Back n' da dayz, Metallica's third LP, Master of Puppets, saved this pre-teen from ever buying into any band that wore makeup or had hair bigger than my older sister. Up until that point, the Crue's Shout at the Devil LP was the bar that I compared all other bands to, but I never really cared so much for demonic imagery and faux-tribal lipstick on the cheeks look that they had going on, and although there is nothing really satanic about Master of Puppets, it still made my parents pissed off and that was enough for me to set a new standard of quality teenage angst-release through music.
So 20 years later, does Master still hold up? I am pretty solid on a "yes, oh yes indeed." I know I have not listened to this album in at least 9 years, but I think the quality of the first 3 Metallica releases still hold up today. They don't sound 20 years old to me, but that could just be my age-association bias. Ultimately, these releases fall into the category of "timeless" which is not entirely reserved for bands that become middle of the road and strike it big, with radio and tv recycling the marginal hits of a once great band into the general subconsciousness of a generation or two. Everybody knows that Metallica was way better with Cliff keepin' it real before they jumped on the Bob Rock bandwagon & started trying to be the tuffy Def Leppards.
The Warner Bros. have repackaged the first three of Metallica's albums in two different versions. There are "standard" editions, half speed remasters on one 33 & 1/3 standard weight LP, and there are "deluxe" versions, consisting of two 180 gram half speed mastered 45 rpm LP's in gatefold cover, for a wee bit more money. These probably won't be around forever, so get them while you can.
