Master of Puppets [Original recording remastered]

Metallica | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002H33
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,317 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Thrash & Speed Metal
  • #38 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Hard Rock
  • #56 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Pop Metal

Track Listings

1. Battery

2. Master of Puppets

3. The Thing That Should Not Be

4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

5. Disposable Heroes

6. Leper Messiah

7. Orion [Instrumental]

8. Damage, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

One of the defining albums of thrash metal, Master of Puppets is arguably Metallica's best album (as well as their last with bassist Cliff Burton). Focusing on the concept of power and abuses thereof, this is a collection of complex, intelligent music, played at about a hundred miles an hour. Not that these are short songs; this eight-song album clocks in at over an hour, which makes it all the more impressive that not one moment on this recording is boring. In tackling various approaches to their subject, Metallica is insightful lyrically as well as musically: "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" is from the point of view of an institutionalized inmate and "Disposable Heroes" is the perspective of a soldier. If all you've heard of Metallica is what's been on the radio recently, check this one out. You're in for a surprise. --Genevieve Williams

Product Description

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Kill Em All, the debut album from Metallica and in anticipation of the band's ninth studio album
later this year Warner Bros. Records, under direct supervision from the band, are reissuing
their early albums, Kill Em All, Ride The Lightning, Master Of Puppets, ...And Justice
For All, and Metallica (aka The Black Album) as both standard and deluxe vinyl editions. Ranked eighth on the list of the biggest selling
groups in history, and one of the most influential bands in music, Metallica proved
its mettle with these groundbreaking albums. Master Of Puppets was Hailed as a masterpiece
by critics far outside heavy metal s core audience, Master
Of Puppets sold over half a million copies at its time of
release without any major video/radio airplay, making it
the band s first record to be certified Gold by the RIAA. It
has since sold over six million copies in the U.S. alone. It
was the last album the band recorded with bass player
Cliff Burton before his death later that year. The album
has also frequently been tagged by critics as one of the
most influential heavy metal albums of all time.
Yet by bookending the album with two slices of thrash
mayhem ( Battery and Damage, Inc. ), the band reigns
triumphant through sheer force of sound, of will, of malice.
The arrangements are thick and muscular, and the material
varies enough in texture and tempo to hold interest through
all its twists and turns. Some critics have called Master Of
Puppets the best heavy metal album ever recorded; if it
isn t, it certainly comes close. (All Music Guide)
The Deluxe vinyl package
features two 45 rpm 180g vinyl discs pressed at RTI in
Stoughton gatefold jacket with universal Louder Faster
Heavier branded bellyband. The pressing was half-speed
mastered from the original analog tapes at Mobile Fidelity
for the ultimate audiophile listening experience. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

183 of 203 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "DANCE PUPPETS! DANCE! ", April 24, 2000

By 

Ilker Yucel "Kryptych" (Annapolis, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master of Puppets (Audio CD)

THIS is one of the finest albums every produced, not just in the genre of thrash metal. Metallica rocked with their first two albums, but this is the album that I listen to most out of all of them. There is not a single dull moment on this masterpiece of puppetry. All the songs are played with lightning fast precision, and glorious heavy metal power. And yet, 1) The songs clock in mostly between 5-12 minutes long, and 2) Amidst the mayhem of wailing guitars and pounding drums is the sound of melody and classically influenced arrangments and composition. This is largely in part to bassist Cliff Burton, the most classically trained member of the band. Sadly this would be his final album, but if he had to give a final farewell before his sudden and unfortunate death, this album screams with a power that engraves into the listeners' minds, "Cliff was here!"

-"Battery": great acoustic intro leading into a maniacal barage of Hetfield's harsh vocals and Ulrich's pounding drums that literally batter their way through your ears.

-"Master of Puppets": a classic in the truest sense of the word. Like "Battery," this song is fast, hard, and it beckons with energy the question of who is truly the puppet and who is the puppeteer.

-"The Thing that Should Not Be": again, a great acoustic intro that leads into a hardcore thrash rhythm.

-"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)": the lyrics are the real gem here, telling the story of a mental patient from inside the patient's mind. The music is great, but the lyrics can haunt you if you're not careful.

-"Disposable Heroes": while I may like their later song "One" better in terms of the lyrical device of the soldier's point of view, I still give this one credit since it came first, and let's face it...everything on this album kicks serious arse, including this one.

-"Leper Messiah": I could say again that this song is fierce in its brutal greatness, but I've been saying that about every other song, so...let's just say this is still yet another great song on this great album.

-"Orion": great instrumental, with a militaristic march that echoes the gradeur of Wagner, but without being oppressive. This is something for the Metal Militia to use as a warcry.

-"Damage Inc.": the intro to this song is absolutely incredible. It is my favorite part of the song, and thus that makes it my favorite song on the album. As a closer...it is amazing, and it has to be one of the best songs Metallica ever recorded.

Top-notch production, speed-licks only Hammett and Hetfield could dish out to give Eddie Van Halen a run for his money, and let's face it...like I said, it is a sad, but glorious and powerful farewell to Cliff Burton. He left us too soon. Behold his legacy! DANCE PUPPETS! DANCE!

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master of Metal, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Master of Puppets (Audio CD)

Metallica truly shows their maximum talent in this amazing album. This 24k gold CD holds beautiful sound quality that will blow any fan away. This spectacular CD is defenitely worth the purchase, especially if you are a die hard fan...10 times better than regular "puppets" album.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 22 yrs after initial release, Master of Puppets still stands out, July 21, 2008

By 

Stephen M. Lerch (Elkton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master of Puppets (2 LP Vinyl) (Vinyl)

I own the CD of MoP and in comparison to the CD, I'd say the 1/2 speed mastered vinyl release, done by the originators of "audiophile" vinyl in the late 70s into the 80s, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, breathes a different kind of life into the album.

Comparing this vinyl release to the CD, I have to say the CD does a very nice job in recreating the original sound and feel of the recording. If you're looking for a "WOW" factor from vinyl, then I don't believe the Metallica vinyl are the LPs for you to invest in.

However, if you're looking for audiophile quality vinyl recordings, knowing that what you're hearing is as close to being in the studio as you can get, you can't find better than this! MoP was done using a 1/2 speed mastering system from the original analog recordings. What this means is that the master vinyl created is given more time to accurately form the audio, pulling every tiny detail from the analog source. To facilitate a cleaner sound, it is then etched on virgin 180g vinyl. The heavier vinyl, less noise (hiss) is heard from the record itself. Playback is set at 45 RPM, allowing for more of the vinyl per song, which means better playback from your turntable. Mo-Fi Sound Labs really has this down to a science.

Why re-release on vinyl? Because this is the format "audiophiles" supposedly prefer, given the original recording is unmolested with dynamic range compression or cut off at the knees by the 44khz sampling rate. Vinyl makes an album sound closer to the music as it was played (on a good system).

On a decent audio system the music is allowed a better dynamic range that really shines. On the same system the CD also sounds really good.

As far as the album itself, more than likely you've heard all of the tracks considered true classics in the metal scene. Master of Puppets, Battery, The Thing That Should Not Be and Welcome Home (Sanitarium) aren't just Metallica classics, they are metal classics that stand the test of time. What of the other tracks then? They are classics that most non-fans don't know. Orion stands as a marvelous sounding, well written and perfectly executed musical and on this album there are nuances you hear, such as more accurately reproduced cymbals and snare that actually gives the vinyl an edge over the CD (if you have a good sound system).

So should you invest in Metallica on vinyl? The answer to that question is... it depends. If you have a moderately priced audio system and a good turn table, I'd say you would do worse than picking this album up. If all you have is tiny surround speakers connected to a budget priced surround system, purchasing this album won't sound better than the CD.