Lars Ulrich places an ad in a LA paper for musicians called the Recycler, and hooks up with James Hetfield. The first meeting isn't that great. Lars had a cheap drum set that his Grandmother bought him, it was so bad that everytime he hit the Cymbal it would fall over and they would have to stop playing. James was very unimpressed and never called Lars again. It wasn't until about three months later when Lars' name came back up. He started calling James along with Bassist Ron McGovney, and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Lars had a connection to getting a song recorded on a Record. Thier first song, "Hit The Lights", appears on the Metal Massacre compilation.

No Life 'til Leather demo recorded Contained "Hit the Lights", "Motorbreath", "Jump in the Fire", "The Mechanix" (The Four Horsemen), "Metal Militia, "Seek & Destroy", and "Phantom Lord." Ron McGovney was on bass. They did have Two other Demo's. One was a live show recorded to give to all the clubs for gigging, and the other was called Garage Days. Garage Days included a few songs that are very hard to find. like Sucking My Love, and Mechanix with Dave Mustaine on Vocals. Metallica begin gigging in LA, The first official Metallica gig was at Lars High School. Quickly attracting a core following they expand there giging area to reach all the way to San Francisco. One evening while watching a band called Trauma play live at the Stone, they see an incerdible Bassist named Cliff Burton. They Quickly decide to hire him on. At first Cliff did not want to relocate to L.A. So the band sacrifices a little and relocates to San Francisco. Thus Metallica is on thier way. Ron Mcgovney Still lives in L.A. and shows up to some of the Metallica shows.

After Gigging non-stop a young New York entrepreneur Johnny Zazula discovers the band and persuades them to relocate once again. Mustaine's drinking begins to effect his playing and the band outs the lead guitarist. With no lead guitarist they head for New York and hope they find somone. After they arrive they here of a hot Lead man named Kirk Hammett. Kill 'Em All, Metallica's debut album, is released, only after a hefty argument about the Title of the album. The band wanted to call it Metal Up Your Ass. But the Record Producers wouldn't allow it. Cliff, angered, shouts a death threat to them "Kill 'Em All, Kill all the record producers." And there it was. They lived in John and Marsha Zazula's small house, filled to the brim with tons of other Hot Metal Acts trying to make it. After a while they move into a rehearsal studio. They practiced next door to a new Metal band trying to get a break called Anthrax. They we're so poor they lived off of Hot dogs and soda pop. Till Anthrax, feeling very sorry for the Metallica boys, gave them a fridgerator, a microwave, and groceries to help them out. After awhile things worked out well.

Before supporting a new album the boys realize that they don't really know how to play that well, so they all take lessons. Also this is when James asked John Bush (formorly of Armored Saint - Currently with Anthrax) to sing lead for the band. He of course declined but we're all happy he did. They also release a few singles, or EP's. The first one Entitled Jump In The Fire had three tracks total, including Jump In the Fire, Phantom Lord (live), and Seek & Destroy (live). The second release was Whiplash including three tracks also which we're, Whiplash, Phantom Lord (live), and Seek & Destroy (live). Then Metallica undertake their first European tour, supporting Venom. They record their second LP, Ride The Lightning, which is released in July. The band grabbed a management deal with the big-hitting Q-Prime team, and land a major deal with Elektra in the US. Ride the Lightning is re-released under the new label, and after playing in a few small clubs all the bands equipment gets stolen. Bummed out they press on. Determined to make it they decide to release a few singles, including an E.P. titled Creeping death including the second Garage days. Titled Garage Days Revisited with two tracks Am I Evil, and Blitzkrieg. Killer tracks that you can find on the re-released version of Kill 'em All. they also release a live version of Fade to black from a show recorded in Germany. It didn't get quite the attention that the band had hoped.

A year of Touring as Metallica press the Lightning Album to it's fullest. The Band gets an appearence in thier first Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington in the UK. The band begin work on their third album, titled Master Of Puppets, with producer Flemming Rasmussen.

Master Of Puppets is released in February. During a triumphant European tour, the bands fate turns for the worst as Cliff Burton dies in a tour bus crash somewhere in Denmark. Before getting on the bus each band member, unhappy with thier sleeping arangments, draw straws for each others bunks. Cliff draws the Shortest Straw, (Hence the Justice Song) and ends up sleeping in Kirk's bunk. At about 2:00am the bus starts to slide and cliff is thrown out the window. The bus fell over on top of him, and he was killed instantly. They spread cliffs ashes over Maxwell Ca. Cliff's favorite place. There is a marker for his site but I'm not sure where it is. The Driver of the bus swore that he hit a patch of ice, but after running up and down the road James found no ice at all. The band decides to continue only after recieveing millions of fan letters saying that Cliff would want them to continue, so they began searching for a new bassist. After dealing with stupid funk slap happy bassists they recruit former Flotsam And Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted. At Tommy's Joint in San Francisco. They complete their US and European schedules.

Metallica record and release the Garage Days Revisited EP. Including A half assed intro of Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden They build a studio in James Garage, and of course James had broke his arm in a skate boarding accident so he didn't do too much work but it did get done. In August, they make their second appearance at the Donington Monster Of Rock festival, before hunting for a studio and producer for their forthcoming LP.

After a brief relationship with Mike Clink, Flemming Rasmussen produces ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, . Mike has credit for producing the Blackened drum tracks. The band was so hard to deal with that they soon got on his nerves and he quit. It seems as though the band really hadn't taken the album that serious. At first that is. But soon they get on the ball and they released one of the most Musically creative Albums to date. The guitar work and all the fills, harmonies, and everything really makes Justice a Kick ass album. It is released in September 1988. With a tribute song to Cliff. Something Cliff wrote before he passed on. "When a man lies, he murders some part of the world, These are the pale deaths which men miscall thier lives, All this I cannot bear to witness any longer, Cannot the kingdon of salvation Take Me Home?" Also the real quiet guitar work in the middle of that song, Cliff wrote.

"One" is released as a single, accompanied by the bands first ever video. The video idea was taken from a movie called Johnny got his gun. Starring Timothy Bottom as Johnny and Jason Robards as the Father. A great movie but hard to find. They also release another Home Video, called Two Of One it has two versions of the video, even though there are three versions of the video, The original long version, the shortened version, and the Jammin version (with only the band in it, no shots from the movie). Metallica then launches into a massive world tour that sees them ascend to superstar status.

Winding up the massive, 251-date tour, the band take a break for almost the first time ever. James, takes time to hunt and fish, and get caught up on his Country music. Lars' takes time to get married. Jason gets hitched, so does kirk, but the marriages soon fall apart and they are all divorced within a two year period. When discussing the next Metallica studio album, James warned that it would be different than most albums thay had done, but that it would still be a Metallica album. Afterwards they announce the producer for their next LP, Bob Rock. Best known for his work with Motley Crue, at least at the time, he now holds the Metallica thing over everyones head. Go Bob!

A few months before the release of the bands next album, A video started makin the rounds on MTV. Enter Sandman. The bands Career song...so to speak. Okay it's not a career song, but all the little fake ass band wagon jumpers only know that one song. So if you ask anyone that doesn't look like they like Metallica, if they like Metallica, they say "I like that Sandman song". So there you go. The album simply titled METALLICA, is released to the world at 12:01 August 12th 1991. The band begins a monumental tour in support.

Metallica hook up with Guns N Roses for the tour of the year. Rumors of a feud between the band follow a riot at a show in Montreal! James was badly burnt at this show, and had to be rushed to the Hospital. I was in boot camp when I heard the news so I had a moment a "Lightning" when I heard. It was during the Fade to Black intro. A flash pot went off and James was standing directly on top of where it was. And then Stupid ass Axl Pose (not a typo) had to go looking for attention and started shit with the crowd, which of course caused a riot.

The "Wherever I May Roam" tour wraps up in the summer. Metallica are unchallenged as the worlds biggest metal band. The tour was seen by more than 4 million people, and worldwide LP sales stand at over 20 MILLION! So now they buy houses. So far that I know James lives in a a normal Neighborhood, where all the kids know who he is and they also know he has a shotgun. Kirk lives in San Francisco, Lars lives in Petaluma, and Jason is a Slum lord in Walnut Creek!

Basically this year the band releases a few video's trying to keep attention attracted toward the black album. They release a few Home Vids also, A year and a Half in the life of Metallica, parts 1 & 2. The "Year And A Half" Videos shows them in the studio recording the Album, and then on tour in support for it. The huge box set "Live Shit: Binge & Purge" is also released this year. They also play the Woodstock II show. Of course they break some rules. The Woodstock people asked that no band use special effects in the show. James and the boys did it anyway.

Well some more touring and some more crap, Legal Shit. The band sues the label Elektra for the rights to all Metallica songs, also they weren't getting the amount of Money they should have been getting. After winning, we can all be sure that "The Thing That Should Not Be" will now never show up in a yeast infection commercial.

Sometime goes by and then, the Load album is announced. A double album was the original intent, but due to time restraints only a single album (LOAD) was released, and the second part was promised after a brief tour. After the release of Load they play a free show in the parking lot of Tower Records in San Jose. Killer Show. Metallica then play on the Lollapalooza summer festival tour.

January 10 - May 28 Metallica does the North American leg of the "Poor Touring Me" tour Lars Ulrich is married to Skylar, a model who's a little taller than he is. 8) James Hetfield is married to Francesca, and they are expecting a child on July 1st of 98. November 11, perform a free concert in Philadelphia, an estimated of 40,000 attend Novmber 18, ReLoad is released then Poor Re-Touring me is started in Europe. A video for "The Memory Remains" is released

They Record a second & third video for the Reload Album, Unforgiven II and Fuel respectively. It's rumored that Metallica will be responsible for the next James Bond movie, with a working title of Bond 19. They are also said to be involved with the score of the movie as well.

On Saturday March 21st, Metallica played a Live show on MTV. Metallica played a few songs acoustic, Including The Misfits' Last Caress, and Diamond Head's Helpless, Sounding closer to the original than the release found on Garagre days re-revisited. James seemed to be in good spirit and was even taken enough to invite a member of the audience to join in on the festivities. The "Metallifan" Sang lead on Creeping death. According to some fans, he was really good. You have to consider that he was playing with Metallica, and was probably very nervous. His vocals were belted out very much like a death metal vocalist.

On Thursday June 11, Cali Tee Hetfield was born. James' and Francesca's first child. She weighed in at eight pounds, four ounces.

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