Earliest Metallica Recording Surfaces
A 1982 rehearsal tape has been found featuring the earliest recording by the metal legends
A 1982 tape featuring a rehearsal by Metallica has been found and is available for your listening "pleasure”.
The song that features on the tape is a cover of Diamond Head’s ‘Sucking My Love’ and was recorded by Metallica when the members were Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney.
The Metal Den spoke to official Metallica historian Bob Nalbandian who revealed that this tape is the earliest ever Metallica recording.
"For Metallica fans, this was definitely the rarest, and earliest, material to ever surface. No one knew this recording even existed, since original bassist Ron McGovney had the only copy of this garage practice session (this tape was too crude even be labeled a demo!). The tape features the Diamond Head covers "Sucking My Love,” "Helpless” and "Am I Evil” (the latter two which Metallica later re-recorded and released commercially), and their very first original tune, "Hit the Lights.”
"Recorded in Ron’s garage in March of ‘82 (two months after the band was formed) by suspending a $49.00 ghetto blaster in the air, and with James singing through the guitar amp, this is surprisingly a great recording for using such primitive means! James’ voice was very high at the time and Lars’ drumming sounds like hoof beats. Nevertheless, the band sounds tight for only being together for two months. Dave Mustaine performs all the guitar work on this rehearsal tape (James was only singing at the time), showing that he was quite advanced for a nineteen year-old guitarist from Orange County!”
You can hear the song below – the quality isn’t great. You have been warned: