Master Of Puppets Remastered Deluxe

What is there to be said about the most iconic and powerful metal album of my lifetime? Metallica fans will always argue about which of the first 3 albums is the best, but for me there really isn’t a contest. This was the album that seriously caught my attention because it was so DIFFERENT from everything else up to this point in time. Yeah, it was heavy and yeah it was metal, but the killer riffs and awkward lurches in the rhythms drew me in and mesmerized me to the point that I had to know (and listen to) more of this band. The killer lyrics only made it stand more apart from what else was going on at the time of its release. And there was a lot of good stuff going on circa 1985/1986 in the metal world. Every song was near perfect, and despite endless cycles of the cassette on the Walkman, I never tired of this metal. I don’t have to explain more to anyone reading this because you already know what I mean. While Master of Puppets may not be the best metal album ever (although I definitely would argue it is) it was without a doubt an extremely important release – one which would change the metal world forever. And now we have this glorious deluxe set to commemorate and expand upon the original. Since I somehow stumbled into this series a few months back and managed to put together a comprehensive review of KEA and RTL, I see no reason to turn back now.The BoxThe box itself is actually deeper compared to box with KEA and RTL – presumably to accommodate the increased number of CDs and the cassette this time around – so it will take up more width on your shelf. But all of the other information on the spine and the front and back covers is formatted consistent with the series. It always drives me crazy when half way through the reissue of the back catalog the band or label decides to change the format/appearance, etc. So far, so good through the first 3 – same sturdy box, same cut outs in the base to accommodate the contents and same appearance. There is one noteworthy improvement – thin, inner sleeves for the CDs (with matching artwork throughout). This keeps the discs from sliding out of the outer jackets all the time which was one of the negatives from the first two sets. Also, each outer jacket has its own unique photo this time around which is another nice upgrade from the earlier sets. I still don’t know why the DVDs come in plastic sleeves in addition to the inner paper sleeves but those can easily be discarded. The pins are small (but cool), the 12x12 “Damage, Inc.” poster a nice throw-back, but I love best the folder with the lyrics sheets all marked and such – nice touch.The BookAs with the previous releases in this series, the book remains one of the selling points and most endearing portions of these sets. This one seems even more massive than the previous books with tons of pictures (did these guys ever get tired of drinking?) and great stories from friends, media and industry. There is too much here to describe, but one of the highlights for me would have to be Ross Halfin’s (photographer) descriptions of how difficult it was to photo-op this band, especially Burton. There are some great pictures in here though, my favorite the one with the crying girl in Japan – not sure how that didn’t make National Geographic. But I think many fans will really appreciate the input pieces from Ozzy, Scott Ian (Anthrax) and King Diamond – Metallica was well-respected by their progenitors and contemporaries in metal alike.The VinylOriginal remastered pressing sounds good, but maybe not as strikingly improved compared to the Kill Em All repressing. The sound quality is not quite as impressive as the 2LP 45 RPM version from last decade, but works well in this set. There is no picture disc this time, but the 2 LP Aragon Ballroom set is fashioned in the same manner as the previous boxsets – one outer jacket which nicely protects the 2 LPs in anti-static sleeves.It is amazing how good the recording quality is here and with vinyl format really makes it even more special.CD1 (54:47)The disc is housed in the double digi format with original lyric layout insert (just like the first two albums in this remaster series). The songs sound very dry and clean … really clean … almost too clean. But it’s a proper treatment for sure and sounds great even at high volumes.CD2 Interviews (Disc 1) (79:01)Here we have the ’86 Metal Forces “update” interview with Lars. Once again conducted by Bernard Doe, the lengthy discussion is much more enjoyable as the recording is clear and free of background conversation/noise. Lars is more focused this time around, settling quite a bit into the “we are who we are” stance. He emphasizes that they are all more positive and focusing on the good things and taking the negatives in stride. It’s really amazing to hear the evolution of Lars’ approach and attitude and maturity in just one year. Interesting the response to the questions about why the band had no videos up to this point.The Cliff interviews are somewhat awkward in that his flat affect and minimalistic (almost uninterested) responses make things tough on the interviewer. Still, it is really cool to hear his voice here because so many interviews were with Lars up to this point. As reserved as Cliff was with his answers, he was very decisive in naming “Master of Puppets” as his favorite song and had much praise for the album in general, but interestingly was less excited when asked about “Battery” and “Damage, Inc.” The R.E.M. Misfits and Samhain influences are duly noted here. Overall, even though he is dry and less expressive in general, its obvious listening to his very sober reasoning that he was the most mature (emotionally) of the four back then. It’s not hard to understand why the impact of his loss was so great on so many levels and these interviews with him (as well as the group interview on disc 2 from September 12th, 1986) are special in that these are some of his last recorded thoughts.CD3 Interviews (Disc 2) (74:51)If you grew up in southeast PA you won’t have trouble remembering WYSP (those were the good days of radio). The 15 minutes of clips from a QA session with Ed Green and callers is funny at times – especially the fan that saw Lars jogging earlier that day. The bulk of this CD is the 50 minute interview with Sounds magazine and here we get mostly Kirk’s comments with a little bit of input (once again) from Cliff. I love their response to the “What is moshing?” question – like we don’t really know what that is lol. John Marshall fields a few questions as well, and the Lars comes in toward the latter third of the interview to attempt an awkward answer to the “does Metallica have anything in common with classical music” question. Lars does hit the nail on the head as he explains the paradox that was Metallica in ‘85/’86 – no videos, no radio play, no big show looks … but still the huge success from a fan/listener standpoint. And then more discussion about videos … sigh. Energy, honesty, ugliness. This is definitely one of the most comprehensive interviews of the band up to this point in time. The most important one here, though, may be the Swedish National Radio “Rockbox” interview that aired on the day of Cliff’s death. And then fast forward to the February ’87 interview by the same that featured both Lars and Jason – helped to put things into perspective regarding the band choice to bring in Newsted. There never was a faster and smoother transition (after the death of a vital member) in the history of metal, and it was all done as Burton would have wanted and with respect to his legacy.CD4 Rough Mixes (61:13)These tracks are really totally without vocals with the exception of a few sections of “Disposable Heroes.” And there are no guitar solos, just drums, bass, and lead and rhythm guitars. It is very cool to hear these songs stripped down in this fashion. For those musicians out there this is a great way to really break down these parts for learning because you can really hear the individual grooves.CD5 Riffs, Demos, Outtakes (79:07)CD6 Riffs, Demos, Outtakes (79:45)These 2 CDs are housed in a double gatefold. The first 14 tracks on CD5 are relatively short and they feature James’s and Kirk’s early guitar riffs from all 8 songs. It’s great to hear the varied guitar tones, some of which rival the final versions. The rest of CD5 and the entirety of CD6 contain “works in progress” and various stages of “demo” versions. The former are quite transparent … some revealing the band really crashing and burning (“Welcome Home” and “Master of Puppets,” but other really show a band clicking in unison. With no over dubs here, everything is exposed. The Demo versions of “Disposable Heroes” are remarkable for the “Damage, Inc.” riff that was later removed and used in that song as well as the faster pace of these versions in general – something they would later echo in the live setting. The greatest thing about listening to these two CDs back to back is that it allows you to really appreciate the progression from basic riffs, through practicing as a band, to the final demo cut – excellent how they pull it all together – but still no vocals on the title track by late-June 1985. It should be noted that we really didn’t have this kind of depth of demo/vault material available on the first two boxsets so I find CD5 and CD6 essential portions of the history of this album and unique elements to this Puppets deluxe set.CD7 – Meadowlands, East Rutherford, NJ (April 21st, 1986) (51:31)In general, the live albums in this set (LP, CDs, DVD and cassette) progress from the early 1986 spring touring with Ozzy, to the Mid-West summer tours and up into the fall of 1986, and then conclude with the January 1987 show in Germany. This early show was a great performance but the recording has some “cut-outs.” The band was gaining some momentum with their new release, but hadn’t yet peaked. The set list here featured the basic format they used when opening for Ozzy (50 to 55 minutes, including encores).CD 8 – Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA (August 3rd, 1986) (53:52)The big story here is John Marshall (Metal Church) subbing in for James due to James having suffered a broken wrist whilst skateboarding. This show gets out of control and there are equipment issues. More noteworthy, James had plenty to say (probably because he couldn’t play) and probably much to drink. At one point Lars leads the crowd in singing James “Happy Birthday.” The whole thing is a mess … probably one of the worst performances in this set but it represents honest and “in your face” Metallica where they were at in August, 1986 during what could easily be considered the most tumultuous and highly eventful (both positive and negative) year in their career.CD9 – Jason’s Audition & The Country Club, Reseda, CA (Nov 8th, 1986) (79:24)The first 5 tracks include Jason’s audition … kind of scary how fast Newsted picked up on the Metallica vibe, almost like he’d been secretly playing along with them for years. The live show that follows is insane. For a debut performance Newsted hit a home run. The band is so insanely fast, tight and intense. I’ve never heard these songs played this fast prior to this, even “For Whom The Bell Tolls.” It is almost as if these guys had demons they needed to exorcise in this first show without Burton. It is cool that they included 3 songs from KEA and then topped it off with “Am I Evil?” Even “Four Horsemen” was faster than ever. One of the biggest disappointments was that “Disposable Heroes” stopped showing up in the set list, even when they weren’t opening for Ozzy. And it is also surprising that “Orion” wasn’t part of these shows either, but both those songs were heavily represented on the Ride The Lightning tour.CD10 - Grugahalle, Essen, West Germany (Jan 25th, 1987) (65:00)This is my favorite of all of the live CD performances in this set. With the exception of the first half of “Master of Puppets” not recording (what is it with these guys and forgetting to hit the “record” button?), this show is killer. Newsted’s bass solo appears here for the first time along with “The Thing That Should Not Be.” This song also shows up on Burton’s last show from Sweden (cassette version this set), so it is interesting to compare the two.The Cassette – Sonahallen, Stockholm, Sweden (Sep 26th, 1986)What else can be said about this brilliant swan song performance by one of the most brilliant heavy metal bass players ever? The band did a great job in selecting this for “retro” cassette release with this set. I might have been tempted to put this one on the vinyl and the Aragon Ballroom on cassette but it doesn’t really matter – the lengthy show stands out amongst the live recordings here as one – if not THE – best and most important performances of the band’s career to date.The DVDsDVD1 “55 Minutes” – The first of the two shows recorded here is from early April ’86 at the Joe Louis arena. The side view doesn’t afford much of a view and the filming didn’t start until halfway through the opening song (what again?). The show is stopped halfway through after “Welcome Home” as the crowd is “crushing” up against the stage. James confronts the crowd (without getting angry) and eventually with the help of security they are able to resume playing, ironically, with a much subdued version of “Seek & Destroy.” The Roskilde show from July is much better with the frontal video perspective more engaging (although still very bootleg quality) and a slightly better sound quality. The MTV Heavy Metal Mania shows are fascinating with the “Metallica hot lines” – what, bands actually talked to their fans back then? Imagine that – and on those hi-tech corded phones no less! Part 3 of the series features the most words we’ve heard from James up to this point.DVD2 – Japan. The first time Metallica performed in Japan, not long after Newsted joined. It is a fantastic performance with the expanded set list to include “Fade to Black,” “Whiplash,” “Fight Fire With Fire” and “The Thing That Should Not Be,” in addition to all of the other staples they had been playing since April. This is the first time we are really seeing a light show and increased movement from James and Jason around the stage. As awkward as it might have been for the band they were transitioning from a small venue/opening band to this huge monster headliner going forward. I am not sure why they elected to keep doing the “bass solo” thing after Burton’s death, but Newsted didn’t flinch a bit at the opportunity and really made it work with his own signature style. This DVD also includes the Maso Ito interview in Japanese (with English subtitles). Where is Godzilla? So cliché … you just can’t make this stuff up. The MTV interviews (1986) feature an introduction to Jason (of sorts), that is when Lars stops talking long enough to let him speak.Overall, this beautifully assembled, massive set is packed with hours of entertaining (and informative) history for the fan. Not only does this set pay excellent tribute to the monumental Master of Puppets album, but it brilliantly documents Metallica 1986 – the most pivotal and eventful year of their career. It takes weeks to work through all of this but it’s well worth the time (and money) invested.

Absolutely Amazing!! The best "Deluxe Edition" of any album you will ever find.These "Deluxe" sets that Metallica have put out for the first 3 albums have been just amazing. This package honoring "Master of Puppets" is by far the best of the three. Let's go over what you get:Master of Puppets - LPLive in Chicago 5/25/1986 - 2LPMaster of Puppets - CDInterviews - 2CDRough Mixes - CDRiffs, Demos & Outtakes - 2CDLive in East Rutherford, NJ 4/21/1986 - CDLive in Hampton, VA 8/3/1986 - CDJason's Audition & Live in Resada, CA 11/8/1986 - CDLive in Essen, West Germany 1/25/1987 - CDLive in Stockholm, Sweden 9/26/1986 - Cassette (Cliff's last show before his tragic death)Live in Detroit, MI 4/4/1986, Roskilde, Denmark 7/6/1986 & MTV Heavy Metal Mania - DVDLive in Nagoya, Japan 11/17/1986, Japanese Interviews & MTV News Interviews - DVDDownload card with Master of Puppets, Chicago show & Stockholm show in MP3108 page hard bound book with pictures and various notes and narratives from the eraLyric Folder (which looks a lot like a press kit)Pushead LithoSix buttons (Kirk wore these on his Black Leather jacket back then. You can see them in a lot of the pictures in the book)Good God, that's a lot of stuff!!! It's all housed inside a very thick cardboard box with the album's iconic cover art centered nicely.Master of Puppets itself is in my top 5 favorite albums of all time from any artist. IMHO, it is the greatest thrash album of all time, and quite frankly, nothing comes close. Total Game changer for me. Took me from casual admirer to outside of KISS, this is my favorite band!So, let's get into what we've got here:Master of Puppets LP & CD: I think the Remastering is just fine. Quality of the LP is top notch. No surface noise, and housed inside an anti-static sleeve. It's those little details that Metallica always seem to get right. I have yet to play the CD, but I imagine it'll sound just fine.Live LPs & CDs: The sound quality of the shows are Great & Above average. Certainly equal to, or better then what you can find in the bootleg circles.Rough Mixes, Demos, Outtakes and such on CD: These are all fine and good, but probably are only going to be listened to a few times at best. Wish there were more unreleased songs. The only unreleased song is "The Money Will Roll In". Maybe there will be an unreleased songs set in the future. Who Knows?DVDs: Love the live shows, and the interviews are cool to see/relive for those of us old enough to have seen them the 1st time on MTV.Cassette: Really cool to have something like this. I know most people no longer have a cassette deck, but this just takes me back to those tape trading days.Book: Awesome high quality pictures, most of which haven't been published before.Buttons: Neat to have, but nothing more.Lyric Folder & Litho: All on high quality stock. Pretty cool pieces.Download card: Gives you digital versions of the LP, Chicago Show & Stockholm show (The one on the cassette) in MP3. While I think it was a great idea to put the Cassette show on this download card, I really wish the album would have been Hi Res files VS the MP3. I know this is nitpicking, but this is the deluxe version, right? Having Puppets in 96/24 or 192/24 FLAC files would have put this thing over the top.Overall, I have never seen such a cool package that concentrates on 1 LP ever! I so wish that Universal would get their act together and treat the KISS catalog with this kind of respect. If you love Metallica, and can't get enough of Mater of Puppets, then do not hesitate buying this one. I know the price may be a little more than you think it should be, but once you receive, and tear into it, you'll realize it's worth every penny.5 STARS for sure!

Dentro de la revolución de los Box set que se vive actualmente este es uno de los mejores trabajos, ya que respeta el sonido original del disco y complementa mostrando la atmósfera del disco con dvds y discos en vivo que muestran como era Metallica en los 80s, básico para cualquier coleccionista.

Lors de la dernière visite de Metallica à Montréal, j’ai eu l’immense privilège de rencontrer Lars Ulrich, le temps d’une entrevue. Vers la toute fin de mon entretien, je lui demandais s’il y avait des possibilités face à une sortie imminente du coffret pour Master of Puppets.Étant donné que le groupe est maintenant propriétaire de ses droits d’enregistrement et possède le contrôle total sur son catalogue, Lars Ulrich m’avait annoncé en primeur que le coffret pour Master of Puppets était en route. Suite logique qui allait se retrouver après ceux de Kill Em’ All et Ride the Lightning, nous nous doutions tous que celui-ci serait encore plus volumineux.Ce boitier de Master of Puppets se veut encore plus spécial et chéri par le vieil amateur du groupe, étant donné qu’il marque la fin d’une époque. Dernier enregistrement avec Cliff Burton, ce coffret se veut avant tout, une célébration de l’œuvre finale du bassiste.C’est de cette façon qu’il faut accueillir et consommer ce coffret majestueux. Véritable tour de force, on sent que les archives ont été analysées longuement, question de maximiser sur la période de Cliff Burton.Amateur de sonorité pure et cristalline, va aller vous buter à une qualité sonore plutôt croustillante en ce qui concerne le matériel additionnel. Si vous croyez que les ajouts se veulent à la fine pointe de la technologie sonique, vous vous trompez. Si vous désirez regarder les concerts en DVD sur votre téléviseur 4K, l’exercice est futile.Effectivement, l’expérience Remaster of Puppets est beaucoup plus agréable sur un équipement de base. Par exemple, pour ce qui est des DVDs en concert et les entrevues, je suis descendu dans mon sous-sol pour aller regarder le tout sur mon vieux téléviseur que j’avais acheté chez Gagnon Frères, avec mes paies de camelot. Oui, le même téléviseur sur lequel je me suis usé les yeux à regarder la VHS de Cliff Em’ All des dizaines de fois.C’est à ce genre de documents que vous devez vous attendre, ce que l’on appelait communément des enregistrements piratés ou bootleg. Si l’expérience Cliff Em’ All t’a satisfait, ce coffret comblera ta passion car nous sommes en présence du même type de qualité sonore et visuelle. Les DVDs nous proposent beaucoup plus des documents filmés avec caméra à la main, à l’exception du concert au Japon où la caméra est fixe, quoiqu’elle n’offre qu’un seul plan.Le vinyle-double qui propose un concert du groupe à Chicago en ’86 possède ce même côté caverneux que ce que les enregistrements bootleg offraient à l’époque. Il n’y a aucune retouche, c’est cru et salaud. Tu entends certains retour de son, les imperfections et c’est ce qui est parfait, justement! Malgré tout, le groupe était solide et c'était une véritable machine de guerre de pur thrash metal!De voir de jeunes musiciens au début de la vingtaine en entrevue, c’est plutôt spécial. Sachant maintenant que cette troupe de joyeux lurons allaient changer le domaine métallique, il est agréable de voir l’innocence de l’époque. Hetfield, bière à la main en plein matin. Le visage angélique de Hammett, les boutons d’acné de Lars… mais ce qui est le plus touchant est de voir l’immense charisme qui émanait de Cliff Burton.Et nous pouvons vraiment ressentir que Burton était l’âme apaisante du groupe et qu’il était très apprécié, autant par le public que par ses compatriotes. Juste avant For Whom the Bell Tolls, on entend toujours James Hetfield, demander à la foule : « Hey, vous connaissez ce gars, c’est Cliff. Dites bonjour à Cliff. Hey Cliff, comment ça va? » et ce, sur la plupart des enregistrements offerts dans le coffret.De faire le lien entre le dernier concert de Cliff Burton avec le groupe, qui se veut disponible en format cassette dans le coffret, et les auditions de Jason Newsted se veut une expérience particulière pour le fan.Les démos, les riffs et les progressions d’écriture se veulent intéressantes mais je doute d’avoir une certaine envie de réécouter ce long processus d’ici peu. Peut-être même jamais! Il est magistral de voir comment les titres qui se retrouvent sur Master of Puppets se sont modelés avec le temps, d’être un témoin auditif face à cette progression demeure quelque chose où l’on se sent même, privilégié.Une pièce dans le lot se veut particulièrement intéressante. Étant donné que Metallica est un groupe qui a toujours apprécié faire des interprétations (ou covers), il est très satisfaisant d’entendre leur version The Money Will Roll Right In, de Fang.Feuilleter le livre qui l’accompagne demeure un incontournable tout en écoutant les pistes qui meublent ce coffret. Compagnon idéal de Back to the Front, qui retraçait la création de Master of Puppets, c’est à ce moment que l’on comprend que la dimension ramasseur compulsif qui habite Lars Ulrich a porté ses fruits. Ce livre additionnel est bien garni et il se veut instructif pour le fanatique.Le coffret est complété par des reproductions des paroles manuscrites de James Hetfield qui prennent place dans un livret, six macarons qui reproduisent ceux de l’époque en plus d’une reproduction de l’œuvre de Pushead pour la chanson Damage Inc.De mon côté, je n’ai même pas écouté la version remasterisée de l’album, autant en vinyle qu’en CD. J’ai fait de même avec le coffret précédent, celui de Ride the Lighthning. Je préfère ma version originale, même si j’y entends quelques crépitements.Pour moi, l’attrait face à ce coffret est beaucoup plus pour le matériel inédit qu’il contient que pour entendre une version retouchée d’un album que je considère, parfait.Le fanatique sporadique qui ne carbure qu’à l’album noir ne se sentira pas interpelé par ce qui se retrouve là-dessus et je peux même prendre plaisir à l’imaginer retourner l’item chez son disquaire, en disant : « Ça sonne mal, je pense que tu m’as vendu un item défectueux! » Non, ce coffret de Master of Puppets, tout comme celui de Ride the Lightning et de Kill Em’ All, est plutôt pour le féroce féru de Metallica.Vais-je regarder à nouveau tout ce qui s’y trouve? J’en doute. De prendre le temps de me replonger dans cette période se voulait satisfaisant mais je sais pertinemment quel est le véritable intérêt face à ce coffret : célébrer l’œuvre mais plus spécifiquement la vie, de Cliff Burton.

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You've got to hand it to Metallica, whatever way you look at- these box sets represent incredible value for money. Especially when compared to the likes of the recent Led Zeppelin reissues which although high quality, didn't exactly spoil anyone rotten with actual content and look WAY overpriced compared to these offerings.Thoughtfully prepared and with more content than the average fan could wish for: a cassette tape of a Swedish gig from '86? Speaking as one who grew up on a steady diet of Metallica live tapes, this little bonus, alone- just makes me smile every time I look at it. Some of the live stuff and audio interviews are occasionally of variable quality as you would imagine for the times they were recorded in, but they are never less than interesting. The black vinyl pressing of the original is quiet and sounds as good as previous 45RPM versions with just a little more punch than I remember. The hardback book is also top quality and makes a nice companion while you're listening to the various audio delights. Of course all of this would be for nought if the actual album release of this time period was just ok. For many it's THE definitive Metallica album and this boxset is both a glowing tribute to it's huge success and a warm thank you to the fans.

Amazon is number one for music. Arrived early and well packaged. Quality is great and the book is a good read, too. Great value for money. Can't go wrong with these box sets. Get them if you can! Live CD's are the best!