Bob Rock Shares Memories Of Making Metallica's "The Black Album"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Bob Rock Shares Memories Of Making Metallica's "The Black Album"
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Bob used to be a woman.
- James Hetfield, 1991
That's awesome metallica supports trans people.
@@123612100 the mentally ill?? i dont think so....
The Black Album has its detractors but you can't have music without such timeless tunes like "Wherever I May Roam" and especially "The Unforgiven". Real Led Zeppelin of the 90s stuff right there.
Love both those songs, especially The Unforgiven, one of the best, imo, that Hetfield has written lyrically.
The detractors of The Black album where essentially Metallica fans that refused move being their teenage years AND ears.
I don’t listen to any Metallica except for The Black Album and it’s one of my favorite produced records ever. Their magnum opus. No question. They had it all on that record.
Bob's a great storyteller in addition to his skills as a producer.
@@TML0677 because Black Album is the best sounding and composing Metallica record.
@@TML0677 please
Agreed, Bob's gibson interview is worth a listen.
I got caught up in the first wave of death metal when the Black album came out, I thought it was a pure sell out at the time. I wanted AJFA part two but more technical. Now that I’m older I can appreciate this album in a completely different way. I’ve grown to love it because of the sheer strength of the songwriting. There can be no question the production was a work meticulous genius. As many times as I’ve heard these songs I still enjoy them…
@Warren Johnson You want some peanut butter to go with that jelly?
@Warren Johnson Slash sucks? Pass whatever the fuck you're smoking because apparently it's some fire shit.
What does this have to do with the original comment?
I'm glad to hear at least one person who has grown to see how great this album is.
Most people hold the opinion they had when it was released, "Love it!" or "Hate it! SELL OUTS!"
It's definitely more commercial and easier for a broad range of listeners to hear but it is a fantastically written and produced record. I wouldn't call it better or worse than anything before it, it was just a different musical direction.
It also shows how immature the fans where as well. Metallica released 4 badass albums and decided to take it easy on one album and we freak out. Also don't forget they lost Cliff 4 years prior. Yes that does matter because they were still healing from that.
I imagine that Native American waking up and deciding which shirt to wear that day, unbeknownst to him it was the most important decision he ever had to make
Exactly. Some people think they have nothing to contribute to life, nobody ever really knows what influence they truly have on the world!
How do you know it was the most important decision he ever had to make…? Maybe he made even more important ones!
@@hellaacapella You must be fun at parties
@@andrewalexb not really, people usually leave when I come up to them at parties for some reason
@@hellaacapella Ouch :(
To this day, the production is hard to match..punchy AF 🤘
Oh yeah. Heaviest sounding album of all time.
@@stephenc.4319 you never heard Endgame then
Bro your joking
@@sethheaddress2651 joking in what way? I mean there's the new Born of Osiris albums production. But as a vocalist my ears hear things perhaps differently than some. I'm drawn to the sound of an SSl if you know what I mean.
@@H.E.M. thanks I'll look them up
As a kid, the Black Album was my introduction to metal. Played it over and over in my Sony walkman.
Same here. Brings back memories
Me too, brother. I was 11 in 1991 and when I told my much older brother that I liked them, he said to me, "you know that's heavy metal, right?", cause I grew up listening to country. And I remember having that sudden realization that, yeah, I like heavy metal!!
Great story, album and band. What they did is unbelievable. Best sounding album ever produced.
Pity about the songs.
@@kindregardless The songs are amazing! I would love to see you do better.
Load and Reload sound way better on the bottom end. Don't kid yourself, son.
Digital production and CDs became a thing after Black. It was the best. The game changed. And Metallica proved the new recording wasn’t better.
No I think that Bruce Dickinson´s "Chemical Wedding" is way better.
I could listen Bob speaking of The Black Album for hours...legend.
listen to 'Master of Puppets'... then listen to the 'Black Album'... 2 different bands
I saw Metallica twice on that tour and it really felt like a once in a lifetime experience. My buddy won front row tickets on the radio! I was a fan since MOP but the Black album was a crossover from metal to popular rock. Definitely the best concerts I have seen, Metallica in their prime.
I saw them when they did the stadium tour w/ GnR. Metallica were so good, it made GnR anticlimactic.
That's why I love The Black Album so much.
@@TML0677 My Friend of Mystery too?
What's why? He said a hundred things...
Yeah, if you say so Dr. Arbiter.
@@morbidmanmusic to be exact: Bob Rock's contribution to the album, that human feel to the album. Also, his remenicences made me think about Jim Morrison, ha!
Bob made the right decision but man that Sambora ‘Stranger in This Town’ record is incredible too 🤘
I absolutely love The Black Album. Fantastic written and arranged tracks. The Enter Sandman riff is just awesomeness......👍
He described Lars drumming perfectly
Lars drumming certainly was more appreciated back then, as lomg as you where creative, nowdays you gotta belong to certain school of drumming
There's no doubt Lars was a good drummer for the reasons Bob listed. Lars gets a lot of shit these days because he clearly doesn't practice anymore. All his peers from the 80s have gone on to become better and better as the years rolled by. Lars on the other hand seems to not care about maintaining his drum skills which is sad since he is the drummer for one of the biggest bands of all time.
bpr154 lazyness is a big factor for sure. Even kirk. If he put in more effort he would have created more melodic solos, he definately has the aptitude for it, instead he gives us a lot of the random same pentatonic licks. Lars is unlistenable live due to playing shit fills and tempo inconsistencies. But in the records his percussion added a lot of character, groove, proper accents, interesting fills, meter variations etc
@@p90ischeap81 good for him. He's probably seen all those 'Lars fails' compilations and finally pulled his finger out.
@@timsanchez6485 I'm sure I read that even back in the justice days they had to splice tapes etc almost on a gnr late-Steven Adler period scale to get usable tracks, so most of the things you mention in the last point would likely be a product of that editing as much if not more than some great talent of LU
I remember James Hetfield saying something along the lines of, "After 'And Justice For All', there was no more room to grow! We let it all out on that album with the machine gun riffs, fast playing, drums, etc." The Black Album is what brought me to Metallica at 14 years old in 1991. Screw everybody else that doesn't like it. Since then, I bought every single album up until after the "S&M" album. They are my favorite band, but they need to stop!
The way Bob rock handle those '4 horseman' to be much better & successful musician absolutely crazy. He don't care about their thoughts & hate on him at that time. He got the vision before it all started.
Bob rock the Legendary sound engineer.🤟
That would’ve been around 1990 that he was in the desert & heard Metallica on the radio. That was unbelievably rare for that to happen then.
Usually you’d only hear them on the radio if a station was doing an “extreme” metal segment, and that would be at like midnight on a Saturday night.
They absolutely did not get played other than situations like that.
The whole story is a lie
@@xiyx9748 Yeah some dipshit in the YT comment section is more trustworthy than a notable, accomplished producer lol
They performed on the Grammys during the AJFA era. That's as mainstream as it gets.
@@ktw70 they did one was pretty popular it was their first music video so it got them more exposure. They were trending upward before the black album but it took them to the stratosphere.
You have helped achieve the best band ever be proud of yourself. I to believe in signs like you have experienced
Thank you Native American guy. Always so wise.
Excellent 👌🏼
Damn Bob that was great,thanks for sharing
The Black Album is one of the greatest metal albums of all time, thanks to Metallica and Bob Rock.
After watching this, I'm convinced that if Bob Rock hadn't produced Metallica they would have stayed underground like many other bands and never gotten on the radio.
Fucking awesome sound of every instrument on the album... Bob did a great job!
We all love Bob !🤟🎸🎤🎶🎵🥁🎙✌
I haven't seen a picture of Bob Rock since St. Anger. I was like wow, he's old now. Then I realized that was 20 years ago...
The black album was 30 years ago today
@@badumtss3067 he was referring to St Anger.
@@allsystemsgo8678 St. Wanker
1:10 And yet the album is filled with backing vocals and harmonies.
The Black Album is without a doubt a masterpiece of metal.
And the indian said "book them, they will come"
The drumming on this album are amazing. It hits you with an incredible force that just stands out more so than any of their albums.
Black album is incredible, and had a really deep, hard sound. Metallica needed to break away from thrash and try something different and it worked
Love how he described Lars' drumming. Lars is amazing as far as I'm concerned!
Then you're obviously not a musician lol
@@adampennington8954 I am a musician. All the ignorant Lars hate. Where are all of your multi platinum albums and iconic songs? What is your contribution to music that's so amazing that you put down an iconic figure in the history of music?
Where are yours? See, I can play that game too. Just because I'm not a famous drummer doesn't mean that I can't have an opinion about one. Lars is, by far, the weakest musician in Metallica. His meter sucks and his style is stagnant.
@@adampennington8954 I don't go around TH-cam watching videos of someone I don't like leaving hate comments. Lars has more talent in one of his turds than you do in your whole body!
@@TheNothing6 no he doesn't. Also Kirk sucks too. James and Rob are caring the band on their back.
People shit on Bob but the sound of Dr feelgood and the black kills alot of albums. People to this day can not create the punch he can as a producer
the album that made me a metalhead!!
If he was in the Grand canyon area the native American was probably navajos, I'm a Navajo and a lot of us grew up listening to metal, the "Big four" plus "Testament" where the main factors.
This is from the “Classic Album- The Black Album” dvd- And yes I have it 💽🇺🇸🇩🇰🎸🥁🎤🎬🎧
And now it’s the most sold metal album of all time and no metal band has come close 34 years later.
towards the beginning I thought he was gonna say it was a weird naked Indian (a la Wayne's World) telling him to make the album
Ha!
If Bob Rock wouldn't have done the Metallica's production, the band wouldn't have been that big.
Maybe someone would of made them even bigger. Who knows. It is possible.
That is true, James Hetfield once said in an interview that Bob Rock told Metallica guys that they haven't make an album yet, and that basically got them worked harder on the black album, although I still like their 80s album more
whatever album Metallica would put together instead of the Black Album but without Bob would be a huge let down even for hardcore fans
IMO, Metallicas first 4 albums was definitely more than enough to make them the biggest band ever.
@@lyganvarff8543 Your opinion SUCKS.
IT'S NOT JUST THE MUSIC ITSELF BUT THE TECHNICAL PART OF IT THAT MADE IT TIMELESS. THE SHARPNESS OF THE SOUND. IT WAS RECORDED WITH DOLBY SOUND I THINK.
Analog master producer ever. No pro-tools (that moment), record, cut tape, join, remaster...all by hand.
Rick Rubin is great too the same way. Do not get me wrong, now days are great with whole electronic tools, but in the past with out them was more creative because of harder work to be. Other times. Thank you for that, for art, work, dedication.
Technically Bob was using pro tool techniques on Lars's parts. They'd record a bunch of parts and splice together different things. So in a way you have Lars to thank for pro tools style editing lol
Also, Rick Rubin sucks. The real magic man behind his classic albums is Andy Wallace.
@@faberbootlegs Have you seen, Year and a Half in Life of Metallica. If i remember correctly, the entire album was recorded on tape. ... I'm even pretty sure that Pro Tools didn't exist in 1991.
Thanks Bob for sharing your story with everyone. You are Fucking Awesome Man.
YOU RULE BOB !!! 👍🏻
Bob Rock records the best selling Metallica album of all time. He’s a BadAss!!!
Bobs production on Aerosmiths Permanent Vacation was very good as well.
For any gearheads out there, what is that mono speaker at 3:06? It looks like an Auratone, but it has a different logo on it.
Yamaha NS10
Something like this will never be created again. That's what makes great albums. It's a once in a life time thing where everything lines up
I would love to know the process behind composing Nothing Else Matters´ solo. Because we all know how Kirk achieved his Unforgiven.
In the Unforgiven solo video, Bob mentions that Hetfield puts a lot of work in 'Nothing' as an example for Kirk who 'didn't do his homework'.
James played solo in one take and stared Bob down til he said he was fine with it.
He’s such an intuitive guy - a true artist / mystic.
The original mastering of The Black Album was done really well and i thought of that listening to a few of the newly remastered tracks on the radio. With this remaster Bob Ludwig has brought out James's vocals more and there is just more sound definition brought out of those precious master tapes of this monumental album.
Well you’re also looking at technology limitations of the day too. I believe that the album was still recorded the old way of reel to reel, as they didn’t have digital recording capability yet.
@@ryanatorryanson9535 Digital recording technology came out in the mid to late 70's. The Black Album was recorded from 1990 to about the summer of 1991. The band chose to record to reel to reel tape. Albums recorded on tape can yield a good warm dynamic sound. Some digital recordings I've heard sound compressed and or brittle. That is not to say all digitally recordings sound bad.
@@The90sGamingGuy I didn’t realize digital recording was an option then. I read in interview with Phil Anselmo where he talked about VDOP being recorded r2r and saying that’s how it was still done then, in 1992.
@@ryanatorryanson9535 Panteras Vulgar Display of Power is my favorite of theirs great song after great song on that album. In the early 90s it was a little less time consuming to record to r2r since computers processing power was not where it is today. Krist of Nirvana said in an interview it would take 3 or 4 hours for a song to render in Pro Tools in 1991 and i believe him.
Digital and r2r recordings have their limitations. Many great albums have been recorded on both formats. It comes down to which format you prefer analog records or CDs, i personally listen to both.
@@ryanatorryanson9535 Have you heard any good remasters or remixes of classic albums? Im always on the search for something new or upgrading an original.
in the thumbnail he looks like: ''i need a fucking sleep''
If I not mistaken Lars wanted to work at night and James in the morning so he literally never got any sleep lol
I love the black album era. Their attitude during this time was dgaf. Music in this ear was so good
Lars is the best
At what
@@Rambo33868 At drumming there is no better.
@@raffiequler7510 You don't know much about drumming, do you
No
@@Rambo33868 suing people lol
Pretty special what they put together on that record. It takes a lot of pot shots from people rather unfairly If you ask me. Made a video about that on my channel actually the other day. Bob Rock really didn't change all that much song wise from the demos. He brought a lot to the vocals, mix and some arrangement things with the bass and some lead stuff. Mostly, he got those guys to just work really hard until it was the best it could be.
What podcast or documentary or interview is this from?
It’s still my favourite sounding album of all time.
Bob has done well for a guy from Langford.
steve langford ? what ?
People think he is from Vancouver he is actually from Langford. Go look on Google Maps if you are American. 😂
At 2:10 why am i seeing HHH in this pic?
The fact people would say Lars was in his prime here yet Bob Rock still thought his playing was so weird he had to bring it up and spend more time on that than anything else is hilarious.
Lars was never a good drummer. The fact he could’ve had that title had he passed instead of Cliff is crazy to think about.
2:45 yo! Trujillo I see you
I loved his PC recollection of Lars’ drumming. Didn’t want to come out and say he was sloppy.
He went from heaven to hell, from the black album to st. Anger. May he come back?
By dumbass read “heaven and hell” I’m like when tf did he work with Sabbath?
Very good
Just a reminder that this is the guy who also produced St. Anger, I will never understand how that happened
I have thought about this as well. Before the Black Album was released, while Metallica was a fairly popular metal band, they weren’t the behemoth of success that we think of now. Bob was still able to be the guy in control to some extent, because they hadn’t seen that success yet, and there weren’t those massive egos present. By the time they were working on ST. Anger, they were arguably the biggest metal band on earth. There was no one to tell them “no.” Bob’s role in the St Anger sessions was to hit the record button and find tones. He wasn’t in charge. I think that was partially the difference honestly.
@@dalefleenor_ in my opinion he became SUCH friends with the band, that he got caught up in that therapy desaster wich resulted in st.anger, and he wasnt a producer anymore there are clips where he try´s to get lars to properly record a beat and lars is just huffing and puffing like a girl , and when he try´s to reason with hetfield on why kirk should play certain parts papa het would get salty as f+ck and in the end get his way ... the guys from "Metal up your Podcast" have some veeeeery interesting and detailed episodes on bob rock and st.anger in general .. very much worth listening
@@dodge5570 Yeah I think that was kind of where I was trying to go when saying that there was nobody to tell them “no.” I don’t think Metallica has heard “no” in 30 years. Lol. Bob was definitely too involved on a personal level by then, as they had been working together for a decade, but I’m sure even he knew that if he resisted too much on their ideas then he would be canned for somebody else. They were too personally involved by then and Bob assumed the role of the “yes man.” In my opinion.
St. Anger sounds exactly like James and Lars wanted it to. It's in your face and very garage-y. It is an incredible sounding album in my opinion.
When the Black Album sessions started Bob was willing to put on with Metallica´s bull crap, nagg them and push them to their limit, the guys where very close to each other (even Jason) at the time so great chemistry, great thinking, great song dynamics, amazing guitar playing and stuff, also the Black album vision was "to be the greatest Metal album of all time" whether it is it or not it can be denied that is a huge contender for that title (to me is MoP) and the band came fresh from killing hit after killing hit, heck they realesed Eye of the beholder as a single instead of Blackened and even that worked!, also lots of instruments, great studio to work, a million bucks where invested and Metallica and Bob will do anything to keep achiving greatness... they did.
Fast forward five years and Load and ReLoad came algong, Bob was not willing to get all the crap he got from the Black Album again, Metallica was not willing to put anotehr "Metallica" album over again, Lars and Kirk got very alternative, James was very bluesy and Jason was made aside, so naturally there was a gap between band members Lars and Kirk guiding the future of the band wile James and Jason would do their thing one apart from each other, Jason was heavly into new projects (IR8, Papa willie´s and eventually sexoturica, thoug i cant remember if this last one was before or after he left the band). Less production time and value was invested on those albums, those been recorded in Lars dungeon (his basement) and honestly, they are amazing albums, but you immediatly notice the production is not as top notch as the BA and are very experimental, however that was Lars and Kirk´s intentions.
Fast forward another five years, fan base mad, the Napster thing, Jason left the band, James interned for alcoholism, Kirk solo Banned from the album... Bob was alone on that one with Lars who couldn´t really get a grip on everything that was happening and Kirk who was just happy to be alive. Bob was older and definetly not willing to put on with whatever crap they were going through, he won´t abandon them though, but will not put his hands in the fire for them. James cames back, there´s a ton of tention, the band is closer to ending rather than recording a new album, somehow they push through and they go with this idea "Let´s make and album that soounds not like Metallica, but like some dudes putting together some shit in the garage" And that is exactly what the album end up been. Truth be told, this album is not good, but is way to bashed, mostly because came at the most controvertial time for the band, a time where they would be picked for everything they did, and they did a lot of shit, there´s even theories about how the snare would be popular if it wasn´t played by Lars. Bob at this time was just happy to have a job tbh, St Anger was marked for "sound failure" but hardly has anything to do with him.
So that Native American changed the course of music history. I bet he could not have even dreamt of it that morning when he put the T-shirt on.
My only issue with the Black album was an obvious target to mass appeal that wasn't there before. A conscious decision to go commercial.
I heard docs n lawyers n wall street n among others that u would not think that would be jamming heavy metal at the time ,they did with the lack album.....even politicians....crazy.... respect though
Where is this interview?
Bits were used from the ICONS interview
Whole thing is on TH-cam. All of those ICON interviews are fantastic.
@@ryj44 including Kirk Hammet's as well. Great stuff.
It's on the 'Classic Albums' DVD, in the extra's section
Okay, so the Indian was wearing a Metallica shirt, but I have to ask. Did Bob think it was a trifle unnecessary to see the crack in the Indian’s bottom?
....Gayed Up the Baddest Band in the Land.
Sign in the middle of Nowhere!
Don't care what anyone says, best sounding album ever. Bob is a genius
"best sounding album ever. Bob is a genius".
And you, obviously, are not.
Like it or not…. The black album sounded great.
I think he’s saying that Lars play like an airdrummer - but with drums.
Technical Gene Hoglan plays like an air drummer on drums.
Bob Rock is the main reason Metallica became Commercialy successful .
Bob Rock working with Bon Jovi on Keep the Faith less than a Year after the Black Album came out - how did he let the song 'Fear' get through. It's a rip off of the Enter Sandman riff.
Look at all their albums in order from AJFA to SKOM. Then thank Bob Rock.
Bob the end if the thrashica!
Meesage to the past - no Chorus, no big reverbs on drums, more bass. Thanks.
Sending positive vibes to whoever is reading this!! (From a new youtube lyric channel haha)
Make the bass as big as possible? I guess that idea got lost somewhere!🤔
Native American in the middle of the desert? That's so Jim Morrison.
I love how many people are jealous of lars 🤣
The black album badass
You get an original piece of art with Lars not a frilly hand me down gimmick
Metallica... Was CLEARLY the best decision.
Last great thing they made. Rip Metallica
Lars is not like some of the great drummers. I know Bob is being polite but damn dude.
I can't listen to the Black Album anymore but glad it introduced me to Metallica so I could find the goldmine that came before.
Great album that I never want to hear again
He was the right guy at the right time!!!
Lol larrs unique drumming. If I only knew when I was younger Metallica was so hard because Lars was such a shitty drummer
And then metallica decided to get the worst possible sound engineers after bob for death magnetic
Don't blame the recording engineers, mixers or mastering engineers. That was all the band members' doing, just like always.
Didn't they have rick rubin and Greg fieldman? They did a great job on a slipknot album...subliminal verses was it?
Lars just can't help himself when it comes to the final mix.
Lars is NOT like Keith Moon
Bob Jovi
Bob Rock is a musical CROCK!! Why do you think St. Anger recorded by METALLICA sounded bad? By who else?
For some Metallica fans, especially when this album came out, Bob Rock was the real villain. He ruined Metallica. But if you listen to interviews and especially watch the documentary they put out, "A Year and a Half in the life of Metallica" you learn this was all the band's decision. They chose to turn towards a more "radio friendly" sound. I don't disagree. If they felt they could still be artists and try to maximize their income... the go all in. "sell out" as it were.
🤘
Metallica....The ultimate Commercial Rock band
Aliceinchains....The ultimate Artists Rock band.
The "sign" he saw was $$$$$$
One Indian ruined the album. :(
I honestly can't understand why did they switch from Rasmussen to Rock. all three - Ride, Master and Justice have killer production, with Master's sound being probably the best in the genre history. The Black Album sounds fine, but not nearly as unique as those three
Bob approached Metallica and said he wanted to capture how big they sounded live on an album. I believe he succeeded bc imo the overall sound of the Black album is better than the previous albums. Puppets is a close 2nd tho
No matter what you think of the songs, The Black album is an amazing sounding album, incredible production. The production or the final mix of Justice is terrible. Obviously we all know about the bass, but it's not just that. It's all James and Lars on that album. They cut Kirk out too. I think they just wanted to mix things up. Bob was red hot at the time. Considering it's one the biggest albums ever its hard to criticize the decision too much
Bob Rock ruined Metallica and this album was an enormous disappointment for Metallica's original fans. It's still a good album, but it's a pop album, not metal, and all of the people that were listening to New Kids On The Block all of a sudden were Metallica fans. What a joke.
30 years and you are still whining.... gtf over it dude !
Except that the band...not Bob Rock...already had the songs written, and made a conscious decision to go in the exact opposite direction of AJFA. The biggest changes that Bob made to the album, outside of suggesting things like layering vocals, harmonies, was to suggest tuning Sad But True and The God That Failed to D standard since almost every song was in the key of "E". He didn't write the songs, and the band has been on record as having said that they wanted to make the change, ergo the only people who "ruined" Metallica as you state, are Metallica themselves. I don't get why it's so hard to understand that the band, not Bob Rock, wrote the black album.