Absolutely! Mixing and mastering should be left to the professionals (audio engineers), with input from musicians that the professionals translate into solid gold recordings. That's how the big boys and girls do it.
@@scottashe984 the production was superb in spite of Lars ruining the bass. They had the best band on the planet and the best musicians and songs and composition of the moment. Arguably the best combination of Bass with Jason and Cliff as well. AJFA changed music. Master of Puppets was incredible but no one copies it. Everyone copies Justice.
@@scottashe984 As an audio engineer, I disagree to a small extent. The guitars sound a bit thin in spots, and the drums...at least the kick drum could use more beef. Possibly these things could be solved with some EQ adjustments when listening, so it could be worse, and there's good clarity throughout, so not bad, just not balanced.
A good producer listens to the band and does what they’d like. A great producer will fucking box you in the back yard until you let him turn down the drums a little.
I'm so glad Bob held on here. The production is a masterclass on this album. Hearing it now, the instruments are all well separated. I guess Lars just wanted his drums to dominate rather than an equal symmetry with the other members. But the listener (the fan) will always want balance, recognising all the band and not just 1 member
One of the things I've heard (maybe an excuse) for the sound on AJFA is that these guys were touring full time, their ears were a little blown out, they were used to whatever stage sound they got from their monitors. So clearly they probably didn't have the best ears for what sounded the best -- just what they were used to and what they thought they wanted. Add in *another* few years of touring after that album and into the writing of the Black Album, and all of that still would've been true, and possibly even worse. I would agree that the production on the Black Album is brilliant. Everything is clear and has depth. It's definitely not my favorite album for song quality, but *sound* quality? It's great.
When Bob gives Lars the freedom to have his drums sound however he likes, St Anger happens. This man is a mixing and production machine. Glad he told him straight
Quite frankly I respect Bob's attitude. I feel like anyone else would have been like "yes sir this sounds great sir" with the ol I'm getting paid anyway mindset. Bob Rock had the attitude "you guys hired me to do i job Im gonna fucking do it" and had the balls to say "this sounded Stupid" and "I hate it"
Frankly, this is the biggest problem with Metallica today. They need a strong producer who isn't afraid to tell them to trim the fat from some of the longer songs, or leave the song off the album completely.
Well, if you hired an actually good producer, who *knows* how to mix so it sounds right and sounds good, then isn't they entitled to say that? I love first 4 albums with my whole heart, but mixing in Black Album is actually kinda fire and on another level Not just the production value, it's the mixing that sells the album, along with memorable lyrics, solos, riffs and imagery
That’s a good point because every clip of the black album production that I watch I wanna slap Bob Rock for being a prick and talking down to the guys but he had balls to do it and took his job seriously and really wanted to turn out a great album. And he did. Now, they were Metallica so something great was coming out anyway, especially at this time period. But that’s a whole other conversation
Most legendary producers know how to make an album hold up. Any ablum produced by Mutt Lange, Terry Date, Dave Jerden, Ted Templeman, Rick Rubin, etc shows that
For James to be the one to break the tension back then is kinda crazy. just shows the respect he had for how he thought the process was working up to that point.
Oh God!.... th drum sound on that album absolutely sucked !!... if lars did do that ?and called all th shots ? Then its understandable th th album failed !....cause that snare really bugged the shit outa me ....
Where was Bob Rock when they were mixing the Justice album. It's unbelievable that a drummer on that caliber doesn't have a clue on how to do a proper mix.
"It sounds stupid". That's probably the same thing that the sound engineer told that Gremlin when he arrived at the studio and turned off the bass on AJFA
flemming didnt mix justice , he did the production and a rough mix (where the bass is actually audible) , but he was not present during the album's mixing , that was done by steve thompson and michael barbiero who had been hired beforehand
I wonder how many people told Lars "So you think you know more than Bob Rock now" and I bet he would have said "Well, yes I do". No band, ever needs a Drummer controlling the mix.
Lars stupidity turning down the bass mix, the entire band recording AJFA in between tours and never playing together often in studio, producer not having the balls like bob did to tell lars and james to turn the bloody bass up, the entire band being drunk and coked out of their minds, etc all contributed but its still a great album
It gets even worse. There's nothing stopping them from remixing Justice and then re-releasing. Korn did a cover of "One" and they had the bass way up, appearing to be a big f-u to Lars from Mars. And it killed ...it sounded so good that it really shows up how Lars completely ruined that album. So why are they not Remixing that album?
@@vitamind.d.fishinsea8570 How does fucking up the mix make it sound edgy. The truth is Lars should not have been allowed into the mixing room because Lars has shit for brains when it comes to mixing.
I think Kirk is the coolest and the hero of the band who never let his ego get in the way, but yeah I like James a lot he is the leader of the band the downpicking guitar riff God. I hate Lars.
This is the reason why it's essential to have a "producer" in your camp when it comes to recording, rather than just having an engineer that hits record and adjusts levels. A good producer will guide you and direct you to where you need to be to sound the best your band is meant to sound.
To make an album is rarely frictionless and sometimes you lose perspective. There is a thing that often happens when you listen too much to a demo or a rough mix of a song called Demo-sickness or Demoitize. You have listened too much to an unbalanced ludicrous mix and when you have to come up with a serious sound it feels flat and sterile. Sometimes a producer will intentionally mess up a rough mix that is sent to the band in a way so you don’t get too attached to it.
Yeah that happened to me bad, now that we have that song recorded i think the demo sounds like shit but when we were recording it i wanted it to sound exactly like the demo
So Lars got what he wanted when Jason’s bass was turned down in Justice & he was trying to do the same w/guitars in the Black album…damn you Lars….no wonder Bob Rock had to get you back on St Anger & made your snare sound like a trash can.😂
Lars : Why can't we just turn the Guitars / Bass Guitar down , and make the Drums loud AF ? Bob : Because I play Bass , and this isn't going to be the And Justice For All album again dude .
I get what Lars is wanting, but he doesn't understand how limited the dynamic range is in a mix versus a live performance.. in a mix you have like 6dB of dynamic range where in a live setting, the overall volume is so loud that even when a quiet part is 14dB quieter than the loudest parts, it's still plainly audible.. this could be cool live but in a mix it's stupid and sounds amateur. Bob knows better because he makes great sounding records.. Lars thinks he knows better because he's played a lot of live shows. It's like the difference between the way a movie is mixed verses a pop song is mixed.
Each time I hear Lars open his mouth I ask my self "how the hell did Metallica stay together for so long?".. And each time I think the answer is James.
It really sucks Cliff wasn't around,, Cliff and Bob would gang up on Lars , Cliff was a big reason the first two albums was so kick arse, Kirk kinda hinted at that when he mentioned Cliff left to fly back home because he was home sick and left the band for a couple weeks to write for themselves, Cliff was the music theory man , Even Bob once said when he was filling in that Cliffs had something special going on when it came to his playing style,,,
In fact Cliff was not scared to call out Lars and did it on stage, A video of them early on playing the four horseman proved that, About 2min in Cliff barked into the mic, Come on Lars
Lars wasn't happy with just ruining AJFA, I guess. I believe if there is a possibility in alternate universes, there is one where Dave and James worked out their issues, Cliff never died and they eventually kicked Lars out of the band. That version of Metallica is superior and here we are stuck on this crappy timeline.
Oh yeah, and they never hired Bob Rock. They tried Rick Rubin in the 80s instead and made a great record to rival Slayer's, made a great one with Mutt Lange and then went back to Flemming Rasmussen for several more albums because he made them sound so darn epic. They did a Garage Days album of covers and Steve Albini produced it. Currently, they're doing more with Rick Rubin again, but because the band never sucked in this alternate universe, it's better than Death Magnetic.
Let's take a moment and appreciate the fact that even though Bob Rock changed Metallica's sound on a commercial level, he managed to raise that bass guitar volume when Lars wanted no bass on the Justice album. I can't believe he wanted the guitar volume low on the black album 🙄🤦🏻♂️ it kinda makes me wish he was around in the Justice era.
@@ImYourOverlord I used to hate Bob Rock for changing Metallica but then I realized from a producer's perspective, you have to have balance in all the instruments and vocals in order to make everything sound perfect. Lars just only wants his drums to be heard the most. He might as well do a solo album with nothing but drum tracks 😂😂
@@CerealKiller5150 Martin Birch achieved the same audio bliss with Iron Maiden, but I don't believe he had any influence on their musical style. Some (even Rock himself) claim that no one influenced Metallica's musical style during the recording of The Black Album, but I strongly suspect he influenced James' vocal approach, and I personally wish James had stuck with his Thrash style instead of trying to sing, if you take my meaning.
@@ImYourOverlord I respect what you said, but what you said about the vocal style is BS because at the end of the tour for the Black Album, James messed up his voice and couldn't really sound the way he did before. I have seen some concerts from 93' and he really struggled with that harsh tone. His harsh metal voice wouldn't match laid back, heavy blues Load/ reload songs anyway.
@@TheBestblue486 Wow, OK, I didn't know that about his voice. So, he had no choice but to learn a different vocal style, huh? Well, it took a while for him to find himself vocally, I guess...but what he settled on as his new style rubbed me the wrong way. That really sucks what happened to him, and in that case, I'm glad it wasn't worse damage. As for the laid back musical style they moved to, that was mostly Lars' idea (no, I don't blame him for everything I don't like about the band from the '90s forward), and I really wish they'd found a way to remain a Thrash band. I think they could have kept that musical edge and energy even with James finding yet another way to vocalize. Haven't seen Metallica since their first Black Album tour, including Day on the Green, but I'm mostly glad my first show of theirs was on the Damaged Justice tour.
Bob gave metallica the sound to create their most popular and most sold album to date... just wished metallica fans would praise Bob a little more,because the amount of trash talk I see in videos..is ridiculous
Bob dumbed down Metallica's music to appeal to the the mindless radio heads. He has talent for sound quality and an ear for what sells. But Metallica was supposed to be more than that. He brainwashed those guys to trade great music for fame and riches. They lost direction and integrity with Cliff.
@@ZeroAtTheBone Idk. I believe Metallica still wrote the actual material. The Black Album, as dumbed down as it was, was still a good album and helped push more extforms of rock music(particularly forms of metal) into the mainstream, creating a stronger link between future bands and the general public. Also, Cliff would have most likely wanted to experiment either way. Less Black Album-ish maybe, more Load/Reload-ish, as well as maybe more extreme metal.
@@ZeroAtTheBone Metallica is on record saying that they wanted to get away from the 9 minute "epics" from the Justice era. They were exhausted and concerned how many of their crowds were seemingly bored during their longer songs. They explicitly set out to create and play shorter, more concise, "mainstream" style music. Bob Rock didn't approach Metallica. They sought him out due to his work on some of the biggest albums of the era. He didn't hypnotize them into playing simpler stuff. It was 100% the direction Metallica wanted to take.
@@ZeroAtTheBone Bob had very little to do with the direction Metallica went in terms of going blues rock with the Load era. That was mostly spearheaded by the band themselves while Lars was going out to fancy high end clubs with celebs during that time period. If there's anything you want to "blame" for how Metallica turned out, then blame the fact that Lars/James grew huge egos due to the mainstream success of the black album.
I get what your saying.. from a broad audience perspective, you’re probably right. But as a kid that followed Metallica from their early club days in San Francisco, Master of Puppets will always be their opus. For me, anyway. Perfect mix of heavy with the occasional speed metal tossed in. Give me MOP any day. Hell, any of their first three albums for that matter
But the Elementary School Kid has the power to fire you and insist he's right - and then proceed to release tone deaf mixes. Lars makes Metallica unbearable since he's such a fool, yet people kowtow to him. If he wasn't such a good marketer, that band would've imploded long ago.
Technically Bob Rock, the entire album didn't sound like "Metallica". When I first heard the "Black Album", I was in shock! I thought they gave me the wrong tape, so I took it out of my stereo to make sure it said 'Metallica' on it. If it was a new band, I would've liked the album immediately. But because it was from the band that wrote Orion, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets, Creeping Death, The Call of Ktulu, and The Four Horsemen, this new sound was going to take a while to get used to.
yeah id have to say - that if lars told the last album 'justice for all?' engineer to drop newsteads bass by 6db in the final mix, then I would have to credit bob here for sticking to his guns and knowing what should be loud or not!
Bob made that album PHENOMENAL sad but true demo way to fast now one of my top 10 Metallica songs the documentary on the the black album awesome great album
I can see why a lot of bands don’t last too long. You quickly get and stay on each other’s nerves. Touring, being in the recording studio, practicing, etc. These guys do have a sense of hate for each other, but they’ve learned to over come it with the respect that they have for each other.
We need someone like bob more than ever nowadays because you can hear that lars doesnt really give a shit about drumming but still wants to be the big controlling guy. He got a little bit calmer but also they dont have anyone that puts the leash on them and forces them to play better. Rubin was barely there and that greg guy is just another back patter. Hetfield was really keeping it up with the discipline, hes kinda the only one now. All the others just come to play and are way too confident about themselves...
Really that album, despite all the technique and creativity, sounds virtual or empty or without depth if it weren't for the distortion of the guitars it would be a Tetrix melody with drums Cliff's downfall was apparently decisive, musically, in quality
The album's absolutely amazing, just utterly butchered by the dreadfully bad mix. It's a shame, really. The tracks almost without exception are Metallica's best but it's almost unlistenable due to the production.
Bob Rock had GOLDEN EARS. I would have did what Bob wanted and I would have left it at that. His producing is excellent on other artists albums as well. He fucking awesome!
Yeah Lars always seems to wanna drown everything out with the drums. Dude everybody ALWAYS hears the drums no matter how quiet they are. Chill out lol.
And there's Lars giving it... "No one's going to sit down and tell Me what Metallica is about and how it's supposed to be!". Oh aye? Then tell Me, Lars, why didn't You stand up to Bob at this part then? Because You knew that Bob had the better vision for Metallica? God, it's no wonder why half of Metallica broke up, all thanks to Him (Lars)... Heck, He is so lucky that He didn't lose James, because back then, James was only thinking of sticking together for the sake of friendship (for old times sake), and especially for Metallica and also the fans! Ever since the tension with Him and Lars has calmed down a bit, James has warmed up to Lars over the years since the 2003 documentary/movie!
Bob Rock was the first person to tell Lars no 😂
Fleming should have, too!
not really. He's just the first person James didnt save lars from
LMFAO
🤣🤣
He and Chuck Norris :D
"I'm sick and tired of arguing." "No, you're not!" Took me outttt.
classic.
That's right out of Monty Python's 'Argument' sketch
It's so insanely contradictory that James simultaneously sounded kinda like Butthead yet also was amazingly clever at the same time.
Bob certainly had his work cut out working with Metallica and had he not produced the album who knows how it might have ended up sounding?
I've used this a few times 😜
After the mixing of the Justice Album, Lars has alot of nerve trying to dictate to Bob Rock how the mixing should be done.
Absolutely! Mixing and mastering should be left to the professionals (audio engineers), with input from musicians that the professionals translate into solid gold recordings. That's how the big boys and girls do it.
The production is superb on AJFA other that the lack of bass guitar. To each their own.
@@scottashe984 Yes you're right. Wich is because Lars wanted it to be like that (no bass) :D
@@scottashe984 the production was superb in spite of Lars ruining the bass. They had the best band on the planet and the best musicians and songs and composition of the moment. Arguably the best combination of Bass with Jason and Cliff as well.
AJFA changed music. Master of Puppets was incredible but no one copies it. Everyone copies Justice.
@@scottashe984 As an audio engineer, I disagree to a small extent. The guitars sound a bit thin in spots, and the drums...at least the kick drum could use more beef. Possibly these things could be solved with some EQ adjustments when listening, so it could be worse, and there's good clarity throughout, so not bad, just not balanced.
A good producer listens to the band and does what they’d like. A great producer will fucking box you in the back yard until you let him turn down the drums a little.
this gave me a good chuckle lol cheers bro
I'm so glad Bob held on here. The production is a masterclass on this album. Hearing it now, the instruments are all well separated. I guess Lars just wanted his drums to dominate rather than an equal symmetry with the other members. But the listener (the fan) will always want balance, recognising all the band and not just 1 member
Lars clearly hadn't learnt from the justice sessions.
Even though he's annoying..you're right. Incredible sound on this album. I guess thats his reward for being a pain in the ass😁👍
One of the things I've heard (maybe an excuse) for the sound on AJFA is that these guys were touring full time, their ears were a little blown out, they were used to whatever stage sound they got from their monitors. So clearly they probably didn't have the best ears for what sounded the best -- just what they were used to and what they thought they wanted.
Add in *another* few years of touring after that album and into the writing of the Black Album, and all of that still would've been true, and possibly even worse.
I would agree that the production on the Black Album is brilliant. Everything is clear and has depth. It's definitely not my favorite album for song quality, but *sound* quality? It's great.
Lars just want his shit to be louder than the rest. He's always been like that.
@@kularace7351 I know. It's like to hell with mixing it properly. I want it to be all about me.
When Bob gives Lars the freedom to have his drums sound however he likes, St Anger happens. This man is a mixing and production machine. Glad he told him straight
Lol what ? That’s not what the first albums sounded like
The St Anger snare was Bob's idea
@@profileone5655 Bob didn't produce the first albums.
@@markcheetah4960 that’s my point
@@Salomon_G no it wasn't.
Lars needs to make a solo album. Literally, an album that has nothing but one drum solo on it.
And it's all snare.
The Lars and the ulrich big band.🤣
All with the St. Anger snare.
@@Pepsolman Yes! And it lasts 77 minutes😄
I'd listen to it... once...
Quite frankly I respect Bob's attitude. I feel like anyone else would have been like "yes sir this sounds great sir" with the ol I'm getting paid anyway mindset. Bob Rock had the attitude "you guys hired me to do i job Im gonna fucking do it" and had the balls to say "this sounded Stupid" and "I hate it"
Frankly, this is the biggest problem with Metallica today. They need a strong producer who isn't afraid to tell them to trim the fat from some of the longer songs, or leave the song off the album completely.
Well, if you hired an actually good producer, who *knows* how to mix so it sounds right and sounds good, then isn't they entitled to say that? I love first 4 albums with my whole heart, but mixing in Black Album is actually kinda fire and on another level
Not just the production value, it's the mixing that sells the album, along with memorable lyrics, solos, riffs and imagery
@@yobrethren exactly
That’s a good point because every clip of the black album production that I watch I wanna slap Bob Rock for being a prick and talking down to the guys but he had balls to do it and took his job seriously and really wanted to turn out a great album. And he did.
Now, they were Metallica so something great was coming out anyway, especially at this time period. But that’s a whole other conversation
Most legendary producers know how to make an album hold up. Any ablum produced by Mutt Lange, Terry Date, Dave Jerden, Ted Templeman, Rick Rubin, etc shows that
Lars trying to ruin the black album production also.
Yes. Keep in mind that this was before social media, so he hadn't yet copped any backlash for the justice album.
@@russkate88 I know I'm 44, watched these as a kid.
@@countsmyth same
@@russkate88 Good man. Great memories.
Lars thinks he had knowlage about Sound Engeneering, thanks Bob for Argumenting Lars
Bob being like "you're not going to 'Newstead ' me you goblin!"
And Lars be like...
"I'm gonna put some dirt in your eyes. "
Lars is the rock goblin. Lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bob: "I'm sick of arguing."
James: "No you're not."
For James to be the one to break the tension back then is kinda crazy. just shows the respect he had for how he thought the process was working up to that point.
This shows what passion, ambition and farts in a studio can do. A masterpiece.
Ambition and farts carry me through the day.
off the pip e m an.
I bet they just let him call all the shots for St Anger. Said “go ahead Lars, do your worst”
😅🤣
And he did!
You don't know how correct you are. In not so many words lol.
Oh God!.... th drum sound on that album absolutely sucked !!... if lars did do that ?and called all th shots ? Then its understandable th th album failed !....cause that snare really bugged the shit outa me ....
@@ronaldedwardututaonga8254 In the end. Lars blamed it all on Bob.
Lars got owned by Bob Rock. 🤘🏼
And Kirk too (not in this clip, though)! Some say he's still suffering from severe PTSD...
Where was Bob Rock when they were mixing the Justice album.
It's unbelievable that a drummer on that caliber doesn't have a clue on how to do a proper mix.
poor kirk had to deal w this shet l0l
and bob got owned by james lol
@@Tuvok_Shakur Looked to me more like Bob owned all of them
"It sounds stupid". That's probably the same thing that the sound engineer told that Gremlin when he arrived at the studio and turned off the bass on AJFA
Bob deserves an award for the production on this album
This is the conversation that Jason & Flemming Rasmussen should have had with Lars on Justice.
flemming didnt mix justice , he did the production and a rough mix (where the bass is actually audible) , but he was not present during the album's mixing , that was done by steve thompson and michael barbiero who had been hired beforehand
I wonder how many people told Lars "So you think you know more than Bob Rock now" and I bet he would have said "Well, yes I do". No band, ever needs a Drummer controlling the mix.
Not all drummers. Frank Zappa was a drummer 1st. Plus many others
I highly disagree
@@markhillaryclinton7626 I'm sure he would correct you and say composer first... if he could
Dave Grohl? Martin Atkins? Stuart Copeland? Only "teh metal" is all about guitar masturbation. That's why it, I don't have to say it.
glad bob stood his ground on this. i mean, we all heard how '...and justice for all' came out thanks to lars' colossal stupidity
Lars stupidity turning down the bass mix, the entire band recording AJFA in between tours and never playing together often in studio, producer not having the balls like bob did to tell lars and james to turn the bloody bass up, the entire band being drunk and coked out of their minds, etc all contributed but its still a great album
It gets even worse. There's nothing stopping them from remixing Justice and then re-releasing. Korn did a cover of "One" and they had the bass way up, appearing to be a big f-u to Lars from Mars. And it killed ...it sounded so good that it really shows up how Lars completely ruined that album. So why are they not Remixing that album?
@@underdog4255 they had an opportunity with the deluxe box on 2019, and it was just a crappy remaster but bundled with shows and photos
@@vitamind.d.fishinsea8570 How does fucking up the mix make it sound edgy. The truth is Lars should not have been allowed into the mixing room because Lars has shit for brains when it comes to mixing.
@@underdog4255 because it sold millions upon millions of albums. And is still selling.
James had the best sense of humor. I really want to meet the humble icon that is Mr Hetfield.
He walked by me once. That’s my claim to fame.
He’s used to be fucking nuts.
Amazing how much he’s changed
even if my life depended on how my mix sounds i would never doubt Bob.
james is always the coolest even today he is the hero of the day
Lol
People wrote and write off James as just "metalguy". The guys a poet and a master musician
@@charlesreid9337 indeed
I think Kirk is the coolest and the hero of the band who never let his ego get in the way, but yeah I like James a lot he is the leader of the band the downpicking guitar riff God. I hate Lars.
"You should be more careful about where you put your feet Mr. Rock."
-The Table
I am the Table!
- James Hetfield.
This is the reason why it's essential to have a "producer" in your camp when it comes to recording, rather than just having an engineer that hits record and adjusts levels. A good producer will guide you and direct you to where you need to be to sound the best your band is meant to sound.
For me, this scene is what mark the difference between ajfa and the black album.
I suppose Bob Rock just gave up with St. Anger?
To make an album is rarely frictionless and sometimes you lose perspective. There is a thing that often happens when you listen too much to a demo or a rough mix of a song called Demo-sickness or Demoitize. You have listened too much to an unbalanced ludicrous mix and when you have to come up with a serious sound it feels flat and sterile. Sometimes a producer will intentionally mess up a rough mix that is sent to the band in a way so you don’t get too attached to it.
You become "deaf" anyway if you listen to a song over and over again.
Hey you are ruining it for the people getting to hate on Lars even though they've never released an album in their life.
Yeah that happened to me bad, now that we have that song recorded i think the demo sounds like shit but when we were recording it i wanted it to sound exactly like the demo
@@hypolyxa7207 He hasn't either
So Lars got what he wanted when Jason’s bass was turned down in Justice & he was trying to do the same w/guitars in the Black album…damn you Lars….no wonder Bob Rock had to get you back on St Anger & made your snare sound like a trash can.😂
The drums on St Anger are pure comedy, LOL !!!
St Anger of Lars on Trash Can.. Bobs Revenge 😄
James humour always cracks me up
Unforgiven is a great song, as is just about every song on that album. Glad it came out the way it did.
Let's write record mix an album then let Lars turn down everything but the drums. Dude thinks its a Sandy Nelson record.
Lars : Why can't we just turn the Guitars / Bass Guitar down , and make the Drums loud AF ?
Bob : Because I play Bass , and this isn't going to be the And Justice For All album again dude .
Turning down Jason on AJFA was the biggest crime in music History!
@@i.m.22 Especially when Jason contributed the opening Bass line and Riff for Blackened . 🙉🙈✨🌟💫💥🔥
I enjoyed "the guitars aren't loud enough" speech. Could be up there with "I had a dream" and "We'll fight on beaches"
When you have enough money to literally retire anyfuckingtime you want, you tend to have balls..
hahahaha!
Damn, wish I could put my feet up on a 200k mixer
Lol
Lars's dreams of turning Metallica into a drums band shattered.
I get what Lars is wanting, but he doesn't understand how limited the dynamic range is in a mix versus a live performance.. in a mix you have like 6dB of dynamic range where in a live setting, the overall volume is so loud that even when a quiet part is 14dB quieter than the loudest parts, it's still plainly audible.. this could be cool live but in a mix it's stupid and sounds amateur. Bob knows better because he makes great sounding records.. Lars thinks he knows better because he's played a lot of live shows. It's like the difference between the way a movie is mixed verses a pop song is mixed.
Geez, the memories that song brings…
bob rock is the only person that can actually get through to musicians
The fact that he work with Motley Crue was a testament
Thank you Bob for this masterpiece !!!!!
If Lars had quit the band 20 years ago, it would have been the first and only good idea he's ever had in his life.
Each time I hear Lars open his mouth I ask my self "how the hell did Metallica stay together for so long?".. And each time I think the answer is James.
I think it’s because of Kurt
It really sucks Cliff wasn't around,, Cliff and Bob would gang up on Lars , Cliff was a big reason the first two albums was so kick arse,
Kirk kinda hinted at that when he mentioned Cliff left to fly back home because he was home sick and left the band for a couple weeks to write for themselves, Cliff was the music theory man , Even Bob once said when he was filling in that Cliffs had something special going on when it came to his playing style,,,
In fact Cliff was not scared to call out Lars and did it on stage, A video of them early on playing the four horseman proved that, About 2min in Cliff barked into the mic, Come on Lars
Lars wasn't happy with just ruining AJFA, I guess. I believe if there is a possibility in alternate universes, there is one where Dave and James worked out their issues, Cliff never died and they eventually kicked Lars out of the band. That version of Metallica is superior and here we are stuck on this crappy timeline.
Oh yeah, and they never hired Bob Rock. They tried Rick Rubin in the 80s instead and made a great record to rival Slayer's, made a great one with Mutt Lange and then went back to Flemming Rasmussen for several more albums because he made them sound so darn epic. They did a Garage Days album of covers and Steve Albini produced it. Currently, they're doing more with Rick Rubin again, but because the band never sucked in this alternate universe, it's better than Death Magnetic.
Just imagine dave mustaine, james hetfield, cliff burton and dave lombardo in one band - 4 metal superheroes, they would totally kick ass
@@przygodykatanki oh my fucking god
Any alternate universe without Lars is superior
but Lars is amazing (on the albums)
James can be so hilarious 😂 he is one of the funniest non-comedians i've seen in a long time
Thanks God, Metallica chooses Bob Rock as their producer for Black Album.
Lars thinks every song should sound like wipeout where the drums are featured.
Lars is that guy we all know who thinks he knows everything about cars ... until he meets an actual mechanic.
There's a Mechanix / Four Horsemen joke hiding there...
Cars Ulrich
Let's take a moment and appreciate the fact that even though Bob Rock changed Metallica's sound on a commercial level, he managed to raise that bass guitar volume when Lars wanted no bass on the Justice album. I can't believe he wanted the guitar volume low on the black album 🙄🤦🏻♂️ it kinda makes me wish he was around in the Justice era.
Yes, though I trash him mercilessly, Bob Rock's mixing/mastering/production is gorgeous all the time.
@@ImYourOverlord I used to hate Bob Rock for changing Metallica but then I realized from a producer's perspective, you have to have balance in all the instruments and vocals in order to make everything sound perfect. Lars just only wants his drums to be heard the most. He might as well do a solo album with nothing but drum tracks 😂😂
@@CerealKiller5150 Martin Birch achieved the same audio bliss with Iron Maiden, but I don't believe he had any influence on their musical style. Some (even Rock himself) claim that no one influenced Metallica's musical style during the recording of The Black Album, but I strongly suspect he influenced James' vocal approach, and I personally wish James had stuck with his Thrash style instead of trying to sing, if you take my meaning.
@@ImYourOverlord I respect what you said, but what you said about the vocal style is BS because at the end of the tour for the Black Album, James messed up his voice and couldn't really sound the way he did before. I have seen some concerts from 93' and he really struggled with that harsh tone. His harsh metal voice wouldn't match laid back, heavy blues Load/ reload songs anyway.
@@TheBestblue486 Wow, OK, I didn't know that about his voice. So, he had no choice but to learn a different vocal style, huh? Well, it took a while for him to find himself vocally, I guess...but what he settled on as his new style rubbed me the wrong way. That really sucks what happened to him, and in that case, I'm glad it wasn't worse damage. As for the laid back musical style they moved to, that was mostly Lars' idea (no, I don't blame him for everything I don't like about the band from the '90s forward), and I really wish they'd found a way to remain a Thrash band. I think they could have kept that musical edge and energy even with James finding yet another way to vocalize. Haven't seen Metallica since their first Black Album tour, including Day on the Green, but I'm mostly glad my first show of theirs was on the Damaged Justice tour.
0:43 BUM! *crickets*
Laughing hard)
Love the honesty
Lars should start a 1 member band
Ulrich von Lichtenstein
Bob gave metallica the sound to create their most popular and most sold album to date... just wished metallica fans would praise Bob a little more,because the amount of trash talk I see in videos..is ridiculous
Bob dumbed down Metallica's music to appeal to the the mindless radio heads. He has talent for sound quality and an ear for what sells. But Metallica was supposed to be more than that. He brainwashed those guys to trade great music for fame and riches. They lost direction and integrity with Cliff.
@@ZeroAtTheBone o man you are one salty dude😂
@@ZeroAtTheBone Idk. I believe Metallica still wrote the actual material. The Black Album, as dumbed down as it was, was still a good album and helped push more extforms of rock music(particularly forms of metal) into the mainstream, creating a stronger link between future bands and the general public.
Also, Cliff would have most likely wanted to experiment either way. Less Black Album-ish maybe, more Load/Reload-ish, as well as maybe more extreme metal.
@@ZeroAtTheBone Metallica is on record saying that they wanted to get away from the 9 minute "epics" from the Justice era. They were exhausted and concerned how many of their crowds were seemingly bored during their longer songs. They explicitly set out to create and play shorter, more concise, "mainstream" style music. Bob Rock didn't approach Metallica. They sought him out due to his work on some of the biggest albums of the era. He didn't hypnotize them into playing simpler stuff. It was 100% the direction Metallica wanted to take.
@@ZeroAtTheBone Bob had very little to do with the direction Metallica went in terms of going blues rock with the Load era. That was mostly spearheaded by the band themselves while Lars was going out to fancy high end clubs with celebs during that time period. If there's anything you want to "blame" for how Metallica turned out, then blame the fact that Lars/James grew huge egos due to the mainstream success of the black album.
Lars trying to tell a world class producer how to do his job when he struggles with basic 4/4 moderate tempo drum grooves.
Literally his drumming isn't interesting enough to justify being that loud
Time goes by so fast, soon this will be 100 years old.
Bob was 100% correct why is Lars even challenging him on it?
Lars is a little rat runt that misses beats on the best of days.
Just for the sake of being contrary Lars
This explains the drum sounds on the St Anger album.
Good from Bob u bring in a producer of his caliber to hone ur sound to forge it in a unique way so let the man do his magic 🎩
The black album for Metallica was like the equivalent to the dark side of the moon for Pink Floyd
I get what your saying.. from a broad audience perspective, you’re probably right. But as a kid that followed Metallica from their early club days in San Francisco, Master of Puppets will always be their opus. For me, anyway. Perfect mix of heavy with the occasional speed metal tossed in. Give me MOP any day. Hell, any of their first three albums for that matter
@@cwheremonster8870 yeah, for sure, puppets is a stellar album.
But for me it was AJFA.
I loved that documentary; a fond reminder of the time before Napster.
Hahaha Loved that Monty Python's sketch imitation at the end by James :D
What a great piece of history right here 🤟🏽
Bob explaining this to Lars sounds like a teacher talking to an elementary school kid😂
But the Elementary School Kid has the power to fire you and insist he's right - and then proceed to release tone deaf mixes. Lars makes Metallica unbearable since he's such a fool, yet people kowtow to him. If he wasn't such a good marketer, that band would've imploded long ago.
Ya know, I wouldn't have minded if they just did 3 more albums just like MOP. Beats load and reload
1:11 erm, is that the same producer who produce Load ,ReLoad and St.Anger?
Top shelf producer rite there
Bob Rock said that both Death Magnetic and Hardwired were very unproduced and that the songs deserved better.
Lars trying to tell Bob Rock how something should sound is hysterical.
Technically Bob Rock, the entire album didn't sound like "Metallica". When I first heard the "Black Album", I was in shock! I thought they gave me the wrong tape, so I took it out of my stereo to make sure it said 'Metallica' on it. If it was a new band, I would've liked the album immediately. But because it was from the band that wrote Orion, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets, Creeping Death, The Call of Ktulu, and The Four Horsemen, this new sound was going to take a while to get used to.
This comment! 💯👍
Metallica fans of the era were absolutely disappointed with Metallica. People who like the Black Album are new fans
Definitely a teachable ‘stay in your lane’ moment.
The drum sound in Black Album is so solid even though its simple
yeah id have to say - that if lars told the last album 'justice for all?' engineer to drop newsteads bass by 6db in the final mix, then I would have to credit bob here for sticking to his guns and knowing what should be loud or not!
How often does one have to argue with a producer to turn the guitars DOWN? Unreal.
Yeah most producers want to turn the guitar volume down so much you have to strain to hear it.. A Holes!!
Bob made that album PHENOMENAL sad but true demo way to fast now one of my top 10 Metallica songs the documentary on the the black album awesome great album
I can see why a lot of bands don’t last too long. You quickly get and stay on each other’s nerves. Touring, being in the recording studio, practicing, etc. These guys do have a sense of hate for each other, but they’ve learned to over come it with the respect that they have for each other.
Lars Ulrich is a much better interviewer and podcaster than he is a drummer, and that's saying something.
A person can lie with their mouth, can’t lie with their drumming
it just sounded like dad arguing with the kids
We need someone like bob more than ever nowadays because you can hear that lars doesnt really give a shit about drumming but still wants to be the big controlling guy. He got a little bit calmer but also they dont have anyone that puts the leash on them and forces them to play better. Rubin was barely there and that greg guy is just another back patter. Hetfield was really keeping it up with the discipline, hes kinda the only one now. All the others just come to play and are way too confident about themselves...
One of the guys should've written on the bottom of Bob's boots, "I love Metallica" at the first opportunity.
bob did a great job on the album and on Queens stuff too :)
Well knowing Bob Rock is one of the best producers, it proved on the huge success of their Black album.. a masterpiece! 💯🤘🤘🤘
Bob's absolutely right! Those kids knew who to play and how to wright, but Bob knew how to record and arrange!
It sounded stupid (like the Justice mix)....Someone finally corralling Lars.
'Justice' is a great album, probably my favourite Metallica album, but it would of been even better if Lars would of been told 'NO'!
*would've
Really that album, despite all the technique and creativity, sounds virtual or empty or without depth if it weren't for the distortion of the guitars it would be a Tetrix melody with drums
Cliff's downfall was apparently decisive, musically, in quality
@@ZERO9630 shut up nerd, it was an amazing album.
The album's absolutely amazing, just utterly butchered by the dreadfully bad mix. It's a shame, really. The tracks almost without exception are Metallica's best but it's almost unlistenable due to the production.
@@mephistopheles7545 😆
Bob did an amazing on this album, but their quarrel is still funny!
Bob Rock had GOLDEN EARS. I would have did what Bob wanted and I would have left it at that.
His producing is excellent on other artists albums as well. He fucking awesome!
I like the arguing ended with laughter
1:24 - Show me some Payola riffs
Yeah Lars always seems to wanna drown everything out with the drums. Dude everybody ALWAYS hears the drums no matter how quiet they are. Chill out lol.
When the option is Guitars UP or DOWN: you choose UP.. always UP!
keep in mind most audio engineers are half deaf from too many years of 7000 watt amps in the studio
"NO YOU'RE NOT"
I love that Bob Rock gave them a taste of their own medicine.
Bob said no to Lars and Metallica's most successful album was produced.
Atleast Lars didnt touch the bass
This reminds me of the Boogie Nights scene where they kept arguing the bass is too loud LMAO.
0:25 Yeah. This is just residual from ...And Justice For All where the drum sound just has to dominate.
thank god for bob
Glad to see how Bob prevented a potential second And Justice forAll mix disaster. (So was Jason I believe)
Let's face it. The production on Black Album is top-notch. To this day.
So Lars wanted a metal song with no bass and low guitars mix, clever
And there's Lars giving it... "No one's going to sit down and tell Me what Metallica is about and how it's supposed to be!".
Oh aye? Then tell Me, Lars, why didn't You stand up to Bob at this part then? Because You knew that Bob had the better vision for Metallica? God, it's no wonder why half of Metallica broke up, all thanks to Him (Lars)...
Heck, He is so lucky that He didn't lose James, because back then, James was only thinking of sticking together for the sake of friendship (for old times sake), and especially for Metallica and also the fans!
Ever since the tension with Him and Lars has calmed down a bit, James has warmed up to Lars over the years since the 2003 documentary/movie!