Ride The Lightning

Ride The Lightning was the first album from Metallica that I had the pleasure of hearing. It was released during the summer between my junior and senior year in high school. At the time we were listening to Motley Crue, Ratt, Judas Priest and Scorpions (hadn’t fully embraced Iron Maiden yet, young fool that I was) and in getting ready for the senior year in high school somewhat dismissed the significance of this album. It wouldn’t actually be until Master of Puppets was released (while I was in college) that I would go back and fully relive RTL and appreciate it for what it was. It was also around that time (1986) that I would discover Kill ‘Em All – an album (along with RTL) that me and my friends absolutely wore out on Thursday and Friday nights in our dorm room. Although Metallica’s first two albums were a constant staple of my metal listening for nearly 4 years (never forget air-drumming to “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and “Ride The Lightning” – can’t count how many dorm-room trash cans I destroyed thanks to Metallica) I can honestly say KEA, and to a lesser extent RTL, have not been a huge part of my metal regimen for nearly two decades. Needless to say, when I discovered the Deluxe Remastered box sets (about two months ago – what is it about me always being late to the Metallica party?) I didn’t hesitate to fork out the high dollar amount to obtain these fan-oriented collections. The Box See my review of the KEA set for a detailed description but suffice it to say that the construction and presentation of these sets is quite exceptional. The biggest difference between the KEA and RTL set is that this one contains a cut-out for a lyric diary, and there are 3 posters included as well. The Vinyl These records are exceptional. Metallica apparently chose not to reissue the original releases in wide groove, 2 LP format, but they still sound great (even at 33RPM). There is the single sheet insert with lyrics and credits and the static free sleeve. The weight on the outer jacket is perfect, and the new Blackened label on these weighty records also looks great along with the enhanced artwork (best Metallica cover ever!). The live LPs (Palladium, March, 1985) sound excellent as well. To think this was recorded two months before I graduated from high school … and I wasn’t there! The treble/bass balance is perfect and the crowd noise just right for the setting. There is very little low end distortion and very little surface noise. It’s a great set list (is this the earliest we are hearing “Am I Evil” inserted into the set list?) – a nice 50/50 mix of KEA/RTL songs. Of course, the EP “Creeping Death” picture disc may be worth the price of this set alone, especially with the “B” side “Am I Evil” and “Blitzkrieg” tandem. The Book As most know by now, the remastered LP and CD can be purchased separately so the real value in the box set is with the live LPs, the picture disc and the hard cover ear book which is filled with tons of great stories, information and pictures. The quality of the book cover, design and content is first rate. I would have liked to have seen a page or two devoted to the equipment/instruments each member used during the era, but otherwise there is a plethora of stuff to peruse. Spend some time in the details. Yeah, the pictures and stories from industry, media and friends is interesting, but looking at the details of what is presented is really where the treasure lies – the set lists, the posters, the reviews, interviews and “top” lists from the era. Love the legal story from Paterno (not exactly a humble guy) about how the band needed a label with money to take things to the next level. I’ve always been amazed at how fast Metallica made their charge to the forefront of aggressive metal at the time, both musically and commercially. CD 1 (Original Remastered) What else can be said about one of the greatest metal albums of all time? These songs hold up so well over time and they have been faithfully treated on this reissue. It is not over compressed, and although it doesn’t sound as good as the vinyl version, it is definitely a worthy version all fans will want to check out. The digi double gate-fold packaging with lyric book is faithful to the original but yet it seems the artwork/colors are more brilliant (enhanced). CD 2 (Interviews) (63:50) Compared to the Metal Forces Magazine interview from the KEA box set (barely discernable due to background noise) these interviews are much cleaner. It is amazing to listen to how much Lars has changed (matured?) in less than a year’s time between early 1984 and late 1984. Hard to believe they were only on Megaforce one and a half years before moving on to bigger things (Elektra). I love the discussion about “boot-leg” double live LPs and Lars doesn’t know anything about that … and then now we have those very recordings on vinyl in this box set. Fans of the 49ers will love the Joe Montana references during the Kirk/Cliff interview. It is interesting, also, to hear their interpretation of other bands’ music at the time. CD 3 (Demos) (69:32) The “rough” mixes are pretty good but the “garage” mixes are pretty rough. These tracks provide great insight into early Metallica, but don’t expect anything you will jam/play for your friends. I do like the rhythm guitar cuts of “Blitzkrieg” and “Am I Evil” which feature that “wall of guitars” front Metallica perfected. CD 4 (San Francisco, March 1985) (55:10) This is a great set list (Kabuki Theater) and parallels the vinyl live Palladium set list (a few more songs on this tape) from that show 5 days prior in that it’s a 50/50 mix of KEA and RTL. I love the fade-in to “Fight Fire With Fire.” The audio quality is not quite as good as the Palladium show and at times the guitars sound a bit out of tune. The energy is good, though, and its worth having this show on CD. CD 5 (London, December, 1984) (60:39) Aside from the tape cut on the first track, this is a surprisingly well-balanced boot-leg recording from the Lyceum Theatre with a somewhat odd lack of crowd noise. This is quite noticeable during the call and response pre “Seek and Destroy” when James keeps calling out louder and louder with this relatively silent response coming through the speakers – kind of eerie. With only 3 songs from RTL it is surprising to see this disc included in this set as opposed to the KEA box. CD 6 (Castle Donington, August, 1985) (46:21) This is another 50/50 mix (KEA/RTL) set list but with a much more acidic, raw “echo in the tin can” bootleg sound. I think it is really interesting how different all of these live recordings present in terms of both performance and sound quality. This is one of the few shows that didn’t include Burton’s bass solo, although his bass is featured on the intro to “For Whom The Bell Tolls.” I love the pace on this show, though, as Lars is really pushing the tempo here and its cool how the transitions between songs flow really well, like how “The Four Horsemen” transitions right into “Fade to Black.” It’s too bad the sound quality isn’t better here as the band was really “spot-on” during this performance. DVD The band was really clicking better live by 1985. The set from the Metal Hammer festival is extensive – great set list – but the sound quality is very bootleg with a muffled bass and lots of distortion, but at least there is sound for the entire set (unlike the KEA DVD). My favorite part of the DVD would have to be the 3 tracks from Oakland stadium in August, 1985. Not only is the sound quality much better, but I love the “stage left” bootleg camera perspective that features perhaps one of the best metal bassists of all time (R.I.P.). The interview that follows shows how uncomfortable James (drinking a beer - priceless) always was in front of the camera and how Lars never failed to render an opinion about anything, and how Metallica (at the time) truly believed they were totally different from any young metal band at the time. The only negative that was starting to become apparent was that in their quest to be a “natural” metal band, they were starting to define themselves too much as the band that wasn’t all about image and commercialism, and in doing so, they started to develop a cliché’ “anti-mainstream metal” attitude that was somewhat cliché in its own way. Overall, this is an exceptional box set that will appeal to both collectors and fans alike. There is enough new content here to make this worth the cost and the quality of the content and presentation is excellent. Clearly, the hard-cover book and the live LPs and picture disc are the nuggets here, but the live CDs and DVD, and even the lyric book, are special in the rawness/simplicity of their quality.

This is my favorite Metallica album, so this was a no brainer for me. I was very happy when I received these 2 (I got Kill Em All too) deluxe sets in the mail. The packaging is sturdy, the artwork is simple and looks good and nothing feels cheap. The included book of photos and essays from people there in the beginning is amazing. As for the musical content, if you love early live Metallica then you will love this. Non-stop balls to the wall. The live DVD included is great as well. If you're a die-hard Metallica fan, and can afford the $135 price tag, I highly recommend both sets. The actual album remaster sounds fantastic too, breathes a whole new life into my favorite Metallica album.

Amazing set. The included material really puts you back into this time in the bands history. The posters are fun and the lyric book is a nice touch. Everything sounds great. If you were expecting a complete retooling of the albums sound you may be dissapointed. It mostly sounds a little louder and they cleaned it up a bit. To me they did a good job with modernizing it a touch without losing the feel of the original recording. This set looks amazing on your shelf and is well worth the price for Metallica collectors.

El mejor box dectodos

I love this box set as a metalhead. If you are worried about the packaging, dont be cos it comes with xtreme protection. The remastered cd and vinyl are bery good actually, you notice the quality in songs like for whom the bell tolls, fade to black and trapped under ice. The live vinyl is xtremely good quality, the sound is actually about a 7/10 remember its bootleg so it is very good But the cds arent the same, but the one in lyceum theatre is incredible all of the greatest songs( from kill em all and ride the lightning ) and the four horsemen is played completely here. The other cds arent as good as this one. The posters are outstanding, you made two of them look the same but the logos are different. The 72 page book is the best item here ( if you have the original album) many stories i didnt know about were writte down so you should definetly get this

If your not a die hard Metallica fan don't buy it! I myself love it! This set is great the 72 page book is outstanding the pictures are amazing, the remaster sounds great and all the live stuff is amazing, but remember these are sound board recordings that are unproduced. My least favorite part of the set is the DVD, I wish there was a little more to it. The live shows are great I would have liked to see more music and less interview. Overall this is a well put together set a little pricey yes, but if you a huge fan of the early years you will not be disappointed. In my opinion well worth the $!

This was the first METALLICA album I owned. So getting this was a no brainer. I bought the album back in 1990 with a bday gift card I got for Sam Goody... anyone remember them?! I didn't even intend to buy this record. I just bought it cause all the kids at school had the ride the lightning shirt, and I thought that it looked pretty cool. So I bought it not knowing anything about thier music all I knew was, I thought the album cover looked cool. So I took a chance and never looked back. METALLICA is my favorite band of all time, and this is the album that started it all for me. There is so much content in here. It sounds excellent, and just as heavy as it did back in the day. A must for any METALLICA fan!!!

I recieved my box sets today, both this and kill em all. I am very impressed with all that comes with this set, 6cd's, 4lp's with downloads, and a dvd. The posters and lyric book are nice additions. The hard bound book is very nice. This contains a lot of material not previously available. As for the mastering, it sound ok to me. They are housed in a nice heavyweight box. Very well done, worth the money if you do decide to purchase

Premetto che questa recensione si riferisce al Deluxe Box Set di Ride The Lighting contenente 4 vinili, 6 cd e 1 dvd. Partiamo dal fatto che stiamo parlando di uno dei 5 album più belli della storia del metal (e non solo). Su questo punto non c'è quindi molto da commentare se non dicendo che siamo di fronte a un album in grado di un unire la potenza devastante del thrash metal con la melodia e il gusto della tecnica. Si tratta quindi di un'evoluzione della potenza dimostrata nel primo disco, aiutata da una maturazione compositiva impressionante. Il bello dell'opera in questione è il suo contenuto. In primo luogo il vinile e il cd dell’album originale in versione rimasterizzata. ECCEZIONALE; sopratutto il vinile che ha un suono spettacolare. La casa sta ancora tremando! A seguire un doppio vinile live che racchiude un concerto del 1985 all’Hollywood Palladium. Anche in questo caso, disco splendido sia per l'ottima esibizione, sia per la qualità dell’audio, su cui è stato fatto un grande lavoro di recupero. Segue il quarto vinile: un picture disc con il singolo "Creeping Death" sul lato A, e le due cover "Am I Evil?" e "Blitzkrieg" sul lato B. Inutile spendere commenti particolari, se non che il picture è bellissimo e varrebbe da solo la metà del prezzo del boxset. Passiamo adesso ai cd. Tre di questi sono concerti risalenti al periodo '84-'85: Live at Kabuki Theatre, Lyceum Theatre e Castle Donington. Ovviamente stiamo parlando di dischi con qualità audio non eccezionale (quasi bootleg, come la loro confezione), ma che vogliono testimoniare la carica e la potenza che la band riusciva a dimostrare on stage a quel tempo. Comunque commoventi! C'è poi un cd con alcune interviste, buone per passare un pò di tempo a sentire le voci dei 4 cavalieri ancora piuttosto "acerbi". Segue un cd contenente le varie versioni demo dell’album che attesta l'evoluzione compiuta dai brani prima di entrare a far parte della versione definitiva del disco. Da ultimo, un dvd con alcune interviste di Lars e James, alcuni brani eseguiti al Day On The Green di Oakland e, soprattutto, il fenomenale concerto tenutosi al Metal Hammer Festival in Germania. Una testimonianza di straripante energia. Chiudono il tutto un libro di 72 pagine con una miriade di foto dell'epoca, alcune inedite e altre divertentissime, e la riproduzione di 3 locandine che pubblicizzavano concerti cui la band ha partecipato. In definitiva il più bel box set che io possieda nella mia collezione di "qualche" centinaio di dischi. Un'opera eccezionale per la cura e la bellezza del materiale che non può non fare invidia a chi lo vede. Un pezzo di storia della musica in una versione senza precedenti. Se poi penso che questo fu il mio primo disco di heavy metal, quando avevo 14 anni, potrebbe anche scendermi una lacrima. Senza parole.

Todo correcto.

Kill DXよりリマスター効果大！ 他の方がおっしゃている通り、ギターの音がいい。 ぐぅっと前に出てきている。 それと付随するLiveの音もいいし、演奏がうまくなっているのが判る。 １年違うと違うんだな～

Für mich das wichtigste Album der Band und deshalb bin ich vielleicht auch nicht objektiv, aber die Deluxe Edition ist tatsächlich unglaublich umfangreich geworden und bietet Stoff für lange Abende. !!!!PERFEKTE EDITION!!!!!

I've been a Metallica fan since 1992 (12 years old), I've owned many of their box sets starting with Binge and Purge (vhs version), Francais Pour Une Nuit (live Nimes), The Big Four box set, And Justice For All (green vinyl box), to name but a few. This box however, surpasses them all! The package is extremely well put together, and oozes quality. "Ride" is my favourite Metallica album, and this box allows me to completely indulge. It also allowed me a great insight into Cliff Burton, his style of playing, and What Metallica stood for while he was alive and in the band. This box is expensive, but you get what you pay for, and it's hard to imagine any true Metallica fan being disappointed. It's so awesome, I know I'll be enjoying and treasuring it for years to come.