Katmandu

[Vort]

I sometimes wake up with a song on my mind. Usually, these songs are hymns or old favorites or something I heard the previous day, but occasionally they are ripped from my earlier life, often childhood or teenagedom.

This morning, for reasons I cannot explain, the song was Katmandu.

Like everyone else who was alive and conscious during the 1970s, I like Bob Seger just fine. But I've never really considered myself a fan, per se. Still, this was what I woke up thinking about. I haven't heard or thought about this song in years, probably decades. I don't think I even knew it was Bob Seger. But as I ran my memory of the song through my mind, it was obvious who sang it.

Funny. I doubt anyone in the history of the world outside of those from western countries in the late 20th century and early 21st century would particularly enjoy this song. But for those of us who are in that demographic, it's a great tune that just puts a smile on your face. Nothing deep or introspective or meaningful, just a straightforward sentiment that we've all felt at one time or another: If I ever get out of this place, I'm going to Katmandu. I mean, who can't relate?

Speaking of Bob Seger, a really outstanding cover of Turn the Page was done by Metallica in the late 1990s. No lie. Sister Vort likes Bob Seger and loved Turn the Page, but is certainly no Metallica fan. When she heard the Metallica cover, she listened thoughtfully, then gave the most generous and positive response that I could ever have expected: "I don't hate that."

Just be happy Metallica never covered Katmandu. (Just kidding. I would pay good money to hear Metallica cover Katmandu.)

Does anyone else think Turn the Page sounds like a Led Zeppelin tribute? No? Okay, it's just me. No prob. I'm used to it.

[LDSGator]

18 minutes ago, Vort said:

Speaking of Bob Seger, a really outstanding cover of Turn the Page was done by Metallica in the late 1990s.

Agree totally. My mom likes Bob Seeger too, and has not heard a Metallica song since I lived at home. However, she enjoyed the cover song when I played it back then. 

[LDSGator]

@Vort-that Metallica album is filled with covers. You might enjoy it. 

[Vort]

1 hour ago, LDSGator said:

@Vort-that Metallica album is filled with covers. You might enjoy it. 

I love their cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Astronomy". Probably the second- or third-best performance of that particular song, behind BÖC's version off of the live album Some Enchanted Evening and maybe the original. It's that good, very Metallica yet faithful to the spirit of the original.

Their "Die, Die, My Darling" cover was also very good.

[LDSGator]

25 minutes ago, Vort said:

I love their cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Astronomy". Probably the second- or third-best performance of that particular song, behind BÖC's version off of the live album Some Enchanted Evening and maybe the original. It's that good, very Metallica yet faithful to the spirit of the original.

Their "Die, Die, My Darling" cover was also very good.

Agree 100%. Word for word.
 

My personal favorite in that album is their cover of Diamondheads “Am I Evil?”. I also really like their cover of Astronomy as well. 

[Ironhold]

3 hours ago, Vort said:

Speaking of Bob Seger, a really outstanding cover of Turn the Page was done by Metallica in the late 1990s. No lie. Sister Vort likes Bob Seger and loved Turn the Page, but is certainly no Metallica fan. When she heard the Metallica cover, she listened thoughtfully, then gave the most generous and positive response that I could ever have expected: "I don't hate that."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_Inc.

In 1998, Metallica decided to assemble a compilation of the various cover songs they'd recorded and released over their career. This included their infamous "$5.98 EP" that was done to help Jason Newsted grow into the band as he had been hastily recruited in the wake of Cliff Burton's death in a tragic accident while the band was touring, a cover of Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" done for the "Rubaiyat" album celebrating Elektra Records' 40th anniversary, and a cover of Diamondhead's "Am I Evil?" that would eclipse the original on rock radio.

The group figured that such a compilation would be a way for newer fans to obtain this material since virtually all of it was considered "rarities" due to limited release, but at the same time realized that there was an off-chance older fans would already have all of these songs in some fashion. As such, "Garage" was expanded into a two-disc set, with the older material on one disk and a whole new slew of cover songs on the other disk. The liner notes discussing the process of assembling the album have the band being astonished upon first hearing the song for how close "Turn The Page" was to their own personal experiences on tour and so it was chosen to be one of the new covers despite Bob Seger being far removed from the other groups they chose to cover over the years. 

Although Metallica's rendition of "Turn The Page" is fairly common on rock stations, it would be the band's cover of Thin Lizzy's rendition of "Whiskey In The Jar" that would steal the show, winning the band another Grammy. 

Tragically, this would be the band's last release for 5 years as a result of the catastrophic circumstances leading up to their dropping "St. Anger" off a skyscraper. 

 

edit - 

 

For those wondering, Cliff Burton was killed when the band's bus went off the road. Cliff had been sleeping next to an open window without any form of seatbelt or restraint when the bus rolled. Cliff was thrown out of the window when it happened and would die of his injuries. The bus driver claimed that they'd encountered a patch of black ice, but Metallica front man James Hetfield has pretty clearly stated that he never believed this as the reason why the bus rolled. 

Edited October 22, 2022 by Ironhold

[Ironhold]

As far as Bob Seger goes, he's a staple of classic rock stations and radio shows that focus on classic rock, such as "Ultimate Classic Rock with Uncle Joe Benson" (which airs Monday - Friday 7 PM - Midnight local on Townsquare - owned radio stations). 

I can recommend some free and legal apps you can use to stream radio stations if you don't have a local classic rock station, although one of them is heavily ad-driven if you don't have a subscription. 

 

[Vort]

24 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

This included their infamous "$5.98 EP" that was done to help Jason Newsted grow into the band as he had been hastily recruited in the wake of Cliff Burton's death in a tragic accident while the band was touring

Metallica treated Jason Newsted like crap. They basically removed the bass from every song on "...And Justice For All", and never did let him really contribute to future albums. Weird way to try to honor Cliff Burton. I think James Hetfield has owned up to that. Metallica also kicked out Dave Mustaine before ever recording an album, of course, but that was well-deserved. Mustaine himself admits as much. (Interesting factoid: Mustaine was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness and currently considers himself a born-again Christian. He has apparently cleaned up his party-hard lifestyle.)

I'm actually neither a gossip columnist nor a Metallica groupie. Apparently, I just play one on the internet.

24 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

Although Metallica's rendition of "Turn The Page" is fairly common on rock stations, it would be the band's cover of Thin Lizzy's rendition of "Whiskey In The Jar" that would steal the show, winning the band another Grammy.

I was never a big Thin Lizzy guy, which may be part of the reason Whiskey in the Jar left me cold.

24 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

Tragically, this would be the band's last release for 5 years as a result of the catastrophic circumstances leading up to their dropping "St. Anger" off a skyscraper.

No one's favorite album, but I think it got more hate than it deserved.

24 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

For those wondering, Cliff Burton was killed when the band's bus went off the road. Cliff had been sleeping next to an open window without any form of seatbelt or restraint when the bus rolled. Cliff was thrown out of the window when it happened and would die of his injuries. The bus driver claimed that they'd encountered a patch of black ice, but Metallica front man James Hetfield has pretty clearly stated that he never believed this as the reason why the bus rolled. 

I believe Hetfield. But imagine you were the bus driver, responsible for an accident that took someone's life. I feel some sympathy for the guy being desperate to hide his error. Not that it justifies the lie (or obviously the original accident), but what a nightmare to live your life realizing that your incompetence or distraction or whatever killed someone. Just one of many, many crosses I am grateful not to have to bear.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Vort

[Vort]

40 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

My personal favorite in that album is their cover of Diamondheads “Am I Evil?”. I also really like their cover of Astronomy as well. 

I was playing with palindromes yesterday.

"Live! I'm...am I evil?" (What Cain said on realizing his own creation.)

[Ironhold]

7 minutes ago, Vort said:

No one's favorite album, but I think it got more hate than it deserved.

"St. Anger" was to Metallica as "Let It Be" was to the Beatles. 

The band was coming apart creatively and personally, only for the de facto leader of the group to effectively browbeat everyone into coming back into the studio for another album whose recording process would be the subject of a documentary. Cue the clash of egos and everything just generally flying apart, leading to someone quitting the band.

The key difference is that Hetfield was forced to admit that he had a serious problem and that neither he nor the band would get better unless he dealt with it. Thus, actually completing the album and documentary became secondary to seeking a solution for his alcoholism... which included a very painful confrontation with Dave Mustaine, who called Hetfield out for engaging in the very same behaviors that the band fired Mustaine over so long ago. 

Given the comparisons with "Let It Be", one can imagine a universe where Hetfield's ego swallows the band whole and destroys everything.

[LDSGator]

@Vort-This is just a shot in the dark here, but if you like cover albums from that general era, Guns and Roses have an album  called “The Spaghetti Incident?” which is loaded with cover songs. 

[Vort]

3 hours ago, LDSGator said:

@Vort-This is just a shot in the dark here, but if you like cover albums from that general era, Guns and Roses have an album  called “The Spaghetti Incident?” which is loaded with cover songs. 

I actually used to own that album. (Got rid of almost all my CDs in the move. Still not convinced that was a good idea.) Full disclosure: It was my least favorite G&R album. As I recall, I did enjoy Since I Don't Have You, despite the centrally featured profanity.

[LDSGator]

47 minutes ago, Vort said:

It was my least favorite G&R album

Your opinion is shared by many people! Lol! 

[Ironhold]

On 10/23/2022 at 12:25 PM, LDSGator said:

Your opinion is shared by many people! Lol! 

The fact that Axl covers *Charles Manson* doesn't help matters any. 

 

(For those who don't know, Charles Manson was a failed songwriter; this is part of what drove him over the edge. Axl Rose insisted on covering one of his songs for the album, but the remaining band members balked. So Axl went into the studio by himself, covered the song, and put it on the album as a hidden track. The audio quality is terrible, as if Axl was also trying to run the equipment at the same time he was singing and playing.)

[LDSGator]

27 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

The fact that Axl covers *Charles Manson* doesn't help matters any. 

Oh, agree. It also followed the spectacular Use Your Illusions albums-so fans were expecting a lot. 

[Ironhold]

11 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

Oh, agree. It also followed the spectacular Use Your Illusions albums-so fans were expecting a lot. 

You could tell that by the time they were in the studio for this the band was pretty much in the process of collapsing. 

It's common for people to blame the rise of grunge for the collapse of "hair" metal and glam metal in the early 1990s, but the truth of the matter is that most of the bands who made the two genres big in the 1970s and 1980s had either collapsed under the weight of their own egos or were facing situations where they had to reinvent themselves. 

Grunge simply finished the job by pushing most of these groups off of the album and singles charts. Mr. Big and Nelson were the last two hair acts to go #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

[LDSGator]

10 minutes ago, Ironhold said:

the truth of the matter is that most of the bands who made the two genres big in the 1970s and 1980s had either collapsed under the weight of their own egos or were facing situations where they had to reinvent themselves. 

Are you saying grunge didn’t kill hair metal? 

[Ironhold]

8 minutes ago, LDSGator said:

Are you saying grunge didn’t kill hair metal? 

Nirvana released their "Nevermind" album in September 1991.

By this point:

*Hanoi Rocks broke up in the wake of a car crash that killed their driver (June 1985)

*Members of Motley Crue had been in and out of rehabilitation, had gone through several rounds of lawsuits with various individuals, and had fired their manager (1987 - 1991)

*Twisted Sister had officially broken up (January 1988)

*Dokken broke up (March 1989)

*Quiet Riot had broken up for a second time (April 1989)

*Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith left the band over creative differences during "No Prayer For The Dying", which would spawn a UK #1 hit that also managed to win a Golden Raspberry (throughout 1990)

*Van Halen was rifting again, with the commercial success of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" hiding the fact that Eddie Van Halen was turning on Sammy Hagar (1990 through 1991)

*Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark succumbed to his substance abuse issues (January 1991), forcing the band to hastily finish "Adrenalize" and then take two years getting a replacement up to speed

*Bon Jovi was on hiatus, with Jon Bon Jovi firing the band's management, advisers, and agents (throughout 1991)

*Ratt's "Detonator" album received mixed critical reaction, guitarist Robbin Crosby would be forced to enter rehab for his substance abuse issues, and the group was a year away from disbanding (1991)

*Rob Halford was on his way out of Judas Priest (September 1991)

*The members of Poison had just spent the last few years in and out of legal trouble due to their "party hard" lifestyle, and two years' constant touring for 1990's "Flesh and Blood" would have the band members at each others' throats (1991)

*KISS, who had spent the 1980s struggling with relevance due to line-up changes and a controversial decision to take the make-up off, was dealt a critical blow with the revelation that then-drummer Eric Carr had terminal cancer; he would pass away before the end of the year (1991)

Et cetra. 

Most of the big glam and hair bands from the 1970s and 1980s were either coming apart at the seams by 1992, had undergone significant line-up changes, or had outright broken up. 

[LDSGator]

1 minute ago, Ironhold said:

Nirvana released their "Nevermind" album in September 1991.

By this point:

*Hanoi Rocks broke up in the wake of a car crash that killed their driver (June 1985)

*Members of Motley Crue had been in and out of rehabilitation, had gone through several rounds of lawsuits with various individuals, and had fired their manager (1987 - 1991)

*Twisted Sister had officially broken up (January 1988)

*Dokken broke up (March 1989)

*Quiet Riot had broken up for a second time (April 1989)

*Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith left the band over creative differences during "No Prayer For The Dying", which would spawn a UK #1 hit that also managed to win a Golden Raspberry (throughout 1990)

*Van Halen was rifting again, with the commercial success of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" hiding the fact that Eddie Van Halen was turning on Sammy Hagar (1990 through 1991)

*Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark succumbed to his substance abuse issues (January 1991), forcing the band to hastily finish "Adrenalize" and then take two years getting a replacement up to speed

*Bon Jovi was on hiatus, with Jon Bon Jovi firing the band's management, advisers, and agents (throughout 1991)

*Ratt's "Detonator" album received mixed critical reaction, guitarist Robbin Crosby would be forced to enter rehab for his substance abuse issues, and the group was a year away from disbanding (1991)

*Rob Halford was on his way out of Judas Priest (September 1991)

*The members of Poison had just spent the last few years in and out of legal trouble due to their "party hard" lifestyle, and two years' constant touring for 1990's "Flesh and Blood" would have the band members at each others' throats (1991)

*KISS, who had spent the 1980s struggling with relevance due to line-up changes and a controversial decision to take the make-up off, was dealt a critical blow with the revelation that then-drummer Eric Carr had terminal cancer; he would pass away before the end of the year (1991)

Et cetra. 

Most of the big glam and hair bands from the 1970s and 1980s were either coming apart at the seams by 1992, had undergone significant line-up changes, or had outright broken up. 

Fascinating. Thanks. 

[Ironhold]

For Hanoi Rocks, that should have been "drummer", not "driver". He had been killed in a drunk-driving accident.

[LDSGator]

1 minute ago, Ironhold said:

For Hanoi Rocks, that should have been "drummer", not "driver". He had been killed in a drunk-driving accident.

With Vince Neil as the driver. 

[Vort]

I love how we can count on @Ironhold to fill us in on the relevant details on off-the-beaten-track topics like this.

[Ironhold]

2 hours ago, LDSGator said:

Fascinating. Thanks. 

The thing is?

*It's not just music where this happened.*

Look at many other forms of entertainment during the period from about 1987 to 1992 and you'll see similar seismic upheavals. 

Comic books? That's when a lot of prominent indie houses like Blackthorne and Comico ran into problems and wound up going bust, clearing a path for Image to come and dictate the terms of the early 1990s. 

Animation? A great many studios and foreign content importers, like Hanna-Barbera, Rankin-Bass, Ruby - Spears, Streamline, and Sunbow were either dead or terminally ill, this in spite of their various successes. This was on top of a great many other setbacks in the industry. 

Kids' properties? Many prominent toy lines like Go-Bots, Transformers, M.A.S.K., and so forth all collapsed, while a great many new lines were functionally dead on arrival. Many of these properties, old and new, went down as if they'd hit a brick wall.

Et cetra. 

It's weird. 

[Vort]

Speaking of Metallica, as we, um, really weren't:

Picking a "best song" for Metallica is an effort in frustration. Polling fans will result in (probably) a plurality for "Master of Puppets", which I think is well-deserved. But you'll get plenty of contenders. For many years, I liked "One" better than any. On relistening to Metallica, I think a case can be made for The Unforgiven III. I doubt many would agree, but it's worth considering. Of the "Unforgiven" songs, I really think it's the best of the three. Here are all three, so you can compare for yourself.