Artist: METALLICA
Album: ... AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (CD)

Year: 1988
EAN/UPS: 0042283606227
Media type: CD

METALLICA ushered in 1987 on January 2nd with a gig alongside METAL CHURCH at The Rock in San Francisco. This same billing hit Scandinavia on the 8th, performing at the Copenhagen Falkoner Theatre in Denmark. The band wound up their European tour, having taken in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Poland, during January. The last of these shows, at the Frolundaborg venue in Gothenburg, Sweden on the 13th, would witness a live showing of MERCYFUL FATE's 'Return Of The Vampire'. Letting off steam on this last gig, METALLICA also jammed through IRON MAIDEN's 'Run To The Hills', DEEP PURPLE's 'Burn and even the Peanuts 'Charlie Brown' theme.

1987 would prove to be trying for Hetfield as he broke his arm skate boarding. The guitarist vowed to give the sport up.

METALLICA went back into the studio to cut the '$5.98 EP: Garage Days Revisited' EP, released in August. A novel homage to their inspirations and influences it fitted in well with the METALLICA ethos. Included were songs from DIAMOND HEAD, 'Helpless', HOLOCAUST, 'The Small Hours', BUDGIE, 'Crash Course In Brain Surgery' and THE MISFITS, 'Last Caress-Green Hell'. The Japanese version also had KILLING JOKE's 'The Wait'. Other tracks from these sessions BUDGIE's 'Breadfan' and DIAMOND HEAD's 'The Prince' would surface on subsequent single B-sides. The EP, a previously untested commercial move, was a solid success charting and lodging itself in the American charts for 8 weeks. 'Breadfan' in particular would dig its claws in as METALLICA opened up their live show with this old warhorse for many, many years to come.

On August 22nd 1987 METALLICA made a triumphant return to a rain sodden Castle Donington to appear third on a BON JOVI topped 'Monsters Of Rock' bill alongside DIO, ANTHRAX, W.A.S.P. and CINDERELLA. Two days previously the band, under the nom de guerre DAMAGE INC., had opened for METAL CHURCH at London's famous, if tiny, 100 club, here first giving 'Leper Messiah' a stage airing. After 'Monsters Of Rock', METALLICA then joined the German leg of the festivals, at the Messegelaende in Nuremburg and the FCP Stadion in Pforzheim, which were topped by DEEP PURPLE.

Newsted took time out in late 1987 to briefly re-unite with his old act FLOTSAM AND JETSAM in Arizona when he performed an impromptu jam at a SACRED REICH show with his old band mates and SLAYER guitarist Kerry King.

METALLICA rounded off the year fittingly with the tribute video to their late bass player. 'Cliff 'Em All' would include live material as well as home video recordings.

Recording a successor to 'Master Of Puppets' began with GUNS N' ROSES studio man Mike Clink but within months longstanding ally Flemming Rasmussen had supplanted the big name producer and METALLICA started the album again from scratch. Despite the problems in the studio METALLICA retained the fan awareness by clambering aboard the touring extravaganza that was the American 'Monsters Of Rock' roving package kicking off at the East Troy Alpine Valley on May 27th 1988. METALLICA warmed up with a brace of 23rd and 24th May shows at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Based upon the tried and tested British formula of the same name, the American version, featuring a heavyweight package of VAN HALEN, SCORPIONS, METALLICA, DOKKEN and KINGDOM COME, looked a winner but it was to eventually flounder due to high ticket prices. METALLICA themselves fared well even though the first month of the tour had them flying back to Bearsville, New York in a desperate race to finish mixing of the album that would become '... And Justice For All'. Here, Newsted was to gain his first writing credit with the band for the lead track 'Blackened'. The 'Monsters Of Rock' extravaganza wound up in late July.

The new album was aired live secretly in Los Angeles as the band, dubbed, FRAYED ENDS, jammed out new material to a select few.

Upon the album's release in September, METALLICA, backed by DANZIG, hit Europe starting with a show at the MTK Football Stadion in Budapest, Hungary on the 11th. QUEENSRYCHE took over opening duties on October 13th at the KB Hallen in Copenhagen, Denmark, prior to a headlining North American tour, gearing up at the Sporta Arena in Toledo, Ohio on November 15th, again allied with QUEENSRYCHE. The first leg was concluded on December 18th at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado.

TRACKLIST:

1. Blackened
2. ... And Justice For All
3. Eye Of The Beholder
4. One
5. The Shortest Straw
6. Harvester Of Sorrow
7. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity
8. To Live Is To Die
9. Dyers Eve

LINE-UP:

James Hetfield (vocals/ guitar)
Kirk Hammett (guitar)
Jason Newsted (bass)
Lars Ulrich (drums)