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REVIEW – When I was in college, I worked part time at a mom and pop record store. The owner and me, would become very good friends. I would help him out from 1989 till his store closed in 2001. When I would get off of my job, I would go to his record store and work for music. This is when the music industry was exciting and fresh. When you went into a music store with a wallet ready to get all the new cds. Today, the music industry has been crushed by the internet. The music store experience has been cheapened by streaming sites and pirating. The fans have also changed. The things they once embraced, now all of a sudden they are negative about. Even the concert experience has changed. Today, you have people taking pictures nonstop or taping the show on their device. That is where I will choose to start this review. The taping of a live show is a practice that is old. When I worked at the record store, we would have people selling us “ bootlegs” of shows, that go back to the early 70’s on cassette. This Metallica 2 disc set is raw. I am not sure if it is taped from the Live FM Recording. It sounds more like someone in the crowd holding a taping device. Now, that is in no way a negative. I have heard a million bootlegs in my life, and I feel these types of taping are just so raw and passionate.
You get the vibe of the energy from the crowd. Where today’s live sets are all doctored in the studio and you do not get the true crowd reaction or vibe. James’s vocals sound very far away, like the person taping this was in the nosebleeds. The playing and musicianship on this is solid. You can hear a band getting off on the energy of the fans, and the fans just loving every moment of the show. If you are a Metallica fan like me, this is a good buy. It is not the greatest, but it is passes for something for the fans to enjoy. For me, this was a must because I did not get to see Metallica live till the black album and after. This was done during the “ …And Justice for All” tour, when they were just getting off the Ozzy opening slot and starting to headline on their own. This is also when Jason Newstead was playing bass much like the guitar, where the bass did not have a personality of its own. There is no doubt, whether people like them or hate them, Metallica is up there now with the icons of this genre. This show showcases why they are the band they are today. This was a fun little trip for me. If you are an old school bootleg fan, this is exactly what you would expect.
METALLICA ‘Market Square Heroes’
Disc 1:
1. Blackened
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls
3. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
4. Leper Messiah
5. Harvester of Sorrow
6. Eye of the Beholder
7. To Live Is To Die
8. Master of Puppets
9. One
10. Seek & Destroy
11. …And Justice for All
12. Creeping Death
Disc 2:
1. Fade to Black
2. Battery
3. Last Caress
4. Am I Evil’
5. Whiplash
6. Broadcast Interview (Lars & James)
7. One (At The Grammy Awards 1989)
8. The Raw & Uncut Interview 1991
