Metallica
Metallica�If you came here to see spandex and big hair, this ain�t your band�, Metallica�s �war cry� throughout the early eighties. While the rest of the hard rock bands wanted to get rich and a lot of women, Metallica, as in the words of former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, �Our hole existence pretty much was guitar, dominating the world and getting liquored up�.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a new wave a British Heavy Metal entering the cassette and 8-track decks of people everywhere. Over in Denmark, current Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, was a hug fan of this type of music. So obsessed with this music, Lars Ulrich wanted to start a heavy metal band... a band that he could play his favorite songs with.
On the other side of the globe, James Hetfield, Metallica�s current rhythm guitarist and lead singer, was looking to start a band of his own. His current roommate had taught him how to play guitar and James was very motivated to get something started. In effect, James had put a listing in a worldwide music magazine, The Recycler under �H� for �Heavy Metal�. James and Lars, were the only ones listed, so it was obvious that the two should talk to each other.
In the fall of 1981, the band �Metallica� was formed. Playing drums was Lars Ulrich, on bass guitar was Ron McGoveny, playing lead guitar was Dave Mustaine, and rhythm guitar and lead vocalist was James Hetfield. During the song writing process over the next few months, the band became very addicted to Alcohol. When drunk, Dave Mustaine would get very violent, while the rest of the band would get happy. Happy and Violent people just don�t mix. Ron McGoveny could not handle the situation with Dave, and so he left the band.
Lars, James, and Dave then went around to local clubs to check out bassists� from other bands. At one club, they found Cliff Burton playing with a band called Trauma. Cliff Burton was a technical engineer and could do certain things on a bass that would make it sound like noises from a guitar. After the show that night, Lars, James, and Dave confronted Cliff asking him to join �Metallica�. Cliff said he would join, only if the band relocated from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
In Los Angeles, Metallica recorded their first demo tape entitled �No Life �Till Leather�. This tape was quickly distributed across the country and landed in the hands of John and Marsha Zazula. John and Marsha owned a record store in New Jersey called Rock �N� Roll Heaven. Quickly, John and Marsha got in touch with Metallica and asked them to drive to Queens, New York, expenses paid, to talk about a record contract. After arriving in Queens, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich announced to John Zazula that they were kicking Dave Mustaine out of the band next week.
Within the next week of this meeting, Metallica...
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