The "Eye Of The Beholder" cassingle was the release that began my obsession with b-sides. It was far from the first single that I bought, nor was it the first with a true b-side on it, but it was the first on that I bought specifically for the b-side. From there, a hunt for non-album tracks in general kinda took over. Sometimes what you would find would suck, but man, when you came across something like this cover of Budgie's "Breadfan" it was all worth it. These days it's not all that hard to find the hard to find stuff. If you can type, then you can pretty much find anything, and if you're not willing to pay the asking price, then chances are you can type a few extra characters into Google like mp3, rar, zip, flac or, god forbid, torrent and come across most anything you could possibly want.
It's just not the same as it was back in the heyday of the local independent record store. There was nothing like stumbling across a 7" with an edit you didn't even know existed or a 12" with a remix that you'd only read about. It was all about the search. That's what made the majority of the non-Lp tracks that everyone thought were so great that great, it was that you really had to work for a lot of them.
Enough rambling. The first three tracks here can get confusing. The very first song they released was a version of "Hit The Lights" recorded as a three piece with Lloyd Grant on lead guitar on Metal Blade Records Metal Massacre Volume One compilation in June of 1982. The re-release replaced the track with another version of "Hit The Lights" also recorded as a three piece but this time with Dave Mustaine on lead guitar. And yet another version, albeit a demo version, of "Hit The Lights" also as a three piece and also with Mustaine again replacing Lloyd Grant's only claim to fame on the eventual cd release of the infamous Metal Massacre Vol.1.
On to three well known demos, one could argue that they are not official releases, but you'd be wrong. They may not be label releases, but the band pushed these hard for a while.
There are quite a few real rarities in Metallica's catalog, most of them consisting of radio edits, remixes, and officially released demos, and most of the post-St. Anger covers (aside from the Fan Can material, ALL OF THE OFFICIALLY RELEASED PRE-ST. ANGER COVERS WERE COLLECTED ON GARAGE, INC., edits not withstanding), like the long awaited and still rather hard to find cover of Ennio Morricone's "Ecstacy Of Gold" the original of which they've used as intro music to their live shows for years.
There are a few live tracks included here. The two new tracks from S&M which have no studio counterpart and two "live" tracks from the "Jump In The Fire" 12". Those two "live" tracks are actually studio recordings with the audience noise dubbed in. And "Tuesday's Gone" from Garage, Inc. is technically live, but it's live in a studio, so I'm gonna count it.
Also included are the very few side projects that members of the band have done like James' Gov't Mule track and his solo track on the Waylon tribute disc and Kirk's Santana and Orbital tracks. There are so few of these that it just didn't make any sense to not include them.
I've listed them, more or less, in order of recording dates.
I hope I've missed something, as I'd like to hear something from them that I've not heard yet, so please correct me if you can.
Happy hunting.
I discovered Metallica just after the release of Garage Days Re-revisited, The 5.98 Ep. I was twelve. Already a fan of cover songs in general, this ep not only made me a Metallica fan, but made me dive into Diamond Head, Budgie and the Misfits as well. Already a huge Iron Maiden fan (having discovered them just about a year earlier following the release of Somewhere In Time), the ending nod to "Run To The Hills" was worth more than just a laugh to me. When ...And Justice For All came out almost exactly a year later I'd become well versed in the previous 3 Lp's, with Kill 'Em All being my personal favorite. The anticipation for Justice was almost painful and it didn't disappoint, it ties in my book with Kill 'Em All as my favorite. I didn't really care for the black album, though in recent years I've convinced myself that it would have made a kick ass Ep from which every song should have been released as a single and all the remaining tracks would have made decent b-sides.
I tend to fall into the majority of the population of "real" fans in thinking that the Load/Reload era pretty much sucks, though there is a track here and there that I do like. That said, sit down and listen to this list in order and that whole period fits in quite nicely, and sounds much better in context than it ever has or will, in my opinion, on its own. "I Disappear" is easily the best song since Justice and the fact that it was never on a Metallica album just makes it even better. St. Anger is not a bad album at all, but its production is a bit slick for my Metallica sensibilities.
Death Magnetic really brought them back for me; it's a solid metal album, and should have been the follow up to Justice, if not Justice, then the aforementioned black Ep.
I'm not going to touch Lulu, except to say that it fits right in with the anecdote in Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me where Lou Reed has someone take a shit on his chest. It's not that I don't get it. It's not that I'm immature. It's not that I don't appreciate real art. It's that it was the most musically painful hour and a half of my life. Ok, so I touched it. All of that said, I applaud them for doing it. It's a project that their hearts were truly in (and that does show) and they got to work with someone that they considered a legend and pioneer. The fact that I think it sucks is completely irrelevant. But I'll let the fact that Death Magnetic's leftovers (which had been held in their back pocket for more than three years) were released a mere six weeks later speak for itself.
I'm not insulting them; I'm not saying they're no good; I'm still a huge fan; I'm just being honest about my tastes. Hell, there are Ramones albums that I try not to play, and no one will ever convince me that there is a bigger Ramones fan on the planet than me. Here's some more honesty for you: Metallica play covers like no one, and of the six Ramones tracks they've released, a good half, if not more, blow, and if there were anything on earth I was supposed to like, it would be Metallica playing Ramones songs. I've gotta say though, they more than made up for it with Iron Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow".
I look forward to their next effort.
| Hit The Lights (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Lloyd Grant) | Metal Massacre Vol. I (original release) |
| Hit The Lights (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine) | Metal Massacre Vol. I (Lp reissue) |
| Hit The Lights (demo)(James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine) | Metal Massacre Vol. I (cd reissue) |
| Hit The Lights (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | Power Metal demo (April 1982) |
| Jump In The Fire (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | Power Metal demo (April 1982) |
| The Mechanix (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | Power Metal demo (April 1982) |
| Motorbreath (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | Power Metal demo (April 1982) |
| Hit The Lights (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| The Mechanix (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| Motorbreath (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| Seek And Destroy (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| Metal Militia (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| Jump In The Fire (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| Phantom Lord (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Ron McGovney) | No Life 'Til Leather demo (7/6/82) |
| Whiplash (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Cliff Burton) | Megaforce demo (3/16/83) |
| No Remorse (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Dave Mustaine, Cliff Burton) | Megaforce demo (3/16/83) |
| Hit The Lights | Kill 'Em All |
| The Four Horsemen | Kill 'Em All |
| Motorbreath | Kill 'Em All |
| Jump In The Fire | Kill 'Em All |
| (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth | Kill 'Em All |
| Whiplash | Kill 'Em All |
| Phantom Lord | Kill 'Em All |
| No Remorse | Kill 'Em All |
| Seek And Destroy | Kill 'Em All |
| Metal Militia | Kill 'Em All |
| Whiplash (Special Neckbrace Remix) | Whiplash (12" Vinyl) [Single] |
| Seek And Destroy (live)(audience noise overdubbed) | Jump In The Fire 12" |
| Phantom Lord (live)(audience noise overdubbed) | Jump In The Fire 12" |
| Fire With Fire | Ride The Lightning |
| Ride The Lightning | Ride The Lightning |
| For Whom The Bell Tolls | Ride The Lightning |
| Fade To Black | Ride The Lightning |
| Trapped Under Ice | Ride The Lightning |
| Escape | Ride The Lightning |
| Creeping Death | Ride The Lightning |
| The Call Of Ktulu | Ride The Lightning |
| For Whom The Bell Tolls [Edit] | For Whom the Bell Tolls |
| Am I Evil? (Diamond Head cover) | Creeping Death 12" |
| Blitzkrieg (Blitzkrieg cover) | Creeping Death 12" |
| Battery | Master Of Puppets |
| Master Of Puppets | Master Of Puppets |
| The Thing That Should Not Be | Master Of Puppets |
| Welcome Home (Sanitarium) | Master Of Puppets |
| Disposable Heroes | Master Of Puppets |
| Leper Messiah | Master Of Puppets |
| Orion | Master Of Puppets |
| Damage, Inc. | Master Of Puppets |
| Master of Puppets [Single Edit] | Master of Puppets - French 7" single |
| Welcome Home (Sanitarium)(edit) | Master Of Puppets - French 7" single |
| Helpless (Diamond Head cover) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| The Small Hours (Holocaust cover) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| The Wait (Killing Joke cover) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| Crash Course In Brain Surgery (Budgie cover) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| Last Caress (Misfits cover) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| Green Hell (Misfits cover) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| Run To The Hills (Iron Maiden cover)(just a bit) | Garage Days Re-Revisited |
| Blackened | ...And Justice For All |
| ...And Justice For All | ...And Justice For All |
| Eye Of The Beholder | ...And Justice For All |
| One | ...And Justice For All |
| The Shortest Straw | ...And Justice For All |
| Harvester Of Sorrow | ...And Justice For All |
| The Frayed Ends Of Sanity | ...And Justice For All |
| To Live Is To Die | ...And Justice For All |
| Dyers Eve | ...And Justice For All |
| …And Justice For All (edit) | …And Justice For All - 7" single |
| One (demo) | One - Japanese single/Ep |
| Breadfan (Budgie cover) | Eye Of The Beholder - single |
| The Prince (Diamond Head cover) | Harvester Of Sorrow - single |
| Stone Cold Crazy (Queen cover) | Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary |
| Enter Sandman (demo) | Enter Sandman 12" |
| The Unforgiven (demo) | The Unforgiven 12" |
| Nothing Else Matters (demo) | Nothing Else Matters -single- |
| Wherever I May Roam (demo) | Wherever I May Roam (CDS) |
| Sad But True (demo) | Sad But True - Part 2 |
| Holier Than Thou (work in progress) | Enter Sandman 12" |
| Enter Sandman | Metallica |
| Sad But True | Metallica |
| Holier Than Thou | Metallica |
| The Unforgiven | Metallica |
| Wherever I May Roam | Metallica |
| Don't Tread On Me | Metallica |
| Through The Never | Metallica |
| Nothing Else Matters | Metallica |
| Of Wolf And Man | Metallica |
| The God That Failed | Metallica |
| My Friend Of Misery | Metallica |
| The Struggle Within | Metallica |
| Nothing Else Matters (Elevator version) | Sad But True - Part 2 |
| Enter Sandman (4:00 radio edit) | Enter Sandman UK 7'' vinyl promo |
| Enter Sandman (4:11 radio edit) | Metallica / Dire Straits (Italian promo 7") |
| The Unforgiven (edit) | The Unforgiven (radio edit) |
| Wherever I May Roam (edit) | Wherever I May Roam Promo CD |
| So What (Anti-Nowhere League cover) | The Unforgiven 12" |
| Killing Time (Sweet Savage cover) | The Unforgiven 12" |
| Overkill (Motorhead cover) | Hero Of The Day Part 1 |
| Damage Case (Motorhead cover) | Hero Of The Day Part 1 |
| Stone Dead Forever (Motorhead cover) | Hero Of The Day Part 2 |
| Too Late Too Late (Motorhead cover) | Hero Of The Day Part 2 |
| Breadfan/Motorbreath/Ride The Lightning/No Remorse | Fan Can #1 |
| Nothing Else Matters ("rehearsal") | Fan Can #1 |
| Pieces Of Eight (Styx)(just a bit) | Fan Can #1 |
| Back In Black (AC/DC)/Custard Pie (Led Zeppelin)/In My Time Of Dying (Led Zeppelin)/… | Fan Can #1 |
| ...Euthanasia (Tygers Of Pan Tang)/Don't Touch Me There (Tygers Of Pan Tang) | |
| Talk in the studio 1 | Fan Can #1 |
| Talk in the studio 2 | Fan Can #1 |
| Talk in the studio 3 | Fan Can #1 |
| Talk in the studio 4 | Fan Can #1 |
| Talk in the studio 5 | Fan Can #1 |
| Love Removal Machine (The Cult)/It's A Long Way To The Top If You Wanna Rock'N'Roll (AC/DC)/… | Fan Can #1 |
| ...Nuns Have No Fun (Mercyful Fate)/Doomed By The Living Dead (Mercyful Fate)/Black Night (Deep Purple) | |
| Mercyful Fate Medley: Into The Coven/At The Sound Of The Demon Bell/Death Kiss/… | Fan Can #1 |
| ...Nightmare/A Corpse Without Soul/Devil Eyes | |
| Talk in the studio 6 | Fan Can #1 |
| Hey Jude (Beatles)/Until It Sleeps/Wonderwall (Oasis) | Fan Can #1 |
| Jam 1 | Fan Can #1 |
| Jam 2 | Fan Can #1 |
| Jam 3 | Fan Can #1 |
| Jam 4 | Fan Can #1 |
| Better Than You (demo / just a bit) | Fan Can #1 |
| Streamline (Wasting My Hate demo)(11/28/94) | Fan Can #3 |
| Load (King Nothing demo)(11/30/94) | Fan Can #3 |
| Mouldy (Hero Of The Day Demo)(12/10/94) | Hero Of The Day Part 2 |
| Devil Dance (Devil's Dance demo)(12/10/94) | Fan Can #3 |
| Fixer (Fixxxer demo)(12/29/94) | Fan Can #3 |
| Fuel (demo take 1)(1/16/95) | Fuel (Part 3) |
| Skimpy (Carpe Diem Baby demo)(3/2/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| Outlaw (The Outlaw Torn demo)(3/6/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| The Memory Remains (demo take 1)(3/6/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| The Unforgiven II (demo take 1)(3/14/95) | The Unforgiven II |
| Bitch (Ain't My Bitch demo)(4/6/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| Bleeding Me (demo)(4/7/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| Mama Said (early demo version)(4/14/95) | Mama Said (Maxi Single, Japan, SRCS 8253) |
| The Memory Remains (demo take 2)(4/21/95) | The Memory Remains (UK Single CD1) |
| The Unforgiven II (demo take 2)(4/21/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| Fuel for Fire (Work in Progress with Different Lyrics)(Fuel demo take 2)(10/5/95) | The Memory Remains (UK Single CD1) |
| Mine Eyes (Low Man's Lyric demo)(10/30/95) | Fan Can #3 |
| F.O.B.D. (Until It Sleeps demo [Early 'Writing In Progress' Version])(12/8/95) | Until It Sleeps (CD1) |
| Ain't My Bitch | Load |
| 2 x 4 | Load |
| The House Jack Built | Load |
| Until It Sleeps | Load |
| King Nothing | Load |
| Hero Of The Day | Load |
| Bleeding Me | Load |
| Cure | Load |
| Poor Twisted Me | Load |
| Wasted My Hate | Load |
| Mama Said | Load |
| Thorn Within | Load |
| Ronnie | Load |
| The Outlaw Torn | Load |
| Mama Said (edit) | Mama Said (Maxi Single, Japan, SRCS 8253) |
| Bleeding Me (6:00 edit) | Bleeding Me |
| Bleeding Me (7:51 edit) | Bleeding Me - cd single |
| Until It Sleeps (Herman Melville Mix) | Until It Sleeps (CD2) |
| Hero Of The Day (Outta B Sides Mix) | Hero Of The Day Part 1 |
| Fuel | Reload |
| The Memory Remains | Reload |
| Devil's Dance | Reload |
| The Unforgiven II | Reload |
| Better Than You | Reload |
| Slither | Reload |
| Carpe Diem Baby | Reload |
| Bad Seed | Reload |
| Where the Wild Things Are | Reload |
| Prince Charming | Reload |
| Low Man's Lyric | Reload |
| Attitude | Reload |
| Fixxxer | Reload |
| The Outlaw Torn (Unencumbered By Manufacturing Restrictions Version) | The Memory Remains (UK Single CD2) |
| King Nothing (Tepid Mix) | The Memory Remains (UK Single CD2) |
| Better than You (Edit) | Better Than You (Single) |
| Satan (performed by Orbital and Kirk Hammett) | Spawn: The Album |
| For Whom The Bell Tolls (The Irony Of It All)(w/ DJ Spooky) | Spawn: The Album |
| Free Speech For The Dumb (Discharge cover) | Garage Inc. |
| It's Electric (Diamond Head cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Sabbra Cadabra (w/ a bit of "A National Acrobat") (Black Sabbath cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Turn The Page (Bob Seger cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Die, Die My Darling (Misfits cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Loverman (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Mercyful Fate (cover Medley of Satan's Fall, Curse Of The Pharaohs,… | Garage Inc. |
| ... A Corpse Without A Soul, Into The Coven, and Evil) | |
| Astronomy (Blue Oyster Cult cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Whiskey In The Jar (Traditional, Thin Lizzy cover) | Garage Inc. |
| Tuesday's Gone (w/ P. Keenan, J. Cantrell, S. Kinney, J. Martin,… | Garage Inc. |
| ... J. Popper, G. Rossington, & L. Claypool)(Lynyrd Skynyrd cover) | |
| The More I See (Discharge cover) (w/ a bit of Robin Trower's "Bridge Of Sighs") | Garage Inc. |
| Turn The Page (4:12 edit) | Turn The Page (Promo 1) |
| Turn The Page (5:11 edit) | Turn The Page (Promo 2) |
| Whiskey In The Jar (edit) | Whiskey in the Jar [Promo Single] |
| No Leaf Clover (live)(No studio version released) | S&M |
| Minus Human (live)(No studio version released) | S&M |
| I Disappear | I Disappear [Two Track Single] |
| I Disappear (Instrumental) | I Disappear [Two Track Single] |
| We Did It Again (Swizz Beats w/ Metallica & Ja Rule) | Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories |
| Drivin' Rain (Gov't Mule w/ James Hetfield and Les Claypool) | Nascar On FOX: Crank It Up |
| Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand (Waylon Jennings cover)(James Hetfield solo track) | I've Always Been Crazy - A Tribute To Waylon Jennings |
| Frantic | St. Anger |
| St. Anger | St. Anger |
| Some Kind Of Monster | St. Anger |
| Dirty Window | St. Anger |
| Invisible Kid | St. Anger |
| My World | St. Anger |
| Shoot Me Again | St. Anger |
| Sweet Amber | St. Anger |
| The Unnamed Feeling | St. Anger |
| Purify | St. Anger |
| All Within My Hands | St. Anger |
| St. Anger (edit) | St. Anger (Promo) |
| Frantic (edit) | Frantic (Promo) |
| Frantic (UNKLE Reconstruction - Artifical Confidence) | Frantic - 7" single |
| The Unnamed Feeling (edit) | The Unnamed Feeling EP |
| 53rd & 3rd (Ramones cover) | We're A Happy Family - A Tribute To Ramones |
| We're A Happy Family (Ramones cover) | St. Anger 7" |
| Commando (Ramones cover) | St. Anger CD Single 1 of 2 |
| Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World (Ramones cover) | St. Anger CD Single 1 of 2 |
| Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue (Ramones cover) | St. Anger CD Single 1 of 2 |
| Cretin Hop (Ramones cover) | St. Anger CD Single 2 of 2 |
| Trinity (Santana w/ Kirk Hammett and Robert Randolph) | All That I Am |
| The Ecstacy Of Gold (from The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly)(Ennio Morricone cover) | We All Love Ennio Morricone |
| Hi Guy [That Was The End Of Your Life] | Demo Magnetic |
| Neinteen [The End Of The Line] | Demo Magnetic |
| Black Squirrel [Broken, Beat & Scarred] | Demo Magnetic |
| Casper [The Day That Never Comes] | Demo Magnetic |
| Flamingo [All Nightmare Long] | Demo Magnetic |
| German Soup [Cyanide] | Demo Magnetic |
| UN3 [The Unforgiven III] | Demo Magnetic |
| Gymbag [The Judas Kiss] | Demo Magnetic |
| K2LU [Suicide & Redemption] | Demo Magnetic |
| Ten [My Apocalypse] | Demo Magnetic |
| That Way Just You Life | Death Magnetic |
| The End Of The Line | Death Magnetic |
| The Broken, Beat & Scarred | Death Magnetic |
| The Day That Never Comes | Death Magnetic |
| All Nightmare Long | Death Magnetic |
| Cyanide | Death Magnetic |
| The Unforgiven III | Death Magnetic |
| The Judas Kiss | Death Magnetic |
| Suicide & Redemption | Death Magnetic |
| My Apocalypse | Death Magnetic |
| My Apocalypse (extended version) | My Apocalypse - digital single |
| My Apocalypse (remix) | My Apocalypse - digital single |
| The Day That Never Comes (Radio Edit) | The Day That Never Comes [Radio Edit] |
| Remember Tomorrow (Iron Maiden cover) | Maiden Heaven - A Kerrang! Tribute To Iron Maiden |
| You Really Got Me (Ray Davies w/ Metallica) | See My Friends |
| Brandenburg Gate | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| The View | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Pumping Blood | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Mistress Dread | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Iced Honey | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Cheat On Me | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Frustration | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Little Dog | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Dragon | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Junior Dad | Lulu (w/ Lou Reed) |
| Hate Train | Beyond Magnetic |
| Just A Bullet Away | Beyond Magnetic |
| Hell And Back | Beyond Magnetic |
| Rebel Of Babylon | Beyond Magnetic |
