Master Of Puppets

About

During a 1986 tour stop in Houston, Metallica visited a local record store to promote <i>Master of Puppets</i>. There were two ways of getting to the store from the hotel: a van and a limousine. Riding in the limo would’ve been an affront to the band’s ethic. But riding in the van—without air conditioning, at the height of the Houston summer—would’ve been an exercise in pride. With <i>Ride the Lightning</i>, the band found themselves caught between the worlds of underground purity and mainstream recognition. <i>Master of Puppets</i> was even more popular, and the music even more intense: in speed, in aggression, in its suspicion and hostility toward forces of control. It’s an old question in rock music: How can you scream along to songs about the perils of conformity without becoming a product of it? The band took the limo, but they blasted the Misfits on the way, as though to keep at bay what everyone already knew: Their days in vans were numbered. .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →