. Also
they look so young and gaudy, especially Kirk Hammett. The others just smell of denim. Forgive me my eternal suspicion of this band
and how I never dove into them full footed.
This was definitely a band for the committed. And by that I mean my friends.
A bonus on the CD was
the live version of “Enter
Sandman” serving as a b-side. I had
missed the boat on that song first time round so here was a great version to
own including the sound of pyrotechnics.
If the sedation of the lead was scaring me off then certainly the
chugging energy of this track was scaring me in.
Then came another live
track in the form of “Harvester Of Sorrow” (from And Justice For All) which was
another lumbering piece of metal which comes complete with mid song breakdown
and the sound of James Hetfield gobbing loudly onstage. Only hard men of rock did this. It seemed/felt godlike.
Closing the release
was the curious demo version of “Nothing Else Matters”. To this date I had never been exposed to the
concept of demo versions (not even by Nirvana) so to suddenly be faced with
this incomplete version of the song including Hetfield humming instead of
singing felt as if the band were being exposed and the listener sold
short. Regardless as with all demo
versions it is interesting to hear if not illuminating.
Still it’s better than
“More Than Words” by Extreme, that other example from era of metal turning
fanny.
Thesaurus moment:
assay.
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