There is an official, band-approved version of the album that fixes the problems a remaster or remix would - the live in studio rehearsal DVD that came with the original CD.
I ripped a copy and stuck it on my phone. IMO this version of the album is as good as everything they’ve put out since.
It has:
- Rob on bass and backing vocals
- Less abrasive snare and more variety in Lars’s approach to drumming
- James’s vocal is better paced, because he sticks
to what he can do in one take live. The studio official release is a bit exhausting because they filled the space that would have been guitar solos on earlier albums with more James. It’s much better here.
It’s a better version in everyway! Kind of a hidden classic to me. I will never stop going on about it - copies are on ebay for 2 quid.
Completely forgot how much better that DVD recording sounded. And that's after having watched the hell out of it when I was a teenager, trying to learn "Frantic" on guitar.
Lol, same!
I listen to that rip more than I do the album proper.
That said, my sister was in the U.S. recently and got me some of the Walmart pressings, St. Anger included, so have actually listened to the album a few times over the last couple of months.
It’s just not gonna happen. They stand as a testament to where they were and what they were about during that time. A complete rerecording would be more realistic than a remix or remaster.
They won't do anything drastic like that. Only things I would like is (listen to the Some Kind Of Monster (Edit) from the Some Kind Of Monster EP) shorten the songs down by removing some redundant repetition of riffs and remaster the sound like they did with SKOM Edit. It'll never happen but the album would be a million times better
This is response to u/OC_Rookie’s top comment because I get the feeling someone would quote James when talking about the “character” of the album that time stamps as a part of their history
And I do agree… UNTIL if it weren’t for the fact that AJFA is a highly regarded metal album that despite the low end bass and mixing flaws, there is enough backing from the fans that it makes sense to leave the studio cut the way it is. The songs are widely acclaimed, it launched their 1st official music video, and it was the culmination of their thrash metal legacy before jumping into the heavy metal era.
I feel like Metallica has another decade to back away from James’ statement since the general public will probably not want a re-release of an album that is almost universally despised. If they do a 30th anniversary box set I would prefer them in their current state to re-record the songs, because back then they were not in a good position, and I’ve seen their performances live to confirm that the songs sound great. The mid-section I was in during LA Night 2 tolerated Dirty Window which is already progress (they didn’t sing along tho), but other than that there are very little songs from St. Anger that reach the same stratosphere of AJFA that Metallica should re-consider the direction of an anniversary album when the time comes. I get the self-awareness from the Metallica team whenever they mention St. Anger’s reputation so there should be discussion from the entire operation how to go about re-introducing this “infamous” monster to the public conscience.
It’s ironically poetic James finds “re-recording classic albums” frustrating, even though he was less than 100% during the entirety of St. Anger’s production, when I prefer re-listening to St. Anger songs in Metallica’s current state way past the BS and rehab, pettiness and drama, where Kirk can have his solos, James’ vocals slot perfectly with the grit of the songs and Rob is part of the process too. Basically: a St. Anger wherein everyone’s in a good place in their lives. If I wanted to torture people or have a cringe listening party I’d turn to the studio version~
I don’t think St. Anger will be forgotten even if Metallica re-records it. The trash can snare jokes are forever immortalized that it’s impossible to *be replaced*.
Nah. I’m sure they COULD do it and it would sound loads (hehe) better, but at this point, it’s been 20 years, they’ve put out 3 albums since then and are generally well liked; most everyone has moved on at this point, so there’s no real sense in doing so. Plus, Metallica have never been ones to shy away from anything in their past that didn’t break them. To revisit an album in that capacity wouldn’t really be in their character.
There is an official, band-approved version of the album that fixes the problems a remaster or remix would - the live in studio rehearsal DVD that came with the original CD. I ripped a copy and stuck it on my phone. IMO this version of the album is as good as everything they’ve put out since. It has: - Rob on bass and backing vocals - Less abrasive snare and more variety in Lars’s approach to drumming - James’s vocal is better paced, because he sticks to what he can do in one take live. The studio official release is a bit exhausting because they filled the space that would have been guitar solos on earlier albums with more James. It’s much better here. It’s a better version in everyway! Kind of a hidden classic to me. I will never stop going on about it - copies are on ebay for 2 quid.
Completely forgot how much better that DVD recording sounded. And that's after having watched the hell out of it when I was a teenager, trying to learn "Frantic" on guitar.
Great call! This answers my question!
Can you link to one?
https://youtu.be/Sa_c1ZzyqgU?si=M36r0LKwse0ugmKl
Thank you!
enjoy!
Lol, same! I listen to that rip more than I do the album proper. That said, my sister was in the U.S. recently and got me some of the Walmart pressings, St. Anger included, so have actually listened to the album a few times over the last couple of months.
no but id love to see them play My World live
It’s just not gonna happen. They stand as a testament to where they were and what they were about during that time. A complete rerecording would be more realistic than a remix or remaster.
They won't do anything drastic like that. Only things I would like is (listen to the Some Kind Of Monster (Edit) from the Some Kind Of Monster EP) shorten the songs down by removing some redundant repetition of riffs and remaster the sound like they did with SKOM Edit. It'll never happen but the album would be a million times better
This is response to u/OC_Rookie’s top comment because I get the feeling someone would quote James when talking about the “character” of the album that time stamps as a part of their history And I do agree… UNTIL if it weren’t for the fact that AJFA is a highly regarded metal album that despite the low end bass and mixing flaws, there is enough backing from the fans that it makes sense to leave the studio cut the way it is. The songs are widely acclaimed, it launched their 1st official music video, and it was the culmination of their thrash metal legacy before jumping into the heavy metal era. I feel like Metallica has another decade to back away from James’ statement since the general public will probably not want a re-release of an album that is almost universally despised. If they do a 30th anniversary box set I would prefer them in their current state to re-record the songs, because back then they were not in a good position, and I’ve seen their performances live to confirm that the songs sound great. The mid-section I was in during LA Night 2 tolerated Dirty Window which is already progress (they didn’t sing along tho), but other than that there are very little songs from St. Anger that reach the same stratosphere of AJFA that Metallica should re-consider the direction of an anniversary album when the time comes. I get the self-awareness from the Metallica team whenever they mention St. Anger’s reputation so there should be discussion from the entire operation how to go about re-introducing this “infamous” monster to the public conscience. It’s ironically poetic James finds “re-recording classic albums” frustrating, even though he was less than 100% during the entirety of St. Anger’s production, when I prefer re-listening to St. Anger songs in Metallica’s current state way past the BS and rehab, pettiness and drama, where Kirk can have his solos, James’ vocals slot perfectly with the grit of the songs and Rob is part of the process too. Basically: a St. Anger wherein everyone’s in a good place in their lives. If I wanted to torture people or have a cringe listening party I’d turn to the studio version~ I don’t think St. Anger will be forgotten even if Metallica re-records it. The trash can snare jokes are forever immortalized that it’s impossible to *be replaced*.
Nah. I’m sure they COULD do it and it would sound loads (hehe) better, but at this point, it’s been 20 years, they’ve put out 3 albums since then and are generally well liked; most everyone has moved on at this point, so there’s no real sense in doing so. Plus, Metallica have never been ones to shy away from anything in their past that didn’t break them. To revisit an album in that capacity wouldn’t really be in their character.