26 Apr 2007
Metallica: Ride the Lightning
There was a time when Metallica were viewed as at the cutting edge of modern heavy rock and metal; considering the relative mediocrity of their more recent efforts it’s all too easy to forget, which makes their 1984 LP all the more essential. At this point the greatness of Master of Puppets was yet to come and they only had one full-length album under their belts; nevertheless, Ride the Lightning should be considered as one of the highlights of the band’s career.
Live albums are all too often characterised by poor sound quality, unpolished performances and alternate versions of songs that fans already own on CD or tape. Fortunately S&M is an above-average example of its type in that it is more than merely Metallica performing live: it is Metallica performing live whilst backed by the full San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, which was conducted by the late and great Michael Kamen.